St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill Reg No: 1272
Contents St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill CONTENTS 2 VISION 4 SCHOOL OVERVIEW 5 PRINCIPAL S REPORT 7 EDUCATION BOARD REPORT 9 EDUCATION IN FAITH 10 LEARNING & TEACHING 12 STUDENT WELLBEING 22 LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT 24 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 26 Page 2
Contact Details Address Principal Parish Priest School Board Chair P&F Chair 1087 Whitehorse Rd Box Hill VIC 3128 Carmel Purdey Fr Anthoni Selvaraj Andrew Crettenden Angela Wallis & Jeninne Smith Telephone +61398901108 Registered School No Email Website 1272 principal@sfxboxhill.catholic.edu.au www.sfxboxhill.catholic.edu.au Page 3
Vision In the Franciscan spirit our vision is for a school that will: St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill 1. be grounded in Catholic Tradition and spirituality, in which the gospel values of justice, truth, love and peace underpin everyday teaching and learning 2. cultivate effective learners-for-life by commitment to informed, current, teaching and learning practice: teaching, entrusted to people who support the children in their personal growth, and who are accountable for enhancing the quality and standard of student learning outcomes; and learning which involves the ongoing acquisition of knowledge and skills so that learners can apply these critically to understand and participate effectively as responsible citizens in their world 3. encourage respect responsibility and care for creation; where an awareness of the environment and its species is developed and promoted 4. enhance the well being of all in an environment of justice, inclusiveness, tolerance, equality and compassion; in which harmony and healthy relationships are promoted through the development of social skills, self worth, affirmation and the celebration of achievements 5. be a place in which teamwork and collaboration are central to everyday practice 6. be a place in which clergy, parents, teachers and students build and nurture a healthy growing community Adopted by the Education Board 2005 Page 4
School Overview St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill St Francis Xavier Primary School has been serving the Catholic parish communities in and around Box Hill since 1928. Our devotion to faith and education is supported by a dedicated teaching team and strong and productive community relationships. Set in substantial grounds Historic original school building Modern new buildings State-of-the-art technology. From prep to year 6, our students develop their spiritual and academic awareness in an environment that supports the gospel values of justice, truth, love and peace. Students are actively engaged in their education and embrace a comprehensive curricular and extra-curricular program. Our classrooms are places of inspiration, challenge and collaboration. Our teachers cater for the different learning styles of children with quality learning outcomes their constant focus. Some of the school s physical resources and features include: new library the Discovery Centre air conditioned classrooms computer access and interactive whiteboard in every classroom fully equipped technology room adventure playground Page 5
new art room extensive sporting program and natural grass oval. In its 2010 External Improvement Review, the school was commended for its exemplary leadership and management practices which result in a culture of high levels of performance and development. The Education Board, which advises the parish priest and principal on policy development, is supported by the Catholic Education Office, Melbourne. Page 6
Principal s Report St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill The school benefited greatly from the Buiding the Education Revolution proram (BER). 2010 saw the completion of a refurbishment of all of the original buildings. The St Clare Building and the refurbished hall which is new and inviting. and classrooms were opened by Anna Burke MP. They were named and blessed by Bishop Les Tomlinson on 13 th October. The school now comprised a high quality facility, On October 13 th we gathered to bless the new buildings, to recognise the Australian Government funding of the refurbishment and to open the St Clare building. It was a multipurpose ceremony. The original stone of the building was first laid and opened by Archbishop Daniel Mannix in March 1929, 81 years ago and 81 years later, we wrote yet another chapter in the history of this parish and its school. It is significant that in this refurbishment we re opened the original doors on to Whitehorse Rd. I think there is great symbolism in that. We reflected on the parish communities of the past whose work we bear the fruit of today. They left the legacy of the lovely old building which we have now been able to refurbish, to revitalise and to renew. We thanked and acknowledged the sisters of Our Lady of Sion who were represented at the opening. The sisters staffed the school for many years. We acknowledged the diocesan clergy of Melbourne who cared for this parish until 1975 and we acknowledged the Franciscan friars who have cared for the parish since 1975. Page 7
In 2010 the school under went an external review as part of the School Improvement Framework. The reviewer reported that: Significant to the achievements are the building of a strong staff climate and a focused approach to learning and teaching aligned to the School Improvement Framework. The period is marked by the achievement of exemplary leadership and management practices, involving professional and distributed leadership. High levels of performance and development have been built into the staff culture. The school is being successful in the sphere of Education in Faith. It is aware of making religious education relevant and, in the Franciscan spirit, grounded in Catholic tradition and spirituality. In the sphere of Learning and Teaching student responses for Engagement exceed Victorian School Benchmarks and parents believe their children are well connected to the school. Students are motivated and engaged in their learning; learning confidence has increased. In Student Wellbeing the school is being successful in its focus on developing students knowledge, skills and understanding in social competencies and personal learning. Students connectedness to their peers and to the school has increased. The staff climate, due to highly effective practices in Leadership and Management, exceeds the Victorian Schools benchmarks. In discussing elements of effective schools and examining the survey based on Zbar et al research, it was evident that there is a shared belief amongst staff that leadership and management practices are strong features of the school. The school has participated in many PD projects; staff consider that leadership demonstrates the ability to access initiatives then embed them into school practice to drive further improvement. There is a clearly articulated distributed model of leadership. In the sphere of School Community the school is in the care of the Franciscan Friars and an integral part of the Parish. The school climate is positive. St Francis Xavier s school is operating highly effectively. Page 8
As a result of the reflection on its performance in the review, the school developed a new School Improvement Plan 2011-2014 Carmel Purdey Education Board Report The Education Board has been very busy again this year. We have continued to work through the actions identified in our Strategic Plan and also considered a number of emerging priorities for the school. Amongst the many items, the Board updated the anaphylaxis policy, arts and ICT education policies and made recommendations about event security and overall risk management. We were all very satisfied to see the Student Leadership framework implemented this year and have made some suggestions on how this can be improved. The Board continued to receive advice from the Finance Sub-Committee. This group commenced in 2009 and receives regular reports on the school s financial position and also focused some attention this year on the building project budget. Thanks to Mark Pryn, Ray Buxton and Lisa Barnes for giving their time and expertise to this committee. Pam Linden and Danielle Gibney have now completed their service on the Education Board. Both Pam and Danielle have been great contributors to the Board. I d especially like to thank Pam for providing us with meaningful and relevant reflections at the start of all of our meetings! I am also completing my service on the Board at the end of this year. I have found participating on the Board to be personally very rewarding and have come to appreciate the many and varied challenges faced by the SFX Leadership Team in running the school. The Board would not be effective without the support we receive from Carmel, Marcus and Fr Anthoni. I would like to acknowledge them for their genuine commitment to school improvement and thank them for the collaborative way they include the Board in this effort. I am pleased to advise that Tim Johnston has agreed to take on the role of Board Chairperson in 2011. Tim is highly experienced in the education sector and takes a very pragmatic approach so the Board is in very safe hands for the future. Andrew Crettenden Page 9
Education in Faith St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill Achievements The school is being successful in the sphere of Education in Faith. It is aware of making religious education relevant and, in the Franciscan spirit, grounded in Catholic tradition and spirituality. The school recognises it mission, articulated by the pastoral leader that the school community is the faith community in today s world. Survey responses from staff are high; pedagogical practices are progressive and engaging for students. Although lower overall than those of staff, student scores are in the top quartile of schools for faith education opportunities and the school s practices in compassion and social justice. The school demographic is changing and 72% of Prep students are Catholic, a reduction of 20% since the 2006 Review. By contrast with staff and students, parent scores in the Catholic Culture Survey are markedly lower and are decreasing. Nevertheless parents verbally affirmed the school s Education in Faith, the opportunities to participate in liturgy and the teaching of values. For improvement it was agreed that the goal for the next period will be to build understanding of faith in life based on the Gospel within a contemporary world; with the principal strategy being to deepen teacher knowledge and skills in embedding religious education in inquiry based learning (2010 School Reviewer). Social Justice In 2010 the St Francis Xavier s School Community supported the following organisations by raising and donating: St Vincent De Paul - $170 (and collected over 800 non-perishable grocery items for the Winter Appeal. Anzac Day (RSL) - $233.60 Remembrance Day (RSL) - $285.10 Caritas - $650.85 World Vision - $1,425 Page 10
Sister Parish School East Timor - $2100 Our community has a tremendous spirit and sense of compassion. It s in giving that we truly receive and our efforts this year are to be congratulated. Together we have made a valuable contribution to people less fortunate than ourselves. I sincerely thank all members of the community for their generosity and willingness to help others. Ed Weekes Religious Education Leader Page 11
Learning & Teaching St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill Proportion of students meeting national minimum standard NAPLAN The school achieved 100% or close to 100% of students reaching the National Minimum Standards. Year 3 Reading 98.1% Year 3 Writing 98.1% Year 3 Spelling 100% Year 3 Grammar and Punctuation 100% Year 3 Numeracy 98.1% Year 5 Reading 96.3% Year 5 Writing 98.1% Year 5 Spelling 100% Year 5 Grammar and Punctuation 100% Year 5 Numeracy 98.1% Changes in National Minmum Standard The changes in National Minmum Standard achievement by the school from the previous year were not significant. Year 3 Reading -1.9% Year 3 Writing -1.9% Year 3 Spelling 2.1% Year 3 Grammar and Punctuation 2.1% Year 3 Numeracy 0.2% Year 5 Reading -3.7% Year 5 Writing -1.9% Year 5 Spelling 0.0% Year 5 Grammar and Punctuation 2.2% Year 5 Numeracy -1.9% Page 12
Staff, Student and Parent Satisfaction Staff Satisfaction The levels of staff satisfaction remain high, when compared to Victorian School Benchmarks (Averages). Although satisfaction remains high, work will be done in 2011 on further development of team work (item 5). Page 13
Student Satisfaction The level of student attitudes to school remains high, when compared to Victorian School Benchmarks (Averages). Although attitudes remain at a high level, there is a dip in the Classroom Behaviour item. Further work will be done in 2011 on improving the Restorative Practice approach to behavior management (item 10). Page 14
Parent Satisfaction The parent opinion results, when compared to Victorian School Benchmarks (Averages), lie between an average score of 60 and 80. There is, however, a dip in the Classroom behavior item. Further work will be done in 2011 on improving the Restorative Practice approach to behavior management (item 14). The school will continue to work on improving communication and partnership with the parent body. Page 15
Year ThreeStudent Learning Outcomes for 2008, 2009 and 2010 2008 Page 16
2009 Page 17
2010 Page 18
Year Five Student Learning Outcomes for 2008, 2009 and 2010 2008 St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill Page 19
2009 Page 20
2010 At Year Three and Year Five the 2008 and 2009 data is reported on the VELS equivalent score report and the 2010 report is the national scale as the VELS equivalent becomes less reliable as the years progress. The school mean score in all assessment areas remains higher than or equal to the state mean score. The school s performance over the three year period remains fairly constant with some minor variations between years. Page 21
Student Wellbeing St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill Student Attendance During the 20 day May attendance period on monitoring the school achieved a 95.35% attendance rate Value Added Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative The school began its journey in the ResourceSmart Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Victoria (AuSSI Vic). The school successfully completed the requirements for the Core Module and will move on to the Waste module in 2011. ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic provides a holistic approach to sustainability. It integrates educational, environmental, social and economic outcomes so that schools do not see each area in isolation but as components of the bigger picture of sustainability. Extra Curricular Program The school provided a wide range of extra curricular activities and programs including: Choir, Italian Club, Chess Club, Annually Premier s Reading Challenge, Maths Talent Quest, Italian Poster Competition, Italian Poetry Competitiion, Chess Championships. Optional annual sport activities District Swimming, Basketball Clinic, District Cross Country, District Football, District Netball, District Soccer, District Basketball, Hoop time. All students from designated classes participate SRC Meetings, Grade 5 Camp, Year 6 Camp, Buddies, Assemblies, Interschool Sport, School Concert. Year 4-6 Swimming Carnival, District Athletics, School Sports Page 22
Optional activities organised by external Tennis Lessons Yr 3-6, Keyboard Lessons. Special celebrations Celebrations of Learning, Whitehorse Schools Anzac Ceremony, Book Week Celebrations, Italian Pen Pals Day, Italian Day, Literacy and Numeracy Week Page 23
Leadership & Management St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill Staff Attendance The average attendance rate per staff member is Teaching Staff: 86.76% Non-teaching staff: 91.27% All staff: 87.9% Staff members on any type of leave during the year have been counted as not being in attendance during that leave. Staff Retention The proportion of teaching staff retained in a program year from the previous year is 77.78% Teacher Qualifications Level This School Degree - Masters 17.24% Diploma - Graduate 20.69% Certificate - Graduate 6.9% Degree - Bachelor 72.41% Diploma - Advanced 34.48% Page 24
Expenditure & Teacher Participation in Professional Learning The expenditure on Professional Learning: Total: $11, 107 Average per full time teacher: $427 All teachers took part in an extensive program of professional learning planned around the annual improvement priorities of: 1. Education in Faith Encouraging responsibility for God s Creation by becoming more aware of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, in particular working towards ensuring environmental sustainability, by implementing the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI Vic) in conjunction with the City of Whitehorse http://www.melbmercy.org.au/socialjustice/default.cfm?loadref=3 2. Student Wellbeing Developing Social Competencies and personal learning in students through the implementation of the Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) Framework (CEOM 2009) and through sustaining a Restorative Practice Approach to student management 3. Learning & Teaching Whole School Pedagogy Raising standards of teaching, particularly in Literacy and Numeracy, by promoting and sustaining high quality differentiated teaching and developing an understanding of a contemporary approach through implementing Leadership for Contemporary Learning (LfCL) Page 25
Financial Performance St Francis Xavier s School Box Hill REPORTING FRAMEWORK MODIFIED CASH $ Recurrent income Tuition School fees 226,181 Other fee income 147,000 Private income 65,277 State government recurrent grants 528,573 Australian government recurrent grants 1,826,918 Total recurrent income 2,793,949 Recurrent Expenditure Tuition Salaries; allowances and related expenses 2,031,362 Non salary expenses 462073 Total recurrent expenditure 2,493,435 Capital income and expenditure Tuition Government capital grants 1,516,434 Capital fees and levies 192,744 Other capital income 32,260 Total capital income 1,741,438 Total capital expenditure 1,662,261 Loans (includes refundable enrolment deposits and recurrent, capital and bridging loans) Total opening balance 2,125,533 Total closing balance 1,942,542 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. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) is in the process of reviewing the Financial Questionnaire (FQ) during 2010 that may ultimately change the method of reporting these exclusions. This VRQA template is not comparable to the ACARA school-level income reporting requirements which are to be reported on the MySchool website later this year. 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. Page 26