School Council Report
School Council meets tonight at 5:30pm to discuss progress of the year to date as well as how to best support the school moving forward:
1. School Strategic plan 2025-8
There are four main areas of focus for the years ahead captured admirably by Reever Lee in Year 11 in her graphic:
2. Annual Improvement Plan 2025 and Data plan
As you can see, the school has some important work ahead this year and it has been great to read the Principal's report here and see that many initiatives are well underway.
To become 'the best we can be' takes ongoing commitment and a clear focus. Taking our school performance from 'very good' to 'great' demands research-based strategies which have high impact. Being precise about the school's work will help achieve regional and state targets in the Equity and Excellence agenda.
3. Critical facilities issues
While I was not able to secure a meeting time with the Minister during community Cabinet on 2 March, I have made this submission to him and met with the Assistant Minister for the Arts this week. The submission has also been presented to Hon. Michael Healy, as member for Cairns, and federal candidates for seat of Leichhardt the upcoming Federal election.
Submission to the Minister for Education & the Arts, John-Paul Langbroek
Issues
The School Council requests support of the Minister to
- Allocate funding for refurbishment and improvement to the Crosswell Centre of Performing Arts at the school.
- Ensure that Advanced manufacturing and construction courses at the school are housed appropriately in a purpose-built facility able to adequately pipeline the future workforce as opposed to the currently proposed ‘shed’.
Background
- Cairns State High provides the highest quality education services to young people in the city and surrounds of Cairns.
- The Music Excellence program has a long tradition of high-performance outcomes with Symphonic Orchestra and Chorale winning Fanfare on multiple occasions.
- Active engagement in Gateway to Industry Schools Programs in Advanced Manufacturing, Hydrogen, Information Communication Technology (as well as Health, Hospitality & Tourism, Screen & Media and Aerospace) has added increased enrolment and engagement with industry partners.
- 236 students engaged in Year 10 work experience in 2024, increasing annually.
Rationale
- The School’s Crosswell Performing Arts Centre has not been fit for purpose and awaiting roof, wall and floor repairs, and air-conditioning replacement for five years.
- A shed is not an adequate solution to the need to meet standards of dust extraction existing classroom spaces were not designed to meet.
- Both projects provide an exciting opportunity for government investment in high-need, high-profile areas of Cairns’ and Queensland’s economy.
Requirements
In order to make Crosswell Performing Arts Centre fit for purpose, a $15M investment is needed to repair existing structural issues and provide fit for purpose much-needed additions:
- Adequate size stage
- Backstage toilet, technical facilities and prop/sets areas
- Instrument storage adjacent/attached to the performance space
- Sound proof teaching spaces
- Dressing rooms and toilets backstage
- Demountable raked seating
- A lift for heavy instruments and sets
That Cairns State High School, undoubtably the Premier Arts School in Cairns, does not have the facilities it needs to support and continue to grow its outstanding arts programs beggars belief.
Construction of new, $21M high-tech facility with embedded School/VET-level offerings, pipeline young people from school, to post-schooling study and then directly into local jobs: A Centre of Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing delivering VET and ATAR pathways in:
- Engineering
- Fabrication
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Design
- Aerospace
- Digital Technologies
- Coding
- Drones
- Internet of Things
- Robotics
- 3D Printing
- Artificial intelligence
- Project management
School-based training courses and academic curriculum link to emerging and established local industry, regional, Brisbane and national Universities to make the most of the physical and online learning environments.
Additional learning spaces increase the ability to enrol students annually denied a place at Cairns State High due to existing impact of the current capacity of facilities.
What better way to invest in the development of a stronger economy, independent of the tourism industry, in Cairns – The Gateway to Asia and the Pacific?
Nathan Lee-Long, Chair, CSHS School Council