Schools often take pride of place as the hub of regional towns but for the tiny Teelba area, their state school is the town.
The roadside school sits south west of Glenmorgan on the Western Downs and its 23 students enjoy the perks of being a ‘bush kid’ seven days a week.
Students travel distances of 50 kilometres to Teelba State School, with parental involvement crucial given the lack of viability for a school bus.
Teelba State School principal Karina Schick said the school was experiencing a boom in numbers thanks to the dedication of parents.
“This is the highest number of children I’ve seen in my nine years here but I’m sure it will be cyclical,” Mrs Schick said.
“All students are from young families on surrounding properties and eventually we’ll experience a lag between them growing up and having kids of their own, providing they return to the family property at all.”
Besides being a “school on the side of the road,” Mrs Schick said Teelba faced typical challenges linked to isolation such as meeting staffing requirements.
“Most of the staff here other than teachers are parents who bring their kids to school and stay in a few days a week to provide assistance,” she said.
Teelba’s geographical situation is not the only aspect separating it from the norm.
Students attend school from 8.30am to 3.15pm for nine days out of a fortnight.
The early start time and later ring of the final bell means Teelba State School enjoys a regular day off every second Monday.
Mrs Schick said students still received 50 hours of teaching time every week with the extra half hour of intensive teaching time early in the day speaking volumes for students’ results.
“It gives us so much flexibility. After grade six students head off to boarding school so it gives families with kids away a set day for travel, appointments and so on,” she said.
“For the school it gives us flexibility in staffing so we can use our resources well.
“Towards the end of the term you normally notice students starting to lag but here I think the kids are regenerated by their three day weekend every second week.”
Mrs Schick said the students understood their school did things slightly differently but loved their Mondays off.
“It doesn’t worry them that they’re coming to school for longer and families find they can get things done on the property- it makes a difference all the way around.”
11-year-old Peggy Henning lives 15 kilometres from the Teelba school and said her family often spent the Mondays off travelling home from visiting her two sisters at boarding school.
“Dad loves it too because I can help him muster and not long ago we put up an electric fence,” she said.
The privilege of a rostered day off is not a given for Teelba with applications made each year to justify the process.
Mrs Schick said attendance at Teelba was very high and given the school’s isolation, students were fortunate in their exposure to extra-curricular activities.
“Our kids don’t miss out. We try to bring artists, sportspeople and drama representatives to Teelba to avoid the issue of travel- it’s a key aspect of our budget,” she said.
To celebrate 50 years of operation, Teelba State School will hold a reunion on September 24 with a look at the school’s history sure to trigger fond memories.
Mrs Schick said many current families were generational and had long, proud histories in the region.
“The school closed for a few years as it didn’t have the numbers but it’s one that managed to reopen and stay open and that’s a credit to the families behind the scenes.”
