Principal Update
Message from the Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
This week at Balmoral State High School we have witnessed a number of inspiring initiatives that reflect the strength of our values — Agency, Belonging and Innovation.
Our Year 10 Business students had the privilege of hearing from Clare Stewart, CEO of Youngcare, who generously shared her personal story of tragedy, grief, and resilience. Clare’s courage in transforming her own experience into a life of service and impact for others is remarkable. Through Youngcare, she is reshaping the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable young people by developing specialist homes equipped with technology solutions that support independence and dignity. Thank you to Mrs McFie for organising this opportunity, which left our students deeply moved and inspired. Clare’s full story and reflection can be viewed on our social media channels.
We also celebrated Balmoral’s role as the first school in Australia to pilot a national co-design program with Batyr and Young Change Agents. Selected students took part in the Youth Mental Health Challenge, working on real-world issues that impact young people across the nation. Using design thinking, our students reimagined how young people can safely share their lived experiences on Batyr’s OurHerd platform.
This authentic collaboration highlighted the agency and innovation of our students as they developed creative solutions, worked in teams, and gave voice to issues that matter deeply to their generation. The insights created here at Balmoral will now help guide 20 other schools across Australia and influence thousands of young people. We are especially grateful for the leadership of Margaret O’Brien from Young Change Agents, and the partnership with Batyr, in making this possible.
In addition, Balmoral had the unique opportunity to partner with Occupational Therapy students from Griffith University, who are undertaking a school-led study into the environmental factors that shape our students’ lunchtime experiences. Their focus has been on how students interact with staff, engage in sport, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills outside the classroom — both through structured activities and informal social connections.
It has been fascinating to connect with these students, listen to their observations, and consider how their work can inform our strategic priorities. We have been exploring how to create more opportunities for students to take risks in communication, engage in both organised and unstructured play, and build stronger connections that support problem-solving and social development. While their study is still emerging, I have invited them to share their findings with our community in the near future.
This week has reminded us of the power of authentic partnerships, the importance of student voice, and the incredible capacity of our students to act with courage, creativity, and purpose. Balmoral is proud to be leading conversations and actions that matter — locally and nationally.
Regards,
Timothy Barraud
Principal – Balmoral State High School
Balmoral State High School is proud to report on the progress being made after being awarded the Growing Global Competency Grant earlier this year. This exciting achievement is supporting our school in deepening our commitment to preparing students for a world that is increasingly diverse, interconnected and global.
As part of this initiative, students recently participated in a workshop exploring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This workshop gave students the opportunity to use their voice and agency to shape real change within our school community. From their collaborative work, nine innovative project ideas have been developed. These student-led projects will be rolled out across the school, ensuring our young people are not only part of the conversation but also leading action to create a more inclusive and equitable environment.
Today, our staff also engaged in professional learning focused on Global Citizenship. Together we explored how we can be innovative in creating spaces where every student feels a strong sense of belonging, both within our school and in the broader global community. This training reinforced our commitment to the values of Agency, Belonging and Innovation that guide everything we do at Balmoral State High School.
Through this grant, we are not only recognising the importance of global competency but also ensuring that our students and staff are equipped to live, learn and lead in a world where diversity is celebrated, equity is pursued, and belonging is created.
Together, we are shaping a school community where voices are heard, ideas are actioned, and every person feels valued – locally and globally.
Regards,
Kellie Baumgart,
Deputy Principal
Meet the Team: Occupational Therapy students from Griffith University
Our names are Meika, Pete and Tessa.
We are 3rd year Griffith University occupational therapy students, on a role-emerging placement at Balmoral SHS.
This means we are given the opportunity to collaborate and use our unique occupational perspective in a non-traditional setting, with the goal to develop a tangible sustainable program/service/product to improve students' health and wellbeing.
What is occupation or the occupational perspective?
Occupations are the meaningful things we do in our day to day lives that give us purpose, shape our identities as humans, and influences our health and wellbeing.
The occupational perspective can be best expressed by Professor Gail Whiteford, a renowned occupational scientist;
What is our project purpose?
We are assisting the school to identify opportunities for fun positive experiences for students during school, with focus on promotion of the school values - Belonging, Agency, and Innovation.
Our overall aim is to increase opportunity for students to participate in meaningful social activities, by supporting schoolhouses and school leaders to organise activities and events for the school. At the completion of our placement, we will provide a how-to guide for creating activities and events for school students to connect and belong, which will sit within school leader portfolios. Doing things together, strengthens social connections and creates belonging. This improves health and wellbeing.
As our journey reaches its midway point, we have been lucky to collaborate with a wide range of students and staff, ensuring that students lead our decisions in what we deliver. We would like to extend a thank you to the Balmoral SHS community for being welcoming and allowing us the opportunity to contribute towards the Schoolhouse legacy.
