ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 CATHOLIC EDUCATION, ARCHDIOCESE OF BRISBANE School Name Postal address St Mary's College PO Box 172, IPSWICH, QLD, 435 Phone Email (7) 3432 5444 Fax (7) 3281 6292 sipswich@bne.catholic.edu.au School website www. stmarys.qld.edu.au Contact Person Mrs Judith Finan, Principal Principal s Foreword Introduction I am pleased to present the Annual Report for St Mary's College IPSWICH for 215. This year marked a significant change in Queensland Education with the introduction of Year 7 to high school. The change was only possible through incredible preparation in the years preceding it; system-wide planning, an intensive building and infrastructure program, new curriculum writing and professional development of teachers. At St Mary's College we welcomed these students enthusiastically, extending the Mercy traditions of hospitality and education. 215 saw the completion of a $9 million building project which comprises five new science laboratories; graphics, visual arts, home economics and music classrooms; a new art gallery, industry-standard hospitality kitchen and dance facilities. These facilities allows all of our students and staff to access the latest technology in these learning spaces. St Mary's College's learning and teaching program is designed for girls, from our delivery of pastoral care to our academic studies we aid to provide a range of opportunities for our students to achieve success. A range of academic and vocational subjects are on offer to students in the Senior school, and in the junior years we provide a broad experience covering both Core and Elective subjects. All students have the opportunity to explore their talents in the sporting and cultural activities on offer, however our key focus is on our mission and outreach programs. School Profile St Mary's College is a Catholic school administered through Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Brisbane. Coeducational or Single Sex Year levels offered: Primary Secondary P-12 Total Student Enrolments 651 Girls 651 Boys ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 1
Characteristics of the student body The College promotes a vital service to families in the Western Corridor who have a preference for single sex education in a school that with our values, offers a small, caring and safe environment. We are the only Catholic, all girls, secondary College in this region. Our student body of around 6 65 comes from 12 Catholic Primary feeder schools and, on average, 4% of our enrolment comes from local state schools. Our catchment area is far reaching, and includes areas such as Boonah, Rosewood, Laidley, Goodna and Fernvale. Whilst our Enrolment Policy states a preference for Catholics, the College is approximately 45% Catholic, and would enrol many students from other Christian denominations. The College strives to enrol families that seek similar values to those offered at the College and those that underpin all of our policies and procedures. Statistics associated with St Mary's College Student Body Demographics - ESL (17); Defence Families (25); Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (23); Verified Students (12) The Learning & Enrichment Centre offers a variety of programs to support ESL and verified students, as well as opportunities for extension. The College has an Enrolment Registrar who assists families in transition; we utilise a Defence Families Mentor to provide particular care of our Defence Families, as well as ongoing support for our students whilst they are enrolled at the College. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have opportunities to express and celebrate their culture with the wider community. There are many opportunities to apply for scholarships (eg. QATSIF) and other such educational support which are promoted by the relevant staff. Our distinctive curriculum offerings St Mary s College provides a comprehensive curriculum catering for all pathways - academic to vocational education. The curriculum incorporates Religious Education across Years 7-12, integral to the faith life of the community and a Pastoral Care program that delivers life skills, career education and nurtures the individual. The Year 7 Curriculum provides a smooth transition into Secondary school while introducing the students to a broad base of subjects. The two Core areas are: Core 1 (Religious Education, English and Social Science) and Core 2 (Mathematics and Science). Students also study the Key Learning Areas of Health and Physical Education, The Arts (Visual Art, Drama and Music), Technology (Home Economics and Business) and Languages other than English (Spanish and Japanese). Cultural exchanges and cultural tours to foreign countries are available to all students. In Years 9 and 1 students are given the opportunity to select their own electives, to complement the Core, compulsory subjects. The Senior Years provide for multiple pathways to a range of training, employment and career opportunities. A spirit of academic excellence is fostered, and cross campus arrangements provide a breadth of curriculum offerings. St Mary's College is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and certificate courses are delivered on site. The College operates a 1 to 1 laptop program, integrating technology to enhance learning and teaching. The Learning Enrichment Centre provides assistance and extension as required. ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 2
Extra curricula activities Students are actively encouraged to be involved in extra curricula activities. These range across three key areas, including Cultural, Sporting and Service and Social Justice Groups. Cultural - The College has a vocal and instrumental program, as well as Choir, Show Choir, ensembles, Orchestra, and offers a Combined Colleges' Musical with St Edmund's College each year. Public Speaking and Debating are offered. MADD Dayz occur at the end of Term Two focusing on Music, Art, Drama and Dance. Sporting - The College is part of CaSSSA for Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics. For other sports, such as Futsal, Netball, Basketball and so on, we participate in a regional competition. Girls, who excel, can elect to trial for Zone, Regional, State and National teams. Cheerleading is also offered and teams train and receive expert tutelage to prepare for State and National competitions. Service & Social Justice Groups - Girls are given opportunities to support the values of Service, Justice and Hospitality through activities such as Rosie's Outreach, Little Kings, Nursing Home Visits & Fundraising. How Information and Communication Technologies are used to assist learning The College has a priority for the integration of technology to enhance learning and this is evident in the facilities and access to technology. St Mary's College has a one to one laptop learning environment from Years 7 to 12. The College uses MOODLE, a tool that enables teachers to interact and engage students more fully in their learning through the medium of technology. Each room is outfitted with a data projector and teachers of Mathematics and Science utilise a tablet to enhance their teaching and interactions with their students in this digital world. Business and Languages have integrated the use of ipads to enhance learning and to provide a more real world platform. The position of elearning Coordinator provides the necessary support to classroom teachers as they transform their pedagogical practices to match the technology rich learning environment. As well, it provides an interface between the technical support required from our Network and Technicians to the reality of the classroom. Social climate inclusive of pastoral care and our response to bullying The social climate is expressed through the Pastoral Care (PC) program, as it brings all aspects of school life together - academic, social, physical and spiritual. At its centre are quality relationships, with an underlying principle that each student has her own particular needs and the day to day care of each girl is of paramount importance. St Mary's College has a vertical PC program, where each girl is part of a PC group linked to her House. There are many activities conducted throughout the year to strengthen the girls identity with their House and PC group including the House Celebrations, Choir Competition, Pastoral Care shared lunches and Mercy Week celebrations. St Mary s College has introduced significant structural and support mechanisms to assist girls in their transition from Primary to Secondary school, as well as to the Senior years and post school pathways. The Behaviour Management Plan is based on Restorative Practices and clearly states that bullying is not acceptable at the College. Incidences of bullying that are reported, are registered, and followed through by staff to achieve a successful outcome for all involved. ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 3
Parent, student and teacher satisfaction with the school The College continues to engage staff, students and parents in the action learning cycle, where we review, learn and then plan to act. This is built into our processes for Strategic Planning, Annual Goal Setting and Internal School Review components and the subsequent External School Review. This demonstrates the priority given to continual learning at St Mary s College and ensures a way of gauging satisfaction for all stakeholders. Examples include Parent Teacher Interviews; Monthly P&F and College Board meetings; Senior Education and Training (SET) Plans; Parent Information Evenings; Orientation Day for Years 7 & 8 216; School Primary Visits; Open Evening for Prospective Parents; Monthly Staff meetings; Student Leadership and SRC(student forums); Middle Leaders' meetings; Weekly newsletters; Internal School Review of identified components; College Yearbook 215; BCE Staff Survey and other such forums. Parent involvement in their child s education This year parents provided a service to ensure the success of the events or through their attendance to demonstrate their involvement in their daughter's school and education. The College P&F continued to be active, hosting opportunities to meet with parents and a host of other barbecues to support College events. The P&F host three Parent Forums. These evenings provide relevant guest speakers on topics of interest to parents. Parents were members of the College Pastoral Board (providing support to the Principal in the area of policy making and strategic planning) the College Finance Committee. There are two formal opportunities for parents to attend Parent Teacher Interviews, as well as an Open Door policy promoted where parents are encouraged to contact the College with their concerns. Staff Profile Workforce Composition Teaching Staff Non-teaching Staff Headcounts Full-time equivalents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 58 38 51.4 24.72 1 Qualifications of all teachers Highest level of attainment Doctorate Masters Post Graduate Diploma/Certificate Bachelors Degree Diploma/Certificate Number of Teaching Staff (teaching staff includes school leaders) 1 18 3 ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 4
Expenditure on and teacher participation in Professional Learning The total funds expended on teacher professional learning in 215 was $ The major professional development initiatives were as follows 4,244.2 Professional Development initiatives involved the implementation of the Brisbane Catholic Education's Delivering Excellent Teaching and Learning Strategy. The school-wide pedagogy of Visible Learning was initiated in 215 with staff engaged in professional learning opportunities in this area. Teachers were able to access professional learning opportunities in their own learning areas, particularly in relation to the National Curriculum. School Income by Funding Source School income broken down by funding source is available via the My School website at http://www.myschool.edu.au/. To access our school income details, click on the My School link above. You will then be taken to the My School website with the following: Find a school text box. Type in the name of the school you wish to view, and select <GO>. Read and follow the instructions on the next screen; you will be asked to accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before being given access to the school s My School entry web page. School financial information is available by selecting School finances in the menu box in the top left corner of the school s entry web page. Average staff attendance rate The staff attendance rate was 96.65 % in 215. Proportion of staff retained from the previous school year From the end of the 214 school year, 88. % of staff were retained by the school for the 215 year. Key Student Outcomes Whole School Attendance Rate 92. % Prep Attendance Rate % Year 7 Attendance Rate 94. % Year 1 Attendance Rate % Year 8 Attendance Rate 93. % Year 2 Attendance Rate % Year 9 Attendance Rate 92. % Year 3 Attendance Rate % Year 1 Attendance Rate 91. % Year 4 Attendance Rate % Year 11 Attendance Rate 89. % Year 5 Attendance Rate % Year 12 Attendance Rate 93. % Year 6 Attendance Rate % ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 5
Policy and practice to manage student attendance Attendance data is gathered through BCE s eminerva system which provides data that can be used in a variety of meaningful ways to support student attendance and engagement. Staff take their responsibilities in relation to maintaining accurate attendance records seriously. This is particularly important in relation to Workplace Health and Safety and monitoring student engagement. The College expectations in relation to attendance are communicated at assemblies, in student notices and via the College attendance data and meet with students who have frequent unexplained absence. These concerns are communicated to parents and caregivers. newsletter. Central to these messages is the cumulative effect of absence, particularly when added over time. The Pastoral Middle Leaders work to address concerns with relation to frequent absence from school. They monitor the The College takes steps to encourage student attendance. This includes acknowledging Pastoral Care classes that have 1 percent attendance on days such as College carnivals. Students regularly receive the message that attendance is crucial for learning. Student Achievement NAPLAN for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results our reading writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy results for the relevant years. Our reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy results for the relevant years are available via the My School website at http://www.myschool.edu.au/. To access our NAPLAN results, click on the My School link above. You will then be taken to the My School website with the following Find a school text box. Type in the name of the school whose NAPLAN results you wish to view, and select <GO>. Read and follow the instructions on the next screen; you will be asked to accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before being able to access our NAPLAN data. Attainment and Achievement Year 12 Apparent retention rates Year 1 to Year 12 Year 12 student enrolment as a percentage of the Year 1 (213) student cohort. 81. % ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 6
Outcomes for our Year 12 cohort of 215 (Data are available to schools from the QSA secure website using your existing security code) Number of students receiving a Senior Education Profile. Number of students awarded a Queensland Certificate Individual Achievement. Number of students receiving an Overall Position (OP). Number of students who are completing or completed a school based Apprenticeship or Traineeship. Number of students awarded one or more Vocational Educational Training qualifications. Number of students awarded a Queensland Certificate of Education at the end of Year 12. Number of students awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD). Percentage of OP/ IBD eligible students with OP 1-15 or an IBD. 65.5 % Percentage of Year 12 students who are completing or completed a SAT or were awarded one or more of the following: QCE, IBD, VET qualification. Percentage of Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) applicants receiving a tertiary offer. 91 67 13 56 86 97.8 % 92.1 % Overall Position Bands (OP) Number of students in each Band for OP 1 to 25 OP 1-5 OP 6-1 OP 11-15 OP 16-2 OP 21-25 3 16 25 15 8 Vocational Educational Training qualification (VET) Number of students awarded certificates under the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF). Certificate I Certificate II Certificate III or above 9 31 16 Post-school destination information At the time of publishing this School Annual Report, the results of the 215 Year 12 postschool destinations survey, Next Step Student Destination Report for the school were not available. Information about these post-school destinations of our students will be published in September when the information is made available to the school. ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORTING 215 7