2016 Crookwell High School Annual Report...awards andresulting positive recognition The number of students receiving merit awards, and subsequent recognition on school assemblies,€increased€by

Crookwell High SchoolAnnual Report

2016

8452

Printed on: 4 May, 2017Page 1 of 27 Crookwell High School 8452 (2016)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2016 is provided to the community of Crookwell High School as an account of the school'soperations and achievements throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Brian Hudson

Principal

School contact details

Crookwell High SchoolCrown StreetCrookwell, 2583www.crookwell-h.schools.nsw.edu.aucrookwell-h.School@det.nsw.edu.au4832 1421


School background

School vision statement

At Crookwell High School, we believe that by working in partnership within and beyond the school in a strategic,enthusiastic and purposeful way, we will inspire the development of confident, creative, innovative critical thinkers andproblem solvers.

We aim to develop engaged learners, leaders and responsible and productive citizens. Our legacy will be building thecapacity of our community for a better future.

School context

Crookwell High School (245 students) is a co– educational, comprehensive high school located in the SouthernTablelands. 4% of the school’s enrolment are Aboriginal Students.

A diverse curriculum offers students a wide range of experiences in classrooms and in the surrounding community.Courses of study are available in the senior school through Distance Education, ensuring that the widest curriculumoffering is available to students.

There is a strong focus on initiatives to improve whole school literacy, numeracy and the use of technology within thelearning environment. The school maintains a strong rural identity within an active and supportive community and has astrong tradition of student participation and success.

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

For all schools (except those participating in external validation processes):

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

Learning

In the domain of learning the school continued to promote positive and respectful relationships across the schoolcommunity and this underpinned a productive learning environment, and supporting students’ development of strongidentities as learners.

The Wellbeing team has responsibility for the monitoring and development of whole school welfare and wellbeingprograms, consistent with The Wellbeing Framework for Schools. The school consistently implements a whole schoolapproach to wellbeing, has clearly defined behavioural expectations and creates a positive teaching and learningenvironment. In 2016 the Wellbeing team conducted a review of the Student Wellbeing and Discipline systems. Thisresulted in a new Student WellbeingPolicy, including revised procedures and protocols for both behaviourmanagementand student awards and rewards. Attendance rates continued to be regularly monitored and action taken promptly toaddress attendance issues with individual students.

Our successful transition program for Year 6 students ensures that students are self – aware, build positive relationshipsand are able to contribute actively to the school from the time that they arrive in Year 7. Student groups in the school,such as the SRC and INTERACT,have had as their focus activities that promote respect, tolerance and inclusion. Theschool encourages students to recognise and respect cultural identity and diversity.

Whole school curriculum and leadership programs offered to students in 2016 included the peer tutoring program,assisting students to improve their literacy skills, the iSNIP program assisting students to improve numeracy skills, theSTEAM RAGE program, Tournamentof the Minds and the Curriculum Enrichment program. Significant extra – curricularlearning opportunities supported student development throughout the year. These included sporting and creative artsactivities, Music Showcase, GCOPS concerts, debating, mock trials, excursions, National Young Leaders Day, Year


camps, leadership training days and the Japanese Festival week.

A more focused approach to individual learning continued to be a priority and saw the development of Individual LearningPlans for students with identified learning needs and the use of MGoals to identify and chart the progress of Aboriginalstudents.

Teaching

In the domain of teaching the school focused on ensuring consistency in behaviour management across classrooms andon ensuring engaging lessons, meeting the needs of all students. Through data analysis teachers plan effectively forstudent learning, making appropriate adjustments to teaching and learning to target particular areas of need and allow for the specific learning needs of individual students.

Executive, staff, faculty, team and other meetings are used to review the curriculum and to revise teaching & learningprograms.

Each year group has a published assessment schedule and assessment tasks identify gaps in learning that areaddressed in subsequent lessons. Assessment instruments are used regularly to help monitor student learning progressand to identify skill gaps for improvement.

Teachers provide explicit, specific and timely formative feedback to students on how to improve. Specific feedbackrelating to HSC outcomes is provided using a matrix linking task, outcomes and results. Teachers demonstrate specificexamples from exemplar tasks (work samples) provided by NESA.

The school’s focus on developing collaborative practice and strengthening teacher networks continued. Teacherscollaborate within and across stages and faculties to ensure consistency of curriculum delivery, including strategies fordifferentiation and consistency of teacher judgement. The school’s strong links with Goulburn HS, Mulwaree HS, YoungHS, Yass HS and Boorowa Central School were maintained and combined School Development and professionallearning activities held.

Priority teams in the areas of literacy, numeracy, gifted & talented, technology and community engagement consolidatedtheir work, developing whole school strategies and across faculty programs to improve student learning outcomes.

Leading

In the domain of leading the school’s focus has been to further improve and refine leadership and management practicesand processes. The successful implementation of our key strategic directions in 2016 was due to a strong foundation ofleadership capacity building across the school. The leadership team led a number of initiatives and they are outlined inthis report.

Teaching staff led, and participated in professional learning targeted to the school priorities and their professional needs,as identified in their Performance & Development Plans. Beginning and early career teachers were provided withtargeted support in areas of identified need.

The school has provided opportunities for students and the community to provide constructive feedback on schoolpractices and procedures and school performance. The adoption of the Tell Them From Me online survey assisted theschool to capture the views of students, parents and staff.

The school maintained productive relationships with external agencies and organisations, both within Crookwell andbeyond. The school continued its partnerships with Southern Youth and Family Services and with Capital CountryIndustry Education to deliver two successful Links to Learning programs designed to assist students remain engaged, orto re – engage, with their learning.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School Plan, leading to furtherimprovements in the delivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about–the–department/our–reforms/school–excellence–framework


Strategic Direction 1

Continue to develop whole school practices which enable all students to be highly engaged in the broad educationalopportunities available

Purpose

To ensure that students have the knowledge, skills, values, capacity and motivation for success as citizens within ourschool community and the wider community. Student learning is supported by a high standard of educational deliveryand consistent, high quality professional practices.

Overall summary of progress

In April 2015 the Department of Education released ‘The Wellbeing Framework for Schools’. As a result of a review ofthe role of the Welfare team changes were made to better support students. The Welfare Team became the WellbeingTeam and this team conducted a comprehensive review of the school's Welfare and Discipline policies, to beimplemented in 2017. All staff endeavour to provide a supportive an positive learning environment for students and thenew Wellbeing Policy provides the framework for this.

Whole school 'Action' teams in Literacy, Numeracy, GAT and Technology focused on the task of embeddingspecific strategies into all programs and, by the end of 2016, professional learning focused on charting studentprogress on the Literacy and Numeracy continuums.

The Learning Support team continued to provide support for students with a disability and/or special needs in order forthem to successfully access the curriculum. Differentiated learning and assessment tasks were developed by teachers,together with appropriate resources, to assist these students.

The curriculum was complemented by many excursions and students readily engaged in programs that supported theirlearning and connected them with the wider community, including Links To Learning and Australian Business Week. TheStudent Representative Council and Interact provided opportunities for student leadership and were active in the schooland in the community.

The Community Engagement team established a number of avenues to promote school events, student success andachievement, particularly social media.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year Funds Expended(Resources)

A further decrease in suspensionrates by 10%

Suspension data shows a reduction of shortsuspensions by 75% and long suspensions by37.5%

$6,000

Maintaining a 90% + attendancerate

Attendance data for the year shows an attendancerate of 90.9%

$5,000

An increase of 5% in the numberof students receiving meritawards andresulting positiverecognition

The number of students receiving merit awards,and subsequent recognition on schoolassemblies, increased by 18%.

$6,000

Tell ThemFrom Me dataindicatesimproved response in students’positive engagement withhomework andstudy habits from50% of students to the statemean of 54%’.

Analysis of 'Tell Them from Me' data indicates adecline, to 37%, in the percentage of students whohad positive homework habits and completinghomework in a timely manner.

$5,000

Next Steps

In 2017 the school will implement weekly study skills sessions for all years, in order to develop student confidence andskills in this area. The continuing focus on charting the progression of student's literacy and numeracy skills will be


enhanced with the purchase of Literacy and Numeracy continuum display boards.

The Wellbeing team will implement the new CHS Wellbeing policy underpinned by a positive learning and behaviourapproach, together with a new database, 'Millennium' that will provide valuable data about student progress andengagement. It was pleasing to see a further decrease in the number of suspensions during 2016, a reflection of the factthat the school enjoys a very settled and generally self–directed student population who are respectful and responsible.This trend is expected to continue in 2017.

There will be a continued effort to access opportunities for students to be recognised with awards and scholarships.

Whole school 'Action' teams will continue to evaluate teaching and learning programs and to develop whole schoolstrategies in literacy, numeracy, extension activities and technology skills.

With the establishment of a Multi–categorical support class there will be a particular focus on ensuring the integration ofstudents with a disability into the school setting and the acquisition and development of resources to support thesestudents.



Deliver quality teaching and learning programs to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to besuccessful 21st century learners.

Purpose

To ensure the development of high quality teaching, curriculum & assessment to efficiently equip students with thenecessary skills so that they are involved in planning and monitoring their own learning development and career pathwaygoals.

Student learning is supported by technology and high expectations of excellence.


In 2016 there was a continued emphasis on developing teacher’s capacity to cater for learner diversity and to deliverdifferential learning and assessment in their classrooms.

Additional support for ATSI students was provided by employing a tutor whose role included the facilitation of the NortaNorta program.

Staff participated in professional learning on the insights provided by the NCCD data and its relevance in identifying thelearning support needs of students. This has been developed and updated using the information from NCCD data inconsultation with parents/caregivers.

Individual Learning Plans were revised for those students with a disability or with special learning needs. PersonalisedLearning Plans were developed for all Aboriginal students and these students were able to map and evolve theireducational goals through the ‘M Goals’ website.

The upgrading of the Senior Study Room provided a quiet location for Year 12 students to study and use technology thatis not always available in their home environment.




Positive growth in band 5 and 6at HSC, improvement in valueadded for each student.

Data indicates a value added score that is within0.1 of the average growth of the state.

$7,000

Student improvement in averagegrowth(NAPLAN) and valueadded data to within 1 mark ofthe state average.

Data indicates a value added score that betteredthe average growth (NAPLAN) of the state by 2.4

$6,000

Increase the percentage ofstudents in thetop two NAPLANbands by 8% by 2019.

The percentage in the top 2 bands in Year 7,2015/16 were:

Reading: 13.2% Numeracy: 10.8%

The percentage in the top 2 bands in Year 9 were:

Reading: 30% Numeracy: 13.4%

$6,000

Increase the proportion ofAboriginal students in the top twoNAPLAN bands for reading andnumeracy by 30% by 2019.

There were too few students for data to bemeaningfully representative of performance.

$2,000

Next Steps

Further funds will be directed to improving learning spaces across the school and to build improved student interest and


motivation in their learning by continually evaluating and revising teaching / learning programs.

There will be a continued focus on supporting students to aim high, set long term goals for themselves and challengestudent expectations of themselves.

Successful study skills programs for senior students will continue, both on a weekly basis and as a 'conference'.

The implementation of ALARM will continue to be a focus and the program will be implemented to junior students in anabridged form. Students and staff have acknowledged the benefits ALARM brings in terms of both teaching and learning.This will involve delivering professional learning to a broader range of teaching staff and a corresponding implementationwithin classrooms.

In 2017 the school will focus on a program, supported by teacher professional learning, that has the aim of ensuring thatthe NSW Literacy continuum and NSW Numeracy continuum are embedded in junior teaching / learning programs andthat student progress is recorded visually on continuum boards.

Valuable data on the level of student engagement will continue to be analysed. This includes assessment data (studentcompletion rates, ‘N’ awards), NAPLAN and HSC data sourced from the Board of Studies and Educational Standards(RAP) and the Department of Education’s School Measurement, Assessment & Reporting Toolkit (SMART).



Staff leading innovative practice, learning about what works and networking with others.

Purpose

To develop a school culture in which staff members take responsibility for theirown ongoing professional learning, strivefor innovation and improvement, andwho make strong connections within and beyond the school.


Teaching staff evaluated their Performance and Development Plans (PDP's) and collaboratively discussed and sharedideas around what goals might look like. Discussions took place with the Executive and the School Plan, SchoolExcellence Framework and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers formed the basis of these discussions inidentifying goals.

Staff engaged in a continuous cycle of professional improvement with a total of $27,324 allocated professional learning,with a further $ allocated to support theprofessional learning of beginning teachers.

Teachers participated in professional learning activities targeting the areas of priority identified in their ProfessionalDevelopment Plans. These included participation in activities including resource development for literacy and numeracystrategies, Boys' Education strategies, data analysis, STEAM strategies, ALARM training, managing challengingbehaviours, managing new technology and consultative decision making.

There were five School Development Days attended by staff in 2016. These professional learning days gave teachersthe opportunity to lead professional learning activities and to share innovative practice. A range of workshops weredelivered, including mandatory training in Child Protection, Code of Conduct, CPR, Emergency Procedures andAnaphylaxis procedures, classroom practice and management strategies, school self assessment (School ExcellenceFramework), and the literacy /numeracy continuums. As well a combined

School Development Day was held withother secondary schools in our network – Goulburn HS, Mulwaree HS, YoungHS,Yass HS and Boorowa Central School. This day enabled faculties across the schools to focus on programdevelopment and teaching /learning strategies within KLA's and further strengthened teacher networks acrossthe area.

In 2016 there were 11 teaching staff maintaining accreditation at Proficient and 1 working towards accreditation atProficient.




Quality communities of practiceare established across networks.

Networks of teachers based on KLA's continued tomeet and strengthen during 2016. This was againassisted by a combined School Development Dayinvolving all high schools in the SouthernTablelands network.

$26,600

Teacher collaboration leads toimproved student outcomes.

The HSC network project has enabled teachers tocorporate mark and to establish standards and consistency in marking across the network.

As Above

70% of teachers indicate thatthey were able to accessprofessional learning thatassisted them to achieve theirprofessional goals

Data indicates that this was achieved.

Next Steps

In 2017 there will be a continuing focus on developing the capacity of staff to meet the demands of accreditation, withadditional support for those seeking to achieve the higher levels of accreditation, so as to develop leadership capacity


within the school. Teachers will identify their learning goals through their Performance Development Plan, with theguidance and support of their supervisor.

Opportunities will be provided to lead professional learning activities, both within the schooland across our strengthenednetwork of schools.

The HSC Network group will continue to meet to collaboratively mark common questions set for Year 12 students in theirhalf–yearly and Trial HSC examinations and this group will be extended to include further subjects. A combined networkSchool Development Day is planned again for Term 3. This day will focus on Stage 5 learning outcomes.

There will be three beginning teachers at Crookwell High School in 2017 and the school will provide these teacherswith a high quality induction program to support their entry into the teaching profession. This will include a mentor, orlearning partner, within the school who provides supportand critical feedback. These teachers will also be encouragedto match with a learning partner outside the school to meet with, observe lessons and share knowledge and resources.Beginning teachers are also encouraged to join online networks that provide insights, resources and inspiration.


Key Initiatives Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background loading All students who identify as Aboriginal orTorres Strait Islander were interviewed withtheir parents and Personalised LearningPlans (PLP's) updated.

Funding supported the provision of extraLearning Support Officer time for thesestudents.

Funding supported the employment of a tutorto work with junior students on organisation,accessing resources, as well as intensiveliteracy / numeracy work where required. Thisincluded one on one and small groupwithdrawal.

Funding supported the employment of a tutorto work with senior students.

Student & parent feedback was gatheredinformally, in focus groups and from the ‘TellThem from Me’

$5,187 (total)

$2,473

$2,714

Low level adjustment for disability Staff undertook professional learning onNCCD data and the collection process wasstreamlined in order better inform teachers onstudent needs.

Regular program reviews occurred to ensureappropriate adjustments to learning and toensure effective 'Every School Every Student'(ESES) DoE policy and implementation inclasses to suit individual student needs.

Regular Learning Support team meetingsresponded to referrals seeking furtherassistance for students.

Funding supported the provision of extraLearning Support Officer hours.

Funding allowed the purchase of furtherresources ( including ipads) to allow studentsto effectively access the curriculum andparticipate in learning activities.

Funding supported students with a disabilityin their transition from Primary to High School.

Student & parent feedback was gatheredinformally, in focus groups and from ‘TellThem from Me’.

$20,587 (total)

$13,700

$6,000

$880

Socio–economic background Financial assistance was provided to studentsto assist with costs of resources, uniform andexcursions.

Funding supported the employment of a TSOfor one day a week, providing technicalsupport as part of the school's BYODprogram.

Funding supported the provision of extraLearning Support Officer hours.

$23,857 (total)

$1,596

$11,749

$9,108

$1,404


Socio–economic background Funding supported the provision ofprofessional learning for support staff.

Student & parent feedback was gatheredinformally and from ‘Tell Them from Me’.

$23,857 (total)

$1,596

$11,749

$9,108

$1,404

Support for beginning teachers Beginning teachers were provided with amentor and funding supported regularmeetings and release time to support thedevelopment of skills.

Beginning teachers participated in lessonobservations and professional learning.

Beginning teachers participated in programingdays with experienced teachers.

Funding supported the provision of resourcesto support professional learning and teacherdevelopment.

$6,000 (total)


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2013 2014 2015 2016

Boys 141 122 114 103

Girls 141 139 139 133

Our student enrolment in 2016 was 236. This chartshows the enrolment pattern.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

7 93.1 93.1 93.2 92.8

8 92.3 90.6 89.6 91.5

9 91.8 91.5 89.7 90.7

10 90 91.2 89.8 88.3

11 90 90.1 87.9 89.4

12 90.8 92 91.5 92.9

All Years 91.4 91.3 90.3 90.9

State DoE

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

7 93.2 93.3 92.7 92.8

8 90.9 91.1 90.6 90.5

9 89.4 89.7 89.3 89.1

10 87.7 88.1 87.7 87.6

11 88.3 88.8 88.2 88.2

12 90.1 90.3 89.9 90.1

All Years 89.9 90.2 89.7 89.7

Management of non-attendance

The chart above details attendance rates over the pastfour years. Our attendance rates consistently better thestate average. Student absences are managed inaccordance with DoE policy. The Student Wellbeingteam monitors student attendance in their regularmeetings and a number of strategies are used,including Year Adviser meetings with students, parentmeetings and referral to the Home School LiaisonOfficer. Programs such as 'Links to Learning' havebeen effective in reconnecting disengaged students tothe school.

Post-school destinations

Proportion ofstudents movinginto post-schooleducation, trainingor employment

Year10%

Year11%

Year12%

SeekingEmployment

0 4 0

Employment 19 13 29

TAFE entry 1 5 12

University Entry 0 0 48

Other 0 0 9

Unknown 0 0 2

In 2016 60.5% of graduating students enrolled in furthereducation courses.. The university courses ourstudents will commence in 2017 include the studyareas of Arts, , Graphic Design, Communication &Media, Outdoor Recreation and Eco Tourism,Engineering, Animal Science, Psychology & SocialScience, Literature & Creative Writing, Law,International Studies, and Education. The universitiesour students are attending are Charles Sturt, Universityof Wollongong, University of Canberra, AustralianNational University and AIME. Areas of study forstudents entering TAFE include Hospitality and AgedCare.

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or tradetraining

In 2016 21% of Year 12 students undertook avocational or trade training course. These courses wereAnimal Studies, Hospitality and Retail Services(Floristry). One student completed a School BasedApprenticeship (SBAT) in Hospitality.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalentvocational education qualification

98% of Year 12 students attained an HSC or equivalentvocational educational qualification in 2016.

Workforce information


Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 1

Head Teacher(s) 4

Classroom Teacher(s) 12.8

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.8

Teacher Librarian 1

School Counsellor 1

School Administration & SupportStaff

5.78

Other Positions 4.3

*Full Time Equivalent

The staffing entitlement for 2016 included a full timeCareers Adviser. Our support staff included a farmassistant for three days per week and a generalassistant for two and one half days per week. Teachingstaff were supported by five School Learning SupportOfficers. There were no staff members identifying asindigenous in 2016. The school’s staffing issummarised below.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 5

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

In 2016 a total of $25,318.09 was expended onprofessional learning.

All teachers completed a Professional DevelopmentPlan at the beginning of the year, identifying theirprofessional learning goals.

All teachers participated in professional learningactivities targeting the areas of priority identified in theirProfessional Development Plans and aligned to theSchool Plan. These included participation in activitiesbeyond the school including: • STEM Symposium • HSC / VALID marking workshops • boys' education strategies

• SMART data analysis • positive behavior management • Improving Literacy & Numeracy outcomes for

students • Year Adviser training.

As well, groups of teachers shared professionallearning within the school, and across our local networkof schools, to further develop and refine teaching &learning programs. VET teachers participated intraining to ensure ongoing maintenance of industrycurrency.

There were five School Development Days attended byall staff in 2016. These professional learning daysfocused on a number of key priorities, including: • literacy / numeracy continuum • mandatory training in Child Protection, Code of

Conduct, CPR, Emergency Procedures andAnaphylaxis procedures

• effective classroom practice and managementstrategies

• implementation strategies for initiatives toimprove student skills in literacy, numeracy andtechnology

• strategies to support Gifted and Talentedstudents

• supporting students with disability through thedevelopment and implementation of learningaccommodations

• supporting students in the middle years in theirtransition to high school

• study skills strategies for students.In 2016 there were no teachers working towardsaccreditation at Proficient. Eleven teachers weremaintaining accreditation at Proficient.

Financial information (for schoolsusing OASIS for the whole year)

Financial information

This summary financial information covers funds foroperating costs and does not involve expenditure areassuch as permanent salaries, building and majormaintenance.


Income $

Balance brought forward 437 312.42

Global funds 355 371.61

Tied funds 255 726.79

School & community sources 154 444.68

Interest 9 934.92

Trust receipts 22 493.70

Canteen 0.00

Total income 1 235 284.12

Expenditure

Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 77 526.76

Excursions 49 915.44

Extracurricular dissections 27 052.37

Library 0.00

Training & development 4 432.34

Tied funds 335 947.12

Short term relief 48 055.27

Administration & office 73 953.01

School-operated canteen 0.00

Utilities 79 808.02

Maintenance 28 904.33

Trust accounts 25 199.65

Capital programs 39 848.69

Total expenditure 790 643.00

Balance carried forward 444 641.12

A full copy of the school’s financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

The Year 7 NAPLAN results reflect growth from Year 5to Year 7 and provide the school with a base line fromwhich to report student growth in secondary school.

Literacy

In the NAPLAN Reading test 13.2% of Year 7 studentswere in the top 2 bands. 30% of Year 9 students werein the top 2 bands (state was 24.8%). The averagescaled growth from Year 7 to Year 9 was 39.5, abovethe NSW DoE average of 32.1. In Year 9, 65.5% ofstudents achieved greater to, or equal to, expectedgrowth.

In the NAPLAN Writing test 12.8% of Year 7 studentswere in the top 2 bands (statewas 17.8%) while 13.3%of Year 9 students were in the top 2 bands (state was12.4%).

In the NAPLAN Spelling test 18% of Year 7 studentswere in the top 2 bands (state was 34.1%) while 16.6%of Year 9 students were in the top 2 bands (state was25.5%). Average scaled growth from Year 7 to Year 9was 36.5, above the NSW DoE average of 32.4. InYear 9, 65.5% of students achieved greater to, or equalto, expected growth.

In the NAPLAN Grammar & Punctuation test 20.5% ofYear 7 students were in the top 2 bands (state was30.8%) while 20% of Year 9 students were in the top 2bands (state was 22.2%). Average scaled growth fromYear 7 to Year 9 was 27.2, above the NSW DoEaverage of 22.1. In Year 9, 55.2% of students achievedgreater to, or equal to, expected growth.



Numeracy

10.8% of Year 7 students were in the top 2 bands (statewas 31.4%). 13.4% of Year 9 students were in the top 2bands (state was 26.9%). Average scaled growth fromYear 7 to Year 9 was 40.3, above the NSW DoEaverage of 40. In Year 9, 51.7% of students achievedgreater to, or equal to, expected growth.


The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy and numeracytesting. Click on the link http://www.myschool.edu.auand insert the school name in the Find a school andselect GO to access the school data.>

Higher School Certificate (HSC)

The performance of students in the HSC is reported inbands ranging from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6(highest).

The table only displays subjects where studentnumbers were more than 10.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year schools are required to seek the opinions ofparents, students and teachers about the school. Theirresponses are presented below.

Parents

In 2016 parents were encouraged to give feedbackthrough the Tell Them From Me Survey. The surveyquestions aim at understanding parents’ perspectiveson their child’s experience at school, including teaching,communication and the school’s support of learningand behaviour. The survey also aims to understandparents’ perspectives on activities and practices athome related to their child’s learning. In 2016information about the survey was sent home via theschool newsletter and website, together with logindetails. This information was also provided to parentsvia the Crookwell High School App. As only two parentscompleted the survey the results are not consideredstatistically valid so no results are available.

In 2017 we will provide an opportunity for parents tocomplete the survey at an information night at theschool with the aim of increasing the number of parentscompleting the survey.

Students

In 2016, 191 students from Years 7 –12 completed the


Tell Them From Me survey in March and in August.Some of the findings from this survey are:

23% of students had a high rate of participation inextracurricular activities, including drama, or musicgroups, or a school committee or group such asInteract; the NSW Government norm is 24%.

65% of students in this school had a high sense ofbelonging and feel accepted and valued by their peersand by others at their school; the NSW Governmentnorm for is 66%.

79% of students indicated that they had positiverelationships within the school; the NSW Governmentnorm for these years is 78%.

44% of students indicated that they had high levels ofhappiness; the NSW Government norm for these yearsis 37%.

69% of students in this school tried hard to succeed intheir learning; the NSW Government norm is 66%.

86% of students indicated that they do not get in troubleat school for disruptive or inappropriate behaviour. theNSW Government norm is 87%.

Teachers

Teachers have regular opportunities to providefeedback through staff and faculty meetings, daily staffbriefings, team meetings, informal discussion and StaffDevelopment Days. Teachers completed the Focus onLearning survey, a self –evaluation tool. The questionsin the survey are grouped to assess 'Drivers of StudentLearning'. The research on classroom and schooleffectiveness has consistently shown these factors tobe strong correlates of student achievement. Scoresare converted to a 10 point scale and then averaged.The following are some of the statements from thesurvey, together with the averaged scores:

I work with school leaders to create a safe and orderlyschool environment; 8.3

I talk with other teachers about strategies that increasestudent engagement; 8.3

I set high expectations for my students; 8.9

My assessments help me understand where studentsare having difficulty; 8.5

I discuss with students ways of seeking help that willincrease learning; 8.5

I help students use computers or other interactivetechnology to undertake research; 8.5

I establish clear expectations for classroom behaviour;9.2

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Aboriginal Education 2016

Crookwell High School recognises the importance ofIndigenous Australians in the origin and development ofAustralia. At our formal assemblies respect is paid tothe traditional custodians of the land. This is alsoreflected in a range of curricular and extra – curricularactivities and programs offered at the school.

The English faculty included texts which have anIndigenous focus or deal with Aboriginal issues inStages 4, 5 and 6. Science students spent time lookingat ways that traditional knowledge and westernscientific knowledge can be complementary in solvingproblems. This included such things as the sciencebehind firestick farming, Indigenous medicines andAboriginal tools such as the woomera and theboomerang. In HSIE Stage 4 students learned aboutthe 'First Contact' between Indigenous Australians andEuropean settlers. They studied Aboriginal culture priorto European occupation and the conflict afterEuropeans arrived. Stage 5 HSIE students spent timeanalysing issues which have affected IndigenousAustralians, such as the Stolen Generations and LandRights. Food Technology students studied bushtuckerand Hospitality students developed their awareness ofcultural differences and the importance of exhibitingappropriate respect towards Indigenous customerswhen working in the Hospitality industry. In Visual Artsstudents looked at the works of a variety of Indigenousartists and attended a talk by Aboriginal artist BlakDouglas (aka Adam Hill). Senior Agriculture studentscompleted a unit on Agricultural practices prior toEuropean arrival. The sustainability of traditionalpractices was then compared and contrasted withEuropean practices. Junior Agriculture studentsexamined Aboriginal food and medicine plants as partof their topic on vegetables.

In March all students had the opportunity to participatein an Aboriginal performance, Kadul with RykaAli. Ryka has performed at various festivals and culturalshowcases around the world creating hip–hop/urbansounds combined with the didgeridoo. This interactivecultural awareness programme was delivered in a funand educational learning environment. Theperformance was thought provoking and encourageddiscussion about the rich and diverse Indigenousculture in our country.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students areroutinely made aware of any special programs whichaid transition from school to the workplace or to furthertraining. The Careers Advisor and Aboriginal ContactPerson ensure that Aboriginal students are madeaware of any relevant opportunities or pathways thatare particularly tailored for Indigenous students (suchas scholarships, work opportunities, apprenticeships,camps and university open days). The Careers Adviseractively encourages participation in availableopportunities, and fosters links with tertiary institutionsand workplaces to strengthen student engagement andretention.

Multicultural and anti-racism educationPrinted on: 4 May, 2017Page 19 of 27 Crookwell High School 8452 (2016)

Crookwell High School has an identified Anti–RacismContact Officer(ARCO) who is the contact betweenstudents, staff, parents and community members in theresolution of complaints regarding racism. Posters aredisplayed around the school with contact informationand a photograph identifying the ARCO to newstudents, staff, parents and visitors to the school.

Harmony Day March 2016 was celebrated with Interactmembers taking on the responsibility of distributingbadges, stickers and posters celebrating Australia’s richcultural diversity. A short film was shown to all studentsduring assembly depicting what it is to be Australianand a RAGE activity was held where students wereinvited to discuss what culture means to them as wellas a number of other activities involving writtenempathy tasks and drawing.

In addition to one – off activities reminding us of ourcultural diversity, all faculties are continuing to ensurethat culturally inclusive classroom and school practicesare embedded and include in their programmeslinks/activities/outcomes (as part of the AustralianNational Curriculum) relating to the rich diversity ofAustralia's culture. Teaching / learning programs fosterstudents' understanding of culture, cultural diversity,racism and active citizenship within a democratic,multicultural society.

Other school programs

Numeracy Across the Curriculum

The school has a cross faculty Numeracy team thatmeets on a regular basis. The main focus areas of theNumeracy team in 2016 were to:1. Analyse NAPLAN results to identify weaknesses

in specific areas of Stage 4 numeracy.2. Use the results of NAPLAN data to inform staff

about students’ strengths and weakness.3. Develop and include strategies into teaching

programs targeting areas of weakness forspecific students in Stage 4 .

The new Numeracy Skills Framework document wasanalysed by the team members and the process forGetting Started with Planning Numeracy wascommenced. As staff had previously identified thenumeracy demands for each of the Key LearningAreas, the team began by analysing SMART andNAPLAN data. There were quite a number of studentswith areas of concern in the Year 7 group whostruggled to meet the Stage 4 numeracy levels.

At a staff meeting teachers were informed of thegeneral strengths and weaknesses of the Year 7students. A recommendation to the staff was to use theNumeracy Skills Framework to assist in setting tasksthat involved numeracy skills at an appropriate level forthat cohort. Staff were also made aware that thestudents had only just started Stage 4 and many of thenumeracy skills needed to be developed over the nexttwo years.

The Numeracy team then developed specific strategies

for the teaching of common numeracy tasks across allKey Learning Areas. The first areas targeted wereanalysing tables and graphs, constructing tables andgraphs and the construction of timelines. A booklet wasproduced and provided to all staff and Learning SupportOfficers, so that these key concepts could be taught ina similar way across all subjects.

In 2017 the Numeracy team hopes to implement similarstrategies. One of these may include everydaynumeracy skills. These will include developing studentskills in area such as reading bus or train timetables.

In School Numeracy Improvement Program (ISNIP)

The In School Numeracy Improvement Program ran forthe whole year, each day for 20 minutes. Year 9 and 10students worked as mentors guiding Year 7 and 8students through exercises and games to improve theirnumeracy skills. Funding was used to supplement theresources available for staff to use both in the ISNIPperiods and during mathematics lessons to improve theskills of students at all levels.

During the middle of the year the Mathematics facultywas fortunate enough to secure a $5,000 grant for an“Improving Numeracy” project. As a result the team wasable to create resources to be used in the ISNIPprogram. These resources have a focus on the topic offractions which was identified as an area of weaknessfor students after analysing NAPLAN data. Theresources were created as mini lessons with activitieswhich follow an explanation and are accompanied by avideo to assist the students and their mentors to gainnew skills and understanding.

With the opportunity to create these innovativeresources ISNIP will continue in 2017 to assist studentsand, after an evaluation of the success of the newresources, more topics will be added to those alreadydelivered to students involved in the program.

Literacy Across the Curriculum

2016 was a successful year for the Literacy Team withthe introduction of new strategies to track and improveNAPLAN results as well as reinvigorated previousinitiatives for the improvement of literacy results in theclass room.

During Term 1, the aim was to establish a literacystrategy that would engage students and be practicalfor all Crookwell High School staff to implement in theclassroom. The team identified Literacy Teammembers’ knowledge of markers within each cluster ofthe Department’s Literacy Continuum and decided thatthe already practiced ALARM matrix strategy wouldneed to be reinforced to satisfy some of the markers onthe continuum. Each team member provided samplesof their junior students’ ALARM scaffolded work (A – Cgrade) that would then be made available to all staff onthe school network for reference.

During Term 2, the Literacy Team made these studentwork samples available to staff on the school network,based on five verbs used in the ALARM matrix. Our aim


was to provide a comparison point to a response thatwould be completed by the same students later in theyear, in order to track their progress.

During Term 3, the team reinforced the use of theALARM matrix, by issuing an expressive writingscaffold to staff for improving junior students’ formalwriting skills. This scaffold included a series ofpurposeful connector words, which students could thenuse to express the higher order thinking and writingskills of explaining, analysing and evaluating.

In Term 4 there was a review of the strategiesimplemented in the year and further directions for theteam were discussed. The team identified anddiscussed the improvements that junior students hadmade in using ALARM across Stage 5 English, History,Food Technology and Multimedia. In2017, the aim is tofurther analyse and improve NAPLAN results,especially in extended persuasive writing. The Literacyteam’s aim is to develop a checklist for academicwriting, to promote reading across the school withlibrary initiatives and reading sessions for Years 8 to10and to include strategies in the newsletter for parents toimprove their child’s overall literacy.

Library / Information resource Centre

The School Library was integral to Teaching andLearning programs throughout 2016. In particular, theLibrary was heavily utilised to support the Year 8Project Based Learning Units throughout the year.

The Library also worked in collaboration with teachersto support a Year 9 Science unit, ensuring theimprovement of research and note taking skills, andYear 9 PDHPE in improving research and writing skills.

With the School’s 50 Year Anniversary, the Library helda display of memorabilia and photographs that includeda section on school musicals of the past. This displaywas very popular during the school’s Open Day withex–students and other visitors.

The Library introduced a new format for the Year 7Library Orientation Program, a part of their HSIE coursework. The new program consists of eight outcomes thatstudents work to achieve over the course of the year.These are Access, Searching, Evaluating, Organising,Originality, Responsibility, Presentation and Balance.The Teacher Librarian was able to share this newprogram with the network of Teacher Librarians at aStaff Development Day and it was warmly received.

The Library also again held the Year 7’s fortnightlyInteractive Reading lesson, which encourages readingfor pleasure through a rewards system. There were twostudents who read over 40 books for the year andmany more who read over 20.

The Library held a successful Curriculum Enrichmentprogram in Term 4 with Year 7 and 8 students who hadbeen nominated by classroom teachers as beingengaged and interested. These students spent time inthe Library in a guided enquiry environment andcreated some very interesting presentations as part of

their research.

The Library also shared information with Staff about theuse of Clickview, Microsoft 365 and Google Docs.

STEM Program

In 2016 a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics) RAGE group was initiated toencourage our high achieving Year 8 and 9 students inthese fields. Students met for twenty minutes each dayto work on STEM related projects, including designingand constructing catapults, bridges and rollercoasters,and making floatation devices for babies. The aim ofthe group was to encourage STEM thinking and buildteam work skills in students. Two staff members fromCrookwell High School attended the NSW STEMSecondary Schools Showcase and have developed apartnership with Canobolas Rural Technology HighSchool, one of the seven identified STEM ActionSchools.

In 2017, STEM will be delivered as part of aProject–Based learning model with all Year 8 students. Focus areas include wind energy, CO2 cars,rollercoasters, cleaning water fit for drinking, andsurvival on Mount Everest.

Gifted & Talented (GAT) Program

Crookwell High School has the responsibility to educateall students to their potential and is committed to highquality educational outcomes for all our gifted andtalented students. It must be remembered that giftedand talented students are found in all communitiesregardless of their ethnic, cultural or socio–economicbackgrounds. (CHS Gifted and Talented Policy).

The GAT Team focused on Objectives 1.1 and 1.4 ofthe NSW Department of Education’s Policy as outlinedbelow.

1.1 School communities have a responsibility toidentify their gifted and talented students.

1.2 School communities have a responsibility tofoster collaborative home–school partnerships tosupport gifted and talented students.

1.3 School communities have a responsibility toprovide a range of opportunities and to monitor andevaluate programs for their gifted and talentedstudents.

1.4 Teachers, with support, have a responsibilityto identify the gifted and talented students in theirclasses.

1.5 Teachers have a responsibility to select andimplement a variety of teaching strategies for inclusionin programs for the range of gifted and talentedstudents in their classes.

Students were identified through the use of a staff andstudent survey and staff were then asked to identify theGAT strategies already being implemented with these


students. These strategies included: • Various grouping strategies • Extension activities within and across classes • Enrichment activities • On–line learning • Open–ended activities and assignments • Hypothesis testing and problem solving • Individual research and investigation • Opportunities for peer tutoring and assessment

In 2017 all identified GAT students will have anIndividual Learning Plan developed. Teachers willevaluate teaching /learning programs to ensure thatthey are embedding meaningful GAT strategies into allKLA programs.

Tournament of the Minds Competition

Crookwell High School again entered a team inTournament of Minds, an international competitionpromoting creativity and teamwork. The team thatconsisted of seven students, from years 7 –10,participated in the South Coast Regional Final at theUniversity of Wollongong. The team worked on along–term challenge for a period of five weeks leadingup to performance day, under the guidance of MrsRebecca Dark. At the South Coast Finals, teams werescored on the performance of their long–termchallenge, and also the completion of a spontaneouschallenge, which involved no preparation time.

The school would like to congratulate HannahStephens, Georgie O’Brien, Zach George, Oscar Rose,Jalieca Culhane, Emily Secomb and Emily McCormackon their fantastic efforts, and for representing theschool in this competition.

Debating and Public Speaking

Crookwell High School entered two teams into theNSW Premier’s Debating Challenge in 2016: a team inthe Years 7 and 8 competition and one in the Years 9and 10 competition.

Both of these teams engaged well in their preparationand their formal debates. However, on this occasion,neither team progressed into the finals for this region.

2016 was the first time the school participated in adebate by Video Conference with Jindabyne CentralSchool. This was a new opportunity for students toengage in a debate without having to travel the longdistance to Jindabyne. This was a successful initiative.

In 2016 the school also hosted the Crookwell Lions‘Youth of the Year’ competition. Year 11 studentAnthony Watt was the successful contestant and hewent on to represent Crookwell at the regional level inGoulburn.

Australian Business Week (ABW)

Late in Term 4 a group of 38 Year 10 studentsparticipated in the ABW program, working as part of a

team to manage their own virtual multimillion dollarHospitality business. In doing so they began to developthe variety of skills needed to be part of a successfulenterprise in the 21st century. Each companycollaborated to make numerous business decisionswhich the ABW computer simulation analysed toproduce quarterly share prices over a two–year period.Each participant also cooperated with their teammembers to complete a range of complex tasks,including developing a video commercial and otherpromotional materials, creating a trade display, writinga company report and delivering an oral presentation toshareholders about the success of their business.

A great deal of support was provided by communitymembers by way of guest lectures, judging andfinancial sponsorship. Crookwell High School would liketo express gratitude to those who shared their time,resources and business expertise with the students.Students reported that they came away from ABW witha deeper self–awareness and enhancedself–confidence having discovered talents they had notpreviously been aware of. ABW was a meaningfullearning experience which offered an insight intobusiness and workplace environments at a time whenstudents are actively thinking about prospective careerpaths.

Vocational Education Program

Crookwell High School has a successful vocationaleducation program for students in Years 7 to 12 whichaims to develop the skills, expertise and ability ofstudents to develop pathways and transition effectivelyto post–school success. The curriculum is meaningfuland maximises the integration of key employabilityskills in the classroom. The program aims to delivercareer education which prepares students with theskills, knowledge and understanding required to make asuccessful transition to the workplace.

The careers calendar began with the annual Year 12excursion to the University of Wollongong for aDiscovery Day. Students attended university lectures,stayed in university accommodation and experienceduniversity life and the opportunities available outside oftheir home town. They also learnt about thepracticalities of moving away from home to continuetheir studies and budgeting. All senior students hadweekly meetings with the Careers Adviser to developexit plans, future pathways and to develop study skillsessential for success both in the senior school and infurther education and training.

Year 12 and Year 11 students had the opportunity toattend vocational based courses at Goulburn TAFEonce a week, with studies including Hospitality andHorse Industries. Students also accessed VET trainingthrough Distance Education and OTEN with coursesstudied including Retail (Floristry) and PropertyServices. One student successfully completed a SchoolBased Apprenticeships (SBAT) in Hospitality,successfully integrating vocational training with theirsecondary education. Notably this student received theprestigious Margaret Fulton Scholarship for heroutstanding Hospitality achievements. Another student


completed the full Certificate III Property Servicesqualification in Year 11. This award is usually achievedover two years, demonstrating the students’ value of,and commitment to, vocational training pathways.

Careers classes once a fortnight focused on vocationaleducation in the classroom for all Year 10 and Year 8students. Year 10 students worked on developing anexit plan to assist in goal setting and transitioning fromschool to work. The Year 10 cohort undertook a weekof Work Experience, developing first–hand experiencein the work place and assisting students in developingvocational goals. These Year 10 students alsodeveloped resumes, learnt how to write cover letters,research job and training pathways, developed workready and key employability skills, and developed anunderstanding of interviews and the labour market.Careers classes in Year 8 addressed topics as variedas taxation, personal skills, strengths, careers researchusing the web, writing resumes and a life simulationgame called “The Real Game”.

Students had the opportunity to attend numerousevents over the year with the majority of Year 12, 11and 10 students attending the ACT Careers Expo.Senior students attended Charles Sturt University open“My Days”, and a number of Year 10 students visitedhealth talks and workplaces in areas of individualstudent interest. Visiting presenters to the schoolincluded numerous universities, employers, workplaceproviders and industry specialists.

In–school Vocational Training included opportunities toparticipate in Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) andResponsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) courses forYear 12 students, as well as Workplace Health andSafety (White card) and First Aid training for Year 10students.

Students in all years, and many with their parents,accessed the careers adviser for individual interviewsregarding their pathway and destination planning.

Crookwell High delivers Learner Driver Instruction witha Qualified Driving Instructor and a Program supportedgreatly by the community. Students with a learner’slicense are able to access quality training whichdelivers superior driver education and skill developmentin addition to the mandatory DoE driver educationprograms in Stage 5 and 6.

Student Leadership

Crookwell High School’s Student RepresentativeCouncil (SRC) is elected by the student body and itsrole is to give all students a voice in the planning andevaluation of school activities and policies. Some of thehighlights of the year for the SRC were: • organising two successful school discos that

were well supported as always. These discosallowed the school community to come together,socialise and bond in a fun environment.

• participating in a wide range of communityactivities such as ANZAC Day march.

• organising the sixth annual SRC trivia night. • attending National Young Leaders Day in Sydney. • supporting and raising funds for members of the

Crookwell community. • organising a Mini Olympics for the school

community to participate in. • supporting National Day Against Bullying. • leading a 'Pay It Forward' program in school with

the support of the Lions Club of Crookwell.The SRC introduced and launched the 'Happy Houses'Point System. This system involves points awarded toeach of the 4 sport houses, for both academic andsporting achievements and participation. This newsystem has been greatly supported by staff andstudents and has resulted in a more positive approachto academic and sporting achievement in students.Oxley house earned the most points this year! Theywere awarded with a free lunch due for theirparticipation and determination.

SRC members, Teagan Croke, D’Arcy Slater andSarah Stephenson, attended the Regional SRC Camp.At this leadership camp, these three studentsdeveloped many new leadership skills and learnt new,exciting ways to keep Crookwell High a happy place foreveryone to be. Long lasting connections were alsomade between schools in the region and this hasallowed our SRC to communicate and share ideas withother Student Representative Councils.

With the support, ideas and enthusiasm from theWell–being Team, the SRC developed a new way tospread and raise the positivity of the school community.This was achieved by holding a week of fun activitiespromoting happiness, called 'Positive Vibes' Week. Thisweek included a shared morning tea with song anddance, rage activities focusing on self–esteem, 'FreshFaced Friday', a free lunch, a Music Showcase, gameson the oval during lunch times, a 'Mind Blank'presentation and an afternoon full of games andchallenges where students competed in their Housecolours. Positive Vibes Week was a very successfulweek because of the amazing work of both the SRCand the Well–being team. It is planned to continue withPositive Vibes week once a year as it provided suchstrong positivity for the school and its members.

The Student Representative Council attended a studentleadership training day coordinated by Mr Dark. At thetraining day, students learnt what it means to be aleader and the qualities of an effective leader. TheStudent Representative Council organised anddelivered a student leadership training course tostudents from surrounding primary schools. This daywas not only beneficial to the primary schools whoattended, but also to those delivering the content asthey were able to refine their public speaking andstudent mentoring skills. The SRC formed committeegroups which worked on various projects throughoutthe year, including raising funds for various charitiesand community members, promoting school pride andpositive vibes. Following a review of their roles thestructure of House Captains expanded to include bothJunior and Senior House Captains. This restructure


aims to provide opportunities for students across allYear levels to access a leadership position.

Fourteen students attended the Imagination Conventionfor Young Leaders in Sydney. A wide range of keynotespeakers presented at the convention inspiring allattending to make a difference in their schoolcommunity, local community and global community.

Interact Community Service Group

In 2016 the Interact group contributed to the widerCrookwell Community as well as serving the needs ofthe student body. Continuing the great work of previousyears, Term 1 saw the introduction of weekly Interactreports at whole school Assemblies. The inaugural'Year 7 Meet and Greet Your Teachers' barbecue wasalso organised and hosted by Interact early in Term 1and was followed the 50 Years of CHS Open Daybarbecue.

During Harmony Week Interact began by showing aninspiring short film celebrating the cultural diversity ofAustralia. This was followed later in the week by alunch of fried rice and mini spring rolls. A RAGEactivity where students decorated blank handprints withmessages of harmony and hope rounded off a greatweek of participation by students and staff alike.

Early in Term 2 saw Interact members participating in aplanning day. This day proved invaluable in allowingmembers to review the goals and mission statements ofInteract at Crookwell High. A term by term calendar ofevents was developed which was a valuable frameworkfor the year’s activities. As well members held afundraiser which provided students and staff with a hotlunch of spaghetti Bolognese.

Interact members involved themselves in the widerCrookwell community volunteering as Crookwell PotatoFestival helpers. During Term 3 Year 8 membersassisted the community by picking daffodils to sell andraise funds for the Crookwell Hospital Auxiliary. A hotdog and poppa lunch raised enough money tocontribute $450 to the Silent Disco run for ALL studentsin Term 4. Interact funds were also used to provide afree lunch to all students as part of the SRC’s PositiveVibes Week. Term 3 also saw a number of Interactstudents walk the length and breadth of the CrookwellCBD selling badges for the Legacy Appeals Day.

Term 4 continued to be busy for Interact with memberstaking on responsibility for selling bandanas forCanteen’s Annual Bandana Day. $185 was raised forthe Cancer Council. Interact students visited residentsof Viewhaven Aged Care Home every Wednesdayafternoon for 6 weeks, with some of the studentsspending their time interviewing three World War 2veterans about their experiences. Other students talkedwith residents, played dominoes or sat in the beautifulgardens with the residents. Other fundraisers byInteract made possible donations of $350 to the BradHayes fund ( a local boy who suffered a horrific spinalinjury paying football) and $250 to the school’squadrangle refurbishment programme.

Student Wellbeing

In 2016 the Wellbeing Team worked closely with theSRC to introduce a number of initiatives focusing onstudent wellbeing. Positive Vibes week in Term 3focused on mental health. Students participated in aMindblanks performance where actors performed ascenario and students had the opportunity to decidehow they would react to the situation in order to buildan understanding that positive thoughts andrelationships can change the outcomes of challengingsituations. The Student Representative Councilorganised an afternoon of team building activities toraise student morale and build relationships across theyear groups.

At Presentation Night Year Advisor awards wereintroduced. These awards acknowledged two studentsfrom each year group who had made a positivecontribution to the year group either throughinvolvement in whole school activities, a consistentpositive attitude or academic success.

Students in Year 8 participated in the 'Links to Learning'program, run in partnership with Southern RegionBusiness Enterprise Centre. In semester one Year 8girls organised and coordinated the Crookwell BiggestMorning Tea which allowed the girls to develop stronglinks with the community. In Semester Two the boysworked with staff from Landcare, Earth integral andWater Watch to test the water quality in the KiammaCreek and to study the wildlife in the creek.

Students in Year 9 participated in the Youth Frontiersmentoring program where mentors from beyond theschool worked with students to develop initiatives forthe Crookwell community. Activities included a colourrun, movie night and fundraising for localorganisations.

A review team was set up in Term 2, 2016 to evaluatethe effectiveness of the existing points based disciplinesystem. Consultation with staff, students and the schoolcommunity identified a need to implement a systembased on the Department of Education’s WellbeingFramework for Schools, elements of Positive Behaviourfor Learners (PBL) and Positive Education. As a resultof this review a revised school discipline system hasbeen developed. In this system all students start theyear in the Green Zone. These students displaypositive behaviours focusing on the values of respectand responsibility. Students move through the meritsystem achieving bronze, silver and gold merits.Students who do not demonstrate appropriatebehaviour move to the Yellow, Orange and Red zones .In2017 new signage will be displayed throughout theschool focusing on the three values of respect,responsibility and prosper.

Learning and support for students with additionaleducational needs.

Crookwell High School continued its support forstudents with additional educational needs throughvarious sources of funding, specific programs andindividual education plans. Ms Sally Cullen


continued in the School Learning Support Teacher rolein Semester 1, with Miss Elyse Clarke temporarilyholding the Learning and Support Teacher role inSemester 2.

The Learning and Support Teacher continued workingwith students, parents/caregivers and colleagues todevelop learning plans tailored for the needs ofindividual students. In collaboration with teachers, theLearning and Support Teacher offered variousadjustments to ensure that all students weresuccessfully participating in the classroom and in thewider school community.

Integration and equity funding enabled the school toprovide support within the classroom through the use ofour Student Learning and Support Officers (SLSOs).These SLSO’s enabled students to have support indaily classroom activities, special events andexcursions, and support with various assessments.

The Learning and Support Teacher workedcollaboratively with teachers on the NationallyConsistent Collection of Data(NCCD). This datacollection is conducted annually, and enabled usidentify students needing support and adjustments.Faculty resources were developed to ensure that theschool community as a whole was consistentlyproviding adjustments for students with additionalneeds.

The successful Peer Tutoring program continued withselected Year 10 students providing peer tutoring tostudents in Years 7 and 8 requiring intervention withliteracy. This program focused on developing coreliteracy skills in the areas of spelling, punctuation,grammar, comprehension and reading fluency.

Following a successful funding application the 'Readyto Work' program was implemented to provide furthersupport to students with additional needs in preparingto enter the workplace. This program involved guestspeakers from our community talking to students aboutvarious aspects of working. This incorporated topicssuch as writing resumes, participating in interviews andappropriate behaviour within the workplace. Anothergrant has been applied for to enable us to run a similarprogram in 2017.

2017 will see the establishment of a multi–categorical(MC) support class at Crookwell High School. Thisclass has a full time teacher and Learning and SupportOfficer, and caters for up to 7 students. This class willindividually cater for these students, as well assupporting them in the mainstream setting, withintegration occurring for various subjects.

Achievements in the Creative and Performing Arts

Students in the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA)had many opportunities in 2016 to showcase theirtalents and extend their horizons. Students elected tostudy Visual Arts, Drama and Music in Stages 5 and 6.

There were a number of individual students whoseachievements were significant. Wade Picker receivedthe Crookwell Amateur Society’s Performing Arts Musicand Drama Awards, held a prestigious GoulburnRegional Conservatorium (GRC) Scholarship in 2016and received a GRC Scholarship for bass guitar for2017. Liam King was also recognized as a GRCscholarship holder for percussion in 2017. Year 12Visual Arts student, Kyle McCormack was awardedHighly Commended at the Secondary SchoolsGoulburn Art Award at the Goulburn Regional ArtGallery where his work was exhibited. Senior vocalistsCaitlin Smith and Tahlia Collins represented CrookwellHigh School as members of NSW’s State Choir,performing at the Sydney Opera House during theDepartment of Education Arts Unit Festival of ChoralMusic. Hannah Stephens and Belinda Weatherspoonattended a Schools Spectacular Workshop andauditioned for the Core Choir at the Arts Unit inSydney.

Crookwell High School welcomed back past studentswho entertained with enthusiasm at the school's 50thAnniversary Dinner. The successful dinner wasfollowed by an Open Day where CAPA studentsentertained and inspired the Crookwell Community.Visual Arts work was on display and the quadranglecame alive with the dedication of the “CHS 1966–2016Anniversary Mural”. Years 8 and 10 stencils wereprinted onto a large wall hanging and the outside mural.Year 7 transformed their continuous line drawings offaces into letters and numbers to spell “Crookwell HighSchool” and “CHS–50 years–1966–2016.” Thesedesigns were printed onto two wall hangings whichwere presented on Assembly. On Open Day musiciansperformed at the front of the school in an excitingoutdoor concert involving students from Years 9–12. .Year 11 Drama students participated in the Open Daycelebrations displaying a ‘typical’ Drama lesson withwarm–ups, improvisations and scripted pieces forappreciative audiences. These captivating dramaperformances were popular and showcased thedramatic and comedic talents of our senior Dramastudents.

The 'Positive Vibes' Showcase Concert was anoutstanding afternoon of entertainment with musiciansfrom Years 7–11 performing at a high standard.. 2009Dux of CHS, Miss Katrina Rivera was welcomed backto Crookwell High School as a music teachercompleting her UNE Masters of Education practicum.Miss Rivera arranged and taught many of theShowcase performance items and inspired us all withher piano performance of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody.The newly formed Guitar Ensemble made their debutand opened the afternoon’s entertainment. The SeniorBand(India–Rose Toll, Alicia Lyons, Laura O’Keefe,Rebeka Picker, Wade Picker, Liam King, DanCartwright and Brooke Taylor) presented polishedperformances representing a variety of musical styles.

CAPA students continued to support their localcommunity and beyond. Crookwell High Schoolmusicians performed at the Australian Blues Festival asguests of the Goulburn RegionalConservatorium(GRC). The GRC In–Schools Program


students to benefit from individual and small ensembletuition and become involved in communityperformances beyond their school. The links with theGRC have strengthened in 2016 enabling our studentsto fully explore their musical potential. Crookwell HighSchool were regular performers at GRC EnsemblesConcerts and GRC Scholarship Holders Concerts.

Years 10, 11 and 12 students attended the annual ArtExcursion to Sydney where they saw Art Express at theArt Gallery of NSW, and visits to the Museum ofContemporary and the Sydney Biennale on CockatooIsland. This excursion provided a valuable opportunityfor our students to experience contemporary art firsthand. Year 10 Visual Art students visited an exhibitionof Aboriginal Art at the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.

Music students worked closely with our communityof schools in preparation for the Goulburn Communityof Public School’s Concert during Education Week withthe Senior Band accompanying the final Mass ChoirSet. Crookwell High School vocalists, HannahStephens, India–Rose Toll, Misha O'Brien and MegGamble sang at the Dame Mary Gilmore WeekendCelebrations with drama students Hannah Stephensand India–Rose Toll hosting the “Performing Youth ofthe Shire” concert. Kyle McCormack, Brenden Fentonand other Year 10 students exhibited at the YouthTalent Showcase during the Mary Gilmore Weekend.The School and students received certificates ofappreciation from the Mary Gilmore Societyacknowledging the wonderful support that our studentsprovide to this annual community event

Visual Art students displayed their work at Crookwelland Taralga Shows and Year 8 Pop Art Sculptureswere on show at the inaugural exhibition of Sculpture inthe Village where students won first, second and highlycommended prizes in the school’s section and JamesClements received the People’s Choice Award. WadePicker also performed at the Garden Festival as a CHSand GRC Ambassador. Liam King provided outstandingaccompaniment for the Crookwell Amateur DramaSociety’s Musical Hall season receiving praise from thecast and director. Kyle McCormack had a soloexhibition at the Crookwell High School Art Spacefollowing his success at the Goulburn Regional ArtAward. Anna Mitchell in Year 12 and Ms Jeffcoat set uptheir easels and created pastel drawings in the CrystalBrook Gardens in Laggan as part of the Art in theGarden event. Year 9 English students, working withMs Jeffcoat, created a mural at the Crookwell library tocelebrate “Library Lovers Day”.

'OnStage' nominated past student Eliza Stephensreturned to Crookwell High School and shared herknowledge and expertise with senior drama students onhow to prepare effectively for the practical componentof the course. Students from Year 12 Drama preparedIndividual Projects and Group Performance items fortheir HSC Practical examinations which they sharedwith other Drama students in the school. Year 12participated in community activities including the latestCrookwell Amateur Dramatic Society (CADS)production.

In 2017 CHS CAPA staff aim to continually challengestudents through course work and extra–curricularprograms. Students will, as a result of these programs,be better equipped to obtain course outcomes at highand outstanding levels. Preliminary and HSC studentswill continue to be encouraged to perform and exhibit atevery opportunity, developing course specific work tothe best of their ability. Participation and achievementin the Creative and Performing Arts will be celebratedat every opportunity.

Achievements in Sport

In 2016 Crookwell High School took a strong team toQueanbeyan for the Zone Swimming Carnival this withYear 12 student Max O’Brien qualifying for theSouth–Coast Swimming Championships. A large teamalso travelled to Goulburn to represent Crookwell HighSchool at the Zone Cross Country Carnival. Thefollowing students qualified to represent the Zone at theSouth Coast Regional, Cross Country Championships:

Regan Davis, Jamie Derwent, Brendon Fenton , BenFlood, Mikayla Hall, Annika Picker, Ella Picker andGrace Smith

A large team also went to Canberra to representCrookwell High School at the Zone Athletics Carnivalwith Brendon Fenton, Oscar Rose and SamuelSkelly qualifying to represent at the Zone RegionalAthletics. The school also had representation at theNSW Combined High Schools Athletics from ReneeBuggie, Jamie Derwent, Mikayla Hall , Sumara Nasserand Jasmine Zimmerman.

Over the course of the year a large number of studentstried out and were selected for knockout teams. TheOpen Boy’s Hockey Team were South Coast AChampions and state quarter finalists. The followingstudents were selected in South Coast Representativeteams in 2016:

Hockey: Holly Evans, Jacob McGregor, BradSmith, Isaac McGregor, Ella Picker , Hayley Plumband Teagan Plumb

Golf: Daniel Picker, Wade Picker and Lachlan Skelly

Cricket: Samuel Skelly Cricket

Lawn Bowls: Brad Smith

At Crookwell High School the Premier’s SportingChallenge medal is awarded to a student who hasshown a commitment to fair play, has achieved in theirchosen sporting discipline (as aparticipant/umpire/trainer/leader)and hasmade an overall contribution to the school’s weeklysporting program. The recipient in 2016 was Year 12student, Max O'Brien.

The Outstanding Achievement in Sport award wasawarded to Tassie Davies who represented CrookwellHigh School at the NSW inter – school CyclingChampionship, receiving a Silver medal in her agedivision. She also represented the school in Canberra


at the Canberra inter – school Cycling Championship.

The recipient of a prestigious Zone Sport Award forOutstanding Individual Performance in Sport was Year12 student, Samuel Skelly, for cricket. Samuel alsoreceived A NSW Combined High School SportsAssociation Sporting Blue Award for his representationin the South Coast Regional Opens Boys Cricket team,the Cricket NSW all Schools team and the NSW,Combined High Schools 1st XI team.

The recipient for the Crookwell High School 2016Sportswoman of the Year was Grace Smith while theSportsman of the Year was Jacob McGregor.


Documents

2016 Crookwell High School Annual Report...awards andresulting positive recognition The number of students receiving merit awards, and subsequent recognition on school assemblies,€increased€by