Uniforms, books and stationery are being sorted and excitement is building as the Sunshine Coast’s newest state college prepares to welcome its foundation students for the 2023 school year.
About 120 Year 7 and 8 students will officially walk through the school gates for the first time on Monday, January 23, when Palmview State Secondary College opens.
The $109 million school, on the corner of Village Green Boulevard and Peter Crosby Way, will support the learning journey of 1500 students each year, once all stages are complete.
Year levels will be added as students’ progress through each grade, with foundation Year 8s set to be the state college’s first Year 12 graduates in 2027.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told parliament early last year that FKG Group had been awarded the contract to undertake the Palmview project.
An Education Department spokesperson yesterday said Stage 1 would have state-of-the-art facilities including general learning areas, an administration centre, science centre, hospitality and food services centre, resource centre, landscaped courtyards, multi-purpose sports centre, four multipurpose outdoor courts, and a junior applied technology centre.
Stage 2 of the school, which would provide facilities for Senior students, was expected to be completed in 2025.
Foundation principal Barry Dittman will be familiar to many Sunshine Coast students and parents as a former principal at Noosa District State High School, Chancellor State College and Maroochydore State High School.
Most recently he held the position of lead principal supporting schools across the North Coast Region.
“I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to work with this local community to shape this student-centred, technology-rich, inclusive college where there will be a priority focus on each individual student achieving their personal best,” Mr Dittman said.
After less than a year of construction, Mr Dittman and his staff moved into the administration building on Monday this week, in preparation for the new school year.
Last week, they were able to do a walk around the classrooms, seeing the technology installation taking place.
Furniture has already started going in this week as last-minute enrolment interviews continue to take place.
Close to burgeoning residential areas, the new addition to the local school network will provide enrolment relief to Chancellor State College, Meridan Secondary College and Kawana Waters State College.
The school website says families from across Palmview, Glenview and lower Sippy Downs are welcome to enrol at the school.
“Palmview State Secondary College promises state-of-the-art educational facilities for the townships of Palmview and Glenview,” it says.
“We are co-located adjacent to Palmview State Primary School and Palmview State Special School, which opened in 2021. As a collective, the Palmview Learning Community provides a unique precinct to develop a holistic approach to education for all of our students.
“The purpose-built facility will cater for students from Years 7 to 12 upon completion, initially opening to students in Years 7 and 8 in 2023.
“Parent and student voice has played a significant role in shaping the foundations of our college community and an invitation remains open for all to engage in our community meetings to further enhance our college.”
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The ‘learning community’ is highlighted in the new school logo.
At first look, the logo is akin to a stylised pineapple – a fruit grown in the area for generations (in more recent years, subdivisions and retirement villages have begun replacing the farms and orchards that were in abundance during the 20th century).
But the school website states: “In keeping with the Palmview Learning Community (PLC) theme, our logo not only represents the three co-located schools, but also the multiple pathways that our learners will travel and the paths that they will cross as they strive for personal bests in a community founded on trust, connection and growth.”
Palmview is one of the four new state schools opening in Queensland this year, joining two Ipswich schools at Woogaroo Creek State School in Augustine Heights and Ripley Central State School, as well as Logan’s South Rock State School at Yarrabilba.
In a joint statement with the Premier in February last year, Education Minister Grace Grace said the four new schools were being delivered in the fastest-growing areas of Queensland and represented “another important milestone on the journey to delivering the extra state school capacity we need in coming years”.
“Our aim is to ensure all children, no matter where they live, get a great start to their future by having access to quality educational facilities,” Ms Grace said.
“These communities are growing and it’s important we protect and enhance the great lifestyle Queenslanders have.
“That’s why we’re investing in even better services with almost $330m to build these new schools. And that’s also supporting 900 good jobs.
“When these four new schools open in 2023, it will take the number of new schools we have opened since 2015 to 25, with 11 more already announced for 2024-26.
“That’s an investment of more than $3 billion in new schools for our youngest Queenslanders.”
For more, visit the Palmview State Secondary College website and Facebook page.
