2016 ANNUAL REPORT. St Mary s School, Goondiwindi A Catholic co-educational school of the Diocese of Toowoomba. Seek Truth Through Knowledge

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1 2016 ANNUAL REPORT St Mary s School, Goondiwindi A Catholic co-educational school of the Diocese of Toowoomba Seek Truth Through Knowledge Address PO Box Brisbane St Phone Goondiwindi QLD 4390 Year Levels Prep Year 8 Fax Enrolment 390 goondiwindi@twb.catholic.edu.au Principal Mr Brett Pollard Boarders No Vacation After School No Care Care No Our Mission St Mary s Parish Primary School serves the wider community in furthering the church s mission. This mission centres around an uplifting proclamation, and a joyful embracing, of gospel values in our sphere of influence. St Mary s believes in creating a place of educational excellence in the life long search for wisdom. A passion for teaching and learning nurtures the uniqueness in everyone and the releasing of the Spirit brings forth the leadership of the future. A generative spirit underpins the culture at St Mary s as it is: Unified with the mission of the Parish in Christ Generous in its spirit of community service Encouraging of an inclusiveness that strives for pastoral care for all Transparent in shared ownership and commensurate responsibilities Authentic in its search for truth Setting its sights on noble goals and not being content with mediocrity Encouraging of a passion for learning and discovery

2 Distinctive Curriculum Offerings Implementation of current, relevant curriculum syllabuses ad per ACARA and QCAA Implementation of the Brisbane Religious Curriculum with the twin dimension of Religious Education and Religious Life of the School Curriculum folder for each classroom provided by our Curriculum Coordinators. These include the School Scope and Sequence for all key learning areas and all other necessary teaching resources Student portfolios used as an integral part of the reporting to parent process The use of National Benchmarks and whole school testing results which provide teachers with data and teaching strategies to include in their planning Whole school approach to assessment formatting Learning Support Centre that examines the special curriculum and social needs of the students Words Their Way Spelling program throughout the school Cooperative Learning Strategies used throughout all classes Class Learning profiles used to direct planning and teaching Specialisation among Teachers St Mary s has specialist teachers in the areas of Physical Education The Arts Languages Other Than English, specifically Indonesian. Extra-Curricular Activities School liturgies Family Mass Instrumental Music Choir Eisteddfod Athletics Training Cross Country Training Adopt-a-Senior Program Swimming Program Provision of opportunities to represent beyond St Mary s eg, Rugby, Tennis, Golf Meals on Wheels Mac Zone Sports Optiminds Horse Sports MacIntyre Young Writers Sporting workshops

3 Social Climate Buddy system in place for Preps & Senior students School leader visits to Kaloma - Aged Care Facility Parish/School levy provides funds for addressing the strategic goals of the school Parish/School levy contributes towards the building of social cohesion via provision of gathering opportunities that promote a constructive interface between home and school You Can Do It program Family Mass in the Parish Centre - child centred Leadership Camps for skills development The school has a fully supported Behaviour Management and an Anti-Bullying Policies and Procedures in place. Underpinning these procedures is the You Can Do It program. Currently, bullying issues are managed immediately as issues arise, within the guidelines of the Behaviour Management Policy and Procedure. This year, the School Board undertook the process of reviewing the following policies: Communications Critical Incidents Drug Student Well-being Parental Involvement St Mary s welcomes parent involvement in all areas of the school, including: Parent volunteers in class reading programs Parents and Friends Association School Board Membership involving review of policy overview Family Fun Days Religious celebrations Parent contentment surrounds the school environment and its presentation. Parental support with behavioural policy & procedures Satisfaction with the religious flavour and religious instruction Parent endorsement of teacher professionalism and delivery of curriculum Overwhelming support with the resourcing of computers and other IT resources in each classroom and the library

4 School Financial Information The information on net recurrent income including: Federal Government recurrent funding Queensland Government recurrent funding Fee, charges and parent contributions Other private resources Is available from: Funds were utilised in 2016 to address three major educational goals: 1. Improving base spelling levels 2. Enhancing reading cultures through CAFE 3. Professional sharing amongst staff 4. Professional learning in Professional Learning Communities To this end, the school: 1. Purchased the Words Their Way program for spelling and reading 2. In-serviced the Curriculum Co-ordinators and staff on nuances of the program Subscribed to Mathletics, especially to engage boys in their learning 3. Laminated posters and provided storage for the Words Their Way program 4. Continued PD around reading and spelling with Julie Shepherd 5. Further PD on Professional Learning Communities Staff Composition Workforce Composition Total Teaching Total Non-teaching Staff Indigenous Staff Headcounts Staff Full-time equivalents Teacher Qualifications Qualification % of Qualifications Doctoral / Post Doctoral 0% Masters 7% Bachelor Degree 89.5% Diploma 3.5% Certificate 0%

5 Professional Development School expenditure to enhance Professional Learning in 2016: $ Staff members have undertaken professional development in: Implementation of the new RE Curriculum Implementation of Technology Curriculum Professional Development to support accreditation to teach religion in Catholic Schools and accreditation to teach in Catholic Schools Diabetes & Anaphylaxis Management Professional Learning Communities The new ACARA, Technology curriculum Cooperative learning Differentiation Dyslexia Interpreting data Reading Spelling Average Staff Attendance 96.58% Staff Retention 100% Average Student Attendance Rate 94.21% Student Attendance for Each Year Level (expressed as %) Prep Year 1 Year 2 Year Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year

6 Description of How Non-Attendance is managed by the School Each class roll is marked online using SAS at 9:15am and again at 1.40pm. Late students report to the school office upon arrival where the School Officer Administration amends the student reports to indicate the late arrival. The Principal is made aware of absent students and the Principal arranges an appointment with parents/caregivers where student absence is affecting quality learning. Internal audits on rolls occur once per term. National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Results Year 3 Test Results OUR SCHOOL NATIONAL STATE Percentage of Students at or above the National Benchmark Reading Writing Spelling Grammar and Punctuation Numeracy Year 5 Test Results OUR SCHOOL NATIONAL STATE Percentage of Students at or above the National Benchmark Reading Writing Spelling Grammar and Punctuation Numeracy

7 Year 7 Test Results (2015) OUR SCHOOL NATIONAL STATE Percentage of Students at or above the National Benchmark Reading Writing Spelling Grammar and Punctuation Numeracy Value Added The staff at St Mary's continually monitor and evaluate the academic performance of all students. This has resulted in overall results through the NAPLAN testing. St Mary's boasts a very strong Special Needs Program that incorporates the use of a committee where staff may seek professional advice and future direction for individual students in their class. St Mary's fosters a relationship between the School and the Parish. This is seen in the many activities throughout the year where both groups come together to celebrate achievements, to increase knowledge about each other and share moments of fun, games and educational activities. St Mary's believes in ensuring that students have the resources necessary for them to achieve and therefore our Parents and Friends Association is a very pro-active group in sourcing resources for each class. The School Board, as an advisory group, has assisted the school in the direction that it has taken with educational priorities, building and maintenance requirements and policy creation and/or amendment. The school reports to parents through interviews, with student portfolios supporting and validating report card results. The portfolios are a snapshot of the child's ability at a moment in time, as evidenced through work samples. The interviews allow professional dialogue between the teacher and parent in relation to the child s progress. The report is in an A to E format that clearly shows the achievement level of each child in each Key Learning Area. Parents are requested to attend an interview twice per year at the end of each semester. The school also encourages regular classroom teacher meetings with parents to keep parents fully informed of their child s progress. St Mary s actively promotes our Catholicity and encourage non-catholics to fully participate in the religious aspects of school life. There is support for and acknowledgment of an ecumenical approach to all faith traditions in the school.

8 School Renewal and Improvement Process School Renewal and Improvement is an on-going process of reflection and self-evaluation measured against a commonly agreed set of criteria. It operates under the Excellence in Catholic Education (EiCE) Framework in the Diocese. The process informs action planning at the school level to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement. Above all, Catholic schools must be good schools with a strong learning orientation and a strong sense of purpose. The EiCE improvement process provides an opportunity to reflect on the 4 domains of Catholic Life and Religious Education; Learning and Teaching; Leadership for School Improvement and Strategic Resourcing. Each of these Domains has components (24 in total) which are reviewed on a cyclical basis and plans for improvement developed if necessary in the Annual Action Plan. In 2016, the elements of Partnership with Parish, Student Achievement and Staff Well Being were reflected on, reviewed and strategically planned for. Parent Satisfaction Parent satisfaction surveys were circulated during 2016 as part of the school improvement process. Questions were asked around: Catholic life and Religious education Learning and teaching Leadership for School Improvement Strategic resourcing Results of the surveys indicated a positive perception of the following (in order): 1. Positive environment 2. Substantial profile in the community 3. Staff collaboration and support 4. Parish/School Relationships 5. Faith in the Leadership Team Areas in need of improvement were: 1. The desirability of employing specialist teachers and staff 2. Addressing inappropriate behaviours at school (including consistency of teacher expectation) 3. The need for a firmer anti-bullying policy 4. The desirability of staff mentoring (constructive peer observation and feedback) 5. Continuation of relevant professional development A hardcopy of this report is available by request from the Principal.