Tag: Brisbane schools

From Carrots To Chords: Padua College Showcases Music And Gardening At Open Day

Photo Credit: Padua College Kedron/Facebook

Padua College in Brisbane’s northside suburb of Kedron is inviting families to explore its campuses and programs at the annual Open Day on Sunday, 25 May. Running from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event offers student-led tours, classroom displays, live performances and the chance to meet staff and students.

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Music That Starts In Year 5

Music is part of the foundation at Padua College, with every Year 5 student joining a Music Immersion Program that includes learning an instrument. This early start has led to strong outcomes, including several perfect scores in Music Extension over the past two years.

Photo Credit: Padua College Kedron/Facebook

Photo Credit: Padua College Kedron/Facebook

Padua leads the Franciscan Colleges Instrumental Program, partnering with Mount Alvernia College and St Anthony’s School to offer shared lessons, ensembles and concerts that support musical growth across all three communities.

A School Garden With Purpose

Behind the classrooms, a sustainable garden grows carrots, lemons and snow peas, reflecting Padua College’s Franciscan heritage and its focus on caring for the environment.

Photo Credit: Padua College Kedron/Facebook

Gardening Club students help grow produce and care for the space, building life skills and a sense of responsibility through hands-on, community-focused learning.

A Tour Led By Students

Open Day visitors will tour the Greccio and Assisi campuses with current students, gaining insight into daily life at Padua. Displays in science, the arts and humanities will offer a hands-on look at classroom learning.

Photo Credit: Padua College Kedron/Facebook

The event will feature music and drama performances, showcasing Padua’s co-curricular programs. Staff and College Rector Peter Elmore will be on hand to discuss the school’s mission and values.

Enrolling With Values In Mind

Padua College’s focus goes beyond academics, aiming to develop the whole person. Its “Developing Good Men” approach is reflected in programs that support leadership, wellbeing and service.

Register here

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Families can explore more about Padua College by attending the Open Day. For enquiries, email enrolments@padua.qld.edu.au or call (07) 3857 9915. Those unable to attend can book a Rector’s Tour, available throughout the year.

Published 13-May-2025

Teacher Recruitment a Growing Concern for Brisbane Schools

Earlier this year, Mount Alvernia College in Kedron lost a specialist teacher and had to temporarily run classes after school, simply because of lack of teacher availability to deliver the course content.

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The Catholic school for girls joins many other Brisbane schools that are now dealing with teacher shortages, adding extra strain to already stretched resources. 

Recruitment is taking up huge amounts of time according to principal Samantha Jensen. She believes there is a real possibility for the teacher workforce crisis to worsen.

Photo credit: Mount Alvernia College/Google Maps

According to a 2023 report by school workforce improvement company People Bench, “supply” has emerged as one of the factors that could have the greatest negative impact on the school workforce over the next three years.

Photo credit: Polina Tankilevitch/Pexels

One principal surveyed in March-May 2023 said the increased competition for qualified teachers will make it harder to attract and retain staff.

“The most striking of these findings was that the most commonly cited supply issues (21% of responses) related to the availability of teachers on a casual, relief and short-term contract basis,” People Bench stated.

“An interesting counterpoint to this, however, is that around 6% of responses referenced candidates’ increasing expectations for more part-time and flexible work options, which schools were unable to meet, further constraining potential supply.”

In an issues paper, the Education Department highlighted that this is a global problem, with the competitive teaching market and COVID-19 ongoing impacts affecting teacher supply worldwide.

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The paper outlined that addressing shortages cannot be solved by one jurisdiction or sector alone, but requires collaboration across governments, systems and schools.

Published 15-August-2023