2012 Annual Report to the School Community

 School (03) 5821 3163
Kindergarten (03) 5821 9982
Fax (03) 5821 6202
35 Hamilton Street, Shepparton, 3630
[email protected]
www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au
2012 Annual Report to the School Community St Mel’s Primary School SHEPPARTON Registered School No:1586 Principal: Mr Dom Poppa Canonical Adminstrator: Fr Joven Lustre School Board Chair: Ms Annette Jakob 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South “CHRIST OUR LIGHT" We hope all people everywhere, especially the members of St Mel’s community, will always see Christ as their guiding light, showing them the way towards God. ST. MEL’S PARISH
18 HAMILTON S TREET , S HEPPARTON VIC . 3630
T ELEPHONE : (03) 5831 2194
Email: [email protected]
Parish Priest: Fr. Joven Lustre
Christ the King Church
School Principal: Dom Poppa 35 Hamilton Street, SHEPPARTON 3630 Email: [email protected] www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au Phone: (03) 5821 3163 Fax: (03) 5821 6202 2 Kinder Director: Miriam Stewart 200 Archer Street SHEPPARTON 3630 Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 5821 9982 !
2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South St M el’s i s a p roud C atholic s chool a nd kindergarten, s triving, l earning a nd achieving t ogether, through C hrist o ur l ight. Vision Statements We are a community illuminated by our Catholic Tradition and grounded in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. We nurture the spirit, mind, and body of each learner. We create learning environments that invite learners to inquire, explore and discover. We embrace all families working in partnership with parish and community to engage in life long learning. We rejoice in the diversity of our community and celebrate the uniqueness that makes us St Mel’s. 3 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Graduate Outcomes
At St Mel’s we endeavour to educate students who:
Demonstrate openness to faith and willingness to act justly.
Are open to nurturing their personal spirituality
Are curious engaged learners, risk takers in their learning and life
long learners.
Are literate and numerate.
Have good self-awareness and confidence to explore possibilities
Understand their responsibility in caring for all God’s creation.
Show understanding and appreciation of the diversity of society.
Are respectful, cooperative, and can communicate and work with
others harmoniously.
4 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South School Overview St Mel’s has been educating members of our community since 1957. St Mel’s community is built on the foundations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we endeavour to open the doors to all those who seek to be a part of our community. Serving the many people who have settled in Shepparton South, St Mel’s has a rich association with many nationalities. From our Irish roots to the Italian heritage and culture, the woven fabric of this community is vast and exciting. Through the changing face of our Australian society, St Mel’s strives to provide a quality education that goes beyond numeracy and literacy, but aims to help individuals to become independent and contributing members of our wider world. At St Mel's, our Kindergarten and School aims to create a learning environment that goes beyond the classroom walls. We recognise the diversity in learning styles and acknowledge that no one individual has the answer to life’s many challenges. Learning is organic and cannot be plotted on a linear scale. Learning is robust. It allows one to think outside the square. Learning requires differentiation. It can be hands on or read from a text. Learning is playful. It is meaningful and has a purpose. Learning leads to discovery. It builds on prior knowledge and extends outwards and sideways. Learning is inquiring. It allows for wonder and awe. It is our hope that we can help individuals reach their potential and enjoy the success that comes with individual achievement. It is with an open heart that we welcome all to explore our dynamic school and kindergarten and look forward to building the relationships that are needed to help sustain us. 5 Playful learning to inquiring minds, Inquiring minds to cooperative learners, Cooperative learners to self directed individuals. Developing creativity through learning. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Principal’s Report To the community of St Mel’s, St Mel’s is a wonderfully diverse community with so many accomplishments in 2012: • FIRE carriers – apology day, sorry day, Kay Morgan •
CAMPS – Harrietville and Billabong ranch •
Excursions – Echuca, Bendigo •
Sports -­‐ athletics, dance, zones, and state – football, netball, soccer •
The Arts Choir and concerts, visual arts •
Peace pole, aboriginal mural, and labyrinth •
Farewell To Fr. Michael and welcome Fr. Joven As a part of our Catholic Identity and Leadership review we examined our practices and were able to identify the many wonderful things that as a community we do. We were also open in acknowledging that we have to continue to ensure our Catholic Faith Tradition continues. The following are two of the commendations made by the panel on the day. There is a great clarity within the school community about why St Mel’s Catholic Primary School, Shepparton exists. The sense of purpose is palpable. The school is authentic in its commitment to serve both the mission of the Church in a ‘big picture’ sense and the individual child and family, in a specific sense. It is clear that each child is known and loved. Respectful relationships were evident throughout the school and were exercised within a climate of calm. The Catholic Identity of the school is inescapable. This was expressed in explicit terms but more importantly; it was implicit in the doing. The Identity and Vision Statements are current and accessible. The Graduate Outcomes are the lived experience of the students. It was an absolute delight being a part of the St Mel’s school community for a moment in time. Once again I must acknowledge the many people who enable St Mel’s to thrive: • Fr. Michael and Fr. Joven for their support and trust. • St Mel’s Parish Education Board. • St Mel’s Parent Social Club. • To the many volunteers. • Our parents. • Darrin Dohrman – past PEB Chair, handy man, fix it, care for it – he’s done it! • The wonderful staff of St Mel's. • Most of all our beautiful children. They are STARs! 2012 was a busy time with much learning and teaching and an ongoing journey of building community nurtured. A major undertaking through this year was to explore the concept of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) and the implications for St Mel’s. With the support of Pauline Fisher and 6 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Luci Quinn, Catholic Education Sandhurst, we established norms for Learning and Teaching Units. Further learning was supported by Philip Holmes-­‐Smith who worked with staff on using data analysis of student work as a means of informing and improving student learning. The most rewarding learning however came from the attendance at Richard and Rebecca DuFour’s professional learning conference on PLC’s. Lorraine Spies, Wendy Darveniza and myself were truly enriched by this experience and our excitement of what could be for St Mel’s will challenge us all. We also embarked on our P.B.I.S. journey as we broke open what it means to be a St Mel’s S.T.A.R. Successful, Thoughtful, Appreciative and Responsible. As the year progressed it became more evident that we are STARs by encouraging the expected and appropriate behaviours via a number of whole school ‘blitzes’. We celebrated with superhero day, crazy hair day and much fun. The introduction of a one to one laptop program for our Upper Years Students, a one to two ratio in the Lower Unit and iPods, iPads, laptops and desktops in the Early Years, saw ‘e-­‐
learning’ become a reality. With all the new initiatives we continue to articulate our vision and have a clear sense of who we are: St Mel’s is a proud Catholic school and kindergarten, striving, learning and achieving together, through Christ our light. It has also allowed us to bring to life our newly formed graduate outcomes, as the following through lines for our inquiry learning were explored: We know ourselves and what we can achieve together, We acknowledge our history and traditions, Created in God’s image – health and wellbeing, and Forces that shape our world. These continued to enable our children to play, explore, investigate, have fun and learn. Finally we said goodbye to Lauren Calder. Miss Calder known to most. Tiny in stature but not by nature. Hard working, ultra organised, a professional to a tee! More than 22 years spent at St Mel’s – both as a student and teacher. Lauren’s family has a long history with our school with her mum working in the tuck shop and dad doing the odd job or two around the school. St Mel’s has been blessed with her presence. Dom Poppa Principal 7 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Kindergarten Director’s Report With the transition of last year’s kinder children to prep, and the orientation of a new cohort of children into our Three and Four Year Old Kinder groups, we (the educators) have mixed emotions. Sad because we may not see some of these children on a regular basis again, and glad as we have a new challenge and new learning possibilities with a whole new group of children and families. As we reflect on the last twelve months we have accomplished many things. We have: • Learnt more about the VEYLDF (Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework) and how to apply this document to the wider early childhood sector and specifically our kindergarten, • Developed a Quality Improvement Plan and are working towards completing some of the goals we set for ourselves, • Safely embarked on excursions to the All Abilities Playground, Bowling, The Melbourne Zoo and The Melbourne Aquarium and Jets Gymnasium, • Reinforced that ‘being proactive is better than being reactive’ as parents were well informed regarding our intention to increase our Four Year Old groups to 15 hours in 2013, • Applied for and were granted a capital works grant from DEECD (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development), and have commenced a renovation project to ensure a future building for our Three Year Old groups and playgroups, • Supported Narelle Morris (Our 3YO Teacher) during her recently completed Bachelor of Education • Employed three additional teaching staff as well as a new administrator, • Changed the name of our three year old programs from Three Year Old fun-­‐group to Three Year Old Kindergarten as all our teachers hold Degrees in Education and Early Childhood, • Had a great parent committee who were dedicated to the continual upgrade of our surroundings and ensuring additional funds are available from fundraising efforts. As we look forward we see ourselves as educators who are ‘Guardians at the Gateway of Mystery’, so it is up to us to discover the gates each child is facing and what skills they need to open them. It has been another great year. Miriam Stewart – Kindergarten Director 8 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Parish Education Board Chair’s Report It has been another busy and enriching year at St Mel’s primary school and kinder. It never ceases to amaze me, just how hard working, dedicated and inviting our school/kinder community is: parents, teachers, support staff, leadership team and the smiling, happy children in our care. You only have to look at our physical space to appreciate just how much transformation has occurred over the last 3-­‐4 years, in all areas of school/kinder life. The focus for the Board this year was to reflect and build upon our catholic identity and leadership capacity as part of the year of Grace and Catholic Education Sandhurst mission: Re-­‐
imagining the Mission – A Pilgrimage of Faith. Our question to ponder was what will St Mel’s look like in the future: the digital world of learning moving from instructional to a dynamic, collaborative inquiry learning space? We dare to imagine and ensure our graduate outcomes will stand the test of time and be true to the Catholic faith and mission. The graduate outcomes were finalised in partnership with teaching staff and endorsed by the board. They are now an integral part of leading curriculum, the values and behaviours of the school/kinder community and, hopefully, connect with those families who are seeking an education for their child/children with St Mel’s primary school. At our AGM we bid farewell to Mark Hallahan and welcomed Lena Cross from Kinder Representative to board member and welcomed Bernadette Tedesco and Elizabeth Chandler in their shared roles as Kinder Representatives. Board formation occurred throughout the year, commencing with the board members showcasing their creative skills to express the mission of our school in artwork. It proved to be a great way to get to know the new board members. The new framework for school improvement, COSSI, was introduced to the board using the Catholic Education Sandhurst website, enabling the board to become familiar with its structure, guiding principles and its use to enhance school improvement. The Board’s achievements were many, following the actions outlined in the 2012 annual plan: Catholic Identity: •
•
•
•
•
•
There was continued engagement with the Parish Sacramental program maintaining the connections between the school and St Mel’s parish We continued to build family engagement with St Mel’s Parish through the Board, Social Club and school organisation of Sunday mass. Dom and Father Michael facilitated reflective discussions with the Board focussing on the Catholic mission that guides education and the school’s values. The school facilities were utilised to host Parish and community activities. The completion of St Mel’s labyrinth within the school grounds was realised and is now a centre piece for reflection and meditation. Completion of the school review for Catholic Identity informed the school of areas for improvement. St Mel’s school and kinder community was affirmed as having a strong sense of who it is, embracing its rich history and articulating its mission grounded in catholic values and faith. Opportunities are available to develop/renew adult faith through the parish lead sacramental program supported by the school and parents/families. Our graduate outcomes firmly articulate our Catholic identity. Stewardship of Resources: •
9 The Board undertook a review of the school/kinder master plan and vision for the senior building. We continue to make submissions for funding through the CEO to re-­‐
2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South •
•
•
•
build and re-­‐shape the learning space for our senior students. Changesto learning spaces and integration with inside/out learning spaces continues across the school, especially with the development of the old car park space in the play area. The Kinder, through the support of the Board, was successful in the grant application for the refurbishment of the existing building to accommodate growth in programs. Building commenced in January 2013. We are excited about the establishment and accreditation of Outside School Hours Care (OHSC), one of the identified projects in 2011. The service to families is invaluable and the number of families accessing the service continues to gradually grow. Leanne Cator has performed a commendable job working with the authorities to meet the accreditation standards and more importantly providing a safe environment and engaging activities for our children, after school. There was the successful implementation of the ICT program for the senior year students and strengthening equity and access to technology for all students. St Mel’s has embraced the digital world supporting families to journey with their children in using the technology to enrich learning whilst remaining safe and alert to the risks. This program has a strong foundation to build upon in the coming years. Progress continues with monitoring changes to the car park facilities surrounding the school (2011 project). Discussion between the school/kinder with the Parish and Greater Shepparton City Council continues as we work towards changing the disused tennis courts into off road car parking spaces. There continues to be much work, by our teaching staff, to ensure there is safe driver behaviour at school drop off and pick up times. Pastoral Wellbeing: •
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We were successful with the application for the continued funding for our school chaplain position, enabling access to this vital service to all of our children and families. In 2012 the board continues to strengthen partnerships with our social committee, sporting clubs and kinder to organise events that engage our families and build a sense of community – return of a music trivia night, hello night, winter market, school masses, concerts. Leadership: • The annual school review was conducted for Leadership as a part of the school improvement process. Commendations were received by the review panel on the authenticity of parent leadership and engagement throughout the school and kinder community grounded in strong collaborative relationships with school leadership and staff. The board continues to focus on building leadership capacity within the board, create opportunities for leadership development for parents within the school/kinder community. • Parent leaders presented and facilitated the new families information night in December, sharing their experiences of being families engaged with the school and our children’s learning. It was well received and will be an annual event. 10 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Learning & teaching: • The Parish education board was intrinsically involved in the development and commissioning of the student graduate outcomes. These will guide our decision making to ensure learning and teaching in its formal and informal means, support our students throughout their learning journey at St Mel’s primary school. They will also guide the strategies and actions to build family engagement in achieving the development and learning of all of our students. 2012 presented many opportunities for community building and family involvement in school/kinder daily life. These achievements are best shared by many. Having strong partnerships within the school, kinder and Parish, 2013 will continue to build upon this foundation to achieve the actions in the 2013 annual plan. Working with Father Michael, the parents and staff on the Board continues to be an enriching experience for myself as Board Chair. Sadly Father Michael was called to the Numurkah community and his presence missed by all. With Father Joven called to St Mel’s Parish, his commitment to the work of the Board continues from Father Michael’s legacy – the laughter, encouragement and faith that strengthens and nourishes our time together to achieve what is possible for the children and families at our school and kinder. Once again, I look forward to another engaging, and rewarding year where we face the uncertainty of schools funding. Despite this, I am heartened by the spirit of the wonderful group of parents, teachers, school/kinder leaders and children who are the heart of this welcoming and embracing St Mel’s primary school and kinder community. Annette Jakob St Mel’s PEB Chair. 11 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South 2012 ANNUAL PLAN
Re-Imagining the Mission; a Pilgrimage of Faith
CATHOLIC IDENTITY
Ongoing Staff and Parent Spirituality and Faith Formation
Implementing and celebrating new vision and graduate outcomes
Continued implementation of the Labyrinth as a form of meditation
Undertake a Review of Catholic Identity
STEWARDSHIP OF RESOURCES
(Finance, Facilities and Resources)
Refurbishment of the toilet block for Kindergarten and play group
Monitor and support Kindergarten with increased hours for Kindergarten groups
Continued maintenance and improvement of school buildings
To implement and resource the schools ICT plan
PASTORAL WELLBEING
(Pastoral Care)
Provide support for students and families, as needed e.g. specialist services, after school
care exploration
Access to School Chaplain, as needed, for all
To implement and promote PBIS (Positive Behaviours Intervention Support) across
St. Mel’s
LEADERSHIP
Induction of new Parish School Board members and ongoing Board formation
Continue to develop Student Leadership
LEARNING AND TEACHING
(Curriculum)
Continue to use the principles and practices of an Inquiry based curriculum, fully integrating
the use of ICT
Commissioning of Graduate Outcomes and use in planning curriculum
12 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South General Achievements We had a great start to the 2012 school year with 48 new preps starting and three new teaching staff: Kim Merkel (5/6), Adrian Mancini (1/2) and Laura Emanuelli (Prep). Our official enrolment, as of the 2012 census was 289.4 students. Our theme in 2012 was Re-­‐imagining our mission: a pilgrimage of faith. It was an opportunity for us to look at our past, and acknowledge those who had contributed to life at St Mel’s. It also gave us the opportunity to look to the future as we are challenged to fulfil our vision: St Mel’s is a proud Catholic school and kindergarten, striving, learning and achieving together, through Christ our light. It was with much delight and excitement that we were able to welcome Bishop Leslie Tomlinson to our diocese. Wendy Darveniza, Mandy Christoe, Sophie Damon and Amelia Rando represented St Mel’s at Bishop Leslie’s installation Mass. As we journeyed together and continued to refine our practices we are always mindful of what our purpose at St Mel’s is. The following is a summary for learning at St Mel’s: Playful learning to inquiring minds Inquiring minds to cooperative learners Cooperative learners to self directed individuals. Developing creativity through learning The introduction of the one to one laptop program for our Upper Primary Years students was a significant undertaking for St Mel’s. With this, our ICT strategy was fully implemented with a one to two laptop ratio for the Lower Primary Years students and in the Early Primary Years our students have access to desktops, laptops, iPods and iPads. This has been a great learning experience for everyone at St Mel’s and we owe much thanks to Wendy Darveniza for her work in organising this. In 2012 we welcomed back with much fun and laughter St Mel’s Trivia Night. This was a great opportunity to connect as a community in a simple and entertaining way. We look forward to this being an annual event. Our parish celebration of St Anthony’s feast was amazing. Mass in Italian, was a beautiful expression of our faith. Mass was a reminder of the rich woven history of St Mel’s. Fr. Vito, a Scalabrinian priest concelebrating Mass with Fr. Michael, a mix of the past and the present, and Sr. Floridana, (Daughters of Devine Zeal) in the congregation being warmly welcomed by many women with whom she obviously had a connection. As a community we celebrated the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist, with Bishop Leslie and Fr. Michael leading our liturgies. For many of our children this was the culmination of an ongoing journey that acknowledges their place in our Catholic community. 13 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Since the introduction of our Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support (P.B.I.S.) and our school wide expectations are Successful, Thoughtful, Appreciative and Responsible (S.T.A.R.), we have been working to consistently improve school wide behaviour. P.B.I.S acknowledges and recognises wanted behaviour. Research indicates that we can improve behaviour by 80% just by pointing out what one person is doing correctly. To acknowledge and honour the commitment of our students we had a super heroes day to celebrate being S.T.A.R.s. Our year six leaders were responsible for this day. Things were always busy and many exciting activities were in our midst. The Olympics came and went and our students pondered the many facts that accompany them – how fast is a 100m dash? How long is the long jump? But we did not stop here as we prepared for our upcoming athletics carnival. These proved to be a fantastic day – great weather, excellent organization, overwhelming parent helpers and brilliant children. Scalabrini house won the cup, but all of us enjoyed the spoils of the day. The winter market was a wonderful celebration of being community – the food was fantastic, but more so were the bonds formed as spring rolls were fried, tables set up, dishes washed, spinning wheel spun and spun and spun, floors washed and fun had by all. Words cannot express the richness of our community. It is life lived and done so abundantly. We were reminded of our role as board members to be advocates for all members of St Mel’s community. Young and old. We need to be the ears of the community listening to the needs of all and ready to take up the challenge of correcting any errors or inappropriate behaviour. We are called to be pastoral to all and support all our beautiful children -­‐ even the one that tells you where to go in the most colourful language or uses their fists to solve playground issues or readily exclude or tease others. If you should ever experience such inappropriate behaviour be prepared to set the example and if you’re not sure of what to do ask someone for advice. On a sad note – we said goodbye to Fr. Michael. Words are not enough to express our gratitude and thanks for truly being an advocate for St Mel’s. Miriam Stewart, Mandy Christoe and Dom Poppa were selected to attend the Reggio Emilia study tour in April 2013. The tour is being coordinated by the Catholic Education Office and will enable us to participate in the annual Reggio conference and to visit a number of educational settings in Reggio Emilia. We advertised for a new teacher to replace Lauren Calder, who moved to St Luke’s in 2013. Nicole Dawson was successful in being appointed to the position. We welcomed Fr. Joven to St Mel’s, with a Mass of installation led by Bishop Les on the 2nd of December. It was good to see so many St Mel’s families in attendance with a morning tea afterwards. Our final prep enrolments for 2013 were 43 with two classes. We maintained the same classroom structures as 2012, with Tony Mc Donald teaching Prep and Nicole Dawson Year Three Four. 14 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South LEARNING AND TEACHING Achievements In 2012 we continued to offer the follow class structures: Early Years: Prep -­‐ two grades, Year One and Two -­‐ three grades Lower Years: Year Three and Year, four grades Upper Years: Year Four – Five, one grade and Five – Six, three grades Melanie Fitzsimmons, speech pathologist, was inducted in to school life at St Mel’s. Sheryn Long (Catholic Education Office) is her mentor. Melanie has been working with classroom teachers to support oral language development and has commenced Oral Language Assessments for our Prep students. Teachers in the Early Years grades assessed students and trialled a variety of assessment tools as a part of the ‘Project 3 Effective Tools for Assessing P-­‐2 Reading Development’. St Mel’s is one of two schools in the Sandhurst Dioceses to be part of this project. The aim of the project is to conduct research on the most effective assessment tools that will inform learning and teaching. Kylie Cooper, Education Officer: Religious Education, met with us. Kylie is our support person in this area and worked along side Maria Weatherall with staff to improve teaching practices. Irene Gillalan, Education Officer: Languages, met with us to discuss our needs as we use Italian as Language for learning and teaching. Irene was able give practical ideas and will continue to support us in 2012. The students in the Upper Primary Years attended a three-­‐day camp to Harrietville. This was coordinated and lead by Kim Merkel, Upper Unit Leader and the teaching staff and was well received by all. There were ten parent helpers and the camp ran without any problems. Helen Betts, Education Officer: Reading Recovery (CEO) worked with Rosie Horridge as Reading Recovery is being implemented for our Year One students who need additional support with reading. Helen also worked with teachers in the Early Primary Years to assist with using data gained from assessments to inform learning and teaching. Luisa Cassise and Celie Kelly continue to implement the STAR program. Luisa Cassise has been nominated as St Mel’s representative on the aboriginal network team and attends network meetings. Ian McArther (CEO) worked with Tony McDonald and Adrian Mancini on mathematics assessment interviews (MAI). Phil Healy, Education Officer: National Partnerships (CEO) met with Lorraine Spies and Dom Poppa to evaluate the outcomes of the Numeracy program at St Mel’s. All students participated in Holy Week and Easter liturgies. These simple yet meaningful prayer times helped us break open the Easter message. 15 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Lorraine Spies, Curriculum Coordinator, was awarded a Bishop de Campo scholarship in 2010. The scholarship was awarded for ongoing excellence in education and the desire to further improve learning outcomes. Lorraine has chosen to further explore the philosophies of Reggio Emilia and attended the annual conference in Italy (Reggio Emilia) visiting many school settings in Italy. Lorraine’s findings can only improve what we do at St Mel’s. Student Parent Teacher Interviews were held in the second week of term two. They were well attended, and allowed students to set goals based on their learning needs. Staff and students worked on Report Folios that went home on the last day of Term Two and Four. For our Upper Years students an e-­‐folio was used to accompany the report card being sent home. Teachers prepared end of semester summative reports. These reports were based on data gained through a variety of assessments that informs us of what a student has achieved. We asked parents what their expectations for their child’s report was? A child’s report should tell you about your child’s learning and be an affirmation of what you already know. Parent Teacher Interviews were held in the second week of term four and were well attended once again. Students in Years Three and Five completed the NAPLAN test. We had more that 170 students walk to school on’ Walk to School Day’. The main objective of this initiative is to encourage physical activity as well as road safety. All walkers were given a sticker and a hot milo as a reward. What a privilege it was to be a part of the Diocesan Conference in Bendigo. With over 2000 people in attendance there was a great sense of unity and one in Christ. We were blessed with such great keynote speakers, such as Fr. Frank Brennan SJ AO, Maggie Farrar, Ben Jensen, Robert Fitzgerald AM and Phil Glendenning. We celebrated Catholic Education Week with a variety of activities. These activities were aimed at giving our children some insight to our past and how we can continue to be Pilgrims of Faith: Reimagining the Mission. During Reconciliation week we remember all Indigenous Australians affected by the practice of forceful removal of children from their families and communities. We remember with sorrow their pain and suffering. Our FIRE Carries represented us at a memorial service at Monash Park and at a liturgy at St Brendan’s Church. Students in the Upper Years worked with A3 – Arts Alive from Melbourne in preparation for the Festival of the Sacred. As a part of the diocesan Arts Strategy we were given funding to support the Arts. Amy Newton, dance instructor, was employed to teach dance to all our students. She was with us one day a week for the second semester, teaching hip-­‐hop and other dance styles. 16 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South We welcomed Lara Cator to St Mel’s. Lara is a pre-­‐service teacher from Charles Sturt University and worked in 3 / 4 TM for five weeks and then at the Kinder. Our teachers continue to provide learning experiences that meet the needs of our students. Our Lower Primary Years students went on an excursion to Bendigo as they nourished their learning spiritually and physically with a visit to the Cathedral, Jets Gym and the Discovery Centre. Our Upper Years have been sharpening their economics skills with stalls at the winter market and our Early Years have explored the wonders of the Olympics. As we endeavour to make connections with our wider community I am excited with the relationship that we are developing with Kay Morgan. Kay is the grandmother of Alli in Prep LC and is an aboriginal elder. Kay has a wealth of knowledge of our local aboriginal people and has an excellent talent to express her story in art. We have been fortunate to purchase a piece of Art that tells her story of reconciliation. Kay will work on a mural for the library wall, next to the welcome sign, along with some totem poles. A male relative will make the totem poles – as women are not allowed to make them. You learn something every day! Professional Learning Wendy Darveniza attended a workshop on Taiko Drumming to use in music lessons. Adrian Mancini participated in a two-­‐day workshop on ‘First Steps Mathematics’. This is a resource based on research on how children learn mathematics. It has been developed by the WA Education Department on teaching mathematics. All teaching staff worked with Helen Betts, Reading Recovery Tutor CES, to analyse reading records and using data gathered to target individual learning and teaching needs for our students. Kerry Amadei, Laurel Baxter-­‐Butts, Catherine Whitford, Lauretta Bovalino, Kim Merkel, Tony McDonald, Mandy Christoe, Laura Emanuelli, Luisa Cassise, Wendy Darveniza and Dom Poppa attended Fr. Laurence Freeman’s Christian Meditation workshop. Tony McDonald, Lorraine Spies and Rosie Horridge attended the curriculum leaders day to further develop literacy and numeracy with the curriculum. Wendy Darveniza attended the Sandhurst Deputy Principals network day. Fr. Laurence Freeman graced us with his presence as he led our general communities in the practice of Christian Meditation in our daily lives. St Mel’s has been practicing Christian Meditation for some years and our children have developed an appreciation for being at one with Christ Jesus as they use the mantra Ma-­‐ra-­‐na-­‐tha to meditate. Lauren Calder, Tony McDonald and Kim Merkel attended a professional learning workshop with Phillip Holmes Smith on analysing and using NAPLAN data to inform learning and teaching for students. Joan Beasley and Lorraine Spies attended a day in Melbourne on Effective Tools for Assessing P–2 Reading Development. 17 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Denise Braddon, Education Officer Catholic Identity, worked with teaching staff on planning and creating vivid and meaningful liturgies. We were able to gain a further insight into the Mass and the many traditions associated with this beautiful ritual. Lorraine Spies and Dom Poppa attended a workshop led by Philip Holmes – Smith on data anlaysis to inform student learning. Teachers in the Early Years Unit spent a day working with Lisa Burman to consolidate the work commenced last year in literacy on book making. Lorraine Spies and Rosie Horridge attended an E.M.U. (Extending Mathematical Understandings) reconnection workshop. Kim Merkel attended a Source of Life: Religious Education Curriculum, orientation day. All teaching staff participated in a workshop on data collection and analysis to inform learning and teaching. Philip Holmes-­‐Smith led the workshop and we were made more familiar with using the SREAMS program to assist with this. Kim Merkel, Barbara Brown, Lisa Daff, Lorraine Spies and Tony Hoskin worked with Marco Torres on the use of ICT in our curriculum and the challenges we face as educators. Lorraine Spies attended the Reggio Emilia conference in Italy as a part of the Bishop de Campo scholarship awarded to her. Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez SDB and Fr. Paul Murray OP presented a talk about: Reaching out to all with the Good News! A number of sessions were held with staff, parents and parishioners attending. Kerry Amadei and Lorraine Spies attended a numeracy and literacy network day. Tony McDonald and Lorraine Spies attended a day based on Special Education, Literacy and assessment tools to support student learning. Lorraine Spies attended a curriculum leaders day in Bendigo that focused on providing feedback on learning. Lorraine Spies and Dom Poppa attended the launch of ‘Kinship of the Earth’. This is a curriculum package devised by the Catholic Education Office Sandhurst under the leadership of Paul Dullard and Maria Weatherall. It is based on Stewardship of Creation and is a Prep to Year 12 program. Catherine Whitford attended a three-­‐day session ‘On the Mount’ – up at Harrietville with other staff from Sandhurst schools, developing their understandings of a new program called Kinship of the Earth. Kinship of the Earth is a curriculum, based on the principles of sustainability and our role in being caretakers of the environment. All teaching staff had additional planning time to work on classroom programs and student 18 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South learning. Lorraine spies participated in the next session P-­‐2 Literacy Assessment Project 3: Effective Tools for Assessing P-­‐2 Reading Development in Melbourne. Kim Merkel, Tony McDonald and Lauren Calder (Unit Leaders) have continued to explore the aspect of ‘feedback’ and its role in improving student learning. All Upper Years teachers along with Wendy Darveniza attended a 1 to 1 laptop network day. Joan Beasley attended a Religious Educator Coordinators day. Wendy Darveniza, Lorraine Spies and Dom Poppa attended a conference on Professional Learning communities led by Richard and Rebecca DuFour. PORTION OF STUDENTS MEETING THE MINIMUM STANDARDS IN YEARS 3 & 5
NAPLAN TESTS
2010
2011
2010 –
2011
Changes
Year 3 Reading
100%
100%
0.0%
95.3%
-4.7%
Year 3 Writing
97.6%
100%
2.4%
100%
0.0%
Year 3 Spelling
95.1%
92.3%
-2.8%
95.2%
+2.9%
Year 3 Grammar and Punctuation
90.2%
97.4%
7.2%
92.9%
-4.5%
Year 3 Numeracy
97.3%
100%
2.7%
90.7%
-9.3%
Year 5 Reading
91.9%
88.9%
-3.0%
95.2%
+6.3%
Year 5 Writing
94.6%
95.7%
+1.1%
97.6%
+1.9%
Year 5 Spelling
97.3%
93.5%
-3.8%
92.7%
-0.8%
Year 5 Grammar and Punctuation
91.9%
91.3%
-0.6%
90.2%
-1.1%
Year 5 Numeracy
100%
93.3%
-6.7%
92.9%
-0.4%
19 2012
2011 –
2012
Changes
2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South In 2012 our data from NAPLAN has shown a negative growth progress for our Year Three Reading, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy. Our Year Five Reading and Writing showed an increase in standards with a minimal drop in all other areas. It would be St Mel’s goal to achieve targets where student learning is maintained at current levels and the ideal that growth was experienced across all areas of learning. The relative growth data for our Year five students is: Growth Low Medium High Reading 30.77% 53.85% 15.38% Spelling 40 45 15 Grammar and Punctuation 27.5 50 12.5 Numeracy 28.95 47.37 23.68 This data is comparable to schools in the Sandhurst Diocese – with spelling being the area where growth is the lowest. Our targeted goals for 2013 would be 25% : 50% : 25% at the minimum in all learning areas. We firmly believe that we can achieve this and that we can increase these targets in the future 20 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South PASTORAL WELLBEING Achievements Katrina Johnson, CES, has continued to work with staff on developing the norms of PBIS – Positive Behaviours and Interventions Support. Katrina conducted a survey of teachers and students and lead staff in Professional Learning. Program Support Group (PSG) meetings were held for students with additional needs. Lorraine Spies coordinated these with a multi-­‐disciplinary approach as parents, teachers, teacher assistants, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists and Dr. Peter Eastaugh attended the various meetings to support, evaluate and plan for the further needs of these individual students. We had a good attendance to our Hello Night giving teachers and parents an opportunity to meet and further develop relationships. Due to the rain our picnic was cancelled. Anna Torres-­‐ Abblitt, student wellbeing, has spent time visiting new families to our school and providing support as needed. Anna continues to support students with additional social and emotional needs focusing on the pastoral wellbeing of all. The student leadership team planned and implemented a Caritas K’s walk-­‐a-­‐thon to raise awareness of and funds for Project Compassion. This was another opportunity for us to gather as a community to raise awareness for social justice issues. How far do people walk to get a glass of water? For some, miles and hours. Our students led the day and we raised $620 for Project Compassion. Harmony Day activities, based on games that unite us, was planned and led by the Student Action Team. We congratulate the efforts of all our students as they participated in Harmony Day activities. Our Prep teachers completed surveys on all prep students for the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI). The surveys are conducted nationally, coordinated by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and will provide valuable information about how populations of Australian children are developing by the time they reach school. The AEDI is a national collection of information on young children’s development. Data is collected every three years and the results provide a snapshot of how our children are developing. Dom Poppa attended an information session to help implement the data collection. All staff were given the opportunity to have the Flu Vaccination at school. Thanks to the social club for providing the opportunity for our students to purchase Mothers Day gifts. This is a service that is much appreciated. We celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart with a whole school Mass. Known as the Poor Persons Mass, or Mass of Compassion; we acknowledge the work of Vinnies and their work in coming to the aid of those in need. Our students responded with compassion and reverence. 21 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South E4Kids have been observing and monitoring a number of children in Prep and Year One. E4Kids is a 5-­‐year study that will follow a large group of three and four year olds as they participate in childcare, kindergarten and preschool programs. They will continue to track children and analyse the programs they attend through to the early years of school. We completed a behaviour audit of our students with two student surveys. The data from the Year Three to Six survey indicates that 92 % (134 students) feel safe at school, 11% get called names, 87% like to make friends, 78% share with others, 3% said their learning was disrupted because of other peoples behaviour and 25% said they had been bullied at school. Of the Year one and two students surveyed 90% indicated they were happy at school. Submissions for ongoing funding for students with special needs Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs (LNSLN) have been completed. This has been the first time that applications have been completed on line and Lorraine Spies is to be commended for her hard work. Anna Torres-­‐Abblitt continues to provide ongoing support to the students and their families. One of the programs that Anna offered was Season For Growth. This program is educationally based and helps children deal with grief and loss. Twelve students participated in this program. Anna was instrumental in organising the international cooking for the winter market, bringing together women who many not have had the opportunity to connect with others. The role of Student Wellbeing Officer is one not to be taken lightly and we need to ensure that this program receives the appropriate funding for ongoing implementation. We have had four new students enrol with special rights. That is they have social and emotional needs presenting as some form of Autism. We have been busy working with their families and putting in support structures. Our P.B.I.S. S.T.A.R. is working well but we do need to ask ourselves where is MJR – Making Jesus Real? As PBIS STAR’s gained momentum, the students reached their target of 1000 stars and the Student Action Team organised a crazy hair day to celebrate. Professional Learning Wendy Darveniza and Lorraine Spies attended critical incident training. Jean Pierre spoke to staff about his life journey as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo to being an Australian resident. His story was inspiring, moving and humbling. Staff completed a course in First Aid Management of Anaphylaxis. Kim Merkel, Mandy Christoe, Lorraine Spies and Wendy Darveniza attended an evening session on ‘Guiding Children’s Behaviour’ with Dr. Louis Porter. Laurel Baxter-­‐Butts attended a Social Justice day run by the Catholic Education Office. Anna Torres-­‐Abblitt attended a Chaplains network day along with a Refugee Action Network meeting. 22 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Katrina Johnston continued her work on P.B.I.S. with staff to further develop our combined understanding of using P.B.I.S. to create a consistent approach to behaviour management. Barbara Brown participated in a cluster day on P.B.I.S. implementation and attended PBIS network meetings. Michael Crowe from the Catholic Education Office presented a session on Christian Meditation for staff and we continue to imbed this ancient practice into our daily lives. Dom Poppa was a part of the validation panel for St Bernard’s Wangaratta Pastoral Wellbeing review. This was yet another opportunity to experience another school in action and validate the great work being done. AVERAGE STUDENT ATTENDANCE RATE BY YEAR LEVEL % Year 1 93.70 Year 2 94.77 Year 3 95.80 Year 4 95.26 Year 5 94.51 Year 6 96.56 Overall average attendance 95.1  Please note that unexplained attendances are followed up by a telephone call to parents to seek why the absences are occurring and how we can support the family in ensuring a quick return to school. Data from our Insight SRC survey would indicate that parents have a high opportunity and are encouraged to participate and contribute to school life. They also ranked quite highly the range and quality of extra-­‐curricular activities provide by the school. Results in the area of student engagement were low, all below the 50 percentile, and this is an area that we need to address so as to ensure that students are learning to their potential. This again was mirrored with staff teaching and learning scoring low. Staff motivation indicated there was a positive tone in the school, but staff themselves are not as passionate. The engagement of staff indicates a ‘consultation’ profile and staff feel they have not as much input into decision making which would indicate a need to have more dialogue and discussion about issues that relate directly to school life. Staff climate, student engagement and parent satisfaction remain at a similar level from previous years with a slight increase in predicted targets for staff climate and parent satisfaction. 23 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South LEADERSHIP Achievements Pauline Fisher and Luci Quinn Catholic Education Sandhurst (CES) met to discuss how the staff of CES could continue to support St Mel’s in 2012. Principals of the Goulburn Valley Deanery gathered to formally welcome Paula Stevenson as new principal at St Brendan’s. Annette Jakob, Fr. Michael and myself attended the monthly Catholic Education Shepparton / Mooroopna meeting. The focus of these meetings is based on the educational needs of our communities. The Sandhurst Leaders gathering held on the 1st and 2nd of March was an excellent opportunity to share collegially and become informed on our mission as Catholic schools. Dr. Peter Ellyard and Fr. Tony Gittins gave us insights into our ‘Discipleship for Mission’. Dom Poppa, Principal, underwent an early contract review, with Pauline Fisher from the Catholic Education Office facilitating the process. This involved a self-­‐reflection of my leadership role so far, a survey of selected people from within our community, and an interview with Fr. Michael and Dom. The final report was productive and affirming, allowing me to set some ongoing goals. These goals include: • Continuing to build parish, home school relationship; • Developing a leadership style that has a great emphasis on consultation enabling others to engage in the decision making process; • Continue to build capacity from within the leadership team; • Continue to build high function collaborative teams with a focus on improved student learning and to seek feedback from teachers on their motivation and confidence in providing quality learning and teaching; • Create ongoing and greater parent involvement in the education process; • To work with the PEB to explore ways to consult and seek feedback from a wider group of parents. In 2012 we underwent a Catholic Identity and Leadership Review. Chaired by Angela Killingsworth (CEO), it was held on Wednesday October 3 and Thursday October 4. The Leadership Team, PEB and the teaching staff worked collaboratively on the process that was thorough and vigorous. The final report was finalised and ratified by the Director of Catholic Education, Sandhurst, and made some clear recommendations for ongoing improvement. The process was affirming and worthwhile. The self-­‐review process was well received by the validation panel. What was most evident in this process was that we are working as a team for the common good of all St Mel’s members – students, parents, teachers and friends. It once again affirmed my belief that St Mel’s is a fantastic place, where we can all learn and be supported in our endeavours. Thank you. The staff spent time auditing and reviewing school policies as a part of a cyclical plan for policy development. More than 10 policies were audited and changes were made as needed. This process will continue throughout the year. 24 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Kathryn Hobbs, Doctoral Student: Charles Sturt University, completed her interviews with Miriam Stewart, Mandy Christoe and Dom Poppa as a part of her research on transition from kindergarten to school. Lauren Calder, Tony McDonald and Kim Merkel (Unit Leaders) worked together to plan and organise whole school learning activities. Luci Quinn (CES) also worked with them to further explore and analyse NAPLAN data for differentiated learning. Pauline Fisher and Luci Quinn spent time with the leadership team further interpreting Insight SRC data from the 2011 survey. Our future direction from the data is based on engagement. We continued to work with this data to improve our practice. My thanks to Wendy Darveniza as she readily led our school during my long service leave. It was very liberating to be able to have leave knowing that our school was in such capable hands. St John’s Euroa recently visited our Early Years unit to find out more about play and its place in learning. We also had the staff of St Bridget’s Healesville come and look at the one to one laptop program in the Upper Years. A team from St Patrick’s Wangaratta came and looked at our new classrooms. They are getting ideas as they develop their own master plans. Staff from St Peter’s Bendigo came and visited our Early Years classrooms. It was a great opportunity to share our story, compare notes and learn from each other. We had a visit from St Bernard’s Wangaratta to find out more about the early years curriculum we offer at St Mel’s in order to inform their own practice. All parties were impressed with the learning and teaching at St Mel’s and the following is a response from St John’s Euroa: ‘Thank you so much for such an inspiring time yesterday. I loved your room and set up and found your passion for what you are doing awesome. I would like you to please thank Joan, Lauren and Adrian for their generosity in sharing their classrooms especially since they didn't even know we were coming. The whole St Mel’s early years set up is something to aspire to and I hope you will be able to help us on the journey to achieving something similar Many thanks for your generosity with time and idea sharing I so much appreciate the extra effort this put into your day.’ Denise Holt Professional Learning Lorraine Spies was a panel member on the Catholic Identity and Leadership review for Sacred Heart Tatura. 25 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South During our term three principal’s meeting we looked at Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and what they look like for us in our schools. The objective of a PLC is ‘Every one can learn’ the reality for us is to ensure that our teaching practices enable everyone to learn. Dom was a panel member on the Catholic Identity and Leadership review for St Joseph’s Numurkah and Joan for St Patrick’s Tongala. Dom Poppa attended a lecture lead by Professor Ben Levin -­‐ From systems to classrooms: A practical theory of action for school improvement. Tony McDonald, Lorraine Spies, and Lauren Calder attended a training session in order to become School Review Panel Members. Wendy Darveniza attended a Deputy Principal Network day. Dom Poppa attended a two-­‐day workshop on understanding Catholic Identity in our schools. Dom Poppa was a panel member for St Michaels’ Tallangatta Pastoral Care review. Dom Poppa and Wendy Darveniza attend a principal’s network meeting. Lorraine Spies was a panel member on the Catholic Identity and Leadership review for Sacred Heart Tatura. Wendy Darveniza, Lorraine Spies and Dom Poppa attended a forum run by Dr Stephen Brown for the Catholic Education Office on leadership development within our Catholic schools. This is a part of the broader big picture at how the office can support leadership development at all levels of school life. In this consultation phase the hope is to create positive pathways for people into leadership roles. Recommendations from the KU Leuven ECSIP The results from the 87 respondents from St Mel’s School on the Catholic identity 2011 survey generally point out that the building blocks for its recognition, conservation and promotion are well in place. At St Mel’s School, the predominance of the Dialogue School option among all the respondents on the current and ideal levels will most likely help uphold the school’s Catholic identity. On the basis of the research results, St Mel’s School has a wide base of support for Catholic identity from most of the adults and the students who joined the study. This observation is the most vital strength that can help to uphold and foster the school’s Catholic identity on both the current and normative levels. 26 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South STEWARDSHIP OF RESOURCES Achievements The commissioning and blessing of St Mel’s labyrinth was a beautiful occasion with the opportunity for us to gather as community. Fr. Michael was with us and we took this opportunity to present our newly formed identity statement and vision statements to our community. Leanne Cator was employed to formally commence the process to establish St Mel’s Out of School Hours Care (OSHC). St Mel’s OSHC will offer up to 30 places for after school care and will operate from our Hall. A committee has been established to look into future provisions for Catholic education within the Shepparton – Mooroopna area. Consisting of the principals from the schools, Fr. Michael and Fr. Joseph, the committee will make recommendations to C.E.S.M. (Catholic Education Shepparton Mooroopna). Anne McIntosh from Catholic Churches Insurance conducted a review of the school insurance policy. This resulted in an increase to our insurance policy of approximately $2,000.00. Thanks to the continued hard work and meticulous attention to detail by Sandra Kendall and Robyn Parker, Administration Officers, our annual financial statement (AFS) balanced. The auditors were able to ‘scrutinize’ the books and their work, finding that all was well in order. Our gardens continued to look great thanks to the hard work of Tonja. As a part of Environmental Education, Lorraine Spies along with Jillian Iaria (parent) have been working on the vegetable patch. The chooks are back in an all improved house. During the school holidays we had an attempted break in. A rock was thrown through a canteen window and the fly wire door was damaged as an attempt to break in was made. Apart from a big mess, a sleepless night and a $500 bill, nothing was taken and no other damage occurred. St Mel’s OSHC – Out of School Hours Care commenced Monday May 14. Leanne Cator, our OSHC Director, has worked hard to get the service going. The service is steadily building numbers and we have the capacity to take thirty children. Enrolments for 2013 opened on the 29th of May for children that are to commence in Prep next year. All application forms are to be submitted before the end of term two. At the moment we have 20 applications and with a projected enrolment of 44. Our working bee emulated a wonderful sense of community with mums, dads, grans, uncles, friends and past pupils coming together to work for the good of our community. Not only did we accomplish much in the gardens, we created bonds that will long live the blisters, sore backs and broken nails. Thank you to all those who made our day such a success. 27 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Our school once again took part in Woolworths Earn & Learn community program and the Coles School for Sports program. Both these programs provide us with much needed equipment. An application for a minor capital grant was lodged with Diocesan Development Fund for the refurbishment of the two classrooms along Hamilton Street (North End). Having the application and planning permit approved, the classrooms were opened up in line with our new building so they allow for more investigation and inquiry learning. Tony Villani was appointed as the building contractor and works were completed in early Term Four. The cost of the project was $40,000. The refurbishment of rooms 7 and 8 looks great and the area has been opened up and is much lighter and welcoming. Our student leaders were commended on the ability to conduct school tours during our open day. We had approximately 25 visitors all who are looking to enrol students in Prep in 2013. Luci Quinn and Pauline Fisher worked with the Leadership Team to unpack the data from the Insight SRC data. As a school we are working at building the four pillars of Empathy, Clarity, Engagement and Learning to enrich student outcomes. Max Fletcher from CES informed us that we would receive additional funding under the National Partnerships Program to support learning and teaching at St Mel’s. The funding will support us to improve teacher quality, improving student learning. We will receive $22,500 in 2012 and the same in 2013. A requirement of the funding will be that we provide evidence on how student outcomes have been improved. We welcomed Elli Cowcher, fourth year pre-­‐service teacher from A.C.U. Barb Brown supervised her as Elli taught along side Barb and the students in 4 / 5. The leadership team explored how we can improve the leadership office. The office had been used by up to five different people with little storage, insufficient desk space and very inadequate facilities. Ricky Bilney, GV Kitchens, was asked to supply and fit new desk space and storage that now comfortably accommodates our needs. We improved the heating and cooling to the office. We applied for funding for refurbishments for the kindergarten. Mandy Christoe, in her role with the CEO, worked with us on design and layout. The funding comes under the Early Learning Facility Upgrade Grants 2012 – 2013 from the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The total figure granted was $160,000 and works began late December. The Land is ours – finally after much work led by Tom Sexton, Andrew Westblade and Fr. Michael, the land in Kialla has been signed off on. We are still waiting planning re-­‐structuring by the City of Greater Shepparton that will approve future building works. Our application for a Catholic Capital Grant was not approved. Tom Sexton suggested we put in another application to refurbish the old building. The question is what do we do in the mean time, as the carpets need attending to? 28 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Applications for the Catholic Capital Grant, for 2013, were due on the 7th of December. The application was re-­‐submitted with revised costs from Bernie Jovaris, architect. We had a team of staff looking at redeveloping the old kinder car park into an out door learning /play space. Having presented their idea to the board it is hoped the project will commence in 2013. A new television has been purchased for the library. As we have had no digital televisions and our existing ones are out dated. We had a minor leak from the roof in the administration office. Mark Hallahan repaired the roof by lifting sheets of iron that have formed a slight dip. Thanks to Tonja and the team at Garden House our grounds are looking spectacular. Unfortunately some vandals thought it would be fun to rip out some trees and smash the canteen window and a glass panel in the Early Years rooms. Whilst these windows can be replaced and luckily the trees survived it comes at a cost to us. The following staff took long service leave in 2012:Luisa Cassise, Tony Hoskin, Robyn Parker, Dom Poppa and Rosie Horridge. All staff set ‘self improvement plans’ and met with me to discuss how we can work on achieving these. The intention was that staff work on these through out the year to bring about increased outcomes for all. Staff reported back on their findings at their Annual Review Meetings held in October. All staff participated in Annual Review Meetings (ARM). These meetings form part of ongoing commitment of examining our practices and how we can improve how we work. Professional Learning Andrew Westblade, Wendy Darveniza, Robyn Parker and Dom Poppa met with Nim Beutler from Catholic Education Sandhurst to look at school finances and using the variety of budgeting formats to support schools. Wendy Darveniza and Lorraine Spies participated in a workshop on global budgeting with Carolyn Harkin from CEOS. Mandy Christoe, Lorraine Spies and Lauren Calder attended a seminar on developing play spaces. Wendy Darveniza spent two days working with the principal and staff at St Peter’s Bendigo North, developing her own leadership skills. Annette Jakob (PEB Chair) and Dom Poppa attended Board Chair Network Gathering: Re-­‐
conceptualising Parent Leadership in Catholic Schools lead by George Otero Educational Consultant: New Mexico, USA. 29 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South Data from our 2012 Insight SRC survey would suggest that parents felt that the extent to which parents had an opportunity and were encouraged to make a contribution to school planning was much valued by St Mel’s. Parents also strongly agreed that the range and quality of extra curricular activities was highly valued. The data also suggests that parents feel their children have a good connectedness to school, but they felt that the impact of homework had minimal effect towards student learning and organisational skills.
In the areas of Staff School Climate, Student Engagement and Parent Satisfaction; St Mel’s was able to improve the targets from 2011 and in fact exceeded 2012 targets. This was also reflected in the four pillars with Empathy at 69.1% (71.9% in 2011), Clarity at 59.3% (50.4%), Engagement at 55.6% (53.3%) and Learning 56% (46%). It has been the ongoing dedication of all that we can see such improvement. The extent to which students are motivated to learn and want to do well, along with the perceptions that staff believe that the school is focused on quality teaching and creates a learning environment that maximizes outcomes for students, rank quite low in the area of learning and teaching. Our goal is to maximize the opportunities staff have had to learn and develop their roles and use such learning to increase student outcomes. Teachers Qualifications: 30 Level % Degree -­‐ Doctorate Degree -­‐ Masters Diploma -­‐ Graduate Certificate -­‐ Graduate Degree -­‐ Bachelor Diploma -­‐ Advanced 0% 12.5% 25% 12.5% 87.5% 62.5% No Qualifications Listed 0% 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South TEACHING STAFF ATTENDANCE RATE 95.59 % STAFF RETENTION RATE 89.47 % EXPENDITURE AND TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING 31 NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN PL 17.1 AVERAGE EXPENDITURE PER TEACHER FOR PL $1259 STAFF COMPOSITION PRINCIPAL CLASS 1 TEACHING STAFF (HEAD COUNT) 16 FTE TEACHING STAFF NON-­‐TEACHING STAFF (HEAD COUNT) FTE NON-­‐TEACHING STAFF INDIGENOUS TEACHING STAFF 13.9 2 1.2 0 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE REPORTING FRAMEWORK MODIFIED CASH $ Recurrent income Tuition School fees 116 659 Other fee income 97 570 Private income 10 140 State government recurrent grants Australian government recurrent grants 580 764 7
1 914 496 Total recurrent income 2 719 612 Recurrent Expenditure Tuition Salaries; allowances and related expenses 1 832 233 Non salary expenses 328 247 Total recurrent expenditure 2 160 480 Capital income and expenditure Tuition Government capital grants -­‐ Capital fees and levies 75 567 Other capital income 19 062 Total capital income 94 629 Total capital expenditure 87 917 Loans (includes refundable enrolment deposits and recurrent, capital and bridging
loans)
Total opening balance 204 464 Total closing balance 209 218 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.
32 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South FUTURE DIRECTIONS: 2013 ANNUAL PLAN Re-Imagining the Partnerships – Foundation for Faith & Life
Reconnecting with the Mercy Sisters
CATHOLIC IDENTITY To continue to build strong links between St Mel’s parish, kindergarten, school and home. Build a community illuminated by our Catholic Tradition and grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Ongoing adult spiritual and faith formation: staff and parents. Follow up recommendations from Catholic Identity review. Develop and deepen parish links working closely with our new Parish Priest Fr. Joven. Break open data from ECSIP report. STEWARDSHIP OF RESOURCES To develop a cyclical maintenance plan to refurbish and maintain physical resources to enable a safe, active and creative learning environment. Create learning environments that invite learners to inquire, explore and discover. Refurbishment of Kindergarten – implementing a 15-­‐hour program for the four-­‐year-­‐old kindergarten group. Painting of toilet block, removal of platforms in Rooms 9,13 &14. Review of maintenance schedule. Prepare and undertake Stewardship of Resources Review. Redevelop the old kindergarten car park to a natural play space. PASTORAL WELLBEING To foster and build understandings of St Mel’s diverse community. Nurture the spirit, mind, and body of each learner. Pastoral Wellbeing self review. Developing a big picture of ‘Social Emotional Learning’ and what the implications for St Mel’s are. Creating norms and expectations of a Professional Learning Community that focuses on empowering learning, building teacher capacity and building collaboration. LEADERSHIP To provide leadership opportunities for all within the school community. Rejoice in the diversity of our community and celebrate its uniqueness. Developing authentic parent partnerships: George Otero. Encourage further opportunities for all students to engage in leadership. To further develop clarity, engagement and empathy with staff in order to improve learning for all. LEARNING AND TEACHING To implement assessment that links explicit teaching to students needs (academic, physical, social, emotional and spiritual). Create learning environments that invite learners to inquire, explore and discover. Embedding Vision Statements and Graduate Outcomes into daily practice. Acknowledge the student as the focus of learning providing purposeful teaching while creating engaged learners. (Ref: Insight SRC Report)
33 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO ST MEL’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY Shepparton South R.
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