Sacred Heart Parish School, Cunnamulla. A Catholic co-educational school of the Diocese of Toowoomba. Become Who You Are. Phone

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1 Address Sacred Heart Parish School, Cunnamulla A Catholic co-educational school of the Diocese of Toowoomba PO Box John St Cunnamulla QLD 4490 Become Who You Are Phone Year Prep Year 6 Fax Levels Enrolment 81 Principal Mrs Cara Haig After Vacation No School No Care Care School Website Boarders cunnamulla@twb.catholic.edu. au No Our Mission Sacred Heart Parish School community lives the Gospel values of care, respect and compassion for all. Christian spirit and values permeate all areas of learning and school life and determine the atmosphere of the school. We aspire to be living faith community together with the Parish, parents and other community members. Our school acknowledges parents as the first educators and we work with home and community to support the needs of individuals. Sacred Heart endeavours to provide relevant learning experiences and respond to the needs of the broader community of which it remains an integral part. Our school motto: BECOME WHO YOU ARE

2 Distinctive Curriculum Offerings Sacred Heart prides itself on providing its students with the very best in technology resources. Our school uses technology to enhance learning in all areas of the curriculum and has 6 interactive whiteboards, 12 laptops and 12 desktops. The students enjoy a 3:1 student to computer ratio. In addition to Sacred Heart's technology resources, the school has small class sizes. Our composite classes are arranged to provide the best learning opportunities to each year level. The school s experienced and enthusiastic Teacher Aides support the class teachers in delivering and implementing small group and individual programs to students. The Teacher Aides are a vital part of the school as they present a number of literacy and numeracy programs with teachers to ensure that all the students achieve to the best of their ability. The school has a Phonic Ear system in each classroom to assist with auditory learning. This system allows the teacher s voice to be directed into the centre of the room through speakers located in each corner. This system is particularly useful to the hearing impaired and Indigenous students in our school. Most students at Sacred Heart participate in online intervention sessions conducted by a learning support teacher in Toowoomba. The students are able to view the teacher on a television screen and access the interactive whiteboard for directed activities. This innovative program uses a range of interactive activities to engage the students and enhance learning. As a RREAP school, Sacred Heart is also in the enviable position of being able to offer its students free weekly instrumental music lessons online. RREAP provides the use of instruments for a small fee and helps provide the students with access to band camps and the Charleville Eisteddfod. Extra-Curricular Activities In 2015 Sacred Heart celebrated its Centenary. At a celebration in March the 100 Sisters of Mercy who taught at the school were remembered and acknowledged, as were the many lay staff and all of the students of the school. The celebration was of great significance to the school and the Cunnamulla community. The weekend was extremely successful with over 400 people returning to celebrate this special occasion. Throughout each year, Sacred Heart students participated in a range of community events including the ANZAC Day March, the local show and the Cunnamulla Fella Festival. Every month students from the school delivered Meals on Wheels to locals. In addition to numerous extra-curricular sporting opportunities, Sacred Heart offers its students the opportunity to broaden their horizons in The Arts and other academic arenas. Students participate in a range of cultural activities. Our students participated in learning some Indonesian as one of our teachers completed an emersion course in Bali. In addition, students had the opportunity to engage in the learning of sign language from a teacher who had grown up with deaf parents. Parents and volunteers are always invited to participate in school activities so that the range of extra-curricular activities on offer can be expanded. Page 2

3 Social Climate The Sacred Heart Parish School is a friendly, caring community. We aim to provide a happy, safe and supportive environment in which the children are encouraged to live the Gospel values as well as consolidate their academic work. In the words of the Sacred Heart School Prayer, we try to be "more like Jesus in our words and actions". Each week, students participate in family group rotations in which students are grouped from Prep through to Year 6. The Year 6 students are leaders and each week the groups rotate through four different activities including sport, reading, social skills and art. The students participate enthusiastically in these rotations and enjoy spending time together. To maintain a harmonious and happy environment the use of the Peace Wheel is encouraged in playground situations. The Peace Wheel has nine different suggestions of ways to address conflict e.g. Walk away; Make a Deal; Say Sorry etc Students are encouraged to use the strategies on the Peace Wheel to help solve problems independently. Children are actively encouraged to speak with a responsible adult when issues of bullying arise. Parents with concerns are asked to talk with their child s class teacher in the first instance, and incidents of bullying are addressed through the Behaviour Management Policy and procedural guidelines. As part of the Behaviour Management Policy and Procedures, students complete a Responsible Thinking Time Out form when incidents arise. This procedure gives students the opportunity to think about who was affected by their behaviour, what they were thinking/feeling at the time and how they can resolve the situation. This data is collected and analysed, and shows that there has been improvement in positive student responses. The school's pastoral care and behaviour management policies are reviewed annually, in consultation with the parents. The school has nominated Student Protection Contacts and students are aware of who these staff members are. Students also have access to a School Counsellor if required. Parental Involvement Parents are an important part of the Sacred Heart family. They are supportive of school activities and are dedicated to providing services such as Tuckshop and fundraising events to the school community. Sacred Heart actively encourages parents to become involved in their child's education. Members of the school staff are pleased to meet with parents and assist them in any way they can. Parent/Teacher interviews are offered twice a year, but staff are always happy to speak with parents at any time should any concerns arise. Parents communicate with teachers using the student diaries, phone calls and . Parental attendance is always strong at school events. Many parents attend school liturgies, cultural events and sports carnivals. Parents are always willing to assist at these events and are often called upon to act as time keepers or assistants. When approached, parents are always willing to support classroom events as well. They willingly help in classroom activities such as Science experiments and excursions. There is a strong parent presence around the school during drop off and pick up times. Parents will always complete surveys and other relevant data gathering information when approached in this time. To assist parental involvement in their child s education, the school often provides parent information sessions so that parents can learn about important educational issues such as reading and oral language development. The school's Parents and Friends Association members are friendly and welcoming and generally meet once a month. The P&F association has worked tirelessly over the years to provide many thousands of dollars to support the school resourcing. Page 3

4 School Financial Information The information on net recurrent income Is available from: This includes: Federal Government recurrent funding Queensland Government recurrent funding Fee, charges and parent contributions Other private resources Staff Composition Workforce Composition Total Teaching Staff Total Non-teaching Staff Indigenous Staff Headcounts Full-time equivalents Teacher Qualifications Qualification % of Teaching Staff Doctoral / Post Doctoral 0% Masters 28% Bachelor Degree 72% Diploma 0% Certificate 0% Professional Development In 2015, the teaching staff exceeded the requirements of 30 hours professional development as outlined by the Queensland College of Teachers. Members of staff were given a range of opportunities to participate in professional development. Staff have participated in the Five Faces of Teacher sessions with John McArdle, Spell It Sessions, Bishop s In-service Day, Live Wires Digital Technologies Conference, Consistency of Teacher Judgement Day, Learning Support professional development sessions, Teacher Librarian conference, Britannica Encyclopaedia, Social/Emotional training with the school counsellor and Student Protection training, Staff members were encouraged to use the video-link facility to attend in-service where possible. The staff made use of this facility and attended at least 15 online training sessions through the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office generated PL@C professional development opportunities. Page 4

5 The school spent $ on Professional Learning in Most professional development was provided by, although a number of external consultants were engaged on a more regular basis. Average Staff Attendance The average attendance rate for the teaching staff as a percentage in 2015 was 97.64%. Staff Retention 100% of teaching staff were retained in Average Student Attendance Rate The average attendance rate for the whole school as a percentage in 2015 was 90.0%. Student Attendance for Each Year Level (expressed as %) Prep Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year Description of How Non-Attendance is managed by the School Rolls are marked electronically on a daily basis. Parents are required to contact the school if students are not able to attend. If the parent has not contacted the school, they are contacted by phone or in person on the same day to ensure there are legitimate reasons for student nonattendance. National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Results Year 3 Test Results (2015) OUR SCHOOL NATIONAL STATE Percentage of Students at or above the National Benchmark Reading Writing Spelling Grammar and Punctuation Numeracy Page 5

6 Year 5 Test Results (2015) OUR SCHOOL NATIONAL STATE Percentage of Students at or above the National Benchmark Reading Writing Spelling Grammar and Punctuation /8 88 Numeracy Value Added Sacred Heart Cunnamulla is a well-equipped school. As well as an extensive range of technology resources including IPADs, desktop and laptop computers, Interactive Whiteboards, Video Conferencing facilities, Smart TV s and Phonic Ear systems, the school has a well-stocked Library and Classroom Resource collection. Students are able to access these resources to enhance their knowledge in a variety of key learning areas. Technology is regularly updated and our Western Technician ensures that it all runs smoothly. New classroom resources are purchased on a regular basis and the sporting equipment is kept in good condition and replaced regularly. Members of the Sacred Heart school community have taken part in a number of curriculum initiatives. Students were introduced to and have been applying the Break It Down, Build It Up literacy strategy to improve student learning of genre and vocabulary. Students have produced some quality written work using this strategy. Our online learning project has continued to provide high quality, small group and individualised instruction to students. Work has continued throughout 2015 to effectively use the Mathematics Activity Guidelines (MAGS) in the Prep to Year 3 classes. Excellence in Catholic Education-School Renewal and Improvement Process School Renewal and Improvement is an on-going process of self-evaluation measured against a commonly agreed set of criteria. It 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 sense of purpose. This process provides an opportunity for each school to reflect on 4 Domain areas: Catholic Life and Religious Education; Learning and Teaching; Leadership for School Improvement; Strategic Resourcing. Each of these domains has components (24 in total) which are reviewed on a cyclical basis and plans for improvement are developed if necessary. In 2015, the components of Religious Education, Students and their Learning, Students with Additional Needs, Strategic Leadership and Staff Wellbeing were reflected on and reviewed through the improvement lens. A brief overview of the components and the areas identified for improvement is provided below: Page 6

7 CATHOLIC LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 1.2 Religious Education Updating teacher and student resources which align with the new Religion curriculum and school program was the priority for 2015, along with raising the awareness for professional development in relation to faith development. LEARNING AND TEACHING 2.1 Students and their Learning. Documenting our Professional Learning Community journey, implementing a whole school approach to the teaching of Spelling, creating a more sustainable partnership with parents and developing students sense of ownership and responsibility for their learning were our priorities in this area in Students with Additional Needs. Our 2015 priorities in this area included the development of formal action plans for students and encouraging parental involvement in planning for student learning. Communication with parents and outside agencies was also a priority. LEADERSHIP FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 3.3 Strategic Leadership. In the year of the school centenary, one priority for 2015 was to make the school community more aware of the religious foundations of the school. Increased opportunities for auxiliary staff to attend professional development was also considered. STRATEGIC RESOURCING 4.2 Staff Wellbeing Faith development opportunities that were linked to the schools professional learning plan and address the individual needs of staff were the main priority areas addressed in Parent Satisfaction Parent Satisfaction surveys were conducted as part of the five-year accreditation review in 2015 and parents were provided the opportunity to participate in the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Education Office initiative using RADII to survey parents. The following quotes were obtained from parents of students at Sacred Heart in 2015; Family group rotations have been extremely popular with my children and we are so pleased that they get a chance to spend time with students from all year levels. It is also great that they have a group leader who can help them at all times LM parent. As a parent, I am very pleased that the school is able to help combat the head lice problem we regularly face. Having all the kids treated at the same time helps to break the cycle. C.M.- parent A hardcopy of this report is available by request from the school office. Page 7