STUDENT experience is front and centre at Tooleybuc Central School as teachers actively seek opportunities to enrich their learning.
The results speak for themselves, with statewide student survey results scoring the school above average in positive behaviour at school, sense of belonging and expectations of success.
“We have lots of enrichment programs across the school which are designed to support student engagement – the real aim is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to develop to be their personal best,” principal Melanie Wait said.
Recently, programs have focused on introducing students to career options, with an excursion to Yanco Agricultural College planned which will demonstrate a range of opportunities and technologies within the industry, and participation in the Murray Mallee Local Learning and Employment Network training day.
Book Week and Literacy and Numeracy Week have been the focus on campus recently as staff created fun and engaging activities to build a love of reading and writing and skills in applying problem solving in the student body.
This included an escape room with maths problems as the clues, and a blind date with a book in which secondary students told the librarian their interests and were paired with a book to match.
For Book Week, Ms Wait also worked with Distance and Rural Technologies (DART) Learning to arrange a video conference with Evanna Lynch, the actress behind the beloved Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter series.
DART Learning offers a range of workshops to rural and remote schools to ensure they have equal access to opportunities and education, with which Tooleybuc Central School enthusiastically engages across a range of subjects.
The Year 5s and 6s recently went to Canberra where they learned about government at Parliament House and the Museum of Australian Democracy, engaged with the interactive science facility Questacon as part of The National Science and Technology Centre, and went to an indoor rock-climbing gym and the National Institute of Sport.
The Year 7s and 8s also got to try out indoor rock-climbing, ran mud obstacle courses, went kayaking and BMX riding, cooked damper on a campfire and conquered challenges through teamwork at Castaway during their camp at Borambola.
Students hosted and competed in athletics with Nyah District Primary School and Manangatang P-12 College, with six Tooleybuc students becoming age champions through their efforts.
The school’s small student body is a blessing in disguise for both students and staff.
“We get opportunities that would be shared across a larger student body where some students do this and others do that, but here they can get every opportunity because it’s a smaller cohort,” Ms Wait said.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of their lives.
“We get the opportunity to see students grow over their time here and go from young children to amazing young adults.”
The 2025 intake numbers are looking good to Ms Wait, with Foundation and Year 7 transitions under way.
