2016 SCHOOL REPORT · WHAT AN AWESOME AFTERNOON! The year started with the P&C annual Awesome Arvo, and what a fun time it was, with bouncy castles, free icy poles and bottles of

MUNDARING PRIMARY SCHOOL

Mundaring Primary School 2016 School Report Page 1

MUNDARING

PRIMARY SCHOOL

2016 SCHOOL REPORT

LEARNING TOGETHER



Welcome to Mundaring Primary School and thank you for taking the time to read our 2016 School Report, I hope it provides you with information about some of the wonderful things that make our school great. 2016 was a stellar year for the school, with improved outcomes for students and a continuation of upwards trends in Literacy and Numeracy achievement as well as further increases in enrolments. The information on these pages provides a glimpse of what we do at Mundaring and I encourage any parents or prospective parents to call in and meet us in person to find out more. OUR SCHOOL PURPOSE To develop the cognitive, social, physical and creative abilities and skills of students thereby enabling them to fulfil their potential and contribute to the development of society. OUR SCHOOL ETHOS: LEARNING TOGETHER The school operates in partnership with the school community, where parents and friends are welcome and encouraged to take part in various aspects of the school operations. OUR SCHOOL Mundaring Primary School is located approximately 40 kilometres east of Perth on Stevens Street. Our school opened at this site in 1990 after moving from the original site on Great Eastern Highway and celebrated its centenary in November 2007. Our school is characterised as being community and environmentally friendly. It has a small country school feel yet is large enough to offer a range of options and facilities. The school is nestled in a tranquil bush setting among the trees with grassed play areas, an oval, cricket nets, basketball/netball/tennis courts and extensive playground equipment. The school is an air-conditioned open design with three clusters of classrooms, an early childhood unit, administration block, undercover area with canteen/uniform shop and purpose built specialist teaching areas including a library resource centre, music room, art centre and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) room we call The Learning Studio.

OUR SCHOOL PRIORITIES School priorities and focus areas are reviewed annually using a rigorous cycle of data review, planning and reporting. Literacy and Numeracy will always be priorities at Mundaring PS, with various sub strands being designated as Focus Areas based upon need as determined by the staff. In 2016 the school’s priorities were: Literacy : Focus Area - Writing (Talk For Writing program - Continuation) Numeracy : Focus Area - Number & Algebra Students At Educational Risk (SAER) : Focus Area - Differentiating the Curriculum Curriculum Implementation : The Australian Curriculum (HASS - Geography) ICT : Focus Area - Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) In 2017 our priorities will be: Literacy : Focus Area - Comprehension & Higher Order Thinking Skills Numeracy : Focus Area - Number & Algebra Students At Educational Risk (SAER) : Focus Area - Talented and Gifted Students Curriculum Implementation : Australian Curriculum - Science ICT : Focus Area - STEM (Continued)



HIGHLIGHTS OF TERM 1

WHAT AN AWESOME AFTERNOON! The year started with the P&C annual Awesome Arvo, and what a fun time it was, with bouncy castles, free icy poles and bottles of water and of course some groovy tunes! Thanks once again to the awesome parents of the P&C for their hard work and dedication in providing such an awesome event. Once again students, staff and par-ents showed their appreciation by staying after school on another warm day to be part of this event which is held each year to welcome new families to the school.

We were treated to a visit by members of the WEST COAST EAGLES who came to MPS to speak about healthy eating and exercise, resilience and teamwork. The kids loved the visit and the signed freebies!

PUBLIC SPEAKING WINNER Congratulations went out to Georgia Ghouse who won not only ours but the HEC Public Speaking Competition’s Junior section involving students from all 10 Hills Schools. T20 CRICKET WINNNERS

As part of this year’s interschool sports program, the school participated with two teams (10 boys & 10 girls) in the T20 Cricket Competition that was held at Glen Forrest Oval on Tuesday 15th March. The students had a great day and represented the school well with the boys winning their Final against Darlington by 10 runs.

The girls tried hard and enjoyed the dancing! Thank you to Mr Tinniswood & Ms Lorantas for their coaching and support.

The term concluded with our Easter Assembly which went very well indeed with so many students joining in the spirit and making a special Easter Hat for the parade. The P&C Easter Raffle was also a highlight of the event, with over 100 prizes being handed out to students and parents (and staff members too!). Once again the P&C Fundraising Committee did a magnificent job in organizing this raffle which raised over $900 for the school.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Cricket+clip+art&view=detailv2&&id=6C19E5679DAF7C36C554E208A23C43F151480DE4&selectedIndex=4&ccid=3lJGnDYr&simid=608049159636978052&thid=OIP.Mde52469c362b0bd47d576c9dbccee4c2o0



STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - NAPLAN OVERVIEW 1. Percentage of students achieving at or above the National Minimum Standard (NMS) in NAPLAN

2. School Performance in comparison with all WA Public Schools

DATA ANALYSIS From the above data the following generalisations can be made: NMS - It is evident that the vast majority of students tested are achieving at or above the National Minimum Standard in all tested areas, with many areas showing all students achieving above the NMS. These percentages also demonstrate an overall improvement from 2015. When compared to the means of all students in WA Public schools, Mundaring primary school students have once again performed as expected in all areas of the NAPLAN. When looking at actual means displayed on the following pages, it is clearly evident that school means are actually above those of ‘like schools’ means in most areas and demonstrate upward trends over the past 5 years. PLANNED RESPONSE Even though we only have a small number of students demonstrating performance below the National Minimum Standard, we do have students who are at risk of not achieving to their potential and so it is imperative that we continue to provide support to all of these students through a range of Whole School programs and strategies while continuing to provide differentiated learning for students at all developmental levels. These whole school programs and strategies include:

The employment of a new Curriculum Support Coordinator for 2 days (0.4FTE) per week.

The Developmental Reading Groups (DRG) program and Daily Literacy Block where students from phases of development (eg: Yr 1 & 2; Yr 3 & 4 etc) are placed into reading groups according to their developmental reading level. Lower achieving groups have smaller numbers and receive additional support while higher ability groups benefit through the teachers ability to differentiate the teaching & Learning programs in a more challenging and targeted manner.

First Steps Reading strategies (eg: Guided Reading) are used across the school and included as part of the schools Literacy Operational Plan as a non-negotiable.

The Jolly Phonics & Jolly Grammar program which ensures a whole of school approach and continuity to the teaching of Phonics, Spelling and Grammar is used in all year levels.

The Envision Maths program which ensures a whole of school approach and continuity to the teaching of Mathematics in used in all year levels.

The BouncED On-Line Learning program which provides free 24/7 access to high quality web based learning resources for all students at school or at home.

The Students at Educational Risk (SAER) program provides targeted support for identified students at academic, emotional, social or behavioural risk in every class through an individualised case management approach . Regular case conferences and the use of documented plans are coordinated by the school’s Learning Support/SAER Coordinator in collaboration with Classroom Teachers, Education Assistants, Parents and Ouside Agencies (EG: CPFS, Therapy Focus, PCYC).

Year Level

Reading Writing Spelling Grammar & Punctuation

Numeracy

Year 3 98% 100% 100% 98% 94%

Year 5 100% 100% 100% 98% 100%

Year Level

Reading Writing Spelling Grammar & Punctuation

Numeracy

Year 3 At Expected performance

Year 5 At Expected performance



STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - English (Reading)

In the graph above, data is presented in coloured lines representing school and Like School mean (average) test scores. Like schools are those schools with a similar socio-economic background to Mundaring PS.

The graph shows that once again the 2016 mean test score in Year 3 Reading was above that of Like Schools and while slightly lower than in 2015, continues the upwards trend since 2012. This is an excellent result and demonstrates the ongoing success of our Early Childhood Education (Year K to 2) programs.

The graph also shows that the Year 5 Reading mean score in 2016 was above that of the Like Schools mean, and the highest score achieved by this year level in 5 years. It also indicates a continuation of the upward trend sine 2012.

PLANNED RESPONSE

English will continue as a priority in 2017, with an ongoing emphasis on providing SAER support and improving outcomes for students in the lower levels of achievement.

The school will continue the Developmental Reading Groups (DRG) program which will provide students with the opportunity to work in groups with children of similar levels of reading development during a standard Literacy Block each morning.

Following an in depth review of the latest NAPLAN data, the school’s 2017 English Operational Plan will include specific strategies to support the development of higher order reading comprehension skills in the middle and upper primary years (Year 4 to Year 6).

The school will also continue the use of On-Line Learning through its participation in the BouncED program as a Lighthouse School. This program will also form the basis of much of the homework provided by classroom teachers.

The school will implement a new program (STEM Club) to support and challenge higher achieving students across a range of cross curricular areas including Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Literacy. This program will be based upon popular PEAC programs and offered on an selection basis to interested and more capable students in Years 1 - 6.

All classroom teachers will receive additional support and professional development in the area of Reading during staff development days and through the use of a new Curriculum Support Coordinator who has been appointed for 2 days (0.4FTE) per week.

Graph 1 - Year Level Performance Compared To Like Schools Over Time



STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - English (Writing)


The graph shows that the mean test score for the school in Year 3 Writing was slightly above that of Like Schools and shows a continuing upward trend from previous years’ results. This is an excellent result and demonstrates the success of our Early Childhood Education (Year K to 2) programs.

The graph also shows that the Year 5 Writing mean test score was also higher than that of the Like Schools mean and an improvement when compared to the previous years’ means, reaching the highest score in 5 years. This is a positive outcome and demonstrates a slight but clearly evident upward trend since 2012.

PLANNED RESPONSE While our writing results in both Year 3 and Year 5 indicate that we are getting it right in NAPLAN writing, it is clear that our Year 5 students are just maintaining parity with their peers in similar schools and we are not seeing steady and continues growth from year to year. To address this trend and improve outcomes for upper primary students, the following programs and strategies will be implemented/continued in 2017.

In order to support improvements in Writing, Literacy will remain one of the school's priorities for 2017 , with a continuation of Writing as a focus area for Years 4 - 6 students.

The school will return to a more traditional and formalised writing program in 2017. This program will be developed and implemented by the Literacy Committee as part of the school’s Literacy Operational Plan.

The ‘Talk for Writing’ program will be maintained as a support strategy in Early Childhood.

All classroom teachers will receive additional support and professional development in the area of Writing during staff development days and through the use of a new Curriculum Support Coordinator who has been appointed for 2 days (0.4FTE) per week.

Graph 2 - Year Level Performance Compared To Expected Level Over Time



STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - English (Spelling)


The graph shows that while the mean test score for the school in Year 3 Spelling matches that of Like Schools and it is higher when compared to the previous year’s mean. The data also shows a resumption of the upward trend since 2012. This is another positive result and demonstrates the success of our Early Childhood Education (Year K to 2) programs.

The graph shows that the Year 5 Spelling mean score bettered that of Like Schools which took a slight dip in 2016. It is also clear that the data continues to show a slightly upward trend when compared to the previous years’ means.

PLANNED RESPONSE

The school will continue to review this spelling data as part of our annual Whole School Review process and develop strategies to ensure all students are being presented with opportunities to improve in this area.

All primary students will continue to take part in bi-annual baseline spelling tests to monitor and track performance against national standards.

As part of our whole school approach to Literacy, the school will continue the use of the Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar programs in PP to Yr 6, with the additional expansion of the program to include the purchase of extra Jolly Learning resources.

The school will also continue the use of On-Line Learning through its participation in the BouncED program . This program will also form the basis of much of the homework provided by classroom teachers.

All classroom teachers will receive additional support and professional development in the area of spelling during staff development days and through the use of a new Curriculum Support Coordinator who has been appointed for 2 days (0.4FTE) per week.





A HOLIDAY FACELIFT! Upon their return to school for Term 2, eagle eyed parents and students commented positively on the new signage in the undercover area. The school finally managed to place the words to the National Anthem and the School Creed up above the canteen as well as the State, National and Aboriginal flags. Parents now have no excuse not to join in with the 2nd verse of the National Anthem!

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ROCKS Who doesn’t remember with fondness their time in Kindy or Pre-primary? The students in our ECE have plenty of fun while they learn whether it be on the play equipment, stamping out a pattern, pretending in the play hospital or just sitting in a cardboard box! The Mothers’ Day raffle is also always a big favourite with the kids (and of course mums too).

Our senior students love their sports and there is no competition better than the Lightning Carnival Footy.



STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - English (Grammar & Punctuation)


The graph clearly demonstrates that the mean test score for the school in Year 3 G&P is once again greater than that of Like Schools and is also once again higher than any of the previous years’ means. There is also a clear upward trend over the past 5 years (2012 - 2016), which demonstrates the positive impact of adopting a whole school approach to G&P through the use of the Jolly Phonics & Jolly Grammar programs in 2012.

The graph shows that the Year 5 G&P mean score bettered that of the Like Schools mean and is a significant improvement when compared to the previous year’s mean. This data also demonstrates a continuing upward trend over the past 5 years (2012 - 2016), and supports the excellent improvements evident since the adoption of a whole school approach to G&P through the use of the Jolly Phonics & Jolly Grammar programs in 2012.

PLANNED RESPONSE

English will continue as a priority in 2017, with an ongoing emphasis on providing SAER support for both lower and higher achieving students through classroom support programs and new Talented and Gifted programs (eg: STEM Club).

As part of our whole school approach to Literacy, the school will continue the use of the Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar programs in PP to Yr 6, with the additional expansion of the program to include the purchase of extra Jolly Learning resources.


All classroom teachers will receive additional support and professional development in the area of grammar & punctuation during staff development days and through the use of a new Curriculum Support Coordinator who has been appointed for 2 days (0.4FTE) per week.




STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - Mathematics (Numeracy)


The graph shows that the mean test score for the school in Year 3 Numeracy was again slightly better than that of Like Schools and was also higher than any of the previous years’ means. There is also a continuing upward trend over the 5 years (2012 - 2016), which clearly demonstrates the positive impact of adopting a whole school approach to Numeracy through the use of the Envision Mathematics program in 2012.

The graph shows that for the first time since 2012, the school’s Year 5 Numeracy mean test score was above that of Like Schools and continues an upward trend of improvement over the past 5 years (2012—2016). The school feels that this demonstrates the positive impact of adopting a whole school approach to Numeracy through the use of the Envision Mathematics program.

PLANNED RESPONSE

Numeracy will continue as a priority in 2017, with a continuing focus on Number & Algebra.

The school will continue to review this numeracy data as part of our annual Whole School Review process and develop strategies to ensure all students are being presented with opportunities to improve in this area.

As part of our whole school approach to Numeracy, the school will continue the use of the Envision Maths program in PP to Yr 6, with the additional expansion of the program to include the purchase of extra maths resources for concrete activities in the Early Childhood area.


All classroom teachers will receive additional support and professional development in the area of numeracy during staff development days and through the use of a new Curriculum Support Coordinator who has been appointed for 2 days (0.4FTE) per week.




The graph above shows the Achievement and Progress over two years for the same group of students who were present at MPS for both tests compared to students in schools with a similar socio-economic background (like schools). School results are placed into one of four sections, with the goal being to have both higher progress and higher achievement.

In Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation and Numeracy, the data shows that Mundaring students had both higher achievement and higher progress when compared to Like Schools, while in Writing we saw higher achievement and similar levels of progress as Like Schools. This clearly demonstrates that in these areas, the school’s programs are having the desired impact over time.

In Reading, we can see that while the 2016 Year 5 students achieved well above Like Schools, they did not match the Like Schools level of progress. A more detailed investigation into this less than expected level of improvement from Year 3 to Year 5 has revealed the following:

All of our less able students in Year 5 demonstrated growth in excess of the mean when compared to their Year 3 achievement in reading which seems to demonstrate that our SAER support programs are having a positive impact.

A small number of Year 5 students who had demonstrated very high levels of achievement as Year 3s, were not able to match this achievement in 2016, resulting in less than expected progress between the two assessments. This has been attributed to these students struggling to respond correctly to some of the higher order reading comprehension questions (eg: inferential and evaluative questions).

PLANNED RESPONSE

To address the lower levels of progress in Reading, the school has implemented new strategies to support higher order reading comprehension in our Middle and Upper School classes. These strategies are now embedded into our Whole School Literacy Operational Plan and supported through our Developmental Reading Groups (DRG) program.

Graph 6 - Year 3 (2014) to Year 5 (2016)

STUDENT GROWTH (Value Adding)




Assemblies are always a highlight at Mundaring and the children from Room 2 put on a stunning presentation of

Christmas came early at Mundaring with the P&C

running a fantastic disco with more than 200 students

attending.

With help from a number of parents and great

donations the night was fun and a great fundraiser.

The kids’ costumes were wonderful and in some

cases, very creative and DJ Dan was a huge hit like

always, only out-done by a surprise visit from Santa

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRE DADS’ DAY

As you can see, our dads enjoyed a great breakfast put on for their special day in the Early Childhood Centre.

Our annual Edu-Dance Concert was once again an absolute sell out and the children were simply awesome.



STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT - Teacher Judgements (Priority Areas - English & Mathematics)

The graphs above display the grade distributions of student in Years 3 & 5 in Reading and Numeracy as at Semester 1 2016 and compares Mundaring Data with that of Like Schools.

Graphs 7 & 8 show Teacher Judgements in Reading. This data shows that when compared with Like Schools, our Year 3 grade distributions show a strong correlation with what would normally be expected and this is also supported by a similar outcome when comparing Semester 1 student grades and 2016 Yr 3 NAPLAN results. Our Year 5 grade distributions however demonstrate a tendency to award lower grades than would be expected when compared to both like schools and the 2016 Year 5 NAPLAN results.

Graphs 9 & 10 show Teacher Judgements in Numeracy. In this case that when compared with Like Schools, our Year 3 grade distributions show that we are awarding higher grades than would normally be expected when compared to both like schools and the 2016 Year 3 NAPLAN results. Our Year 5 grade distributions however show a stronger correlation with what would normally be expected and this is also supported by a similar outcome when comparing Semester 1 student grades and 2016 Yr 5 NAPLAN results.

PLANNED RESPONSE

To further improve the correlation between the grade distributions of the school and Like Schools and NAPLAN data, we will continue to review the school’s assessment and moderation processes in 2017 and provide the following additional resources and training to staff:

The employment of a new Curriculum Support Coordinator for 2 days (0.4FTE) per week.

The English and Mathematics Curriculum Committees will revise the relevant Operational Plans to include strategies to support moderation of grade assessments.

Provision of grade level exemplars to all teaching staff members.

Provision of additional time to meet with year level peers for moderation activities.

Specific Professional Development on moderation of grade related assessments.

READING (Graphs 7 & 8) NUMERACY (Graphs 9 & 10)



STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Graph 11 shows that average student attendance at Mundaring PS is above 90% and better than or equal to the attendance rate for the state across all year levels.

Graph 12 shows the Semester 1 Attendance Profile for Mundaring PS and the State. This graph looks at the percentage of students attending regularly and the percentage of students “at risk”. The data for the school in 2015 demonstrates that our attendance strategies are continuing to work to reduce the number of students in the severe category (0%) and increase the number of regular attenders.

Further analysis of this data indicates an increase in the number of students in the moderate and indicated categories being withdrawn from school mid-term for family vacations, as well as an increase in the number of student absences recorded as ‘notified as sick’ by their parents. This issue has been an ongoing cause for concern to teachers and the school’s admin team and the school will continue to actively monitor the attendance of these ‘at risk’ students and follow up with parents as required.

Graph 11 - Average Attendance % - Primary Year Levels

Graphs 12- School Vs State Attendance in Categories

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Regular At Risk - Indicated At Risk - Moderate At Risk - Severe

School

WA



STUDENT ATTITUDE, BEHAVIOUR AND EFFORT

Graph 13 & 14 represents data collected from Semester 1 2016 Student Reports and is based upon teacher judgements of the attitude, behaviour and effort of their students. The areas reported on are:

Graph 13 (Years 1 & 2) 1. Is enthusiastic about learning 2. Participates responsibly 3. Sets goals and works towards them Graph 14 (Years 3 to 6) 1. Works to the best of their ability 2. Shows self respect and care 3. Shows courtesy and respect for the rights of others 4. Participates responsibly in social and civic activities 5. Cooperates productively and builds positive relationships with others 6. Is enthusiastic about learning 7. sets goals and works towards them with perseverance 8. shows confidence in making positive choices and decisions.

The graphs shows that the vast majority of the students are demonstrating appropriate (consistently or often) behaviour and attitudes with an increasingly small number of students being rated as 'seldom' by their teachers.

Teacher judgements are further supported by the number of referrals to Admin for classroom and playground misbehaviour which continued to decline in 2016.

STUDENT SUSPENSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS

There was 1 student suspension involving 1 student.

There were no exclusions.

Graph 13 & 14




Hot on the heals of the school sports was of course the Hills Education Community Sporting Association (HECSA) interschool athletics carnival and what a huge success it was. Our students did very well indeed, with the school coming in a respectable third out of 6 schools. While we didn’t win the whole carnival, we did actually gain the most points for the sprint and relay events which have been a focus of our sports program during year.

It must also be said that our school team received many plaudits for their behaviour and sportsmanship on the day, which supports the whole concept that primary sports is not just about winning.

Early in Term 4 is of course the Athletics Carnival and our two-day event was a huge success. With the three factions fighting it out in a variety of individual and team events, it was always going to be a fierce competition as you can here with the tug of war. It was a terrific day and everybody won!

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Our annual Sculpture in The School exhibition went off a treat with so much artistic creativity and talent on show.







As part of the school’s review process, members of the school community were surveyed in November 2016 using the School Survey On-Line system as recommended by ACARA and the Department of Education (WA).

SATISFACTION SURVEYS

Graph 15 - Parent Satisfaction Survey - Average Response Rating (Total Responses = 25)

The graphs above demonstrate clearly that with all average response ratings between Agree and Strongly Agree, parents are very satisfied with all aspects of the schools management and support for both students and staff at the school.

Notwithstanding these excellent results, those statements receiving averages responses of less than or equal to 4.0 will be subjected to a more in depth investigation as part of the school’s annual planning and review process.

The following graphs summarise parent survey responses and present the data as an Average Response Rating on a scale from 0 to 5 according to the follow legend. LEGEND 5.0 = Strongly Agree 4.0 = Agree 3.0 = Neither Agree Nor Disagree 2.0 = Disagree 1.0 = Strongly Disagree Surveyed aspects receiving significant percentages of negative responses will result in closer analysis and review.



As part of the school’s review process, members of the school community were surveyed in November 2016 using the School Survey On-Line system as recommended by ACARA and the Department of Education (WA).


Graph 15 - Staff Satisfaction Survey - Average Response Rating (Total Responses = 21)

The graphs above demonstrate clearly that with all average response ratings between Agree and Strongly Agree, staff are very satisfied with all aspects of the schools management and support for both students and staff at the school.

While still scoring strongly amongst staff, ratings relating to receiving useful feedback about their work indicates that not all staff agree with this and so in response the admin team will review the schools Performance Management practices with a view to improving the level of staff feedback.

The following graphs summarise staff survey responses and present the data as an Average Response Rating on a scale from 0 to 5 according to the follow legend. LEGEND 5.0 = Strongly Agree 4.0 = Agree 3.0 = Neither Agree Nor Disagree 2.0 = Disagree 1.0 = Strongly Disagree Surveyed aspects receiving significant percentages of negative responses will result in closer analysis and review.




Graph 17 - Student Satisfaction Survey - Average Response Rating (Total Responses = 50 - Yr 5 & 6 students)

The graph above show that the majority of students surveyed are clearly happy with the way the school supports their

needs and agree with the statements.

The data also represents improvements from the previous 2014 student survey which showed average scores of less than

4 for some of the statements.

While there is a small proportion of students who feel less than happy with certain aspects of the school, the number of

students who disagreed with some of the statements represents between 1 (2%) and 4 (8%) of the students surveyed which, while a small group, is still of concern to the school and will be investigated further in 2017.

To further improve the way we support our students, and in light of recent concerns raised by staff and parents regarding

the use of on-line devices, the school is also reviewing the whole school Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) programs with a view to implementing a new SEL Operational Plan aimed at better meeting the needs of students in the on-line age.

.

The following graphs summarise student survey responses and present the data as an Average Response Rating on a scale from 0 to 5 according to the follow legend. LEGEND 5.0 = Strongly Agree; 4.0 = Agree; 3.0 = Neither Agree Nor Disagree; 2.0 = Disagree; 1.0 = Strongly Disagree Surveyed aspects receiving significant percentages of negative responses will result in closer analysis and review.



PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTION 2016 was without doubt the most successful year I have had the pleasure to report on at Mundaring Primary School. The school continued it’s upwards growth, with enrolments reaching 344 by the end of the year thanks to many new students transferring in from local non-government schools. Once again, it is thanks to word of mouth that we are continuing to see this revival in the student numbers at the school, with many new families indicating their satisfaction with the many programs we offer our students. With the return to the school from Long Service Leave of some of our more experienced staff, we managed to complete the year with a full and stable cohort of our most experienced teaching and non teaching staff. 2016 saw the continuation of key strategies which have been proven to work, including:

The Students At Educational Risk (SAER) program which provides increased levels of student support through the appointment of a LSC/SAER Coordinator (0.3FTE) and additional SAER Education Assistants (2.0FTE).

The Literacy Teaching block where all classes complete literacy lessons for the first hour of each day.

The Developmental Literacy Groups program in all classes which allowa us to provide support for lower and higher achieving students without the need for additional funding or staff.

The BouncED On-Line Learning System which provides all students with 24/7 access to a range of web based literacy and numeracy programs at no cost to the school or parents.

Whole school programs in Literacy (eg: Jolly Phonics & Jolly Grammar, Talk For Writing) and Numeracy (eg: Envision Maths).

Not content with sitting back on our laurels however, 2016 also saw our involvement in a very exciting new international initiative titled ’The Learning Studios Project’ which was co-sponsored by Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. This very prestigious project involved 120 students from Year 4 to Year 6 solving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) based challenges with 59 other schools from around the world. It was very exciting to receive the additional hardware, software and training that came with this project but far more exciting was the joy on the faces of the students as they dropped eggs of the top of the flag pole or rebuilt old PCs into model vehicles. The final project for 2016 involved groups of students attempting to focus on and design solutions to address for some of the 17 UNICEF Global Goals and the very important ‘real world issues’ that matter to them. It was a very exciting project which we will be continuing and expanding on in 2017. Once again, it has been a pleasure to be the Principal of Mundaring Primary School through 2016 and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people:

The members of my staff, who present the day to day programs for the children and support the administration so well

The members of the School Management Council who meet regularly in their own time to discuss and plan improvements for the school

The Parents & Citizens Association for their continued support of our efforts through their management of key services (eg: Canteen and Uniform Shop) and the provision of additional funds to support key programs.

The children of Mundaring PS who are the reason we come here everyday and who make life so much fun. Paul Larkin Principal April 2017

Documents

2016 SCHOOL REPORT · WHAT AN AWESOME AFTERNOON! The year started with the P&C annual Awesome Arvo, and what a fun time it was, with bouncy castles, free icy poles and bottles of