Principal’s 150th Anniversary Address
I am honoured to lead the Tingalpa State School community in 2023, a special year for our community as we celebrate the 150th year of our school.
Tingalpa State School was established on 1 August 1873, making us one of the oldest schools in the Bayside area. Many parents and grandparents of current students were once themselves members of Tingalpa State School and research has shown that the motto 'Strive to Excel' along with the Tingalpa State School crest is recognised by the Tingalpa community as symbolising the history and heritage of our school and its community.
The name Tingalpa comes from the First Nation’s words 'Tinggal' meaning fat and 'Pa' meaning the place of: the place of fat (plenty). For the First Nation’s people of the area, the Quandamooka people, it was a cornucopia of food around the many freshwater billabongs and the creek. Tingalpa was known as a meeting and gathering place where people lived in balance with their environment. It was our original caring community and this sense of a community gathering place lives on today at our school, as it is the heart of our caring community.
Settlement of the area dates from the 1860s, with the land being used for farming, dairy cattle, sugar-cane and suppling clay for brick making. In 1870 Mr W. R. Wood, a farmer in the district, wrote to the Board of Education about the need of a school, with over 60 children living in the area. A subscription list was opened to raise funds for a temporary school, with teacher Mr Robert Javis. Eventually two acres of land was purchased by the Board of Education from William Kemp for 93 pounds (approximately $100,500 today). This was located 1.5km from Doboy Creek. The school and a teacher residence were constructed at the cost of 290 pounds (approximately $313,400 today) and opened on 1 August 1873, with the first teacher Mr Bernard McGauren and 50 students.
As the student enrolment increased a new school was built in 1923. The area remained largely rural until the post-war years. Rapid growth took place during the 1990s as large numbers of new dwellings were added to the area. This school continued to be added to over the years as student enrolments continued to grow. By 1963 the school had approximately 200 students and was staffed by the Head Teacher, Mr Douglas Gillespie and five teachers.
1985 was a memorable year in the school’s history with C Block being destroyed by fire over the Queen’s Birthday weekend. Students attended Wynnum North State School until C Block could be rebuilt.
Student enrolments continued to grow and more grounds became necessary. The Department of Education purchased land and an oval was added to the school in 1996. Due to the age of the school facilities, extensive building refurbishments occurred between 2008 and 2010 creating the school that we know today.
Our journey continues as modern learning demands contemporary environments that provide the space, technology and access for collaborative teaching. Through the support of the community, our new focus is on redesigning our school environment to include out-door-learning/play spaces, accessible to all members of our school community. These spaces will promote collaboration and creativity. We also are committed to ensuring access to digital technologies to enhance learning opportunities.
We have built a culture of inclusion, celebrating diversity within our school community. We have students coming from a vast variety of countries, with 24 nations represented across our student body, First Nation’s students and students with disabilities or additional needs. By valuing culture and creating inclusive teaching and learning environments, we are ensuring equity and excellence across our school for all students.
Professor Yong Zhao stated "Each individual child, regardless of their background, comes to school with a unique set of strengths that can be developed into great talent." Our dedicated staff work to develop talents through challenging and rigorous learning opportunities that meet the needs of all children in a modern learning environment. In 2015, we introduced a French Bilingual Program to the school and now have over 180 students in this program and are proud to offer this exciting learning opportunity. 2023 saw the French Bilingual Program extended to Whites Hill State College.
Through the collective strengths of our students, their families, our staff and the community, we will continue to work together to improve the lives of young people and add to the history of Tingalpa State School, well into the future.
Donna O’Keeffe
Principal
