Appin Public School Annual Report

Transcription

1 Appin Public School Annual Report Page 1 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

2 Introduction The Annual Report for 2016 is provided to the community of Appin Public School as an account of the school's operations and achievements throughout the year. It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities for all students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self assessment that reflect the impact of key school strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equity funding. Vivian Harrison Principal School contact details Appin Public School 97 Appin Road Appin, appin-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Message from the Principal There are many things for which our school can be proud of in Our 272 students are happy to be at school and see learning as important. Our classes have introduced learning goals and success criteria for each student in literacy and numeracy which provides a purpose for students to learn, lets students know what skills they need to demonstrate to their teacher and informs students what they need to learn next. Many classes are now using the Seesaw app enabling parents to see first hand what their child has learnt or achieved that day at school. Our students are proud to be an Appin Public School student and I see that when we are at sporting events or on excursions or meeting and greeting visitors to our school. Teachers have participated in extensive professional learning in numeracy this year with K 2 staff participating in TEN training which is Teaching Early Numeracy and Years 3 6 staff participating in TOWN training which is Taking Off with Numeracy. We are truly fortunate being an Early Action for Success school with a fulltime, off class Instructional Leader in Mrs Goldstein, who provides quality professional learning and mentoring for K 2 teachers in ways to improve our knowledge in how children learn, our teaching and our student results in literacy. Outstanding achievements have resulted from this program with our benchmark of 90% of K 2 students achieving at or beyond grade expectations. Our NAPLAN results again demonstrate that we have some high achieving students and many solid hard workers with teachers continuously striving to improve our student growth from year to year with programs designed to consolidate skills, spark interest in learning and encourage students to problem solve and think creatively. I congratulate all of my wonderful staff on their hard work, dedication and achievements. We continue to offer a variety of extra curricular activities for our students including dance, choir, garden club, library and Eco committee. Sport continues to have a high profile at school whether it be our weekly school sport sessions, Gala Days, carnivals or our additional programs of Footsteps dance and martial arts. The one thing that always stands out with our students is their keenness to participate and support each other and their sportsmanship particularly when they represent our school. We are regularly congratulated for these attributes by other schools and community members. Naming our classes for cities who had hosted an Olympic Games captured the imagination of teachers and indeed students, in an amazing way that culminated in our school hosting its very own Olympics Games during Education Week. This also led to a lot of exciting discovery learning in classes throughout this year with most students learning some basic phrases in the language spoken in the country of their class name. We held our very first Walkathon in March which raised around $7000 to go towards our new artificial grass area near the K 2 classrooms. This has turned a dustbowl into an attractive learning, eating and play space. One of the great joys and assets of our school community is the wonderful family support our students receive. Our staff Page 2 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

3 and students thank the many volunteers we have assisting students through special religious education, in classrooms, at sporting events, at our Twilight Fair and at fundraiser events. These all provide valuable additional support and programs for all students. We also thank you, our parents, who ensure that, home reading, homework, speeches or projects are completed on time. Our school continues to steadily grow in student enrolments with the addition of a twelfth class to be formed for the commencement of My major aspirational goal and my passion is to have every primary school age student who lives here in Appin to attend our school. We are a fantastic school that puts student needs first and foremost in all decisions and we strive always to improve ourselves. I am looking forward to the 2017 school year with a great deal of optimism and energy. We have successfully gained a minor capital works project to convert our historic sandstone residence into our administrative block. This will allow our current administration block and staffroom to be converted back into two future focused classrooms thereby preserving the history of this school site. This work should be completed next year in time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our school. Page 3 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

4 School background School vision statement Appin Public School is committed to providing quality teaching and engaging learning activities for every student in an inclusive, engaging and supportive school environment. Through our culture of achievement, healthy wellbeing and resilience, we believe that every student, staff member and community member is a lifelong learner and learns for a purpose. There is a focus on equipping all stakeholders with skills for the rapidly changing 21st century which are creativity, collaboration, problem solving, skilled articulation, knowledge construction and technology. Our school s values are that students are safe, resilient, friendly and respectful learners. School context Appin Public School has an enrolment of 260 students and is a semi rural school located between Wollongong and Campbelltown. The school currently serves the small township of Appin and from 2015 will also serve the surrounding growth areas. In 2014, the school has been involved in the Early Action for Success initiative with the appointment of an Instructional Leader. A dedicated, cohesive staff of experienced and early career teachers is focussed on the continuous collaborative development of high quality teaching and learning programs that meet the needs of all students. Happy and respectful students are involved in the daily operation of the school including a range of extracurricular activities. The genuine relationship between staff, students and families ensures that the school maintains a positive and nurturing environment. Self-assessment and school achievement Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self assessment using the School Excellence Framework, school achievements and the next steps to be pursued. This year, our school undertook self assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supports public schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading. As 2016 was the first time our school had assessed ourselves against the School Excellence Framework, we were quite measured in our findings. Staff were new to this document and had participated in introductory professional learning to understand it and how it fitted with our school plan. In the domain of Learning, Teaching and Leading staff assessed our school as delivering in most areas with some at sustaining and growing being classroom practice, collaborative practice and school resources. With regular team meetings twice each term and an increasing understanding of evidence to support the School Excellence Framework it quickly became apparent as the year progressed that our school had underestimated our proficiencies. Our self assessment process will assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School Plan, leading to further improvements in the delivery of education to our students. For more information about the School Excellence Framework: the department/our reforms/school excellence framework Page 4 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

5 Strategic Direction 1 Consistent high standard educational practices across our school. Purpose To provide engaging, challenging, authentic opportunities to inspire lifelong learners; building and enhancing their capacity to become active, empowered and informed critical and creative thinkers and problem solvers. Overall summary of progress At the conclusion of 2016 teaching staff are confident of their ability to plan for effective learning in literacy and numeracy. PLAN Data is updated and analysed and shared in Team Meetings for the transition of students into Formative Assessment practices and feedback in Literacy and Numeracy are embedded in classroom practices for example, Bump It up walls, learning goals and exit slips are in place. Students value their learning and can articulate what they have learned and why it is important Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measures (to be achieved over 3 years) 75% of students achieving minimum standard or above in Year 3and Year 5 in English and Maths in NAPLAN 90% K 2 students achieving EAfS benchmarks in literacy & numeracy 40% of Year 3 & 5 students achieving proficiency levels in literacy and numeracy 100% Aboriginal students achieving minimum standard or higher in NAPLAN Progress achieved this year 100% of Year 3 students achieved minimum standard in Reading. 95% of Year 3 students achieved the minimum standard in Numeracy. 95% of Year 5 students achieved minimum standard in Reading. 95% of Year 5 students achieved the minimum standard in Numeracy. These results have exceeded our target. End of 2016 exit results for literacy and numeracy for K 2 students exceeded expectations. In literacy, 92% of Kindergarten students can read at Level 9+, 94% are at or above cluster 4 for comprehension and 90% are at or above cluster 4 for writing. In Year 1, 98% of students can read at Level 17+ and 98% are at or above cluster 6 for comprehension. In Year 2, 86% of students can read at Level 22+ and 82% are at or above cluster 8 in comprehension. In numeracy 100% of Kinder students, 98% of Year 1 students and 100% of Year 2 students have achieved expected benchmarks for early arithmetic strategies. 40% of students in Year 3 achieved proficiency in Reading, 33% of students in Year 3 achieved proficiency in Numeracy. 26% of students in Year 5 achieved proficiency in Reading and 16% of students in Year 5 achieved proficiency in Numeracy. The target of 40% of Year 3 students achieving proficiency for Reading was achieved this year. This will be an ongoing target for the school. 100% of Year 3 Aboriginal students achieved minimum standard or higher in Reading and Numeracy. Funds Expended (Resources) $17, 200 (Canteen and OOSH additional income) These funds were used to fund School Learning Support Officers to assist the implementation of Individual Learning Plans. $142, (EAfS) These funds were used to support the EAfS initiative. These funds were used to support professional learning for L3 Kindergarten and Stage 1 and TEN K 2, Resources to implement EAfS literacy and numeracy programs, and to staff an interventionist to support tier 3 interventions. $ (PLAN) These funds were used to support the Targeting Early Numeracy K 2 (TEN) and Taking off with Numeracy 3 6 (TOWN) professional learning. $16, (RAM Aboriginal) These funds were used to Page 5 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

6 Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measures (to be achieved over 3 years) 100% Aboriginal students achieving minimum standard or higher in NAPLAN Progress achieved this year 66% of Year 5 Aboriginal students achieved Band 4 and, 33% of Year 5 Aboriginal students achieved Band 5 in Reading. 66% of Year 5 Aboriginal students achieved Band 4 and, 33% of Year 5 Aboriginal students achieved Band 5 in Numeracy.. Funds Expended (Resources) fund School Learning Support Officers to assist the implementation of Individual Learning Plans for Aboriginal students. Next Steps A focus for 2017 will be ensuring that all teaching staff track student progress using PLAN software and that professional learning continues to facilitate a deeper understanding of the literacy and numeracy continuums. Differentiation of literacy and numeracy lessons will ensure that learning is individualised for students and learning goals will be set so students understand the purpose for their learning. Page 6 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

7 Strategic Direction 2 Positive wellbeing for students, staff and community. Purpose To foster the development of student and staff cognitive (C), social (S), emotional (E), physical (P) and spiritual(sp) wellbeing and build strong and more cohesive partnerships between school, families and communities. Overall summary of progress At the conclusion of 2016, the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) team are established as an active and visible team. There are consistent school wide practices in place and used by teaching staff. SENTRAL data is analysed twice termly and communicated back to staff during communication meetings. This data informs the implementation of PBL within the school. Tell them from Me data shows that families feel welcome and connected to the school. There are well established relationships between home and school. Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measures (to be achieved over 3 years) 100% of teaching staff trained in PBL philosophy and framework. Behaviour data used to guide implementation of PBL twice termly. 100% of staff express that they feel connected to the school community and appreciated for their contribution to the school wellbeing. Parental participation in community events and decision making highlights improved connectedness to the school. Progress achieved this year 100% of staff are trained in PBL philosophy and framework. PBL team leaders are trained as PBL Coaches to ensure the fidelity of the framework. Data is collected from SENTRAL twice termly and used to determine the teaching focus for behaviour. School wide systems are established and are used by 100% of teaching staff. 94% of negative incidents are entered onto SENTRAL on the day of or on the morning following the incident. Surveys of staff show increased wellbeing and connectedness to their collegial teams. Parents attended many events including Welcome to School BBQ, Easter Hat Parade, Mothers and Fathers Day breakfasts, Grandparents Day in Education Week, Appin PS Olympics games, Book Week parade and Book Fair, parent Teacher interviews, Twilight Fair, P&C fundraiser events, Presentation Day Assembly. Data from Tell Them From Me demonstrates an increased rate of parental participation and highlights improved connectedness to the school. 93% of families feel that the school supports positive behaviour. 93% of families feel welcome at school and that their concerns are listened to. 90% of families feel that their child's teacher takes an interest in their learning and encourage their Funds Expended (Resources) $2000 $1000 Page 7 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

8 Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measures (to be achieved over 3 years) Progress achieved this year Funds Expended (Resources) Parental participation in community events and decision making highlights improved connectedness to the school. child to do their best. $1000 Next Steps In 2017, there will be a continued focus of strengthening the relationships between families and school. We will continue to develop our school's PBL systems and processes by developing a data driven action plan. The PBL team will undergo further professional learning to develop their skills to further train and support teaching and non teaching staff. Page 8 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

9 Strategic Direction 3 Develop and promote quality leadership at all levels. Purpose To build quality leadership capacity at all levels andto ensure delivery of a quality education, underpinned by a rigorous pedagogy,effective partnerships and strong organisational structures. Overall summary of progress In 2016, Peer support was introduced to the school. One teacher was involved in the training of peer support. A scope and sequence of the program was developed. All Year 6 children were involved in this leadership opportunity for students where they led a group of 10 students from Kinder to Year 5 in a one hour mentoring session on eight Tuesday afternoons in Term 2 with a focus on resilience. During Term 1, the school rolled over to the OLIVER (library software) program. Our teacher librarian was trained in the software and facilitated training and development of staff and students. By the end of 2016, all staff and students were familiar with this new library platform to conduct searches and access library resources. During Term 2 and 3, School Administrative and Support staff engaged in training for the rolling over to the Learning and Management Business Reform (LMBR). In Term 4 the school went live on to the new platform. This was a fairly smooth transition. All teaching staff engaged in the Performance and Development process, teachers identified their professional learning goals in Term 1. During Terms 2 and 3, teachers were involved in classroom observations and specific feedback towards their goal. In Term 4, supervisors met with their staff to reflect upon their progress of professional learning goals. Progress towards achieving improvement measures Improvement measures (to be achieved over 3 years) More stakeholders demonstrating leadership initiatives. 100% of staff maintaining Australian teaching standards with professional learning plans in place aligned with school policies and targets. Executive staff supporting those working towards accreditation and higher levels. 100% of staff articulating school plan and targets, working collaboratively in strategic teams and articulating how the school excellence framework underpins school policies and procedures. Progress achieved this year Two teachers were mentored as aspiring assistant principals. These teachers were involved in all executive professional learning and performed a higher duty over the year. Two additional teachers were mentored in the role of leading a strategic direction. This ensured the school sustained initiatives identified in the school plan as a substantive assistant principal accepted a secondment for % of teaching staff engaged in the Performance and Development Framework(PDF) through maintaining professional learning plans. Teachers engaged in lesson observations and collegial discussions through this process. One teacher was supported to complete their accreditation at proficient level. Five teachers were supported towards maintaining their accreditation. 100% of staff were involved in school planning. Staff volunteered to be part of one strategic direction team. Teams met every 5 weeks to report on progress and engage in evaluation against the school excellence framework. Funds Expended (Resources) 0.09FTE (QTSS) These funds were used to support classroom observations for the Process. Next Steps Through the Great Teaching Inspired Learning initiative two current teachers will receive beginning teaching funding in 2017 to develop their professional practice and provide opportunities for a quality mentor to observe practice, give positive feedback for improvement and enable individualised professional learning. Mentoring opportunities for aspiring Page 9 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

10 leaders will arise through the performance development process. Learning Management Business Reform (LMBR) will require ongoing professional learning for teaching staff to enable them to fully utilise ebs4 Agent and Student Wellbeing whilst SASS staff will continue to develop their skills in SAP Finance, the BPC tool and ebs4 Client. Professional learning will take place in 2017 for School Administrative Managers to lead non teaching SASS staff through the introduction of their new performance development process and also for a teaching executive to lead School Learning Support Officers through their new performance development process. Page 10 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

11 Key Initiatives Impact achieved this year Resources (annual) Aboriginal background loading English language proficiency Low level adjustment for disability Quality Teaching, Successful Students (QTSS) Socio economic background Aboriginal students work towards achieving their personalised goals in their Personalised Learning Plans. Support is provided in class in literacy and numeracy by SLSOs. Aboriginal students have celebrated their successful achievement of Semester 1 and 2 learning goals. Class teacher has developed Individual Learning Plan in consultation with parents and Learning Support Teacher. Support provided in classroom by SLSOs with learning tasks. Learning progress celebrated and future learning goals discussed. Progress in literacy and numeracy reflected in Semester 1 and 2 reports. Support provided in classroom with learning tasks by SLSOs. Class teacher works with student to develop learning goals. Information prepared for next year's teacher to proactively support transition. Annual review meeting held with student's parents with assistance of an interpreter. Funded students supported successfully in classrooms by an SLSO who assists with literacy and numeracy learning strategies differentiated by classroom teachers. Students achieve their literacy and numeracy learning goals. Semester 2 report outlines student progress and areas for future focus. Funded students maintaining friendships, following teacher instructions supported by visual timetables where necessary and achieving literacy and numeracy learning goals Classroom observations organised and undertaken by supervisors in consultation with classroom teachers once each semester. Mid year and annual reviews for staff are planned and conducted with teachers. Staff have identified area of focus for observation and received feedback. Self assessment of individual PDPs has taken place with adjustments made where necessary. Structured discussions between supervisors and staff have taken place and review written celebrating goal attainment. The school provides support for families experiencing financial hardship by subsidising school uniforms and excursions. Majority of funds are utilised to employ school learning support to support student teaching and learning. $9 309 $513 $ ($0.00) ($0.00) 0.09 FTE $ Early Action for Success EAfS data is collected every 5 weeks for K 2 students and is carefully analysed by our Instructional Leader for student improvement. Future learning goals are then set and students targeted for additional intervention by a Learning and Support Teacher or School Learning Support Officer. Professional learning or mentoring is also planned at the point of need for individual teachers. Data is shared with teaching staff at professional $142, Page 11 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

12 Early Action for Success learning sessions to embed school ownership of every student's learning and the concept of one year's growth for one year's learning. $142, Page 12 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

13 Student information Student enrolment profile Enrolments Students Boys Girls Student enrolment numbers continue to steadily grow with the addition of another class in 2016 and another class anticipated for Student attendance profile School Year K All Years State DoE Year K All Years Our school attendance continues to be exemplary and remains at above state levels. Class sizes Class Total SYDNEY 18 MELBOURNE 22 SEOUL 19 TOKYO 23 MEXICO CITY 25 RIO DE JANIERO 24 BEIJING 26 MOSCOW 28 ATHENS 22 LONDON 26 BARCELONA 26 Workforce information Workforce composition Position FTE* Principal 1 Assistant Principal(s) 2 Classroom Teacher(s) 9.96 Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.32 Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.9 Teacher Librarian 0.6 School Administration & Support Staff 2.52 Other Positions 0.09 *Full Time Equivalent No staff members identify as Aboriginal. Teacher qualifications All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools. All parents in the school are advised through regular communication, of the importance of school attendance. Classroom teachers record all absences in class rolls on a daily basis. Support from the Home School Liaison Officer(HSLO) is provided for incidents of frequent or prolonged non attendance at school. Records for late arrivals and early departures are accurately maintained. Teacher qualifications Qualifications Undergraduate degree or diploma Postgraduate degree % of staff Page 13 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016) Professional learning and teacher accreditation

14 Professional Learning for staff at Appin Public School is informed by the School Plan A total of $ was spent from professional learning funds to support teacher professional learning in literacy, L3 and numeracy, TEN and TOWN, Peer Support training, aspiring school leadership, technology and environmental education. Additional funds from Early Action for Success were also used to provide professional learning. All pre 2004 staff are aware that from 1st January 2018 accreditation requirements will apply to all teachers and that professional learning will be tracked through MyPL. Financial information (for schools using both OASIS and SAP/SALM) Financial information The three financial summary tables cover 13 months (from 1 December 2015 to 31 December 2016). The financial summary consists of school income broken down by funding source and is derived from the school Annual Financial Statement. A number of families support the school by paying voluntary school contributions to support photocopy expenses, technology (Reading Eggs and Mathletics) and art and craft resources. Income $ Balance brought forward 0.00 Global funds 0.00 Tied funds School & community sources Interest 0.00 Trust receipts Canteen 0.00 Total income Expenditure Teaching & learning Key learning areas Excursions Extracurricular dissections 0.00 Library Training & development Tied funds 0.00 Short term relief 0.00 Administration & office 0.00 School-operated canteen 0.00 Utilities Maintenance 0.00 Trust accounts 0.00 Capital programs 0.00 Total expenditure Balance carried forward The information provided in the financial summary includes reporting from 30th November 2015 to 31 December Page 14 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

15 2016 Actual ($) Opening Balance 0.00 Revenue (2a) Appropriation (2b) Sale of Goods and Services (2c) Grants and Contributions (2e) Gain and Loss 0.00 (2f) Other Revenue 0.00 (2d) Investment Income Expenses Recurrent Expenses (3a) Employee Related (3b) Operating Expenses Capital Expenses 0.00 (3c) Employee Related 0.00 (3d) Operating Expenses 0.00 SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THE YEAR Balance Carried Forward There is no opening balance recorded in the SAP finance table. The opening balance for the school for this reporting period is recorded as the Balance Brought Forward in the OASIS table. The OASIS Balance carried forward amount (ie, funds on date of migration) is included in the (2a) Appropriation amount in the SAP table. Any differences between the OASIS Balance carried forward and (2a) Appropriation amount is the result of other accounts and transactions being included in the (2a) Appropriation amount. Appin Public School Financial Committee prioritises the allocation of funding for school programs in line with the School Management Plan and allocates funds to cover for unforeseen expenses. RAM funding was used to cover some expenses in Key learning Areas and professional development for staff this year. Available funds plus community fundraising were used to install artificial turf creating a passive sitting and learning area Actual ($) Base Total Base Per Capita Base Location Other Base Equity Total Equity Aboriginal Equity Socio economic Equity Language Equity Disability Targeted Total Other Total Grand Total A full copy of the school s financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent and/or community groups. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school. School performance NAPLAN In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10. The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments. 100% of Year 3 students and 95% of Year 5 students have achieved at and above proficiency levels in Reading. In Year 3 reading 40% of students were placed in the top two Bands of Band 5 and 6. and in Year 5 reading 55% of students were placed in the top three bands of Band 6, 7 and 8. In Year 3 grammar and punctuation 42% of students were placed in the top two bands and in Year 5, 52% of students were placed in the top three bands. Financial summary equity funding The equity funding data is the main component of the 'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above. Page 15 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

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17 In year 3 and Year 5, 95% of students have achieved at or above proficiency levels in numeracy. 45% of Year 5 students were placed in the top three bands. In Year 3 numeracy, 33% of students were placed in the top two bands of Band 5 and 6 and in Year 5, 36% of students were placed in the top three bands of Band 6, 7 and 8. Page 17 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

18 No further additional state funding is received by Appin Public School. The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and numeracy testing. Click on the link and insert the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data.> Page 18 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)

19 Parent/caregiver, student, teacher satisfaction Using the Tell Them From Me parent survey, parents rated Appin Public School highly in the areas of: Parents feel welcome at our school Parents are informed Parents believe that school supports their child's learning School supports positive behaviour and survey results also showed that parents didn't really discuss at home how important school was or how their child was doing at school. level. An Anti Racism Contact Officer (ARCO) is trained to build understanding of cultural diversity and Anti racism initiatives in the school community. Students survey results indicated they were socially engaged at levels above DEC state norms. Students feel that what they are learning at school is directly related to their long term success, and this view is reflected in their classroom and school behaviour and their effort in doing homework. Teachers survey results indicate that 93% believe that school leaders are leading improvement and change and clearly communicate their strategic vision and values. They also believe that data informs their practice and they collaborate harmoniously with colleagues. Policy requirements Aboriginal education Appin Public School received Aboriginal background funding in of $9 309 in Our plan included: Mufti Day celebration for NAIDOC Week with cultural awareness classroom activities Continued in class SLSO support in literacy & numeracy for all Aboriginal students. Stage 3 Aboriginal students delivered Acknowledgment of Country at fortnightly whole school assemblies and school events. All Aboriginal students had a personalised learning plan Multicultural and anti-racism education In line with the School plan, the school has reviewed its teaching and learning programs this year to ensure that culturally inclusive classroom and school practices are embedded for all students. Further to this our programs foster students understandings of culture, cultural diversity, racism and active citizenship within a democratic, multicultural society. Teachers participated in professional learning at stage team level and included strategies for embedding multicultural and anti racism education into their teaching and learning programs. All Years 3 6 students participated in the Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition at class level with four students representing our school at Zone Page 19 of 19 Appin Public School 1045 (2016)