The new school year has begun and the usual first day excitement, nerves and tears coincided with a major change in the Queensland education system.
High school now begins in year 7 in the Sunshine State and Victoria Point State High School (VPSHS) was among the Redland City schools laying out the welcome mat for the younger cohort of new students on Tuesday.
VPSHS principal Scot Steinhardt said planning for the school's 230 year 7s had been a year-long process and included the construction of a $5 million purpose-built facility for teaching the year 7 core subjects of English, maths, science and studies of science and the environment (SOSE).
"The students will be with the rest of the school for other subjects," Mr Steinhardt said.
"This is an exciting change for the school.
"We're involved in a piece of history and it's exciting to meet the parents and the students."
Year 7 student Ben Warren, who had attended Redland Bay State School, said while he felt "a bit nervous" about being at high school, he looked forward to the change.
"It will be good to have different teachers instead of just one," he said.
"The grounds are bigger, though, and it's a bit confusing."
Brieane Rota, also in year 7 and also a former Redland Bay State School student, said she was excited about the change.
"It's very different from primary school, but a change is always good," she said.
Mr Steinhardt said another first for the school this year was the implementation of a 'Bring Your Own Device' program, in which students were encouraged to provide a computer for learning activities that would replace the more traditional text books and teaching methods.
"It's not compulsory, but we're strongly encouraging parents to move towards the technology," he said.
"The year 7s are digital natives.
"They have grown up with the technology, so it makes sense for them to use it at school too."
The new starting year for high school brings Queensland into line with every other Australian state except South Australia.
