Adaminaby Public School is a small country school, kicking big goals.

The school’s motto, ‘live and learn’, is reflected in classroom and outdoor activities, in an environment in which the 19 students grow and thrive.

The students at Adaminaby are happy, confident, capable and eager to learn. The small school environment offers them opportunities to study and form friendships with all their classmates, free of anti-social behaviour from other students.

“We are all friends here, and no one gets excluded. In my opinion, small schools are way better than big schools,” year 5 student, Ava, said.

Alex, a new student from Austria, has attended Adaminaby Public School for eight months and said he enjoys the school’s small size and quiet setting.

“At the large school in Austria, there was a lot of swearing and bullying. The small classroom is better, I don’t like being surrounded by a lot of people,” he said.

“It’s never boring at this school, there’s always something new. I am happy.”

The music program is particularly popular among the students.

Principal/K-2 teacher, Emily Shumack, said students are immersed daily in the natural changes of the seasons, the rhythm of the Adaminaby community and their commitment to academic learning.

“The country school experience is very unique. I went to Dalgety Public School when I was younger so I love being involved with country schools,” she said.

Mrs Shumack has every second Wednesday off from the classroom when local music, drama and sport teacher, Sarah Wall, visits the school.

Mrs Wall is well-known across small schools in the region. She has taught on the Monaro for 40 years now and loves the small school environment.

“Small schools do fabulous things,” she said.

Her visits to Adaminaby Public School once a fortnight enables Mrs Shumack to fulfil office tasks - one of the biggest challenges is applying for various school grants and funding, with assistance from the P and C.

Adaminaby Public School’s teaching building consists of two classrooms, one for kindergarten to year 2 and another for students in years 3 to 6. The library is a multi-purpose building where school performances and assemblies are held, music lessons as well as science and technology classes.

Mrs Shumack was a teacher at Adaminaby Public School for three years before stepping into her current role as relieving principal.

“When I came in as principal 11 weeks ago, everything was beautifully set up and established and running really well with a strong culture and and very good structures and systems in place,” Mrs Shumack said.

“There was already a ground base of fantastic support from the community and previous principal. What I’m learning in this role is that you have to be the voice for your school and an advocate in the community and beyond.”

Mrs Shumack said community engagement is an important and valued commitment of the school.

“We aim for full engagement across all levels in the community, so people in the wider community can share and support the school’s vision.”

Just recently the students performed musical items at the annual Adaminaby Red Cross soup and sandwich winter luncheon and also attended the Anglican lunch.

“At the Red Cross luncheon the students gave outstanding guitar and ukulele performances showcasing their talent and representing the school with pride,” Mrs Shumack said.

Literacy and numeracy remains the central academic focus.

“We have set the goals, like a lot of schools, in our strategic directions on lifting maths and literacy with explicit teaching, making the learning visible to students. Also continuing to build community engagements and support. It’s that balance of ensuring we strive and achieve at the academic level, but it’s also building wellbeing, community base and support. Anything that happens in town we love being a part of, and they are so generous in welcoming our students.”

At the end of term 2 assembly Ms Shumack spoke about the school values - responsibility, respect and resilience - in relation to the students actively taking part in numerous sporting and community events.

The outdoors plays a significant role in the students’ learning, she said.

“Classroom time this term has also been a highlight, especially the recent weeks of uninterrupted learning. Our teachers have enjoyed seeing students set personal goals, working towards them and celebrating their achievements.”

Mrs Shumack stated each term across the year is similar to the change of seasons, with each phase bringing new challenges and growth.

“Term 1 is like summer - a lively and exciting time for starting fresh, establishing routines, building relationships and adjusting to new teachers or classes.

“Term 2 represents autumn - the students have settled into their learning environment, understand expectations and are ready to engage deeply with high-quality teaching and elevated academic standards. It is a time when their minds are especially prepared to take on new challenges.”

Term 3, when spring arrives, is a season of growth and a chance for students to truly thrive and reach their potential, she said, with the final term for the year, term 4, continuing this upward trajectory.

“We have seen signs of growth already in our students as term 2 closes, which is one of the joys of a small school setting.

“Our smaller class sizes allow students to learn and develop at a pace that can sometimes surpass larger schools,” Mrs Shumack said.