Who's sending their children to Calamvale Community College?

[Lauren & Jack's Mum]

Hi! Just interested to hear from anyone in the Drewvale,Calamvale or Parkinson areas who are or are intending to send their children to Calamvale Community College. I am interested to hear your views on the college as my daughter is to start preschool next year. Also interested in getting together with other parents in the area and starting a parents group. Hope to hear from you!

[tallan]

Hi Lauren & Jack's mum

I used to live at Calamvale and intended sending our children to the local school. Now that we have moved away from the suburb our kids aren't eligible to attend, which is probably a good thing from what I have heard about the school. I work in the education arena and have been told to steer clear of the school; firstly the size of the school is enormous, I would be afraid my child would become just another number; secondly, I've heard that the principal is not very good and thirdly, when I was at another school in the area waiting for an interview, a mother who is taking her children out of Calamvale was saying that her children in years 5 and 3 are having problems with numeracy and literacy and the teachers aren't very helpful. I'm glad moved away which forced us to look elsewhere for a school.

[L2004]

I am really happy with Calamvale and was really disappointed to hear the response from member "tallan" posted 25/9/04. This person must not have had their children actually attend the school, and what she has "heard" is totally untrue.

If Tallan worked in the education arena he/she would have heard that we won The Courier-Mail Showcase Award for Excellence in Innovation, part of which is based on allowing our kids to learn at their own pace. My son is in grade 1 and is reading at a grade 2 level and thankfully due to the system, we can foster that.

Granted there are a lot of kids at the school, but it is broken down into smaller sub schools, Junior, Middle and Senior to create a smaller community within the school. Each sub school also has their own principal, there are 4 in total, not counting the deputy principals, so the comment that the principal is not very good is strange????? In my experience, they are very approachable and available.

Lastly the comment about numeracy and literacy could happen anywhere. Not every student is great at maths and english. If the teachers weren't helpful as claimed, they could have approached the head of department or many other avenues. Also, the parent could have looked into extra tutoring which is not uncommon these days.

I am very happy with the school. My son went to pre-school at Calamvale and was prepared really well for grade 1. It is so disappointing to hear negative statements about the school especially from people who have no first hand knowledge of the practices and comment only on gossip.

[cheeba]

I agree with L2004 - CCC is an excellent college.

I just love it when people make decisions about their children's future based on secondhand info and eavesdropping... such a responsible way to operate!

My child spends her week with the same team of teachers doing award-winning work, in a 'pod' classroom that operates like her own mini learning world. She loves the opportunities she gets there that I haven't even heard about from other local schools. She can work as far ahead as she likes, and gets extra attention for the things she struggles with. She works with a friendship group of 119 other students, the older ones of which pull her up socially and emotionally.

The college is 3 years ahead in implementing curriculum that the rest of our public schools will need to take onboard by 2007. From what I know of the college's new senior school, the work they're doing there will make my daughter priceless to employers and further training providers by the time she goes through.

I'd strongly suggest to any prospective parents interested in CCC to GO IN, talk, and have a look around. Don't overhear negative criticism from 'unhappy customers' - attend the information nights! Arrange meetings! If you're lucky then you might be able to join the waiting list. (The college isn't for everyone, and certainly some students need A LOT of structure and 'social limitations' that they might find more easily at other 'traditional' schools while they last.)

But if you'd prefer to be ignorant, I'd dare say you're better off somewhere else anyway.

[Louise]

Hi! My daughter is at preschool at calamvale and I am very happy. I have replied to top mum so you can read my story there. The decision about which school to send our children to is a really important one and so I hope I can help by sharing my experience. Good luck!

[whatever]

Calmvale Community College is a fantastic, innovative and unique school that caters to learners from preschool to Grade 12. The teachers and principals that implement the New Basics curriculum are of the highest quality and are passionate about what they do.

When I was looking for a school (particularly a high school) for my children to attend I was depressed and frustrated by the lack of progressive forward thinking options availabe. Calamvale was the answer to my prayers. We took drastic steps to ensure we were eligible to attend the college (by buying our first home and relocating to the catchment area) but have absolutely no regrets. My 3 kids span all the sub-schools and have had opportunities that they would never have had access to in a "traditional" school.

The only problem with Calamvale is that it is in such high demand that it is bursting at the seams (hence my title) but the teachers and admin staff continue to see solutions not hinderances and deal with any issues with humour, energy and an unshakeable commitment to the school community.