IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2017

IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2017

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MISSION AND VISION St Joseph s School is a Catholic co-educational day and boarding school in the tradition of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and St Joseph, where faith, hope and love are hallmarks of learning and pastoral care. St Joseph s School provides quality learning programs for students from Reception to Year 12, welcoming families from all faith backgrounds and cultures. St Joseph s School endeavours to be a community that engages learners in a safe, ordered and caring environment, inviting students and families into a deeper understanding and relationship with God and the Church. Vision Statement St Joseph s School is a holistic, nurturing Catholic school living the Josephite tradition of justice, compassion and hospitality, igniting a love of learning. are challenged to excel and become confident, respectful contributors to global society. Values The School s motto In all things love, reflects the values and teachings at the heart of the Gospel. Our vision is lived out through the core values of faith, hope, love for self and others, and respect for property and the environment. CONTEXT St Joseph's School is a Reception to Year 12 co-educational regional Catholic school that was established in 1874 by the Sisters of St Joseph and conducted in the spirit of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. The school provides a Catholic Christian education to families throughout Eyre Peninsula. There has been a long tradition of Boarding at St Joseph's, and new state of the art coeducational boarding facilities with capacity for 38 boarders from Year 8 upwards were opened in 2017. This enables families in the more remote parts of Eyre Peninsula and beyond to access a quality Secondary education while still being close enough for students to participate in their local communities. The school has approximately 710 students across the Primary (R-6), Middle (7-9) and Senior (10-12) Years. The school acknowledges the dignity and uniqueness of each student and aims to provide all-round development in the intellectual, social, cultural, spiritual, moral and physical dimensions. Local, national and international charities and organisations are supported each year by the fundraising efforts of the students. Local organisations such as St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army and Fred's Van are supported through Community Outreach and Social Justice activities by students each year. also participate in Spiritual Retreats. These Retreats help prepare students for Sacraments, or develop their relationships with each other and God. Liturgical celebrations occur at the beginning and end of the school year as well as throughout the year to commemorate our feast days. The school is well equipped with specialist facilities including a Gym, Performing Arts Centre for Music and Drama, Design and Technology Centre, Science Labs, Visual Arts facilities and Food and Hospitality areas. Our Resource Centre has become the hub for our ICT expansion and this upgrade provides greater access for all students in the school through both cabled and wireless network connections. A Bring Your Own Device Program is being introduced gradually, with students in Years 8-10 using their own laptops for learning. 2

In the Junior Primary years, students are nurtured in a caring but challenging environment. Key Literacy and STEM teachers work closely with classroom teachers to support students in early intervention programmes as well as supporting staff to ensure that students are challenged to achieve their potential in all aspects of the curriculum. Music, Japanese language and Physical Education are taught by specialist teachers in the Primary years. In Years 7 and 8, both facilities and programs reflect the needs of students in the middle years of schooling. Beat Dyslexia, Quick-Smart Maths and fine and gross motor skills programs are run by Student Support staff for those students needing extra 1:1 assistance to optimise their learning. The Learning Assistance Program (LAP) is active within the school and provides opportunities for members of our community, as well as our Year 12 students to volunteer and work with students in the Primary years who require additional support. Seasons for Growth is conducted in the school to assist students to cope with loss which has occurred in their life. There is a School Counsellor on staff. The school has both a Primary and Secondary Athletics carnival and students have opportunities to participate in interschool competitions in athletics and a variety of other sports. The school, in partnership with the local Yacht Club, has been very successful in school team sailing over many years. The Sailing Team has represented Australia in the Inter-dominion Competition against New Zealand in recent years, winning the school title in both 2011 and 2013. have been successful in winning the prestigious Australian Teams Racing Championship. The school has a strong instrumental music program which includes both a stage and concert band. involved in these two bands have opportunities to perform at functions within both the school and local community. A major School Musical is performed every two years and is well supported and regarded within the local community. Each year students from Years 7 to 12 participate in a Camp Program. Opportunities to engage in bushwalking and outdoor education experiences, a visit to Canberra and overnight spiritual retreats are enjoyed by our students. In all year levels, the Student Representative Council is very active and time is invested into developing student leadership skills, especially for our senior students. The school enjoys a reputation for providing an excellent academic education and many students undertake further study at University or TAFE. Other teaching programs with Vocational Education and Training pathways, including Construction courses in our new St Joseph the Worker Trades Skills Centre, are tailored to students seeking trade and industry qualifications. 3

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BENCHMARK DATA SCHOOL PROFILE DATA Enrolments over recent years have been relatively stable in the low 700s. Port Lincoln has a total population of around 15,000 and a challenge for St Joseph s School is to maintain enrolments in an environment where there is choice for parents in both primary, secondary and R-12 education. Whilst Year 7 students are still federally funded as primary students, at St Joseph s School they are internally resourced and taught as secondary students in a middle school structure, resulting in a 50/50 split between primary and secondary. The full time equivalent staffing is approximately 51, comprising 57 teaching staff. Approximately 1% of the student cohort is indigenous and less than 1% have a language background other than English. Approximately 3.5% of the student cohort is funded for a disability or learning difficulty, although many more students are supported for learning difficulties that do not attract additional funding, such as dyslexia. Approximately 12% of families access School Card and a range of other fee remissions are granted to support lowincome families. GOVERNANCE A Board, comprising the local Parish Priest as its President and a parent as the Chairperson, governs St Joseph s School. Other parents, staff and parish representatives all form the Board. One of the goals of this Strategic Plan is to form and sustain sub committees for Finance, Strategic Planning and Community Relations, to support the work of the Board and contribute to the growth of the school. The Principal is appointed by the Bishop of Port Pirie and the Director of Catholic Education in the Port Pirie Diocese. SCHOOL PERCEPTION DATA School perception data was collected towards the end of 2016 through student, parent and staff surveys. The school is consistently described as a happy, caring and friendly learning environment where students are encouraged and supported to achieve their best. The community acknowledges ongoing improvements to teaching and learning facilities, with the latest developments being the opening of a state of the art new boarding facility and a refurbished General Purpose room for larger gatherings. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA Indicators of student achievement include Early Years Assessment, NAPLAN and SACE, but these scores form only part of the assessment of learning data collected by teachers and used to inform learning programs. A higher than average percentage of students achieve their SACE through a variety of learning pathways and the school continues to strive for 100% pass rate. 5

The following NAPLAN and SACE data are included as benchmark data in order to measure and evaluate goals and achievements in the Strategic Plan. 2016 SPELLING GRAMMAR & WRITING READING NUMERACY PUNCTUATION Year 3 94% 100% 100% 96% 98% Year 5 98% 100% 100% 98% 98% Year 7 100% 98% 98% 100% 100% Year 9 95% 95% 95% 98% 100% School Score and Deviation Year 3 2016 2016 Aspect All All Male Male Female Reading 390.2 65.6 398.5 70.6 383.6 61.9 Writing 407.7 37.6 402.8 32.8 411.6 41.2 Spelling 397.9 69.8 412.1 73.4 386.5 66.0 Punctuation & Grammar 400.9 64.3 404.3 71.3 398.2 59.4 Numeracy 372.4 61.4 386.0 62.3 362.3 59.9 Female School Score and Deviation Year 5 2016 2016 Aspect All All Male Male Female Reading 489.9 61,2 484.2 61.4 495.5 61.8 Writing 472.8 44.2 456.1 47.8 488.9 34.1 Spelling 495.7 57.2 483.6 64.0 507.2 48.1 Punctuation & Grammar 500.1 57.8 490.8 51.5 509.0 63.0 Numeracy 490.2 57.7 502.4 60.0 478.5 53.9 Female School Score and Deviation Year 7 2016 2016 Aspect All All Male Male Female Reading 533.5 51.7 528.1 44.6 539.0 58.5 Writing 517.8 50.9 504.0 45.6 531.5 53.1 Spelling 547.0 43.2 548.5 47.4 545.6 39.7 Punctuation & Grammar 532.8 57.4 531.3 45.3 534.2 68.5 Numeracy 550.8 47.4 550.1 35.9 551.5 57.9 Female 6

School Score and Deviation Year 9 2016 2016 Aspect All All Male Male Female Reading 589.2 55.1 578.6 55.1 600.1 53.8 Writing 559.4 76.6 530.5 72.8 591.3 68.5 Spelling 580.6 61.9 551.2 51.7 611.9 56.9 Punctuation & Grammar 571.5 65.5 547.3 45.2 597.3 74.2 Numeracy 592.9 46.7 586.6 45.8 599.8 47.4 Female Comparative Analysis of Year 12 Results - Data extracted from Schools Data for 2014, 2015, and 2016 A GRADE RESULTS SACE STAGE 2 2014 2015 2016 St Joseph s School 17.34% 28.2% 21.40% A and B GRADE RESULTS STAGE 2 2014 2015 2016 St Joseph s School 73.67% 78% 71.9% GRADE DISTRIBUTION 2016 A B C D E St Joseph s School 21.40% 50.5% 26.08% 1.67% 0.33% 7

DOMAIN 1: CATHOLIC IDENTITY This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school in expressing and witnessing our Catholic identity by bringing faith, life and culture together into a coherent synthesis. At the heart of the Catholic faith and our vision and mission as a Catholic School in the tradition of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and St Joseph, is the experience of God who is love. This underpins teaching, learning and pastoral care at St Joseph s School and is reflected in a commitment to strong partnership with the parish community, high quality Religious Education and fostering of social justice and ecological sustainability. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Grow involvement in Youth Masses. Trial of a new position: Ecology and Sustainability Learning Leader. Further develop faith formation opportunities for students and staff. Develop opportunities to bridge generations through initiatives inviting parishioners into school. DOMAIN 2: FOCUSED VISION AND GOALS This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school in establishing a shared vision of Catholic education that focuses on an educational environment that resonates with students and their families both culturally and deeply. St Joseph s School is committed to gathering community feedback to inform strategic development. We seek to be futures oriented and responsive to the changing needs of the community and provision of schooling over time. A strategic plan that is in alignment with system priorities and government initiatives will inform the development of an annual School Improvement Plan and processes to evaluate achievement of annual goals. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Use data from School Satisfaction Surveys to inform vision and goals. Facilitate parent and community meetings on targeted questions and issues. Consolidate implementation of the sub-committees of the School Board. 8

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DOMAIN 3: STRONG LEADERSHIP This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school in leading purposefully for sustained, high quality, student-centred school performance and a culture of practice of continuous improvement. St Joseph s School is committed to building leadership for learning and wellbeing. Effective leadership influences people to accomplish the mission, inspiring commitment to improvement and innovation. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Provide support for leadership growth and develop a structure and philosophy of distributed leadership. Work collaboratively with PORs to develop a Leadership Charter. Further develop opportunities for Student Leadership across the school. DOMAIN 4: HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF ALL This domain addresses our Catholic school s deep belief that every student is capable of successful learning and that all staff and families have a shared responsibility for the learning and success of all students within a culture of continuous improvement. St Joseph s School is committed to a culture of high expectations, believing that everyone has the capacity to embrace opportunities for growth and development. and staff are supported in the maintenance of high standards and the pursuit of personal excellence. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Consolidate consistent and explicit expectations of learners and an effective learning environment. Develop a broader range of pathways for students to achieve success in their learning. All staff to develop action plans and engage in professional learning and performance reviews. 10

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DOMAIN 5: HIGH QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school in providing high quality teaching and learning through the design, implementation and delivery of contemporary and engaging curriculum and educational practices. St Joseph s School is committed to high quality teaching and learning through inquiry and evidence-based practice. The curriculum is developed to be both developmentally appropriate and challenging and teachers design and evaluate learning intentions and outcomes based on research, achievement data and feedback. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Increase focus on the Australian s for Teachers to inform effective teaching practice. Develop and trial procedures for peer observation and feedback to inform professional growth. Explore and develop flexible learning opportunities in the Senior Years. Develop a shared language or learning across the whole school community of students, staff and parents. DOMAIN 6: EFFECTIVE USE OF DATA This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school in gathering and interpreting data to identify strengths, challenges, trends, and patterns to assist in improving student outcomes and overall school performance. Whilst recognising the uniqueness of our school and community context, St Joseph s School is committed to analysing local data and feedback, and comparative state and benchmarking national data to inform continuous improvement. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Senior Years Learning Leader and secondary teachers to focus on effective use of learning data and professional development to inform SACE improvement. Analysis of a wide range of learning data to inform effective teaching and learning strategies. Participation in Curtin University and CESA Project on School Climate and Organisation. 12

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DOMAIN 7: ORDERLY AND SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school in creating a safe, respectful, tolerant and inclusive learning environment that is centred on the values of love, compassion, justice, reconciliation and hope, thus supporting and encouraging successful learning for all students. St Joseph s School is committed to wellbeing for learning, knowing that when students feel safe, included and supported, the conditions for learning are enhanced. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Continue work on MindMatters and KidsMatters to support wellbeing. Engage in relevant professional learning to enhance provision for wellbeing e.g. Seasons of Growth Program. Revise the school s Behaviour Management and Personal Responsibility Policy to promote a Restorative Practices philosophy and practice. Increase the allocation of time for the School Counsellor and expand the role to provide information to families in addition to support for students. DOMAIN 8: STRONG HOME, SCHOOL, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school in engaging with our families, parish and community in its mission to be a dynamic faith community. St Joseph s School is committed to developing and maintaining a strong partnership with families by fostering a culture of welcome, inclusion and shared responsibility for student wellbeing and learning. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Enhance Parent Teacher interviews through 3 way conferences involving students. Invite parents into Conversation Hour with the Principal with sessions having a particular focus and purpose. Expand the implementation of SEQTA with trial access for students and parents in targeted classes and year levels. Continue with the work of the Community Relations Committee and development of Positive Partnership Practices Guidelines. Become a Learning Hub for workshops and professional learning opportunities for teachers and parents across the Eyre Peninsula. 14

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DOMAIN 9: EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION AND RESOURCING This domain addresses the effectiveness of our Catholic school to administer the school s human and physical resources, finances and infrastructure equitably to maximise student outcomes. St Joseph s School is committed to effective stewardship of resources, and to identifying areas for development to meet the needs of the school community. SPECIFIC ACTIONS Complete refurbishment of the General Purpose room with the canopy to extend the learning space. Develop an outdoor learning/social gathering space adjacent to the St Joseph the Worker Trade Skills Centre. Update the School Master Plan. Enhance stewardship of resources and environmental sustainability through rainwater feed into the Boarding House. Update school policies. 16

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