Mackay Central State School is a unique heritage listed multi-cultural school located in the centre of Mackay. It was first opened in 1871 as the State School, Mackay. The school has a significant proportion of ESL (English as a Second Language) students from a range of different countries. The school provides cooperative learning experiences that incorporate tolerance of other cultures and rejoices in diversity. Mackay Central also boasts a significant Indigenous population and our mix of harmony and cultural days are true celebrations. Mackay Central boasts an impressive range of resources including the newly completed Resource Centre which houses our state of the art ICT (Information and Communication Technology) facilities where children are involved in utilising technology as an essential component of their everyday learning. The school additionally has a fully enclosed multi-purpose hall that is utilised for school assemblies, Physical Education lessons, and dramatic and artistic performances as well as by community groups and for student/class use (usually on the full sized basketball court). The library has been upgraded into an impressive multi-media centre with audio-visual facilities, a computer workgroup and a large range of reading materials and resources. While we are proud to be known as Mackay's oldest school, the students have not been left in the past. Every one of the classrooms has received an impressive overhaul including repaint and carpet, new furniture and shelving and an interactive whiteboard (IWB) and digital projector. The school has a strong focus on Technology with ICTs embedded as an essential component of our curriculum. We have a dedicated computer laboratory in addition to two smaller computer pods. There are also a number of computers within each classroom. Each teacher uses their computers for Teachers laptop as an essential tool for teaching and also has access to additional laptops to control their IWB. Mackay Central implements Rich Tasks (formerly known as a New Basics..