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2014 Annual Report to the School Community REGISTERED SCHOOL NUMBER: 1879 St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, Monbulk
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  1. 1. 2014 Annual Report to the School Community REGISTERED SCHOOL NUMBER: 1879 St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk
  2. 2. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 1 Contents Contact Details ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Minimum Standards Attestation ............................................................................................................... 2 Our School Vision ...................................................................................................................................... 3 School Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Principals Report....................................................................................................................................... 7 School Education Board Report............................................................................................................... 9 Education in Faith .................................................................................................................................... 10 Learning & Teaching................................................................................................................................ 13 Student Wellbeing.................................................................................................................................... 15 Leadership & Management...................................................................................................................... 19 School Community................................................................................................................................... 24 Financial Performance............................................................................................................................. 27 VRQA Compliance Data........................................................................................................................... 28
  3. 3. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 2 Contact Details ADDRESS 59 Moores Road Monbulk VIC 3793 PRINCIPAL Mr Frank Dame PARISH PRIEST Fr Simon Grainger SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR Mrs Melissa Tyquin TELEPHONE (03) 9756 7201 EMAIL [email protected] WEBSITE www.spmonbulk.catholic.edu.au Minimum Standards Attestation I, Frank Dame, attest that St Pauls Primary School, Monbulk, is compliant with: Alloftherequirementsfortheminimumstandardsandotherrequirementsfortheregistration ofschoolsasspecifiedintheEducationandTrainingReformAct2006(Vic)andtheEducation andTrainingReformRegulations2007(Vic),exceptwheretheschoolhasbeengrantedan exemptionfromanyoftheserequirementsbytheVRQA AustralianGovernmentaccountabilityrequirementsrelatedtothe2014schoolyearunderthe SchoolsAssistanceAct2008(Cth)andtheSchoolsAssistanceRegulations2009(Cth) 22 May 2015
  4. 4. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 3 Our School Vision Together Active in the Spirit Journeying in Gods Love Striving for Success Reaching Out to All
  5. 5. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 4 School Overview St Pauls is a primary school of 140 students located in a quiet residential area close to the Monbulk town centre in the Dandenong Ranges. Our students come from the surrounding areas including Silvan, Emerald, Avonsleigh, Macclesfield, The Patch, Mt Dandenong, Olinda and Cockatoo. St Pauls is part of the Belgrave Parish which has mass centres at Monbulk, Belgrave, Emerald and Gembrook. Two schools comprise the parish St Pauls in Monbulk and St Thomas Mores at Belgrave. At St Pauls we provide programs that cater for the spiritual, academic, physical, social and emotional development of all students. The children, parents and staff work together to provide a curriculum with an emphasis on providing every child with the skills necessary to become life-long learners. We provide a curriculum that offers meaningful learning for students, through an integrated focus on knowledge, skills and behaviours which can be transferred to new and different environments. Wherever possible, learning is presented using an Inquiry approach. This approach encourages children to be confident in challenging themselves to learn through open-ended tasks by drawing on a range of tools and strategies, empowering them to become independent learners. Involvement with the local community provides opportunities for students to see learning beyond the classroom and in context. We provide learning opportunities that are: relevant rich personalised explicit We support, engage and enable our students to develop core knowledge, skills and understanding through: reflecting and planning thinking and working creatively communicating and collaborating exploring, experimenting and creating new knowledge. Our Catholic school provides a stimulating and enriching education based on our faith in the teachings of Christs Gospel. The ethos and curriculum of St Pauls invites and supports students to discover Gods presence in their daily lives. As documented in our 2014 Annual Action Plan, an emphasis was placed on matching teaching and learning to the individual needs of all children. Professional Learning Team meetings were dedicated to enabling all teachers to provide differentiated teaching and personalised learning in their classroom, particularly in Literacy and Mathematics. Lyn Watts was engaged to facilitate whole staff Professional Learning on Writing and Spelling. Jan Walker and led staff in a numeracy workshop focusing particularly on visualisation and geometry, an area of need identified by our school numeracy data. A key improvement strategy was to develop and embed a shared understanding of what effective contemporary pedagogy looks like at the school and ensure that it is universally translated into classroom practice. Active participation in projects such as P-8 Learning Literacies, Personalised
  6. 6. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 5 Learning including Learning Walks, and the Web 2.0 online Course were integral steps in addressing the aforementioned key improvement strategy. Through whole staff Professional Development in the sphere of Student Wellbeing we focussed on our accountability in the journey towards becoming an eSmart school. We conducted a parent workshop with Catherine Gerhardt from Kidproof on Cybersafety. An audit of current policies and procedures was undertaken with the aim of identifying areas that both satisfy and require focus in order to gain accreditation as an eSmart school. To further enhance student and parent connections, together with St Thomas Mores School, we organised a Parent Workshop with Rachel Saleba, focusing on Parent Engagement with Your Childs Learning. In 2014, the school entered its third year following the school Review, as part of Phase 2 of the School Improvement Framework. St Pauls continued to implement actions arising from our participation in Change2 ICON, a strategic initiative of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) in partnership with Dame Professor Pat Collarbone of Creating Tomorrow. As a result of St Pauls participation in the Change2 process, the staff continued addressing the following areas: to improve student learning opportunities and outcomes within a contemporary learning environment; transform teaching and learning approaches in a contemporary context; and to engage the whole school community in learning partnerships. As a result of the Change2 recommendations, the staff completed the Web 2.0 online course involving ten online learning modules. At the conclusion of each module, which included tools such as Google Chrome, Picasa and Flickr, staff were required to create a reflective blog related to each learning module. As a school we adopted Edmodo as a secure social learning platform for staff and students, where a class may connect, collaborate, share content and access homework. Classes are at various stages of utilising this platform. Connecting the childrens learning to community was continued to be recognised as an important area of focus. The school undertook a number of social justice initiatives, including the consolidation of the Mini-Vinnies initiative and the strengthening of our association with the charitable outreach organisation of Monbulk Care. Classes shared examples of learning through the school newsletter on a roster basis. Examples included photos, work samples and student reflections. Connections to the faith community were deepened through weekly Prayer Gatherings and Whole School Masses. Parents and the wider community were invited to be part of various learning experiences e.g. Parent Engagement with their Childs Learning, Kidproof Cybersafety Workshop, Grandparents/Special Persons Day, Chess competitions, Footsteps Dance Performance, End of Year Nativity Play and Concert and the choir singing at community functions. Weekly Prayer Gatherings/Assemblies were used as a time of prayer and reflection, while enabling opportunities to showcase particular learning journeys and achievements. The goals articulated in the Annual Action Plan comprised: To improve students ability to integrate faith and life To provide a Contemporary learning environment which, promotes student engagement, and improves outcomes in literacy and numeracy To maximise student wellbeing and sense of connectedness to school To develop a work environment characterised by shared vision, a strong sense of teamwork and a focus on continuous improvement
  7. 7. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 6 To further connect student learning with local and global communities.
  8. 8. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 7 Principals Report At the commencement of 2013 the Catholic Education Office Melbourne (CEOM) identified Principals and Curriculum Leaders as leaders of learning. As a result, Miss Kleverkamp (Curriculum Leader at St Pauls) and I attended four professional learning days spread across the year. Current research indicates learning that focuses on learning intentions, success criteria and feedback are pivotal to improved student outcomes. The same model of curriculum implementation was sustained throughout 2014. Miss Kleverkamp and I were also invited by the Catholic Education Office to address Principals and Curriculum Leaders at the Term 3 Network Meeting where we discussed St Pauls school journey and how we have lead curriculum renewal and reform. We shared the infrastructure required that enables whole school curriculum development and referenced this against the National School Improvement Tool. An Intended Outcome detailed in St Pauls Annual Action Plan stated, That student outcomes in English improve with a focus on spelling and writing. Again, in 2014, we continued our association with renowned Educational Consultant, Lyn Watts. Before the children commenced the new school year, St Pauls hosted a day with Lyn where we were joined by the staff from St Thomas Mores School. The focus of the professional learning program on Strategic Spelling included explicitly teaching spelling via weekly mini lessons with a focus on the Four Strategies comprising: Phonological, Visual, Morphemic and Etymological. We invited Lyn back in May for a further staff professional learning day where the focus was The Next Steps in Writing: 1. Understanding the Writers Notebook and 2. The Seven Steps Writing Program. At St Pauls, our primary goal has been to develop a unified approach to the language and teaching of Literacy (F-6). All staff worked together during 2014 to develop a set of Guiding Principles. Roger Dingle, from Insight SRC, returned in March 2014 to work with the Leadership Teams from both St Pauls and St Thomas Mores Schools. The day followed on from our previous work with Roger. This time we looked at the Insight SRC Improvement Planning Kit and how this could be utilised with staff to identify priorities for moving towards becoming the ideal school. A further Intended Outcome in St Pauls Annual Action Plan articulates, That student outcomes in Mathematics improve with a particular focus on number and the language of Mathematics. This intended outcome is continually at the forefront of our thinking and planning, and is evident on every Professional Learning Team Meeting agenda. Analysis of our Year 5 NAPLAN results in Mathematics indicated that we need to maintain our strong focus on the language of Mathematics. We also found that a number of our children have difficulty with visualisation of 3D objects. To this end we engaged Jan Walker (CEOM Southern Office) to work with the staff on how to teach strategies in visualisation. Jan also supported Cathie in setting non- negotiables with teaching staff when implementing a Mathematics curriculum. Some of these non-negotiables have come to form our Guiding Principles of Mathematics.
  9. 9. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 8 While we were pleased with our Year 3 NAPLAN results, we were somewhat surprised by some of our Year 5 results. Nonetheless, we analysed the results thoroughly to inform where our students are tracking well, while acknowledging those areas requiring continued focus. Throughout 2014 St Pauls continued to employ a great variety of assessment strategies, such as Record of Oral Language (ROL), Letter ID, Running Records, SWST, Peters Dictation, Probe, MISC Maths, PAT Maths, Mathletics Assessments, I Can do Maths, and Westwood, to name but a few. These forms of testing, combined with NAPLAN, enable the teaching staff to form a complete picture of each child, and provide teachers with the necessary information/data to provide programs that support children at their point of need. In addition to the professional learning provided on-site at St Pauls, the staff also attended a range of Network Days, Cluster Group Meetings and Conferences. Attendance at such network meetings and conferences is vital as they provide opportunities for valuable networking and rich in-servicing. The opportunities to dialogue professionally with peers results in practices which are brought back to school and shared with other members of staff to improve the teaching and learning of our students. Throughout 2014 the children were provided with a variety of opportunities to enhance their growth and development across many strands of the curriculum. Most involved many hours, sometimes weeks, or even months of planning and preparation on the part of staff, students and parents. These opportunities were seen to include, but not limited to: ! Student Representative Council (SRC) ! Indonesian Day ! The School Athletics Day ! School choir performances, e.g. Monbulk Merry Christmas, the Mountain Doo ! Christmas Carols Evening ! Inter-school Sports Program ! Rugby Clinics ! AFL Clinics ! Cybersafety Workshops ! Reach Rookys Program Yr 6 students ! Mini Vinnies ! Association with Monbulk Care Network ! Chess (Yrs 3 6): Terms 2 & 3, including interschool chess tournaments ! Camps: Year 2 Sleepover; Year 4 3 days at CYC Phillip Island; Year 6 4 days at Coonawarra Farm Resort ! Exhibition of Visual Art at Catholic Education Week Visual Arts Exhibition and the Mountain Doo Frank Dame PRINCIPAL
  10. 10. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 9 School Education Board Report Looking back over the past year of the Advisory Board I realise how much we have learned and discussed together. We have been presented with and conferred over many school policies, which gives us all a clearer picture of the key beliefs, and values that our school is based on and the direction in which it is moving. I personally find this clarity and communication gives me confidence in the way our children are nurtured at school. Some of the many policies we have discussed include, but are not limited to: Privacy Policy Anaphylaxis Medical Management iPad Policy & User Agreement Sun Smart Annual Action Plan eSmart St Pauls Teaching & Learning Implementation Guide We have had two agenda items that have continued throughout the year being the Capital Works and the changing of our Sports Uniform. It is fabulous to see the new Administration Area on its way to being completed and a decision being made on the introduction of our new Sports shirt! In 2014 we were lucky enough to have Maria Cook explain the schools literacy program and also Frank and Caroline giving us an overview of the ECSI (Enhancing Catholic School Identity) Project. We have seen Father Simon in the process of implementing a new Sacramental program for the Parish and I personally look forward to experiencing this next year. On a more emotional note we have said good-bye to two beloved staff members being Lynne Hogan and very recently Yvonne Mitchell. I am sure we will all miss them very much but wish them every happiness in their retirements. We also said farewell to Fr Nhan and welcomed Father Simon to our community. I have found the past year as Chairperson enjoyable, though challenging, and look forward to another year of discussions, growth and yes, more policies. Melissa Tyquin SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD CHAIRPERSON
  11. 11. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 10 Education in Faith Goals & Intended Outcomes To improve students ability to integrate faith and life. That students will demonstrate a deeper understanding of faith-based (gospel) values and their link with everyday living. Achievements Combined Schools Opening Year Mass with sister parish school at St Pauls. Families of both schools warmly invited. Continuation of parent-child faith development evenings based on the three Sacraments of Initiation Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist. The goal being to empower parents through their involvement with their children as they work on open-ended tasks specifically designed to encourage dialogue and sharing of understandings. All staff attendance at Professional Development Day with Rosemarie Prosser focusing on scripture. Whole school recognition of Sacramental Candidates at Prayer Gatherings. Expectation that all staff attend Sacramental Masses. Purchase and blessing of religious icons (crucifixes) to be displayed throughout the school. Visit by Archbishop Denis Hart including whole school Prayer Gathering and classroom visits. Continuation of weekly whole-school Prayer Gatherings, where the focus of the prayer relates to units of work, topical events or the church cyclical calendar. Parents are warmly welcomed and invited to the Prayer Gatherings. Further strengthening of links with story, symbolism, and traditions of our faith through whole school liturgical celebrations of the significant events in the Church calendar e.g. Lent and Holy Week, Easter, St. Pauls Feast Day, Advent and Christmas, in addition to Graduation celebrations, class liturgies and termly whole school masses. Continuation of whole school Grandparents/Special Persons Day Mass and morning tea (Science focus). Continuation of class masses each term, shared with the local faith community. Continuation of social justice actions where children support the disadvantaged and needy in the local and global communities. These actions included projects such as Project Compassion, support of the St Vincent de Paul Society, and the continued association with the Monbulk Care Network. Revision of Christian Meditation in RE PLMs and continued practice across the school. Timetabling Christian Meditation throughout the school four times a week and fortnightly during whole-school Prayer Gatherings. Continued setting of appropriate standards by exploring, developing the understandings of, and practising the values which have direct links to living in a religious way. Emphasis of the Nine Australian Values for Schooling at St Pauls Principals Awards given weekly to highlight modelled practices.
  12. 12. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 11 Linking of classroom prayer time and Circle Time to the Nine Australian Values for Schooling. Continuation of the Rookys Program by the Reach Foundation. Maintaining attention to staff spirituality through planned weekly prayer and reflection. Planned timetabling of staff prayer to include as many staff as possible.. Continuation of the focus on innovative and purposeful teaching practices in Religious Education drawn from previous professional development and the purchase of relevant resources. Maintaining Professional Learning Team meetings devoted to teaching and planning using the Religious Education Frameworks combined with Inquiry strategies. Continuing the use of the Assessment and Reporting Tracking Tool to assess learning and as a guide for moderation in Religious Education. Using learning and teaching goals within Religious Education to prepare an Overview of Religious Education on nReports for both Semesters 1 and 2. Inclusion of rich tasks in Religious Education as evidence of learning in Student Learning Folios each term. Continued Saturday evening Family Masses and sausage sizzles to encourage the development of faith and school community. VALUE ADDED All staff attendance at Professional Development Day with Rosemarie Prosser focusing on scripture. Continuation of the Year 6 Mini Vinnies Action Group. Mini Vinnies Commissioning Mass Students presented with Members badges by St Vincent de Paul conference leaders. Planned Social Justice actions by Senior school students who act to inspire the school community to support the disadvantaged and needy in local and global communities, e.g. St Vincent de Paul. Continuation of the Rookys program by the Reach Foundation. Student artworks qualified for display and judging in the Catholic Education Week Visual Arts Exhibition. Continuation of Christian Meditation throughout the entire school four times a week. Daily prayer in the classroom. Strong connections to, and the use of, Throughlines, in Values Learning that is emphasised at St. Pauls. Continuation of whole school Grandparents/Special Persons Day Mass and morning tea (science focus). Fortnightly class masses shared with the local faith community. Weekly whole-school Prayer Gatherings/Assemblies, which parents are encouraged to attend Parent-child faith development evenings based on the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation Whole school involvement in social justice initiatives such as Project Compassion. Linking Advent practice to community action for Monbulk Care and St Vincent de Paul. Junior school students excursion to Monbulk Main Street to spread Christmas cheer through carolling and distributing gifts. Middle school visit to Monbulk Care and collection of gifts to be distributed within the local community. Senior School students promotion and collection of gifts for the Angel Tree to be distributed by St Vincent de Paul.
  13. 13. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 12 Whole School Christmas Nativity Play for the school community followed by social gathering on the school oval.
  14. 14. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 13 Learning & Teaching Goals & Intended Outcomes To provide a Contemporary learning environment which, promotes student engagement, and improves outcomes in literacy and numeracy. That student outcomes in English improve with a focus on spelling and writing. That student outcomes in Mathematics improve with a particular focus on number and the language of Mathematics. That student engagement continues to improve. Achievements Maintained assessment in all Domains using appropriate assessment strategies and tools, such as rich tasks, criteria and rubrics. Testing data collated in an electronic form and saved on the Curriculum Server. 1:1 Pre-testing days in Literacy sustained. Assessment schedule was evaluated and modified to address the needs of the school. Professional Learning Team Meetings (PLTM) held weekly with a Literacy and Numeracy focus on alternating weeks. PLTMs comprised a team planning focus lead by the respective leaders. Continued skilling of students to form their own inquiries. Formalised planning model to develop Inquiry Units with the aim of increasing staff understandings of the inquiry process. Documentation and alignment with AusVELS. Exploring ways of increasing student engagement and ownership of learning. Provision made for whole staff planning days once per term, lead by the Learning & Teaching Leader. Through PLTMs ensured Professional Learning aligned with AusVELS. Sustained implementation of the Mathletics Program across the whole school. Sustained strategies to allow for the creation of a Personalised Learning environment. Use of open-ended activities to enable personalised learning. Explicit focus on the 4 Spelling Strategies and the 7 Steps for Writing Success. Continued focus on spelling and the further development and evaluation of a spelling continuum in response to childrens performance against spelling outcomes. Development of Guiding Principles for the teaching of Literacy and Numeracy to ensure a consistent whole-school approach. Entered second year of F-6 Learning Literacies Course. All staff participated in a Professional Learning Day on Sustaining Improvement in Mathematics lead by CEOM School Mathematics Advisors. Professional development of Literacy Leader and LSOs in ERIK and PERI to support students experiencing difficulty in Literacy. Development of the Teaching and Learning Implementation Guide. Moderation of student work was a focus in PLTMs. Student and staff workshops were continued with Denise Hall from ITMatters2Kids, ensuring that students were provided with further ways in which to communicate, collaborate and create using classroom iPads.
  15. 15. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 14 Edmodo was utilised as the platform in which children and teachers could share learning in a digital environment. eLearning Leader supported both staff and students with new ways of learning using ICT in the classroom, through scheduled focus lessons. Continued implementation of ICT skills and research through the use of: iPads (minimum of 8 per classroom) Professional Development in Web 2.0 Online Course Edmodo Online programs, such as Mathletics, Rainforest Maths, Sunshine Online, etc. Through the Reading Recovery program, students identified at risk in year 1 were taught strategies enabling them to meet Target Standards of Text. Used data to identify students requiring additional support with literacy. Literacy Leader was provided with additional time to support staff and students. Professional Development on Individual Learning Plans - revision of good practice to ensure consistency in the way they are developed by staff. Continued use of Individual Learning Plans to address the particular learning needs of children identified as at risk or requiring further extension. Continued Chess Kids tuition for students in Years 3-6. . eSmart Program used as a student wellbeing and Cybersafety framework. Professional Development for staff in Emergency Management Parent information sessions, including: Transition to Primary School (for new parents); Level Information Evenings; Cybersafety Program facilitated by KidProof Australia; Parent Engagement in Your Childs Learning with Rachel Saliba. PLMs formalised agendas were based on the AAP, AITSL Professional Standards for Teachers and student data results. Continued exploring AusVELS Strands, Domains and Dimensions in Science, History, Literacy and Numeracy when planning whole-school Inquiry Units. Continued use of Throughlines in developing Inquiry Units. Continued to support pre-service teachers and work experience students. Continuation of Prep and Year 6 individual buddies and buddy classes. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Data provided by the Catholic Education Office Melbourne illustrates the proportion of students at St Pauls School who met the National Benchmarks as assessed by NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy & Numeracy) testing during the period 2012 - 2014. When interpreting the data, it is important to note that due to small student numbers in year levels at St Pauls, one student may be reflected as approximately 5% of the total. The table and graphs found on pages 28 and 29 of this report, referring to VRQA Compliance Data, illustrate the variation in national minimum standard results between the 2012 and 2014 testing cycles. It is important to note that, with one exception, the results are not a comparison of the same cohort of children, but of those students in Years 3 or 5 in 2012 to those in Years 3 or 5 in 2013 and, once again, to those in Years 3 or 5 in 2014. However, the figures can be viewed as indicating a trend over time, when comparing Year 3 in 2012 with Year 5 in 2014, as in this instance they comprise the same group of students. The table and graphs show that in 2014, 100% of Year 3 students met the national minimum standard results in Writing, Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation and Numeracy. This reflected a positive growth between 2013 and 2014 of the following proportions: Spelling +15.4%; Grammar & Punctuation +7.7%; Writing and Numeracy 0% as 100% of students met the minimum standards; and Reading +10.6%. In summary, every test reflected positive
  16. 16. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 15 growth with the exception of tests in which 100% of students already met the minimum standards in both 2013 and 2014. When comparing the Year 5 cohorts of 2013 and 2014, the 2014 students recorded a negative change in the proportion of students meeting the minimum standards. Interestingly, when examining the trend over time of the same students in Year 3 (2012) with their results in Year 5 (2014), a positive change can be seen in the Grammar and Punctuation testing results. This data is examined by staff, along with other data collected internally, to inform our annual planning for improvement, as part the School Improvement Framework.
  17. 17. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 16 Student Wellbeing Goals & Intended Outcomes To maximise student wellbeing and sense of connectedness to school. That student learning confidence will improve. That student relationships will be improved. Achievements Maintained networks with local community services, i.e. Student Focused Youth Services (SFYS). Working relationships with community groups such as Monbulk Care. Senior students connect with the wider community using service learning as its focus. Continuation of the Mini Vinnies program. Incorporated social justice student organised initiatives, e.g. Mini Vinnies Mini Market. Continued the focus on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) using strategies such as Circle Time. Continued Restorative Practices throughout the school (including part-time staff and specialists). PAASS document outlining rights, responsibilities and expectations throughout the school. Common language used when dealing with students, parents and teachers. Chaplaincy program maintained through the National School Chaplaincy Student Welfare Program. Chaplaincy allocation was used at early intervention and intervention stages with groups, families and individual students. Student Wellbeing Co-ordinators attended 2 annual CEO professional development days in the format of a 2 day Wellbeing and Community Partnerships Conference. Conducted an extensive Prep Orientation Program. Conducted information sessions/workshops on Transition into Primary School (based on Kids Matter), Restorative Practices and ICT practices for the parents of 2015 Foundation students during orientation sessions. Student Forums with the Principal. Parent Forums with the Principal. Promotion of the Friendship Tree for those students needing someone to play with/talk to. Chess program run by Chess Kids: Years 3 6 Inter-school Sports and Round Robin Day Walk to School Thursdays Participation in National Walk to School Day Participation in the Day for Daniel - Daniel Morcombe Foundation : Keeping Kids Safe Encouragement for students to have daily fruit break at 10.00am and a water bottle on their tables. Scheduled staff meeting time specifically focusing on student wellbeing needs considered important for the school. Continued practice of Christian Meditation across the whole school. Staff revisited different meditation practices for use in the classroom.
  18. 18. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 17 Buddy program between Junior and Senior students. Continued opportunity for school choir membership, including performances for the Rotary Club, Senior Citizens and Monbulk Christmas Parade. F-6 Student Representative Council student lead initiatives; development of leadership capacity. Successful and supportive camp program: Year 6 camp to Coonawarra Farm Resort; Year 4 camp to CYC Phillip Island; and Year 2 sleepover. Transition Programs: Maintained regular communication between local kindergartens and regional secondary colleges. Past students visited Year 6 exiting students as part of the transition program. Bendigo Bank Award presented to a senior student at the end of the year. Student artwork displayed in the Catholic Education Week Art Show. Explicit teaching of social and emotional skills. Explicit teaching of the Nine Values for Australian Schooling within the classroom. Fortnightly focus on nominated values across whole school. Weekly values award presented to a member of each class by the Principal. Term 1 curriculum focus on building relationships, resilience and the values. Continued in a SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) network group with three other schools. Continued focus upon school community partnership and the KidsMatter Framework. Parent Workshop with Rachel Saleba focusing on Parent Engagement with their Childs Learning. Explicit teaching of Cybersafety awareness. Parent workshop with Catherine Gerhardt from Kidproof on Cybersafety. Newsletter items focusing on cybersafety, values, building resilience, confidence. Annual update by all staff on Mandatory Reporting online module. SunSmart awareness: Maintained accreditation as a SunSmart School. End of year orientation session for years P 5 to encourage familiarity with the following years classroom environment, teacher and classmates. Leadership day focus on School Improvement with Roger Dingle (InsightSRC). Continuation of Reach Foundation Rookys program. Continued to work on the eSmart Framework at St Pauls. When students are absent from school, written communication either letter or email is required from the parents/guardians. Should a student be away from school for three consecutive days, and the school not be notified, the classroom teacher and/or Principal will make direct contact with the parents/guardians. If a student is ever absent for a prolonged period of time or with regular frequency, either the Principal or Student Wellbeing Leader will make direct contact with the parents/guardians. In certain instances a letter will follow the phone conversation. Parents/guardians are regularly reminded, via the school newsletter, of their obligation to send their children to school on a consistent basis, and that reasons for absenteeism are to be legitimate and in writing. Articles on the impact of regular absenteeism are incorporated in the school newsletter, and are supported by the inclusion of the parent brochure Every Day Counts (Department of Education & Training).
  19. 19. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 18 VALUE ADDED Walk to School Thursdays, in which staff and parents walk with the students from the Monbulk shopping centre to the school; a distance of approximately 900m. Active participation in National Walk to School Day. Active participation in the Day for Daniel - Daniel Morcombe Foundation: Keeping Kids Safe. Active School Choir: Practice every Thursday afternoon. Public performances by the school choir at the Country Fair, Monbulk Merry Christmas and the Senior Citizens Chess program run by Chess Kids: Years 3 6 Interschool chess competitions. Rookys program, by the Reach Foundation, for Year 6 students Involvement in inter-school sport. Parent information sessions/workshops on Restorative Practices. Parent information session on Cybersafety. Maintained essential networks with local community services, e.g. Student Focus Youth Services. A developmental and successful camp program. Members of a SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) network group with three other schools. Student Forums with the Principal Explicit teaching of Cybersafety awareness. Bendigo Bank scholarship to outstanding Year 6 student. Mini Vinnies raising the awareness of social justice issues. Mini Vinnies fundraising for people in need in the community Mini Vinnies continued strong community links with local organisations. STUDENT SATISFACTION Student Satisfaction, as reflected in the results of the 2014 School Improvement Surveys (prepared by InsightSRC) while affirming, did provide some indicators requiring attention. The indicators of Student Morale and Student Distress were well aligned indicating that students are relatively positive, however there was a sense that not all were feeling fully connected to school. Within the sphere of Teacher Relationships, students signalled that they felt understood and learning is interesting, but revealed that they are not fully clear on the purpose behind certain aspects of their learning. The students reflected that they have positive relationships and, therefore, a sense of Connectedness to Peers, however, they were not overly confident in their ability to learn. Moving forward into 2015, an explicit focus will revolve around ways of instilling student learning confidence. Throughout 2014, students were provided with numerous opportunities tin which to express student voice, including: participation through the Student Representative Council; active involvement through Student Forums with the Principal; opportunities to negotiate their learning pathways through the schools approach to an Inquiry-based curriculum; and further opportunities to learn using contemporary tools and methods.
  20. 20. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 19 Leadership & Management Goals & Intended Outcomes To develop a work environment characterised by shared vision, a strong sense of teamwork and a focus on continuous improvement. That staff climate will continue to improve. Achievements Religious Education Attendance at REL Network meetings Staff Faith Development on the Gospels with Dr Rosemarie Prosser Combined Schools Opening Mass at St Pauls Purchase and blessing of religious icons Visit by Archbishop Denis Hart Tracking Tool and Learning Foci Curriculum Personalised Learning Approach through Curriculum Leader & Principal Network Meetings; and via staff Professional Learning Meetings Commenced development of Teaching & Learning Implementation Guide St Pauls Throughlines used in whole-school Inquiry Planners Implemented aspects of Performance and Development Culture, e.g. Learning Walks, Introduction of CITDP (Customised Individual Teacher Development Plans) Staff completed Web 2.0 Online Learning Module Assessment and Reporting Data Meetings: Recording and analysis of testing data Continued planning units of work and rich tasks as a whole staff during PLMTs Staff evaluating units of work using the 5es Focus on student reflection of their own learning using various thinking tools Attendance at Learning & Teaching Leaders Network Meetings Literacy Literacy PLMs on a fortnightly cycle Implementation of Literacy Assessment Schedule Ongoing inclusion of Visual Literacy and Oral Language in planning Writing Marking Criteria and Moderation Whole school author study during Book Week and visit by Richard Galbraith Whole school family group day during Literacy & Numeracy Week Lyn Watts: Staff professional learning on Writing & Spelling Analysing Literacy Data P 8 Learning Literacies (Intake 2) 5 workshops New Reading Recovery Teacher training Literacy Cluster Meetings Literacy through the Inquiry Approach
  21. 21. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 20 St Pauls Spelling Scope and Sequence reviewed and modified Spelling assessment tool, SWST, maintained PROBE administered from Yrs 2-6 Developing Guiding Principles in the teaching of literacy Mathematics Mathematics PLMs on a fortnightly cycle Continuation of Envision Maths program Implemented St Pauls Mathematics Planner Focus on Mental Computation strategies, Counting, Language of Mathematics Implementation of formalised Mathematics Assessment Schedule Rich assessment tasks Development of Mathematics Guiding Principles Mathematics Cluster Days Mathematical Data analysis Linking data to purposeful teaching and learning Maths Continuum and Developmental Framework used as planning tools Continuation of Maths 300 and Rainforest Maths Continued Mathletics implementation from P-6 All staff participated in a Professional Learning Day on Sustaining Improvement in Mathematics lead by CEOM School Mathematics Advisors. ICT Change2 ICON: Maintained implementation of The Plan Edmodo used as the platform for electronically sharing online folios and work samples Purchased an additional 30 iPads for student use Student and staff iPad workshops with ITMatters2kids All staff created their own Google account and commenced communicating via the St Pauls Google Calendar Continued eSmart Termly meetings with Richard Callanan (ICON Coach) Attendance at eLearning Zone Network Meetings nForma web applications implemented across the school Development of Cybersafety Policy Maintenance of: Computer Lab; student and staff iPads; Interactive Whiteboards, staff laptops Cybersafety workshops for staff and parents by KidProof Australia ICT User agreement distributed term 1 to all students iPad User agreement distributed to all staff and students Wellbeing Rachel Saliba: Parent information evening Cybersafety workshops for staff and parents by KidProof Australia Participation in SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) Cluster meetings Attendance at KidsMatter Conference (2 days) Kidsmatter: Presentation to SACSC Cluster Cybersafety: eSmart Restorative Practices and Circle Time Regular staff meetings to address Wellbeing Regular attendance at Zone and Cluster Meetings
  22. 22. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 21 Student Wellbeing Conference: 2 spaced days Mandatory Reporting and Child FIRST online module completed Reach Rookys program for Year 6 students (one per term) Positive Action Agreement for a Safe School distributed during Term 1 Continuation of National School Chaplaincy Student Welfare Program A whole school approach to Pastoral Care/Student Wellbeing Attendance at Student-Focused Youth Services (SFYS) and Local Agency Group (LAG) Student Services Using iPad Apps with special needs students Staff professional development on Individual Learning Plans Professional Learning on LNSLN submissions online Regular PSG Meetings (one per term for funded and some non-funded students) Teachers released for submission writing - day per child Attendance at Zone Cluster and Network Meetings Leadership Leading the Implementation of the Australian Curriculum Leading Personalised Learning Interpreting School Improvement Reports - Roger Dingle from Insight SRC with Leadership Team Continuation of Learning Walks Weekly formalised leadership team meetings Leadership Minutes communicated to all staff via Staff Noticeboard Leading of Parent Forum
  23. 23. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 22 EXPENDITURE AND TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DESCRIPTION OF PL UNDERTAKEN IN 2014 A variety of professional learning opportunities, including intensive course work, was undertaken by staff, including but not limited to: Shared School Improvement Workshop with Roger Dingle (Insight SRC) - Leadership Teams of St Pauls and St Thomas Mores Primary Schools Strategic Spelling: A Whole School Approach - Lyn Watts The Next Steps in Writing: Understanding Writers Notebooks & the Seven Steps Writing Program - Lyn Watts Religious Education: Staff Faith Development on the Gospels with Dr Rose Marie Prosser Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) Project - 3 days Personalised Learning: CEOM Learning & Teaching Leaders Network - 4 days KidsMatter Conference - 2 days P-8 Learning Literacies 3 staff Nationally Consistent Collection of Data CEOM - OSR Workshop Preparing for May 1 Increments CEOM - 2014 Admin Officers Conference: Waves of Change, Oceans of Opportunity - 2 days Student Wellbeing Leaders Days - 2 days Emergency Management Training with Dynamiq - all staff iPad Workshops for teachers and students ITMatters2Kids CEOM - Web 2.0 Online Course (10 x 2hr sessions) Sharing the Spirit of the North - Principals Conference to Darwin and Kakadu National Park Certificate IV in Youth Work (Open Colleges) Diabetes Education Day for Classroom Teachers Cybersafety - facilitated by Kidproof Australia Parent Engagement Evening facilitated by Rachel Saleba Using Trend Data for Continuous School Improvement - CEOM & InsightSRC Attendance at Schools As Core Social Centres (SACSC) Cluster Meetings Zart Art Workshops x 2 Network Meetings and Cluster Days for staff holding Positions of Leadership (POL) & key responsibilities within the school Weekly Professional Learning Meetings: Literacy, Numeracy, Religious Education, Wellbeing and Teaching & Learning focus CPR and Anaphylaxis Update - all staff Asthma Update - all staff Mandatory Reporting Online Module - all staff School Leadership: Deputy Principals Eastern Schools OEZDP Conference ACHPER Health and Physical Education Conference Sustaining Improvement in Mathematics led by CEOM School Mathematics Advisors Network Days for Principal, Deputy Principal, REL, Learning & Teaching, Student Wellbeing and Student Services Leaders Cluster Days for Literacy and Numeracy Leaders
  24. 24. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 23 NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN PL 16 AVERAGE EXPENDITURE PER TEACHER FOR PL $1420 TEACHER SATISFACTION Based on School Improvement Survey Data compiled by Insight SRC and discussions with, and informal feedback from staff, the level of staff satisfaction with the school is moderately high. The schools percentile ranking on the four cultural pillars is shown below. The data positively indicates a pattern of good teamwork, empowerment and ownership that is influenced by supportive leadership. Nonetheless, some staff require greater clarity in terms of what the school expects of them. The 2014 School Climate percentile ranks indicate that good learning is occurring at St Pauls with appraisal & recognition (60%) being supported by professional growth (67%). Student behaviour within the school (86%) was very positive indicating that students are generally well-behaved within the school. Student management (68%), with a percentage favourable of 100% in nearly all fields, reflected a consistent approach amongst the staff in implementing a restorative practices approach. The support the school receives from the parent and parish communities, combined with the current trend in staff retention figures indicate healthy levels of staff wellbeing that correspondingly contribute to a positive school climate.
  25. 25. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 24 School Community Goals & Intended Outcomes To further connect student learning with the local and global communities. That student learning is enhanced by adopting a more outward facing position, through the creation of connections with local and global communities. Achievements School Advisory Board addressed by Principal. Interpreted InsightSRC data, and how the school utilises the data for continued school improvement. School Advisory Board addressed by Literacy Leader. Our literacy journey - where we have come from and future goals. Parent information session on Parent Engagement with Their Childs Learning facilitated by Rachel Saleba. Cybersafety Parent Education Evening facilitated by Catherine Gerhardt Planned social events by the P&F e.g. Girls Night In, Family Movie Night, Bikeathon Regular use by parents of the Parent Meeting Room, e.g. regularly scheduled P&F meetings Parent Forums covering topics such as Where do you see St Pauls in Five Years time?/ What would our ideal school look like? Continuation of Family Focused Parish Based School Supported sacramental program. Workshop-based faith development evenings, for parents and children, based on the three Sacraments of Initiation. Sacramental candidates presented to the parish community at weekend masses. Regular working bees concluding with a social gathering. Casserole/Meal bank to support St. Pauls families in times of need or sickness. Continuation of the Reach Rookys program for Year 6 students. Whole school involvement in Indonesian Day parent involvement. Each class gathered together with local parish community to celebrate the Wednesday weekday mass. Scheduled Family Masses on early Saturday evenings followed by barbecue to encourage community social connections. School Discos twice per year Walking Thursdays where children walk with teachers from Woolworths car park to the school grounds approximately 900m. Participation by children and families in annual Walk to School Day. Bendigo Bank Sponsorship recognising contributions made by year 6 students. Weekly Prayer Gatherings/Assemblies to which parents and relatives are warmly invited. Grounds Committee projects, e.g. further aluminium bench seating on the oval and construction of giant outdoor chess board, revegetation of bank behind school hall. Inter-school Sport Program parent involvement. Whole school sports day parent involvement. Camp Program 4 day camp in Year 6; 3 day camp in Year 4; and school-based sleepover in Year 2 all involving staff and parents. Choir performances at the Monbulk Merry Christmas, the Mountain Doo and for the Senior Citizens.
  26. 26. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 25 Emerald Sausage Sizzle, organised by parents, where the school is further promoted in the community. Continued implementation of the School Promotions Committee. Six scheduled school working bees involving school families. Sustained role of the St Pauls OSHCare (Outside School Hours Care) Committee. Discreet support of school families in need through the Monbulk Care Network. Reciprocal support of the Monbulk Care Network by the school students at Christmas time through the purchase of gifts for the Angel Tree. Middle year students visited Monbulk Care Network to see how the operation works. Maintenance of SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) Outer Eastern Region, where St Pauls routinely met with three other Catholic schools in the local area. Use of the multi-purpose hall for local community basketball training groups and Pilates classes. Family BBQ in January for new Prep Families. Buddying of new Prep parents with existing families. Fifth year of Mini Vinnies Core Group: Year 6 St Vincent de Paul action group. Fundraising efforts included Eco briquettes, Mini Market, umbrella sales, Subway lunch. These events were supported by some of the local businesses through their donations. Involvement of parent helpers in the classroom. Parent involvement in Mini Vinnies fundraising actions. Parent organisation of monthly hot lunch days, sushi days once per term and icy poles in Terms 1 and 4. Grandparents/Special persons day and Mass with a science focus. Christmas Carol celebration and evening concert. Mothers day and Fathers day stalls Junior school classes visited Main St. Monbulk in December to sing Christmas carols and distributed small gifts. Parent information session on iPads. Principal/Student forums on student engagement and safety. PARENT SATISFACTION The Parent Opinion scores evident in the 2014 School Improvement Survey Reports reflected a higher level of satisfaction, with many indicators reflecting an improved or sustained percentile. Parent Partnerships (79%), Behaviour Management (77%), Approachability (73%) and Student Safety (70%) reflected the greatest level of satisfaction amongst our parents. Transitions (68%) had a percentage favourable response of 100%. Behaviour Management, Approachability and Parent Partnerships showed the greatest improvement between the 2013 and 2014 survey periods. In April 2014 a well attended parent forum was lead by the Principal and Deputy Principal. The topic of the parent forum was What Would the Ideal Community at St Pauls Look Like? The parents were extremely affirming of the current school climate and direction in which the school was heading. Of particular note was the recognition, on the part of the parents, of the schools inclusive nature. The parents worked productively in groups to paint a picture of
  27. 27. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 26 where they would like to see the school in 5 years time. These recommendations were fed back to staff during subsequent staff meetings. The parents were appreciative of the opportunity to be consulted on their views. St Pauls School continued to be involved in the CEOM Outer Eastern Schools as Core Social Centres (SACSC) Cluster. We continued to work within the CEOM Learning Together framework to address and engage parents in the areas identified through the forum.
  28. 28. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 27 Financial Performance REPORTING FRAMEWORK MODIFIED CASH $ Recurrent income Tuition School fees 80,989 Other fee income 67,352 Private income 3,155 State government recurrent grants 407,005 Australian government recurrent grants 1,119,947 Total recurrent income 1,678,448 Recurrent Expenditure Tuition Salaries; allowances and related expenses 1,175,535 Non salary expenses 227,831 Total recurrent expenditure 1,403,366 Capital income and expenditure Tuition Government capital grants - Capital fees and levies 54,279 Other capital income 11,032 Total capital income 65,311 Total capital expenditure 50,722 Loans (includes refundable enrolment deposits and recurrent, capital and bridging loans) Total opening balance 26,507 Total closing balance 23,818 Note that the information provided above does not include the following items: System levies charged to individual schools, intra-systemic transfers and diocesan supplementary capital fund (SCF) supported borrowings for primary schools. The information provided is not comparable with other educational sectors. This VRQA template is not comparable to the ACARA school-level income reporting requirements which are to be reported on the MySchool website. ACARA school level reporting requirements will require system level income from Government grants and some private income to be allocated by school. This will be a small adjustment in relation to the total level of school resources. At this stage, recurrent income from Government sources, school generated income and capital expenditure are to be reported by schools. Additionally when assessing the private income of the school include both recurrent and capital school fees.
  29. 29. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 28 VRQA Compliance Data PROPORTION OF STUDENTS MEETING THE MININUM STANDARDS NAPLAN TESTS 2012 % 2013 % 20122013 Changes % 2014 % 20132014 Changes % YR 03 Reading 100.0 84.6 -15.4 95.2 10.6 YR 03 Writing 95.2 100.0 4.8 100.0 0.0 YR 03 Spelling 90.5 84.6 -5.9 100.0 15.4 YR 03 Grammar & Punctuation 95.2 92.3 -2.9 100.0 7.7 YR 03 Numeracy 100.0 100.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 YR 05 Reading 94.4 100.0 5.6 92.6 -7.4 YR 05 Writing 94.4 100.0 5.6 84.6 -15.4 YR 05 Spelling 94.4 95.0 0.6 84.6 -10.4 YR 05 Grammar & Punctuation 94.4 100.0 5.6 96.2 -3.8 YR 05 Numeracy 100.0 100.0 0.0 92.6 -7.4
  30. 30. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 29 AVERAGE STUDENT ATTENDANCE RATE BY YEAR LEVEL % Year 1 94.79 Year 2 92.61 Year 3 91.44 Year 4 92.78 Year 5 94.14 Year 6 95.07 Overall average attendance 93.47 TEACHING STAFF ATTENDANCE RATE Teaching Staff Attendance Rate 92.23%
  31. 31. St Pauls Catholic Primary School, Monbulk 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 30 STAFF RETENTION RATE Staff Retention Rate 86.67% TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS Doctorate 0.00% Masters 30.77% Graduate 15.38% Certificate Graduate 7.69% Degree Bachelor 84.62% Diploma Advanced 46.15% No Qualifications Listed 0.00% STAFF COMPOSITION Principal Class 2 Teaching Staff (Head Count) 16 FTE Teaching Staff 14.190 Non-Teaching Staff (Head Count) 7 FTE Non-Teaching Staff 5.704 Indigenous Teaching Staff 0