High School enrollment: waiting list at Telopea Park?

lillybilly said :

@nyssa1976: Our initial school choices were Telopea and Deakins. Is there much truth in what I have heard from some other parents about Deakins being geared mostly towards sports? We are looking for a mix of academics, sports, theater, music etc. Our little one loves to have lots of friends, and actively participates in school events. Above average in academics, not too enthusiastic about sports, and loves music and theater. We are looking for a place where kids can have fun, and learn something along the way. I guess all parents want the same thing!!

We also looked at mid level co-ed private schools such as Daramalan. Although we had a good experience with the public primary school system and want to continue with public schooling, we are also considering mid level co-ed private schools such as Daramalan. Any inputs?

Deakin is highly academic with it’s Unicorn (advanced) program. It also has Unicorn classes for the Arts – Performance and Visual. They also run AAA which is a Drama/Music/Visual Arts/Dance etc night where the kids can show off their talents as well as the Rock Eisteddfod.

Personally, I’m extremely confident about the school, so much so my own son will be starting there this year. He loves Science and Maths so the Unicorn classes are an opportunity for him to be extended. The level required in Unicorn is quite high for students as is commitment to their studies.

Mackillop is also good – I have taught there too. However, I would give Telopea a call and even Deakin if you are interested.

lillybilly said :

?..Above average in academics, not too enthusiastic about sports, and loves music and theater….I guess all parents want the same thing!!

We also looked at mid level co-ed private schools such as Daramalan. Although we had a good experience with the public primary school system and want to continue with public schooling, we are also considering mid level co-ed private schools such as Daramalan. Any inputs?

Before anyone brings it up, please ignore the Theater/Theatre spelling 🙂

Is your child a boy who worships pigskin (or its modern equivalent)? If so, Daramalan would be perfect.

And telling some people to ignore seppo spelling is a cruel and unusual punishment.

Theatre.

Thank you all for the useful suggestions. We are planning to call Telopea next week (have very little hope, though!).

@nyssa1976: Our initial school choices were Telopea and Deakins. Is there much truth in what I have heard from some other parents about Deakins being geared mostly towards sports? We are looking for a mix of academics, sports, theater, music etc. Our little one loves to have lots of friends, and actively participates in school events. Above average in academics, not too enthusiastic about sports, and loves music and theater. We are looking for a place where kids can have fun, and learn something along the way. I guess all parents want the same thing!!

We also looked at mid level co-ed private schools such as Daramalan. Although we had a good experience with the public primary school system and want to continue with public schooling, we are also considering mid level co-ed private schools such as Daramalan. Any inputs?

@L-3: Is there an interesting story behind getting expelled from Telopea 😉

@Gerry-Built: Nice to hear from someone who has worked at both places. Thanks! More than academics, we worry about the social dynamics (cliques, bullying etc).

Before anyone brings it up, please ignore the Theater/Theatre spelling 🙂

enrollment and enrolment are equally acceptable in Australia.

The quality of education offered at any school in Canberra is almost identical. What makes the difference between schools is the level of community involvement, and the School’s leadership and action on events. Having worked at Telopea and at MCSS (both the Schools mentioned in OP), I would contend that the standard of education in each was and continues to be very close, and any perceived difference is unlikely to be ‘real’.

The Priority Enrolment Area for any public school is the closest you would get to a guarantee of enrolment, but should Year 8 be at capacity, you may have issues getting in to Telopea – due to the fact that the School would need to change it’s timetabling and resourcing to accommodate… and this is waaaaaaay more difficult than it might sound. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the enrolment or capacity at Telopea currently is; and can’t find a way to determine that. Again; as has been suggested, try ringing the School in the next couple of weeks. Admin staff return to schools this week, though many tend (or are encouraged) to take their leave whilst teachers are on leave also.

As a side note: both my Firefox (set to British Spelling) and my iPhone (set to Australian Spelling) suggest enrollment over enrolment… so the mistake is quite forgivable, IMHO…

Waiting For Godot said :

US: enrollment. UK/Aust: Enrolment.

Love your work Godot. You and poetix are sure to keep the illitorati on their toes.

grunge_hippy said :

I would ring the school, mind you, no one will be there now until end of Jan.

Actually you should be able to ring by the end of this week as all front office staff are required to be at the school (on a limited capacity) to finish enrolments, financials/budgets for 2012 etc. If the OP wants to call, perhaps try around the 10th January? Enrolment forms can be found online at the ACTETD website as well.

Telopea is a difficult school to get into but only because it is co-run by the French Govt.

I would suggest you look into other schools in the area as some are just as good, if not better than Telopea. For instance, depending on your need to commute, Lyneham is fantastic as is Deakin (where I work) and to a lesser extent, Melrose.

By Year 8, I would expect any child to be able to catch a bus from their school to their house even if it is first through an interchange.

I have no idea what the above commenter is on about unless something has changed in the last few years.

I attended Telopea Park for Year 7 in 2005 prior to being expelled, and back then it was a feral school with feral kids and run lackluster facilities, very few if any had anything to do with diplomats.

Has the place changed much at all since then?

PEAs mean nothing at Telopea. The only sure way to get your offspring in there is to be a diplomat or have “connections” at embassies or DFAT. The standard of language teaching appears to have dropped in recent years.

US: enrollment. UK/Aust: Enrolment.