Calen District State College

Welcome to the website of the Calen District State College. I trust that you will find the information regarding the school, the curriculum offerings, co-curricula opportunities, and our students’ achievements is useful.

Calen is a multi-sector campus, which caters for students from preschool through to year 12. Over past five years we have made a concerted effort to increase the range of subjects offered and as a consequence Ancient History, Art, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Marine and Aquatic Practices and Information Processing Technology have been added. We are also considering subjects such as Agriculture and Legal Studies for the future.

Two commonly asked questions about the Calen District State College are:

The simple answer to both of these questions is Yes. We provide a wide range of OP eligible and non eligible subjects at Calen. There were nineteen full time year 12 students at Calen last year and ten of them gained acceptance to university. District Review Panels for each senior OP eligible subject monitors the work of schools to guarantee that a VHA (ie level 3) is the same throughout the district and state. Last year our senior English class consisted of fourteen students and five of these attained a VHA, all of which were verified by District Review Panels. Larger schools with a cohort of eighty students achieved four VHA’s. Of our current year 12s, the top three IPT students were placed as the top three in the Mackay district by the review panel which monitored the year 11 work at the end of last year.

One of the wonderful aspects about a multi-sector campus like Calen is the opportunity for interaction between the students from the various sectors. The senior Recreational Education students teach the junior primary students how to swim in our school pool, as well as provide sporting skill lessons in a range of sports. Secondary students are also involved in facilitating and coaching other students in a range of co-curricula activities both sporting and cultural.

Although Calen is approximately forty-five minutes drive from Mackay we participate in a range of co-curricula activities and our students have performed with success in these fields of endeavor. Some of the activities in which we are involved include netball, touch football, rugby league, physical fitness and gym work, public speaking, debating, dance, tennis and the Rock Eisteddfod. Credit must go to Calen’s dedicated staff for the additional hours that they volunteer in order to provide our students with these opportunities.

We are fortunate to be situated in such a wonderful community as Calen with supportive parents and community members. We have a strong, dedicated and hard working Parents and Citizens Association. The P and C has its own page in this website and I invite you to peruse this entry to find more details pertaining to their meetings and activities. There is a very good relationship between the school and the community. The Calen Canefields Toastmasters club has its meetings in the college staffroom, the local swimming club uses the pool to conduct swimming classes and the community newspaper “The Rural Recorder” is collated here.

Please explore our website and discover the fascinating world of the Calen District State College. If you have any questions please do not hesitate in contacting me either by email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone 07 4949 7333 or drop in to see me.

Regards

Brian O’Neill