2017 Primary Template · 2018-07-02 · ST THOMAS MORE SCHOOL, MT. ELIZA 2017 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 4 School Overview Established in 1981 with an enrolment of 126

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL

COMMUNITY

ST THOMAS MORE PRIMARY SCHOOL MT ELIZA

2017

REGISTERED SCHOOL NUMBER: 1822

ST THOMAS MORE SCHOOL, MT. ELIZA

2017 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 1

Contents

Contact Details ....................................................................................................................................................... 2

Minimum Standards Attestation ............................................................................................................................ 2

Our School Vision ................................................................................................................................................... 3

School Overview .................................................................................................................................................... 4

Principal’s Report ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Education in Faith .................................................................................................................................................. 6

Learning & Teaching ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Student Wellbeing ............................................................................................................................................... 11

Child Safe Standards ............................................................................................................................................ 14

Leadership & Management .................................................................................................................................. 15

School Community ............................................................................................................................................... 17

Future Directions ................................................................................................................................................. 19

VRQA Compliance Data ........................................................................................................................................ 20



Contact Details

ADDRESS 313 Canadian Bay Road Mt. Eliza VIC 3930

PRINCIPAL Mrs. Pat McConvill

PARISH PRIEST Rev. Fr. Laurie Pearson

SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR Mr. Chris Young

TELEPHONE (03) 9787 7788

EMAIL [email protected]

WEBSITE www.stmmtlza.catholic.edu.au

ABN 36990772736

E NUMBER E1321

FEDERAL DET NUMBER 3404

Minimum Standards Attestation

I, Pat McConvill, attest that St Thomas More School is compliant with:

All of the requirements for the minimum standards and other requirements for the registration of

schools as specified in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) and the Education and

Training Reform Regulations 2007 (Vic), except where the school has been granted an

exemption from any of these requirements by the VRQA

Australian Government accountability requirements related to the 2017 school year under the

Australian Education Act 2013 (Cth) and the Australian Education Regulations 2013 (Cth)

25th May 2018



Our School Vision

OUR VISION

St. Thomas More Primary School aspires to be a nurturing Catholic school that builds respectful

relationships based on Gospel values and is committed to excellence in education.

OUR MISSION

In our parish school community, we model the teachings of Christ through compassionate and

positive relationships. We provide a sense of belonging and develop brave learners, spiritually,

socially and academically.

OUR ASPIRATION

Passionate learners, acting justly within society.

OUR KEY VALUES

Respect

Value individuals and accept differences; listen to others; use positive language

Collaboration

Share ideas and responsibilities; co-operate and support one another

Innovation

Contemporary learning; risk taking; creative thinking; showing initiative

Integrity

Pride in self, learning and community; confidential; prompt; organised



School Overview

Established in 1981 with an enrolment of 126 students, St. Thomas More’s Mount Eliza, a co-educational

Catholic primary school, has grown to 350 students (214 families). There are 24 teaching and 13 non-

teaching staff. More than 95% of the 2017 enrolments are baptised Catholics. There is a strong parish,

school community feel with the church sitting adjacent to the school and the community embracing the

Parish Priest and staff's contribution.

The school's mission is to provide quality education, within a Catholic framework, in partnership with

parents and the wider community. The school aspires to develop passionate learners, acting justly

within society, and is successful in promoting Christian values, pastoral care and social justice. The

leadership team focuses on building a contemporary learning framework to optimize learning

opportunities and engagement for students.

The curriculum is rich, diverse and focused on developing the whole child - academically, spiritually and

socially. Specialist teachers cover Physical Education, Literacy Support, Reading Recovery, Music, Visual

Arts, Italian, Library and ICT. Students are encouraged to question, reflect, take risks, critique, analyse

and act. The school places a significant focus on the use of technology as learning tool. Interactive

whiteboards, digital cameras, Apple Macbooks, iPads, chrome books, a green room, technology room,

webcams and a number of computers are designated to classrooms.

The school is set within a beautiful bushland setting. A number of pods provide the junior, middle and

senior schools with a degree of independence while not being isolated from one another. The school has

a large oval, basketball and netball courts and adventure playgrounds. In addition to the bright and

attractive classrooms (two Preps, four Grade 1-2s, four Grade 3-4 and four Grade 5/6 classes), the

school has a technology room, a library, a multi-purpose area, a visual arts area and a music/LOTE

(Italian) room. A state of the art gymnasium is used by the school, parish and community groups.



Principal’s Report

With 2017 being the year of External Review, St Thomas More School community was provided with an

overview of achievements from the past four years, and some goals to aspire to over the coming four

years. Overall, the reviewer found the school to be ‘a high performing school, strategically led and

managed, committed to ongoing improvement. It is a vibrant Catholic learning community that is

searching for ways to make Catholicism meaningful and compelling for students in today's world.

Improved rates of learning growth in literacy and numeracy reflect the school's pursuit of innovative,

contemporary practice to ensure that student learning and assessment are differentiated to meet

individual needs’.

Communication remains a key priority; all staff are very aware of the need to inform parents of school

matters including student learning through various media, e.g. the newsletter, the school website,

online apps and in person. In turn, the leadership group provide regular briefings, staff notes and

meetings for staff each week.

This year has seen the completion of two major projects for the school community. Firstly, the

administration block has been refurbished and extended to cater for the needs of the students, staff and

parents. Several meeting rooms were included in the new building to allow for both small and larger

gatherings. Secondly, the Woodland Early Learning Centre has been built on site, although not part of

the school. The school anticipates strong learning and social links with the ELC, which is being managed

by Early Childhood Management Services. Both buildings are wonderful additions to the already

amazing site.

Evaluation of the technology devices across 2017 saw the introduction of Chrome books for students

across the school. The focus of digital devices is to motivate students, promote reflection and

personalise and target learning. The use of iPads will be maintained, however the Chrome books will be

the main device used within the Year 5/6 one-to-one program. Each class now has a blend of devices to

use – PCs, iPads and Chrome books and are learning to use both Google and Microsoft platforms.

Learning expos across the school have drawn in large numbers of parents, ranging from the puppet

show for Preps to Bizarre Bazaar for Year 5/6s. At all levels, children were able to articulate their

learning and derived much pleasure sharing with their family and friends. The extraordinary attendance

at the Year 3/4 Sustainability expo detailing ways of being more sustainable through iMovies filled to

capacity the classrooms and multi-purpose room.

We continue to celebrate our connected community and focus on our journey in faith and in learning.

Mrs. Pat McConvill

Principal



Education in Faith

Goals & Intended Outcomes

To focus on enriching the Catholic identity of the school through growing faith partnerships.

That students will be reflective and active in their Catholic Faith within the context of the contemporary world.

Achievements

In 2017, the goals and outcomes to improve the Catholic Identity of the school were addressed in a

variety of ways.

2017 saw the beginning of our two year learning cycle. Through Professional Learning Team Meetings,

the staff were able to adapt and refine the first four units of work to improve pedagogy in Religious

Education. Refining these units culminated in a contemporary and rigorous curriculum where students

were able to be reflective and active in their Catholic faith within the context of the contemporary

world. The new planning format, developed by staff, together with professional development in

teaching and learning in Religious Education, have led our school to develop eight in-depth units in a

contemporary framework for Years Prep – Six. These units are uniform across the school and centred on

the concepts of Identity, Sustainability, Social Justice, Creativity, Community, Change, Necessity and

Curiosity. Each level across the school drew their learning intentions from the Religious Education

Framework Document. The result has produced eight very rich learning units that are integrated

successfully within the wider framework of our Inquiry Learning and that can be reviewed and enhanced

as part of the ongoing planning in Religious Education. Our Religious Education units of work have

become the underlying basis for all our learning and therefore, they have become more relevant and

meaningful to our school community. These units have improved our pedagogical planning and delivery

of the Religious Education Curriculum to further engage our students, grow faith partnerships and

develop student participation.

In 2017, the staff continued professional learning sessions focused on building teacher capacity. The

professional learning centred on developing the understanding and practice of hermeneutical learning,

which in turn transpired into the refining of engaging, meaningful and rich Religious units of study. St.

Thomas More School is proud to be leading the way in Religious Education Curriculum reform with the

delivery of such a rich pedagogical program which continues to develop and become more streamlined.

St. Thomas More School also continued throughout 2017 to develop social justice initiatives to follow

the Catholic Social Teachings and make a difference in the world by being champions of change. St.

Thomas More School community extended its support of St. Vincent de Paul Society by becoming a Mini

Vinnies school. The senior student leaders in the group attended meetings at school, chaired by the St.

Vincent de Paul President to learn more about social justice. This resulted in charitable works not only

for the community but in building respectful relationships among students. Social justice activities link to

our curriculum and are relevant to the context of the students learning. These initiatives are co-lead by

teaching staff and Year 6 leaders in the Education in Faith and Community areas.



Much was achieved in 2017 in Education in Faith; our School Improvement Plan was fully implemented

with focus developments for the future. We will continue to refine our curriculum to make our Catholic

Identity a strong one, linked within context to community.

” The ‘religious dimension of the Catholic school’ is its identity and mission, always founded in the

person of Jesus Christ as it comes to us through the Good News. In very explicit ways the religious

dimension ensures a thorough integration of identity and mission into the whole of the educational

experience of every learner.” Horizons of Hope Document in Religious Education.

VALUE ADDED

A sense of social justice is strongly promoted through the school’s fund-raising and charitable works.

Sponsor child in the Philippines

Sister parish in East Timor / Rice Line

Caritas through Project Compassion in Lent and supporting the missions in October

St. Vincent de Paul Society, during the winter months and at Christmas time

Family Week fundraising and donations to Catholic Care

Oxfam donations at Christmas

Introduction of Mini Vinnies



Learning & Teaching


To focus on increasing the growth of learning for all students, challenging them in their own lifelong learning journey.

That student performance is improved, particularly in literacy and numeracy.

Achievements

The school provides a secure and supportive multi-age teaching and learning environment and provides

intervention for students experiencing learning difficulties. NAPLAN data indicates a large number of

students achieving at the expected level and a significant percentage achieving levels at least one year

above in literacy and many students achieving at least one year above in numeracy.

The school continued to ensure a whole-school focus on purposeful teaching, so that there is shared

agreement about successful pedagogy that is consistently used by all teachers. In addition, emphasis

continues to be placed on highlighting a greater differentiation in assessment. Through the introduction

of the Corwin Visible Learning project, leadership has further enabled building a culture of teamwork

and mentoring, allowing for effective one-to-one feedback. Teachers receive relevant professional

learning, professional learning team meetings have purpose and teachers are increasingly having the

desired professional dialogue with one another about their successes and challenges. Significant

resources have been allocated to update resources and facilities.

Literacy results in the junior school for 2017 are as follows:

95.5% of Preps reached the expected standard of level 5 or above, and 28% were at level 20 or

above.

89% of Year 1 children attained their expected standard of Level 15, with 89% of students above

Level 20.

At the end of Year 2, 100% of students had reached the benchmark level of 26 and 94% had

reached level 28.

That improved student outcomes will be achieved in Mathematics:

As a result of the CTLM (Contemporary Teaching and Learning Mathematics) project the school has

continued to plan in units, use skills and understandings and provide rich activities to enable, extend and

challenge students in their mathematical thinking. Further work has continued by conducting lesson

studies with the teachers of each level, a focus on differentiation and regular professional learning

meetings to support teacher understanding of best practice.

NAPLAN data in Maths for 2017 shows the Year 3 average to be above the National mean. About 16 % of

Year 3 students are one or more years above expected outcomes.

In Year 5, 98% of students were at or above the minimum standard for numeracy. In comparison with

the National and the State mean, the school mean was well above in 2017. More than a quarter of Year



5 students in 2017 are above expected outcomes. Almost 85% of Year 5 student’s results showed that

they were at or above the expected level.

Eighty-four percent of Year 5 students made medium to high growth in Numeracy when tracked from

Year 3 in 2015 to Year 5 in 2017.

Semester Two results in PAT-Maths, a standardised test applied to Years 1-6, recorded above expected

results for Years 1 to 5 in 2017, with growth across the year being above the expected level for Years 3

to 6.

That improved student outcomes will be achieved in English particularly in Writing and Reading

Comprehension

The continued implementation of the ‘Read to Learn’ program had a directed focus on Reading and

Writing in Years 5 and 6. The use of the Daily Five and CAFÉ approaches in the Years 3 and 4 classes has

resulted in improved student engagement in reading and greater ownership of reading by the students.

Several teachers have now undertaken professional development in writing with the Seven Steps to

Writing Success program and the Writer’s Notebook approach. In 2017 there was a greater focus on the

craft of writing and on identifying students’ capabilities in writing in order to assist students with further

improvement as writers.

Analysis and moderation of Prep – 6 writing samples allowed teachers to find teaching points for all

children at the school. Mentor writers have visited our school to model and build our writing

community. The school has explored growing ways to provide authentic writing opportunities.

Learning Support Officers were provided with opportunities for professional learning in Literacy. Their

support in the classroom with a wide learning range of children has been enhanced by the growth in

their knowledge in contemporary literacy acquisition. Extra teaching staffing has also been allocated to

support ‘at risk’ students.

NAPLAN data for Year 3 in 2017 shows above average results in Writing compared to State and National

results. Results for Reading and Grammar and Punctuation were above the national mean. Over 40% of

Year 3 students in 2017 are one year or more above expected level in Reading and half of students are

one year or more above in Writing and in Grammar and Punctuation.

Data for Year 5 in 2017 shows results to be above both the State and National mean in all areas of

Literacy. In Year 5, all students were at or above the minimum standard for reading and 98% were at or

above the minimum standard for writing. Over 55% of Year 5 students in 2017 are one year or more

above expected level in Reading and over 45% in Writing. More than two thirds of all Year 5 students

were a year or more above in Spelling.

In Reading and Writing, 85% of students had results that were at or above the expected level.

Growth Trend Analysis of students tracked from Year 3 in 2015 to Year 5 in 2017 shows that school

mean growth was above the state mean growth in Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation for

the first time in several years.



Eighty percent of Year 5 students made medium to high growth in Reading when tracked from Year 3 in

2015 to Year 5 in 2017. In Writing, 85% of Year 5 students made medium to high growth when tracked

from Year 3 in 2015 to Year 5 in 2017. Ninety–four percent of Year 5 students made medium to high

growth in Spelling and 88% made medium to high growth in Grammar & Punctuation when tracked from

Year 3 in 2015 to Year 5 in 2017.

Semester Two results in PAT-Reading, a standardised test applied to Years 1-6, recorded above expected

results for all levels in 2017 with growth across the year being above the expected level for Years 1 to 6.

Leadership recognises the need to continue building the contemporary classroom. This includes

procedures to enable teachers to share more of their classroom experiences and share information with

teachers at the next year level to ensure effective transition for every student. To promote greater

consistency in approach, teachers will attend to analysis of data and sharing strategies and tools for

ongoing assessment and reporting.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

NAPLAN data during the period 2015-2017 shows that the Year 3 and 5 children are above the

national and the state mean in many areas.

At Year 3, the literacy results across 2015 - 2017 showed our mean to be at or above the National

mean in all areas of Literacy. The 2017 data shows that Writing continues to be a strength for the

children, with the mean being above State and National results. The Numeracy results between 2015

and 2017 dipped in 2016 and have shown slight growth in 2017. Results in 2015, 2016 and 2017 were

above the National results.

At Year 5, the mean score for Reading and Writing at our school in 2017, is at its highest in the three

years. In all 3 years, the mean was above both the State and National mean. The Spelling and

Grammar and Punctuation mean scores have continued to be above the National mean across 2015 –

2017. The 2017 Numeracy data shows improved growth since 2015 and the mean was above both

the National and State mean for 2015 to 2017.

Tracking our cohort of children from Year 3, 2015 to Year 5, 2017 shows our Medium to High growth

to be above the average Medium to High growth in all areas of Literacy. In Writing, Spelling and

Grammar and Punctuation, over 80% of students showed Medium to High growth when tracked from

Year 3 in 2015 to Year 5 in 2017. In Maths, 80% of Year 5 students made Medium to High growth over

the same period.



Student Wellbeing


To maintain and provide an environment where each student feels respected, safe and secure in all elements of their development.

That the school provides a supportive, safe, engaging and challenging learning environment for every student.

Achievements

Student wellbeing is at the heart of every staff member's responsibility. The school has a genuine focus on whole-person wellbeing for its students. The focus of relationship building and strengthening social and emotional development adopts positive behaviour principles.

Child Safety and Wellbeing Team: To ensure, a smooth transition for students at the beginning of the year, class teachers shared information regarding social and emotional wellbeing, family situations and strategies used with students with behaviour or emotional issues. A Child Safety and Wellbeing Team, established to provide support for staff and students, meets 3 times a term. Once issues are identified, a variety of strategies are offered to meet each individual case e.g. social skills groups, individual counselling. These interventions are monitored and evaluated by the team regularly.

Meditation and Yoga Sessions: A Learning Support Officer experienced in yoga and meditation provided sessions for students in Prep – Year 6. Each class had a weekly lesson where students learnt about relaxation and breathing techniques. The response from students and staff was very positive in that the students felt more relaxed and could control their breathing and anxiety.

Revved Up Program / MPower Program: During the year four staff were trained to facilitate these programs for Year 5 / 6 students in fourth term. MPower is designed to reduce the impact of relationship aggression between girls and encourages open and honest emotional expression and to practice problem solving. The Revved Up program is to enable boys to identify what makes them get revved up and then provide strategies for them to control their anger.

A Parent Session with a focus on Anxiety was organised by the Home School Liaison person. A small number of parents attended the session.

Professional Learning for Learning Support Officers was held at our school. Patrice Wiseman from CEM facilitated the day. The focus was ‘ A Positive Approach to Supporting Student Behaviour.

As part of the School Review process, policies were read and discussed in small staff groups. Changes in processes and procedures were updated to ensure the policies reflected current practices at the school.

Bounce Back Program: The Kids Matter Team attended a Professional Learning Day facilitated by Helen McGrath where the focus was on Bounce Back and building resilience in young people. The Team presented the content from this day to staff at a PLT. In Unit Year levels, the staff planned Bounce Back activities and stories across the term. The Core Values of Bounce Back were explored and Emotions chosen as the focus.



Social Worker Placement: In second semester, a social worker student from RMIT was working with the students and staff for a 70 day placement. During that time the student spoke to individual students in an informal manner, interacted with students before school and during recess breaks. The student also provided short lessons to all year levels with a focus on anxiety. In Term 4 the student interviewed all Year 6 students in preparation for their transition into secondary school, providing feedback to staff on each student.

At St. Thomas More we believe that positive classroom behaviour is conducive to an effective learning environment. Teachers recognise the need to be consistent in managing individual students and the general classroom. At the beginning of each year, staff revisit policies and procedures, ensuring a common language and expectations throughout the school. Teachers were reminded of the importance of the recording processes and specific strategies for behaviour incidents.

The school has provided a safe environment for all students as well as providing avenues for connecting students with their school, staff and peers. This has been enhanced through unit meetings to address safety issues; whole class and whole school assemblies; student wellbeing leaders organising lunchtime games; buddy system, Yr. 5 students buddied with Prep students; individual outdoor play plans for students and cyber safety lessons in Technology classes.

A description of how non-attendance is managed by the school.

Staff members are to bring to the attention of the Principal any student/s whose attendance is irregular, any students who do not provide written notes adequately explaining absences, or whose absences appear unwarranted.

The Principal will, after consulting with the teacher, attendance records and the student, decide upon a strategy to be employed. As absenteeism is often indicative of other problems including engagement and family issues, the support strategies employed by the Principal will be determined on a case-by-case basis. However, they may include:

Initial telephone contact with parents Counselling sessions for parents and/or students Home visits Formation of a support group including outside support agencies if appropriate

Ongoing absenteeism will be reported by the principal to the appropriate welfare and government

agencies.



VALUE ADDED

Class Meetings - regular meetings to discuss any issues and celebrate good things happening around the school. The meetings help the students to be heard as well as learning how to problem solve in a safe environment.

Child Safety and Wellbeing Team - meets regularly to discuss issues with students inside and outside of the classroom.

Social Skills - small group sessions facilitated by a member of the Wellbeing team.

Learning Support Officers - in consultation with classroom teachers, create Social Stories for students experiencing issues inside the classrooms and outside in the playground.

History Intervention Sheets - completed by classroom teacher, explaining what strategies either worked or didn’t work and whether or not the term goals were achieved.

Outreach program provides meals and support to families who are experiencing difficulties through sickness.

Home visits by the home school liaison person strengthened the link between home and school for children at risk.

School Camps for Years 3/4 (1 night) and 5/6 (2 nights) offer away-from-family opportunities, as well as building connections for students.

STUDENT SATISFACTION

Student Motivation has fluctuated over the four years, from 87 (2012) increasing to 91 (2014) and dropping to 84 (2016). 97% of the indicators were favourable on average. Parents recognise that students are motivated and stimulated, rating both highly at 77 – 80 over the four years. Staff believe that students are highly motivated with scores of 82 – 84 over the four years. From the student survey, Classroom Behaviour has improved from 46 in 2012 and 2014 with an increase to 56 in 2016 for Year 5 students; Year 4s scored 66 for classroom behaviour. This is a substantial improvement, with the percentage for favourable indicators at 74 for Year 5s and 79 for Year 4s.



Child Safe Standards

Goals and Intended Outcomes

To demonstrate the strong commitment of St. Thomas More Primary School to the care, safety and

wellbeing of all students at our school.

To ensure the ongoing implementation of the Child Safe Standards by all members of the school

community.

Achievements

Development and review of the following policies and procedures:

o Child Safety Policy

o Code of Conduct

o Volunteer Procedure and Volunteer Duty Statement

o Child protection Reporting obligations

o Child Friendly Child Safe Policy developed in consultation with students and staff

Data Base of records related to Child Safety created and regularly checked to ensure compliance

All Staff, visitors, volunteers and contractors wear an identification lanyards

Staff have participated in a variety of training initiatives - online mandatory reporting modules,

Protect – responding to suspected student sexual offending, and Risk Management – excursions

& camps

Presentation of Child Safe Standards at Parish Education Board

Presentation of Code of Conduct at parent meetings and information through school

newsletters for Code of Conduct completion, need for WWCC and Volunteer Duty Statement

Child Safety and Wellbeing Team formed to oversee Child Safe Standards and Student Wellbeing

Updated handbooks, risk management forms to include child safety issues

Risk assessment completed to remove / reduce risks

Risk assessments reviewed regularly by staff and then presented to the Parish Education Board

Child Safety as an agenda item at staff meetings and PEB meetings



Leadership & Management


To continue to build a leadership and management culture that ensures collaboration to achieve united and aligned goals for the school. That formal and informal leadership will be shared across people and situations.

Achievements

In 2017, St Thomas More School participated in a whole of school review. An external reviewer

facilitated the process which focused on the Self-Reflection Report, the School Improvement Plan,

results shown in School Improvement Survey Reports (2012, 2014 and 2016) and in-school data on

demographics, student learning, perceptions and school processes. The reviewer also completed the

Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority review and the Federal Department of Education and

Training compliance items ensuring that the school was compliant with State and Federal obligations.

The on-site component of the review occurred over two days, the first consisting of a program of

interviews and focus group meetings with the principal and leadership team, teaching and non-teaching

staff, students, and parent representatives, and the second focused on arriving at a shared

understanding of the school's performance in each of the five spheres, identifying possible goals, and

defining intended outcomes and key improvement strategies for the new School Improvement Plan.

Summaries of the final report were presented at separate meetings to the staff and School Board.

The review found that St Thomas More's school is a high performing school, strategically led and

managed, committed to ongoing improvement. Improved rates of learning growth in literacy and

numeracy reflect the school's pursuit of innovative, contemporary practice to ensure that student

learning and assessment are differentiated to meet individual needs. Marked improvement is evident in

the progress achieved across the five spheres, mostly with success in achieving the intended targets.

The school’s strategic leadership and management ensures appropriate responsiveness to identified

areas of need. There is a clear sense of whole school focus that consistently promotes unity and

alignment with the school’s Strategic Intent and School Improvement Planning. Focused professional

learning is a priority, to establish conditions for high quality teaching, effectively manage change and

strengthen the capacity and leadership of the school teams. Emphasis is placed on learning together,

effective and open communication between staff, teams and parents and the organisation of structures

that support teamwork. Staff professional learning has prompted greater professional dialogue, deep

questioning and engagement with diversity, deepening teachers’ understanding of learning and teaching.

Whilst a shared vision pervades the school, a focus in 2018 is developing and communicating a common

understanding of the roles and expectations of all staff, within a professional culture focused on

performance and development and ensuring subsidiarity and participation.

The staff group continued their involvement in the Visible Learning project, with the focus on learning

intentions, success criteria and two staff being trained as mentor coaches. Individual staff were also

involved in specific professional learning suited to their level of development, e.g. the graduate network,



updates in first aid training, and all teaching staff completed the e-learning module on mandatory

reporting.

EXPENDITURE AND TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

DESCRIPTION OF PL UNDERTAKEN IN 2016

Digital Technologies

Bounce Back program

Visible Learning Project

Phonics in Context

MPower Girls and Revved Up

NForma Reporting Format

Anaphylaxis, First Aid, Mandatory Reporting and Child Safe Standards, including

Reportable Conduct

Individuals also attended professional learning to meet their individual goals, e.g. network meetings for principal, religious education, student services, deputy principal, digital learning, learning & teaching.

NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN PL 24

AVERAGE EXPENDITURE PER TEACHER FOR PL $3484

TEACHER SATISFACTION

The Organisational Climate in 2016 rated at 74, with strengths in Supportive Leadership (81) and Ownership (81). The Teaching Climate Index was 83.6 with outstanding strengths in Respect for Students (92) and Student Behavior (91).

Staff ranked themselves in the middle 50% of Australian schools for Staff Wellbeing

showing a lot of energy and enthusiasm across the school as a whole, preferring to work

in teams than alone.

The staff retention rate for 2017 was 96%.



School Community


To focus on improving parent connectedness to their child's learning by promoting a common purpose and shared understandings.

That there continues to be a strong partnership between families and the school in students' education.

Achievements

The 2017 school review found that ‘positive, respectful relationships and a clear focus on developing a

sense of belonging in the school community have created an environment where students feel safe and

secure’. From the focus group discussions, it was evident that parents place much value on the circle of

community fostered and they acknowledged that their children are happy and safe and look forward to

coming to school.

The school consistently promotes a common purpose and shared understandings to focus on improving

parent connectedness to their child's learning. Strong parent school relationships underpin the many

and varied ways the school actively encourages parents to work in partnership with teachers to support

student learning and outcomes. Opportunities were provided for parents to be involved in the following

ways:

Parent helpers in the classroom and other school events

School expos for parent and community attendance

The importance of parents as their child’s primary educators in faith is recognised in the faith

partnerships developed in collaboration with parents and the parish in the students' Sacramental

journey. Parents were invited to be part of:

Sacramental workshops, with some parents leading the workshops

Social Justice initiatives

School Masses and assemblies

Parents are also involved in the school community with representation on the Parish Education Board –

4 parent members – and through social and fundraising events with the Parent Association. In this

respect, the parents are prime instigators in arranging social events to build community across the

parent body, and also to contribute to the running of the school through working bees and day-to-day

management of the canteen and uniform shop. Our Year 4 children provide and serve morning tea for

parishioners on a monthly basis. The wider community is involved in the school particularly through

guest speakers and users of the gym within their respective sporting clubs.

The school has recognised the need to identify parents' expectations about their partnering with the

school, and will in 2018, provide opportunities for parent / school dialogue that encourages re-

imagination of learning partnerships with a focus on authentic modes of being involved in their child's

learning.



PARENT SATISFACTION

The reviewer found there is clear evidence of a wide ranging parent involvement at the school with a

very active, supportive and creative Parents Association. This committed parental involvement

contributes to the valued spirit of community and encourages a sense of belonging so that all members

of the community feel welcomed, and can contribute to the school’s effectiveness.

School Improvement Survey data shows that parents generally find teachers approachable. We pride

ourselves on our approachability, extending an open door policy.

The target of 76 for Parent and School Partnerships was achieved in 2016 (79), a significant

improvement from 2012 (70). Parents also show appreciation in their survey results for the preparation

of their children to transition between units and on to secondary school.



Future Directions

BROAD GOALS KEY IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES

Education in Faith

Supporting students to form their Catholic identity, making sense of their world and their lives and responding in encounter with Catholic tradition, the school’s faith community and pedagogy.

Design assessment that provides evidence of students’ ability to engage in deep dialogue with the Catholic Tradition, the issues of the day and students’ self-understanding.

Learning and Teaching

Establishing a learning culture of engagement, of self-regulation, challenge and growth.

Strengthen team and teacher capacity to make learning visible and be responsive to evidence of student achievement by adjusting curriculum to target each student’s point of need.

Student Wellbeing

Developing in students a strong sense of self in relation to others.

Develop in students their sense of self-worth, self-awareness, self-management and personal identity, empathy for and understanding of others.

Leadership and Management

Developing a school-wide self-reflective culture committed to improving student learning and wellbeing.

Develop a strong collegial culture of trust focused on effective feedback, individual and collective responsibility and role clarity to improve student learning and wellbeing.

School Community

Developing authentic learning partnerships with families and the community that improve outcomes for students.

Explore opportunities to further enable student and parent voice in the development of reciprocal partnerships with families and community members that support students’ learning.



VRQA Compliance Data

PROPORTION OF STUDENTS MEETING THE MININUM STANDARDS

NAPLAN TESTS 2015

%

2016

%

2015 - 2016 Changes

%

2017

%

2016 - 2017 Changes

%

YR 03 Grammar & Punctuation 100.0 100.0 0.0 96.7 -3.3

YR 03 Numeracy 100.0 100.0 0.0 96.8 -3.2

YR 03 Reading 100.0 97.9 -2.1 98.4 0.5

YR 03 Spelling 100.0 100.0 0.0 100.0 0.0

YR 03 Writing 100.0 100.0 0.0 100.0 0.0

YR 05 Grammar & Punctuation 100.0 97.7 -2.3 100.0 2.3

YR 05 Numeracy 100.0 100.0 0.0 98.3 -1.7

YR 05 Reading 100.0 100.0 0.0 100.0 0.0

YR 05 Spelling 100.0 97.7 -2.3 100.0 2.3

YR 05 Writing 100.0 100.0 0.0 98.4 -1.6

AVERAGE STUDENT ATTENDANCE RATE BY YEAR LEVEL %

Y1 93.54

Y2 92.96

Y3 95.76

Y4 95.63

Y5 95.56

Y6 93.04

Overall average attendance 94.42



TEACHING STAFF ATTENDANCE RATE

Teaching Staff Attendance Rate 88.72%

STAFF RETENTION RATE

Staff Retention Rate 95.65%

TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS

Doctorate 0.00%

Masters 13.64%

Graduate 18.18%

Certificate Graduate 9.09%

Degree Bachelor 68.18%

Diploma Advanced 59.09%

No Qualifications Listed 0.00%

STAFF COMPOSITION

Principal Class 2

Teaching Staff (Head Count)

24

FTE Teaching Staff

20.293

Non-Teaching Staff (Head Count)

13

FTE Non-Teaching Staff

10.227

Indigenous Teaching Staff

0

NOTE:

The School’s financial performance information has been provided to the Australian Charities

and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and will be available for the community to access from

their website at www.acnc.gov.au

http://www.acnc.gov.au/

Documents

2017 Primary Template · 2018-07-02 · ST THOMAS MORE SCHOOL, MT. ELIZA 2017 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 4 School Overview Established in 1981 with an enrolment of 126