St Vincent de Paul Primary Strathmore REGISTERED SCHOOL NUMBER: 1422 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Contents Our School Vision... 2 School Overview... 3 Principal s Report... 4 Parish Priest s Report... 6 School Education Board Report... 7 Education in Faith... 8 Learning & Teaching... 10 Student Wellbeing... 11 Leadership & Management... 13 School Community... 15 Financial Performance... 16 Future Directions... 17 Contact Details ADDRESS 92 114 Woodland St Strathmore 3041 PRINCIPAL John Grant PARISH PRIEST Fr Peter Ray SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR Mr Peter Overton TELEPHONE (03) 93795723 EMAIL principal@svstrathmore.catholic.edu.au WEBSITE www svstrathmore.catholic.edu.au 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 1
Our School Vision 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 2
School Overview Strathmore is located in the North-Western suburbs about 12 km from central Melbourne. It is an area well served by public transport and is adjacent to the Tullamarine Freeway. It is primarily a residential zone with little or no secondary industry. The majority of families attending the school are employed in clerical, sales and service workers, professionals and associate professionals with an associated high level of socio-economic status. This is reflected in the high collection rate of school fees (100%) and the low number of families receiving EMA (5%). Catholic families make up the overwhelming majority of the school population with the average percentage of Prep students over the past 5 years being 99%. The families are very involved in activities within the school and new parents often comment on how social the school environment is with well organised activities. Consequently, many of the fund raising activities organized by the Parent Association are well supported. The money raised by the Parents Association, together with school levies, make up the bulk of the private income per student figure for the school. St Vincent de Paul Primary School was one of the first schools to be chosen to participate in the new Catholic Education Review process entitled School Improvement Framework. The Framework focused on five key areas of schooling vital to the provision of an optimum learning environment within a Catholic School; Education in Faith, Learning and Teaching, Student Wellbeing, Leadership and Management and School Community. The framework develops outcomes and goals for each sphere and is implemented over a four year period (2006 2010). During 2010 the school will engage in a Review process that sets the directions for (2010 2014). In 2012 St Vincent de Paul Primary School was involved in many educational initiatives and projects. These catalysts for change have encouraged the school community to review and renew its Vision, Learning and Teaching practices, curriculum focus and resources, creating a positive and supportive learning culture with a greater sense of purpose and focus on student learning. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 3
Principal s Report As we draw close to the end of the school year and reflect on the past twelve months it is rewarding to look back at what has been achieved by our school community. St Vincent de Paul Primary School continues to be a very dynamic and active learning community that is constantly seeking to improve the quality of the education being provided to the children in our care. Each member of staff has worked tirelessly throughout the year to broaden their knowledge and experiences, constantly engaging in onsite as well as offsite professional development, a strong student focus at Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) and staff meetings that form an important basis for teacher development. Teachers have continued to expand their knowledge of good teaching practice and incorporate this into their daily work. During 2012 the work commenced last year with Instructional Rounds has continued to be refined and developed to meet the needs of the teachers. This ongoing professional development is designed to enhance our understandings of good teaching practice in action. Instructional Rounds provided a formal process to visit classrooms and share the good teaching practices that already exist within our school, it also allowed us the opportunity to develop theories of practice that have been used as the lens to unpack our day to day work in the hope of improving the teaching and learning being provided to our students. This year the school was fortunate to receive a grant for $42500 via the Empowering Local Schools Initiative from the Commonwealth Government to support the work being undertaken with Instructional Round in 2012 / 13. The catholic ethos of our school is constantly drawn into focus through prayer and reflection, and the whole school participated in the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation truly displaying with each other the Gospel Values taught at St Vincent de Paul Primary School. Our partnership work through the St Columbans Mission Society has grown in strength this year through the work of our social justice leaders and the building of a greater awareness of the work of the Columban s. At the end of term 3 the students were able to hand over a cheque for $5800 to the Columban s to support the work being done in Malate (Philippines), this had been raised by conducting a mission fete and disco. It is hoped that this partnership will provide an ongoing connection for our school and parish community with the aim of sharing a greater awareness and understanding of the needs of people in other communities beyond our shores. The relationship we build through this partnership is based on support, cooperation and mutual respect. Throughout the year our children have been participating in a wide range of exciting and stimulating activities thanks to the generous support of staff and parents who give willingly of their time and talents. A quick glance back at the diary shows the many opportunities given to children in each year level to display and present their learning. The school Concert in September was a major focus for all year levels and proved to be a highlight for our school community. The cooperation, support and commitment shown by everyone that contributed was outstanding and something to be very proud of. The achievements of our children on the sporting fields throughout the year continue to promote the high standards we have come to expect with both behaviour and skills. Assemblies each fortnight and the constant range of displays throughout the building highlight the wonderful work being undertaken every day. St Vincent de Paul s will farewell two teaching staff at the end of the year as they move in new directions for 2013, Helen Bertuna is taking a break away from teaching and exploring new horizons, Julie McGeown returning to additional study in 2013. We wish them well in their new endeavours and thank them sincerely for the many years of service provided to our school. We extend a warm welcome in 2013 to Antionette Kodaih and Holly Blumfield who join our teaching staff next year. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 4
Our parents have continued to provide wonderful support to the school through a wide range of activities and involvements. We are truly fortunate to have a strong committed parent body that work tirelessly to help make the school the best possible environment for all children. The Advisory Board, Parents Association and Sub Committees along with daily classroom helpers are just a few of the many ways we continue to receive parent assistance. The value and importance of this great support should never be under estimated as we can truly see the positive benefits in the attitudes of the children in our care. Major events such as the Fete are prime examples of what can be achieved when the whole community come together to work for a common purpose, I would like to congratulate and thank everyone that has given so freely of their time to make this event possible. Each year the demands and expectations on staff grow as the task of providing a quality education becomes more and more complex, I would like to thank our staff for the professional manner in which they accept these challenges that are placed on them. The many hours spent outside the normal requirements of each day preparing, training and organising to unsure the best is made available to our children is often unseen but greatly appreciated. Yours sincerely John Grant Principal 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 5
Parish Priest s Report AGM PARISH EDUCATION BOARD 2012 Parish Priest Report This year we have introduced a updated Constitution and now the Board has the title of St Vincent de Paul Parish Education Board. This change of name and some of the clauses, is in keeping with the educational aspect of the whole Parish and thus allows us to take responsibility for all aspects of the education within our Parish. Part of the new Constitution calls for three members appointed by the School community and three appointed by the Parish Priest as his representatives. During the past year the contribution of the Parish Education Board Members have assisted in many aspects of our School as outlined in the other reports. For these I am most grateful, for each has contributed in a positive way to the overall strength and growth of each one of us. The Parish Pastoral Review during the year has meet with members of the community under the guidance of Peter Whiting. The process has taken longer than I first thought, yet I m sure that the outcomes will invite each one of us to grow our community into the future. The final report should be tabled before the end of the year, with the Committee meeting next Tuesday evening to finalise the outcomes from Peter s Report. It will invite each one of us to take part in our future. The preparation and reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation within our Parish for the children within our School and children from other Schools have been celebrated in a positive way. We pray that they will continue to reflect upon the gifts that they have received and may we always be an encouraging example to them, by the way we express of faith in our God. Owing to the growth within our community, with younger families moving in, we have expanded our Prep intake for 2013 to three streams. To achieve this we will be undertaking a building program to provided two extra classrooms. The construction and building of these will commence in the new year. I am most appreciative of the wonderful and dedicated staff of our School in providing an enlightening and challenging education for our children. Without their commitment we would not be able to see the growth and development of your children each year. Likewise I am always most grateful for the dedication and commitment of John Grant for his enthusiastic support of us all as Principal. I personally offer my heartfelt appreciation for his constant attentiveness to every aspect of his responsibilities and the support he offers to me. May each one of us continue to give generously of ourselves for the children entrusted to our care, whether one be a parent, teacher, staff or parish priest. Fr Peter Ray Parish Priest 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 6
School Education Board Parish Education Board 2013 Ex-Officio Parent Representatives Parish Nominees Sub-committee Reps Fr Peter Ray Shane Thompson 2012/13 Carlo Galati 2012/13 Parent s Association TBA John Grant Kerrie McNicol Peter Overton Hall 2012/13 2013/14 Catherine Cook Shane Byrne Karen Doody James Montgomery Maintenance 2013/14 2013/2014 Steve July (3 members) (3 members) (3 members) Family Support Group Michele O Brien 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 7
Education in Faith Goals & Intended Outcomes To strengthen the Catholic Culture at St Vincent de Paul. That greater value on the school s Catholic identity is evident across all staff, parents and students. Achievements Our school aims to promote the Catholicity of the school targeting a greater awareness of the Gospel values, guiding and informing actions and building more effective communication links between school, home and the wider parish community. We have sort to do this through a range of activities and opportunities that place our catholic identity at the centre of our purpose. VALUE ADDED Whole School Masses including Commissioning Mass for opening of the school year, Ash Wednesday Mass, St Vincent de Paul Day Mass and Thanks Giving Mass for the end of the year. Year level Masses held on a rotating weekly basis Year Level Family Masses held on weekends throughout the year Sacramental Evenings for Parents Sacramental Programs and Celebrations including the Sacraments of Penance [Reconciliation], First Communion [Eucharist] and Confirmation. Commitment Masses for Sacrament Candidates and their Families held on weekends during the Sacramental Program Retreat Day for Confirmation candidates Mission Partnership with the St Columban s Mission Society [ who are based opposite our school] Mission Fete - fundraising stalls and activities run by all year levels for the Mission Partnership In-service Faith Day facilitated by Joe Flemming 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 8
2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 9
Learning & Teaching Goals & Intended Outcomes To develop the learning culture within the school community. That overall student outcomes in numeracy be improved. That overall student outcomes in literacy be improved particularly in the areas of spelling and comprehension. That assessment practices support the learning of all students, especially in Religious Education. Achievements Implementation of a model of personalised learning (The Walker Learning Approach) Introduction of more student focused units of work Consolidation of using data to inform teaching and learning Introduction and implementation of a model of professional development which utilises expertise of teachers Positive changes have been achieved in the percentage of students reaching National Benchmark levels in both year 3 and year 5. PROPORTION OF STUDENTS MEETING THE MINIMUM STANDARDS IN YEARS 3 & 5 NAPLAN TESTS 2010 2011 2010 2011 changes 2012 2011 2012 changes YEAR 3 READING 96.6 % 98.2% 1.6 + % 100% + 1.8 % YEAR 3 WRITING 100% 100% 0 % 100% 0 % YEAR 3 SPELLING 100% 100% 0 % 100% 0 % YEAR 3 GRAMMAR & PUNCTUATION 100% 100% 0 % 100% 0 % YEAR 3 NUMERACY 98.2% 96.4% -1.8% 98.1% +1.7 % YEAR 5 READING 98.1% 94.4% -3.7% 98.2% +3.8 % YEAR 5 WRITING 96.4% 96.3% -.1% 98.2% +1.9 % YEAR 5 SPELLING 98.2% 96.3% -1.9% 100% +3.7 % YEAR 5 GRAMMAR & PUNCTUATION 92.7% 96.3% +3.6% 98.2% +1.9 % YEAR 5 NUMERACY 96.2% 100% +3.8% 98.2% -1.8 % 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 10
Student Wellbeing Goals & Intended Outcomes To strengthen the school community so that students feel safe, challenged and are resilient. That students are engaged, resilient and connected to school. Achievements During 2012 staff have continued to work on establishing a shared approach to the consistent management of student behaviour in an out of the classroom. This development forms the foundation for additional work moving into next year. Building and strengthening Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for all students has also been an area of priority throughout this year as we have identified the need to strengthen and imbed this focus across all aspects of school life. Work with our buddies across the school levels has targeted SEL. AVERAGE STUDENT ATTENDANCE RATE BY YEAR LEVEL % Year 1 95.9 Year 2 96.23 Year 3 95.8 Year 4 95.83 Year 5 96.4 Year 6 97.54 Overall average attendance 96 The school has a strong attendance record with very few issues in this area. Any nonattendance problems are managed by the class teacher in consultation with a member of the leadership team who will work directly with the family of the student to assist in any way that may be required. A proactive approach is used with all staff instructed to contact families when any regular or extended nonattendance is identified. VALUE ADDED You Can Do It cross age groupings and fortnightly sessions. Staff training and development in SEL. Student welfare coordinators role. The introduction of a Student Counsellor one day per week from Catholic Family Services.. St Vincent de Paul Day activities with a focus on social justice. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 11
STUDENT SATISFACTION 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 12
Leadership & Management Goals & Intended Outcomes To embed a culture of learning, performance and development. That staff members feel valued, empowered and recognised in their professional practice. Achievements During 2012 the work commenced last year with Instructional Rounds has continued to be refined and developed to meet the needs of the teachers. This ongoing professional development is designed to enhance our understandings of good teaching practice in action. Instructional Rounds provided a formal process to visit classrooms and share the good teaching practices that already exist within our school, it also allowed us the opportunity to develop theories of practice that have been used as the lens to unpack our day to day work in the hope of improving the teaching and learning being provided to our students. This year the school was fortunate to receive a grant for $42500 via the Empowering Local Schools Initiative from the Commonwealth Government to support the work being undertaken with Instructional Round in 2012 / 13. During 2012 $9400 was expended on this project. TEACHING STAFF ATTENDANCE RATE 85.04 % STAFF RETENTION RATE 85.19 % TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS DOCTORATE 0 % MASTERS 7.41 % GRADUATE 22.22 % CERTIFICATE GRADUATE 0 % DEGREE BACHELOR 62.96 % DIPLOMA ADVANCED 37.04 % NO QUALIFICATIONS LISTED 11.11 % 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 13
EXPENDITURE AND TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DESCRIPTION OF PL UNDERTAKEN IN 2012 Deb Sukarna Literacy PD / Kathy Walker Developmental Learning / Instructional Rounds Chris Egan Joe Flemming RE focus on scripture / Weekly PLTs and Staff meetings on curriculum focus areas / Philip Holmes Smith data analysis / OHS Martin Tennant NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN PL 32 AVERAGE EXPENDITURE PER TEACHER FOR PL $980 STAFF COMPOSITION PRINCIPAL CLASS 2 TEACHING STAFF (HEAD COUNT) 29 FTE TEACHING STAFF 22.9 NON-TEACHING STAFF (HEAD COUNT) 10 FTE NON-TEACHING STAFF 4.78 INDIGENOUS TEACHING STAFF 0 TEACHER SATISFACTION 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 14
School Community Goals & Intended Outcomes To strengthen and support a shared community culture between the school, parents and parish. That the range of opportunities for parental involvement is increased and communication between school and home is improved. Achievements Continue to develop relevant and authentic connections within the school and the wider community. Visits by classes and school choir to VivaCare [formerly Lionsville] Aged Facility in Moreland St Vincent de Paul Day with activities supported by Parents Association Social Justice [students] Group who help plan, promote and run some of the fundraising programs Staff P.D including allocated Professional Learning and Teaching sessions Engagement and representation with the Parish Pastoral Review conducted in 2012. Chris Daicos information session. PARENT SATISFACTION 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 15
Financial Performance REPORTING FRAMEWORK Recurrent income MODIFIED CASH $ Tuition School fees 171440 Other fee income 163479 Private income 61726 State government recurrent grants 697852 Australian government recurrent grants 2054709 Total recurrent income 3,149,207 Recurrent Expenditure Tuition Salaries; allowances and related expenses 2,376,888 Non salary expenses 472809 Total recurrent expenditure 2,849,697 Capital income and expenditure Tuition Government capital grants Capital fees and levies 240736 Other capital income 11348 Total capital income 252084 Total capital expenditure 178388 Loans (includes refundable enrolment deposits and recurrent, capital and bridging loans) Total opening balance 366000 Total closing balance 309000 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. This VRQA template is not comparable to the ACARA school-level income reporting requirements which are to be reported on the MySchool website. 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. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 16
Future Directions EDUCATION IN FAITH Use school communication vehicles to make explicit the purpose of social justice actions. E.g. newsletter reports. Review the structure of the parent Sacramental information nights. LEARNING AND TEACHING Develop the planning and implementation of rich assessment tasks to address individual needs and guide purposeful teaching. Provide targeted intervention for students in numeracy. Develop the planning and implementation of rich assessment tasks to address individual needs and guide purposeful teaching. Encourage teachers to embrace student surveys and take action on them. STUDENT WELLBEING Review behaviour management policy Investigate and implement ways of embedding You Can Do It within Circle Time. Student Voice in behaviour management. Student Wellbeing Day link to YCDI keys to success. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Ensure that staff members have a clear understanding of what the school goals are so that there is collective ownership for school improvement. Continue the Instructional Rounds process after seeking staff feedback. Explore what effective feedback is, where it is derived and who provides it. SCHOOL COMMUNITY To build on the use of the school web site and other electronic communication tools. To engage in the Parish Pastoral Review process. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 17