Mini-School in Emerald

No sooner had we arrived than I was packing my bags and bedroll for mini-school in Emerald.

We had arrived late Sunday and headed straight into the schoolroom, spending all our time there till late each night. When Saturday arrived it was time to finally unpack the van, set up house - what little there was - and pack for mini-school 200kms away.... Such a short distance in comparison to our first post ! 

I left on Sunday morning with the four girls and their mother, who drove a 4wd bursting with swags, bags and school gear. We set off for the two and a half hour drive to school for a week with their on-air teachers and friends. It's always a week full of excitement ! 

Arriving in Emerald we unloaded the car and grabbed our swags to claim our space on the floor in the hall. Next stop was the shopping mall for supplies and then the pool to cool off from the heat and where the girls had a swim with all their friends. I was excited to think we were only two and a half hours from a fully serviced town.

Each School of Distance Education ( School of the Air) is a little different in it's organisation. We are working out of Emerald this year and the whole school attends Mini-School in the one week together, and a cluster is held once a term over two days at the end of term. 

( at Longreach a cluster day was held at the beginning of term, while each grade attended their own separate Mini-School in Longreach at a different time.)

At Emerald the accommodation is in a hall/shed named 'The Outstation' where about 70 children and adults slept in swags on the floor. The children slept in the middle while parents and home tutors slept around the walls. 

Above: my bedroll is against the side wall in the back right hand corner.

They have a kitchen and lounge area named 'The Tuckerbox' and an outdoor eating area. 

School began at 8.30 with assembly, but before that there was breakfast 6.30 - 7.30 and a swag inspection at 8am with a prize for the neatest swag. After school there were activities like football clinics and picture plate making, dinner and night time activities including movie night and a trivia night.

Above: looking from the 'Outstation' , sleeping quarter, past the schoolrooms up towards 'The Tuckerbox'.

 Below: Looking in the same direction as above but the playground is on the right opposite the schoolrooms

While at mini-school I was interviewed by a local journalist about our choice to live and work outback and about our work teaching on the station. The article and this photo ran in the next weeks paper.

After six busy days at Mini-School we headed back to the station Friday afternoon, and were unlucky enough to have a shredded tyre about 20kms from home on the dirt in the heat ! 

Oh well, that's life in the outback !

By Lynne