Back to School!

So here we are on Wednesday, July 15th – and it’s the START of a new school term for children here in Brisbane! The new term was beginning – and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit two schools today.

First up was Weller’s Hill State School – a public elementary school in the suburb of Tarragindi. Here, 700 students - boys and girls – grades PreK through 7, were back for the start of their winter term. They all wear a uniform – and everyone has a sunhat, even at this time of year. It’s standard issue in Australia – they are, sensibly, very conscious of the power of the sun. This school was comfortably familiar. The classrooms I saw could easily have been classrooms in the UK or the USA. This was clearly a very happy, popular and successful school. They made superb use of all the outdoor space too – there was even outdoor teaching space, which is certainly well-used in this climate.

I then went in to the city center – and to another school. Brisbane Grammar is one of the oldest schools in the country. It’s been around since 1868 – so it’s an impressive 140 years old. It’s a private school for boys, very much in the more traditional, English style. Uniforms (and hats, again!) were worn and the boys were all very welcoming, polite and hard at work. The facilities were superb – perhaps most impressive was the sports complex. They take their sport very seriously in Australia – and there was something for everyone here. A 50 meter pool, tennis courts, a fully equipped gymnastics facility, volleyball courts, soccer fields, rugby fields and cricket pitches. I watched a class of sixth graders working on a social studies project – and, again, felt that I could easily have been in a classroom back in DC or in London.
Here, they have four terms in a school year – and the school year begins in January. Term 1 is from January to March, Term 2 is April to June, Term 3 (which started today) is July to September and Term 4 is October to late November. The long vacation is from mid November to mid January – the summertime here, of course.
It was an impressive school and I was delighted to have had the chance to visit.
It was now time to move on from Brisbane. What an interesting, upbeat and lively city. I've loved it. It's the fastest growing city in Australia right now - and I can understand why. I hope to be back someday soon. I had one final stroll through the city - which allowed me to stop briefly at the Museum of Brisbane (inside the City Council building) - and then I had to get ready for my flight down south and on to the Australian capital, Canberra.