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“It takes a village to raise a child”
Eddystone Primary School
2010 Annual Report
PRINCIPAL’S WELCOME It has been a wonderful and rewarding year at Eddystone Primary School. Most significantly, we have incorporated the new ‘Intensive English Program’ to our school. This has resulted in new students, new staff and new infrastructure enhancing the learning environment of the entire school. Our new students have settled into Eddystone Primary School superbly. It is a credit to our new Deputy, Mr Alec Kanganas, whose meticulous leadership and planning has led to this initiative being so successfully implemented. It is with pride that I recognise the high level of respect, tolerance and acceptance being demonstrated by the Eddystone Primary School community. Once again, I would like to sincerely thank the parents and members of the community who have taken the time to make an informed judgement and we have been vindicated by the seamless adoption of the Eddystone Primary School values and culture by our new students. We are also particularly pleased with our excellent NAPLAN results this year. Once, again, we out performed ‘like schools’ in key areas and have built on the sound foundations of previous years. The underlying upward trend of our results is very positive and a credit to the hard working and dedicated staff at Eddystone Primary School. Our new reporting to parent processes have included teacher/parent interviews in Term 1 and a “Learning Journey” in Term 4. These new initiatives have provided parents with vital information on the progress of students. Our sound belief in developing community links has resulted in gaining sponsorship from West Perth Football club and KAMBO’S Electrical. This has resulted in the famous ‘Falcons’ football jumper and team colours being adopted by our school football team. Thank you to Mr Bewick, our Deputy, and the P&C for organising this important initiative.
Our other exciting initiative has been the Harmony Calendar. With the dramatic involvement of the Channel TEN helicopter, we were able to stage a launch of the calendar which resulted in our school being featured on the nightly ‘News’ segment. The “Harmony Calendar” created links with our visual arts program, our ESL program and provided a stimulus for fund raising. The “Building the Education Revolution” federal stimulus funding has made some dramatic improvements to our school’s learning environment. Our canteen upgrade was completed, the school was fully repainted and our music/art block is well on the way of being completed before the beginning of the 2011 school year. The new administration upgrade is also being planned and should commence near the end of term 4 to ensure that it is completed for the beginning of the year. This will create additional office space for the new Deputy and other relevant staff. We have also been successful in the Department of Education’s fencing program which will ensure that a security fence is built around the school to prevent vandalism and ensure the continued safety of our students during the school day. Our school continues to grow and thrive and play an important part in the lives of our students. It gives me immense pleasure in presenting our 2010 Annual Report to our parents and wider school community. Paul Biemmi Principal
HISTORY AND SCHOOL PROFILE Eddystone Primary School is located in the suburb of Heathridge, approximately 25 kilometres north of Perth. The school opened in 1986 and has grown into a well-resourced facility with a strong focus on caring, support and student learning. The school has three teaching blocks which incorporates the early childhood and Intensive English Programs. The new BER building will incorporate the art and music programs. The school has a library, undercovered area, amphitheatre, tennis and basketball courts and spacious ovals. There will be a new administration office to accommodate the additional requirements of the Intensive English Program. The school has developed an ‘Arts Focus’ with a number of events providing opportunities for students to display their flair and creativity. The school also provided a Physical Education specialist, Numeracy support, Visual Arts specialist and Indonesian program.
ETHOS To ensure that all Eddystone Primary School students, through passionate, inspired teaching, develop into critically aware life long learners and function as valued citizens in our society.
SCHOOL PURPOSE
1. To recognise and nurture the needs of each child, by catering for their unique learning styles.
2. Strive to achieve academic
excellence through the provision of exciting, challenging and stimulating experiences in a positive learning environment.
3. To provide an invigorating curriculum by fostering engaging partnerships with families and community groups.
4. Build collaborative links between
families and the wider “Village” to establish a shared responsibility for the learning of all students.
5. To create a culture that embraces
and explicitly teaches shared core values of our society.
6. To recognise and celebrate the
artistic flavour of our school, by show casing the Arts to our wider community.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2010
The following is a list of highlights of 2010 Recycling Program Rainbows Program Heathridge Primary School visit Fire Station Visit Police Incursion Harmony Day Activity Day New Parents Welcome Morning Tea Channel 10 Helicopter Visit and Assembly
The Channel 10 helicopter and Nerelda Joacobs was an exciting visit Harmony Calendar Launch Learning Journey Term 1 Parent Interview BBQ for new parents ANZAC Service Year 7 Camp
Adopt a Coast Line Project Joondalup Sing Festival N15 Visit to Belridge Shopping Centre Heathridge Primary School Storm Support Values Reward Day Winter Carnival Athletics Carnival Football Clinic St Johns Ambulance First Aid Basket Ball Clinic Reach for the Stars Drum Beat Mini golf excursion World Maths Day Competition Book Week Parade Welcome Morning Tea for new parents Zoo Excursion AQWA Excursion and Hillarys excursion Belridge Senior High School performance Kings Park and Art Gallery End of Year Assembly Yr7 Graduation Assembly Yr 7 Graduation Dinner and Special Guest Speaker
Excursion to the Perth Fire Department
STUDENT PROFILE Girls Boys TOTAL Indigenous 6 3 9 LBOTE 48 50 98 Disability 3 3 6 Mainstream 79 76 155 TOTAL 136 132 268
ESL STUDENTS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Girls Boys TOTAL Afghanistan 6 7 13 Africa 10 9 19 Brazil 1 1 2 Cambodia 1 0 1 China 4 3 7 Egypt 2 2 4 Germany 0 1 1 Iran 4 4 8 Iraq 4 5 9 Israel 1 1 2 New Zealand 1 1 2 Portugal 1 0 1 Serbia 1 1 2 Thailand 4 5 9 Vietnam 1 1 2 Japan 1 0 1 Burma 1 0 1 Russia 1 2 3 United Arab Emirates
1 1 2
Hong Kong 0 1 1 Ukraine 0 1 1 Kyrgyz Republic
0 1 1
Malaysia 1 2 1 TOTAL 48 50 98
STAFF PROFILE AND SCHOOL ORGANISATION
K/P- Mrs Jennifer Tysoe Mrs Kira Maslen K/P Mrs Karin Robinson Mrs Kerrie Lambert P-1 Mrs Judy Bone Yr 1/2 Ms Chantelle Galea Yr 2/3 Mrs Bina Kandola Yr 1/2 Mrs Dagmar Cooper
Mrs Jennifer O’Byrne Yr 2/3 Ms Jodene May Mrs Ulla Filing Yr 3/4 Mrs Nerissa McCombe Yr3/4 Mrs Amber Waters
Mr Glen Bewick Yr4/5 Mrs Dorothy Groves
Mrs Margaret Newton (Term 1/2 Mrs Ulla Filing (Term 3/4)
Yr 4/5/6/7 Mrs Janet Fellowes Miss Michelle Weeks Yr 5/6 Mrs Bethwyn Smith
Mrs Amber Waters Yr 6/7 Mr Peter Polakiewicz Yr 4/5/6/7 Mrs Margaret Newton (Term
3/4) Support Mrs Sue Wallace Mrs Kay Nelson PE Teacher Ms Kerry Williams Visual Arts Mrs Dorothy Groves Numeracy Specialist –Miss Michelle Weeks Deputy Principal Mr Glen Bewick Deputy Principal Mr Alec Kanganas Principal Mr Paul Biemmi Registrar Mrs Sally Boardman School Officers Mrs Kathryn Melville Miss Senka Catak Mrs Denise Jones Library Officer Mrs Jeannine Clegg Education Assistants Mrs Karen Peters Mrs Margaret Donaghey Mrs Merilyn Knight Mrs Angie Williams Mrs Joanne Baxter Mrs Pauline Fyfe Mrs Jill Palasin Mrs Robyn Rodriguez Miss Liana Fyfe Mrs Roya Azizi Mrs Sonya Arefyar Mrs Deborah Anyoun Atem Mrs Sonia Ibraheem Ms Juan Liu Gardener Mr Steve Tatam Cleaning Staff Mrs Ann Butters Mrs Lyn Woods Mrs Tracey Stow
FACILITIES Facilities at the school include a large oval, two multi-purpose hard surface playing areas (basketball / tennis courts) netball courts, covered assembly area, amphitheatre/stage area (utilised for dance and drama performances) and a well stocked resource centre. There is also a well resourced library. A canteen facility is present at the school and provides lunches for students on special days.
Pre Primary has access to great facilities including undercover play areas
INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM The commencement of the Intensive English Program in 2010 (to cater for the growing number of ESL students in the northern corridor of the metropolitan area) is recognised as one of the major achievements of the school. The program started with 49 children and slowly grew to 98 at the end of the year. Children enrolled in the centre are from a wide range of backgrounds – mainly Australian citizens or permanent residents with working visa sub class numbers. One third of the students are from refugee backgrounds. There are a small number of fee paying students. Children enrolled in the program came from 28 nationalities which comprised of the following language groups: 16% were Dinka, 14% Arabic, 12% Thai, 9% Farsi, 4% Vietnamese with the remaining from Europe, Africa and Asia.
The successful emphasis in developing an integrated coherent school in all aspects of school development planning has developed a positive school culture. This is demonstrated where children have opportunities to learn from each other and where teachers have had the opportunity to network together increasing and enhancing knowledge and skills in their daily teaching practice. The Intensive English Program attracted 8 fully qualified ESL Teachers and 4 level 3 Ethnic Education Assistants. A School Officer, School Psychologist and a Student Support Worker also work in the centre. This highly competent professional support basis catered for 6 IEC classes distributed across the whole school. Further, a Curriculum Leader was appointed to work in classrooms to enhance and refine the second language acquisition process in teaching and learning. The CURL teacher worked shoulder to shoulder with teachers developing consistent approaches in the implementation of literacy strategies, which included guided reading and the genre approach to writing. A whole school approach in providing opportunities for students to participate in specialist programs is an advantage. Students were able to access programs provided by specialist teachers in Art, Music, Phys Ed and Library Studies. Providing access and equal opportunity for all students to participate in these areas added to the pastoral care and quality of education for all students in the school. The program has developed plans that complement the whole school strategic and operational plans. Major outcomes for the centre include:
• To introduce and develop English as an additional language.
• To work with the whole school in providing a safe, caring learning environment.
• To enable students to communicate in English through all the learning areas in the Curriculum Framework.
• To encourage the development of learning “how to learn” skills through the culture of Australian schooling.
Whilst in the Intensive English Program, continuous assessment is undertaken, and parents are advised when a student is ready to exit. When a child has completed their time parents are invited to view all work samples in the child’s evidence file which is a visual representation of the progress made. The final report is then explained to the parents – usually with an interpreter. From the beginning of the year to October 2010 only three students completed their time and each of these students reached the achievement target in every mode of language – which is level 4 of the ESL/ESD Progress maps. One child attained level 5 for each area of language, which is regarded as outstanding. In 2011 the ESL classes will continue to work positively to develop whole school approaches developing a positive school climate and culture. There will be a need to trial the WA Department of Education New Arrival Curriculum – which is being developed to assist in the implementation of the English National Curriculum. Also as there will be a large number of Pre Primary and Year One children we will work with the Early Years Learning Framework. The anticipation of working with the Mainstream Teachers with these documents will enhance whole school approaches in our curriculum delivery.
STUDENT NUMBER TRENDS Semester 1 2003 2004 2005 2006
Pre-Primary 31 26 32 34
Primary 266 242 222 211 Total 297 268 254 245
Semester 1 2007 2008 2009 2010
Pre-Primary 35 19 21 39
Primary 193 173 149 183 Total 228 192 170 222
DESTINATION SCHOOLS YEAR 7 2010 STUDENTS
Destination Schools Male Female Total Belridge Senior High School 2 10 12
Mater Dei College 1 0 1 Hampton Senior High School 0 1 1
Churchlands Senior High School 0 1 1
Woodvale Senior High School 2 1 3
NAPLAN PERFORMANCE REVIEW Reading Student achievement in Year 3 was above the expected mean and distribution of students in the top 20%. Students performed well above the All Australian Year 3 mean score. In year 5 and 7 student performance was above like schools and within the expected range of achievement levels.
Year 3 Reading
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
35%
19%
Middle 60%
65%
63%
Bottom 20%
0%
18%
Year 5 Reading
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
18%
18%
Middle 60%
59%
65%
Bottom 20%
24%
17%
Year 7 Reading
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
17%
18%
Middle 60%
72%
62%
Bottom 20%
11%
20%
Numeracy In Year 3, student achievement was above the All Australian mean score with more students in the top 20% than the expected distribution of students in Australia compared to like schools. In Year 5 and 7 students also performed above the like school mean with more students in the top 20% of Australia compared to like schools.
Year 3 Numeracy
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
30%
21%
Middle 60% 70% 68%
Bottom 20%
0%
18%
Year 5 Numeracy
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
22%
18%
Middle 60%
78%
59%
Bottom 20%
0%
23%
Year 7 Numeracy
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
22%
18%
Middle 60%
61%
61%
Bottom 20%
17%
21%
Writing In writing, students in Year 3 continued to perform above the All Australian school mean and like schools with a high percentage of students achieving in the top 20% of achievement. Year 5 and 7 students performed above like schools with more students performing in the top 20% than the expected distribution of students.
Year 3 Writing
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
42%
23%
Middle 60%
50%
61%
Bottom 20%
8%
16%
Year 5 Writing
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
22%
13%
Middle 60%
61%
66%
Bottom 20%
17%
21%
Year 7 Writing
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20% 22% 24%
Middle 60% 67% 59%
Bottom 20% 11% 16%
Spelling In year 3 and 5 the mean student performance was above the All Australian school mean and like schools with more students in the top 20% than the expected distribution of Australian students. Similarly, in Year 7 the students performed above like schools with more students achieving in the top 20% than the expected distribution of student performance. On the basis of these results Spelling is considered as a significant strength when comparing to the All Australian school means in Year 3, 5 and 7.
Year 3 Spelling
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
42%
18%
Middle 60%
54%
61%
Bottom 20%
4%
21%
Year 5 Spelling
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
44% 21%
Middle 60%
50% 59%
Bottom 20%
6% 20%
Year 7 Spelling
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
28%
20%
Middle 60%
61%
63%
Bottom 20%
11%
17%
Grammar and Punctuation Grammar and Punctuation was a significant result for the school with Year 3, 5 and 7 achieving outstanding results. The Year 3 mean was significantly above the All Australian mean score with just less than half the year 3 students achieving in the top 20% distribution of Australian scores. Similarly the year 5 and 7 students performed above the All Australian mean score with more students achieving in the top 20% in distribution of performance. On the basis of these results Punctuation and Grammar can be considered as strength across the school.
Year 3 Punctuation & Grammar
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
46%
17%
Middle 60%
50%
63%
Bottom 20%
4%
20%
Year 5 Punctuation & Grammar
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
33% 22%
Middle 60%
67% 62%
Bottom 20%
0% 16%
Year 7 Punctuation & Grammar
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
22%
19%
Middle 60%
72%
66%
Bottom 20%
6%
15%
MSE Year 5 and Year 7 Yr 5 Science School Mean= 424 State Mean= 407
Year 5 Science
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
18%
18%
Middle 60%
76% 61%
Bottom 20%
6%
20%
Yr 5 Science Investigating School Mean= 422 State Mean= 408
Year 5 Science
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
18% 18%
Middle 60%
82% 61%
Bottom 20%
0% 21%
Year 5 mean student performance was above the state mean in both Science tests.
Year 5 Society and Environment School Mean= 425 State Mean= 435
Year 5 SOSE
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
13% 22%
Middle 60%
69% 60%
Bottom 20%
19% 18%
Year 5 ICP School Mean= 419 State Mean= 435
Year 5 ICP
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
13% 22%
Middle 60%
69% 60%
Bottom 20%
19% 18%
Year 5 student mean performance was below the state mean in both SOSE tests.
Year 7 MSE Science and SOSE Yr 7 Science
Year 7 Science- Investigating
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
24% 16%
Middle 60%
53% 60%
Bottom 20%
23% 24%
School Mean= 454 State Mean= 457
Year 7 Science
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
24% 16%
Middle 60%
53% 60%
Bottom 20%
24% 24%
School Mean= 451 State Mean= 458 Year 7 mean performance was above the state mean performance in both Science tests
Year 7 Society and Environment
Year 7 SOSE
School Like Schools State
2010
2010
Top 20%
18% 18%
Middle 60%
53% 61%
Bottom 20%
29% 21%
School Mean= 474 State Mean= 484 Monitoring Information System (School) The school conducted its own MIS testing in the areas of LOTE Indonesian, Visual Arts and Physical Education to analyse the schools performance against state norms. Tests were conducted for Year 7 Indonesian, Year 7 Visual Arts and Year 3 Physical Education. The graphs below highlight the performance of the students tested. Indonesian State/School Student distribution of Year 7 individual achievement in Indonesian
State School
25%
35%
50%
41%
25%
24% Distribution of student performance in Indonesian considered above expected with more in top 25% of state.
Visual Arts- Year 7 Arts Responses
Year 7 Art Skills and Processes
The above results show a well below expected performance in Art Responses compared to the state mean and a performance well above the state mean performance in Art Skills and Processes. Physical Education Year 3 Fundamental Movement Skills State Mean= 16 School Mean= 13
State School
25%
0%
50%
75%
25%
25% Year 3 Skills for Physical Activity State Mean= 18 School Mean= 15
State School
25%
0%
50%
83%
25%
17%
The above graphs highlight that the year 3 students in the area of Physical Education performed below the expected state mean of achievement with a high percentage of students performing in the middle 50% of distributed scores. Physical Education will continue to be a focus in 2011.
Eddystone in front in the Interschool Carnival
FOCUS LEARNING AREA REVIEWS Students at Educational Risk A range of processes and strategies are in place to cater for the students at Educational Risk. Students at risk are identified from a range of assessment strategies-such as the literacy and numeracy net. Individual and Group Individual Education plans are designed using best practice strategies from FIRST STEPS, the WA Syllabus and the ESL/ESD progress maps. Teachers are supported in writing and implementing these plans by the Curriculum Leaders, the SAER Coordinator, Numeracy Specialist and Deputy.
Education Assistants are allocated to students with diagnosed learning disabilities and they assist in supplementing individual and small group instruction during planned learning programs, under the direction of the class teacher. The SAER Coordinator collaborates with external agencies such as Therapy Focus, for students with an identified disability, the Visiting Teacher from Inclusive Schooling, the School Nurse and the School Psychologist to supplement and assist children who have special learning needs. Case Conferences are regularly used as a means of communicating with parents, liaising with external agencies and
Year 7
All Females Males
State Means: 14.9 16.1 13.9 Class/Group
Means: 9.6 12.1 11.7
Year 7
All Females Males
State Means: 10.5 11.1 9.8 Class/Group
Means: 14.6 15.4 13.2
negotiating a course of action to best support the student. Year Level Number
IEP/GEP Psychologist Referrals
Outside Agencies
K 0 0 0 P 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 1 2 0 4 2 0 1 5 5 1 1 6 3 1 0 7 4 2 2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Buddy Class
Detention
In SchoolSuspensionSuspension
Year Level Diagnosed
Disabilities PEAC
K 0 0 P 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 5 0 1 6 0 0 7 1 0
Behaviour Management in Schools The Behaviour Management policy is based on positive reinforcement of student behaviour. It is our belief that students should be rewarded for their demonstration of good behaviour and that this reward encourages others to conform to appropriate behavioural expectations. All negative behaviour incidents are recorded on the Integris Behaviour Management program which allows tracking of negative behaviours and the number of student indiscretions. The graph below indicates the number of consequences given for reported cases of misbehaviour.
Buddy Class- 53 occasions (18 students) Detention- 54 occasions (31 students) In school Suspension- 65 occasions (17 students) Suspension- 7 occasions (4 students) Other than buddy class, consequences are issued by Administration based on the level of severity of the incident and school code of conduct breached. With an increasing school population in students and staff, a review of the BMIS policy was undertaken by a committee in 2010. From this review, a new BMIS policy has been developed to ensure a whole school approach to the management of student behaviour. This policy will come into effect in 2011. Once again the focus will be on positive reinforcement of expected student behaviour and ensuring a whole school approach where all students are aware of our school rules and all teachers follow the same processes and strategies for dealing with negative student behaviour. The school’s values program is linked to the BMIS policy. A reward incentive program is established in the school that culminates at the end of the year in rewarding students with a special excursion if they have achieved predetermined values targets.
Honour Certificate winners at an assembly
Physical Education Physical Education in 2010 saw the whole schools (including the inclusion of the new IEC students) continued participation in our ‘Run for your Life’ program to motivate and encourage fitness through running. This program has been very successful with over 60 students reaching 50km, over 80 students reaching 100km and 13 students reaching 200km. The students from PP through to year 3 have been developing there fundamental movement skills; sprint run, catching, jumping for distance, leaping and striking. Along with swimming lessons and games to develop team and partner cooperation. In years 4 through to 7 students have been developing fundamental games strategies for confident participation in team sports, with a focus on Basketball and Tennis. Students had an opportunity to participate in Wanneroo Basketball Club clinics, West Perth Football Club clinics and Soccer West clinics. PP through to year 7 participated in the program “Dancesport” presented by Humphreys Dance School. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn a variety of dances and the series ended with a dance evening to demonstrate to parents the skills learnt throughout the term. Students in years 5 to 7 competed in the Oceanside East Winter Sports Carnival. This was a great way for the students to have fun playing Football, Soccer, Netball or Hockey against other school teams.
Our football team with jumpers donated by the West Perth Football Club
The Interschool Cross Country event saw many of our Year 4 to 7 students represent the school over a number of long distances. We showed improvement and success with the Year 4 Girls winning there age pennant. Our school faction carnival saw Green faction take out the championship in a day full of Tabloid activities and traditional athletic events. Craigie Heights Primary School hosted the Oceanside East Interschool Athletics Carnival held at Eddystone Primary School oval where our students performed admirably demonstrating improvement in fitness and athletic skills developed throughout the Physical Education program. For some IEC students this was there first experience participating in athletic team games. Learning with ICT We continued to furnish the school with Interactive Whiteboards. At the beginning of the school year for 2011 most classrooms in the school will have an Interactive Whiteboard installed. This is a terrific outcome, with assistance provided by the Parents and Citizens Association we have been able to ensure that most students will benefit from this technology. This year also saw 5 teachers take part in professional development in the Department of Education’s Online Teaching and Learning System. The OTLS is a highly sophisticated technology that provides teachers with an exciting way to deliver lessons online in a secure environment. Students access the site through the Department portal and can complete activities set by the class teacher electronically. The system allows teachers to electronically track student progress and provide electronic feedback. The system also provides access to DET digital resources that cover many learning areas and concepts of the curriculum. It is an exciting teaching initiative that has proved in the short period to be highly motivating
strategy for the delivery of teaching and learning programs. A focus for 2011 will be the ongoing professional development and support for teachers in the effective use of Interactive Whiteboards and the use of software that supports planning and the creation of lessons. This technology will bring new and exciting challenges for teachers but it will be a dynamic and engaging method to deliver lessons to students and have them engage in highly interactive learning. Indonesian Indonesian is taught to Years 1-7 students at Eddystone Primary School, as part of Languages Other Than English (LOTE) program. Students participated in a variety of activities which enhanced their learning of the Indonesian language. They developed knowledge, skills and understandings to communicate in the language. At the beginning of 2010 Eddystone Primary School adopted SD9 Sanur in Bali as its sister school. 2011 will see the LOTE program develop further with Adopt-A-School Association as part of its ongoing commitment to engage students with a worthwhile project which enhances their understandings and awareness of other cultures and foster the value of service. GIR Numeracy Throughout 2010 there has been sustained improvement in the area of numeracy. The results of our year 3, 5 and 7 students in NAPLAN have met achievement targets set in our numeracy operational plan. This year there was a continued teaching and learning focus on Number, including professional development for staff on the First Steps in Mathematics (Number) resource. The school’s numeracy specialist teacher again provided support to staff and students from P-7 for two days each week. This involved collaborating with classroom teachers to develop numeracy programs and team-teaching during numeracy lessons. Planning for whole-school
improvement was also a priority for the specialist teacher.
Hefting skills being developed in Pre Primary is quite fun Events throughout the year such as World Maths Day (term 1) and National Numeracy Week (term 3) were opportunities to complement classroom numeracy programs and were enjoyed by both staff and students. The semester two trial of ‘Mathletics’ has been very successful, with positive feedback from students, staff and parents. We look forward to continuing our school’s subscription to this valuable resource next year. Overall, staff members have commented that the support provided by the ‘Getting It Right Numeracy’ specialist teacher this year has been both responsive and effective. In particular, leadership in the area of numeracy has been highly valued. Visual Arts Students from Year 1 to Year 7 have been involved in the visual Arts Program for sixty minutes each week. The inclusion of the IEC students from Pre-Primary to Year 7 has had a focus on reinforcing language through common class themes. The Visual Arts Programs are planned to enrich and integrate with class themes in collaboration with class teachers. When working through the Carrier Project planned programs, the students are given the opportunity to experiment with a variety of mediums to develop the skills, techniques and processes to create individual and group art
works. As a result the students have produced high quality art works. Students are encouraged to respond to, reflect on and evaluate their own art works. Students are also exposed to the art works of Australian and international artists and are given the opportunity to express their opinions using arts language.
A sample of beautiful student art work. LITERACY Eddystone staff have continued to implement ‘First Steps Reading’. They were involved with a sharing session each term, showing colleagues how they implemented First Steps in their classroom. Each semester teachers completed a class profile using the Literacy Net. This information was used to guide teachers’ planning and help monitor students needing an IEP or GEP. In second semester, staff attended Whole Body Listening and Reading Comprehension professional development that was presented by the Language Development Centre. Staff focused on Persuasive Text in Term Four and shared their pedagogy, activities and students work at a collaborative meeting.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE The table below shows Eddystone Primary School student attendance percentage levels compared to like schools as submitted for the Department of Education’s Student Attendance Audit.
Eddystone Regular attendance was above like schools for this attendance audit in 2010. 2010 Attendance Targets were as follows: The percentage of students in the regular category will increase to 85 % (This was not achieved in 2010) Student Attendance in Year 1 2009 into Year 2 2010 in the regular category will increase from 66% to 75% (This was not achieved) Student attendance in Year 6 2009 into Year 7 2010 in the regular category will increase form 72% to 77%.(This was not achieved) The percentage of Aboriginal Students in the severe risk category will decrease from 12.5% to 0% in 2010. (This was achieved)
VALUES
The Eddystone Values Program has been a school priority for 2010. Again the program is driven by The Values Characters, each of which represents a core value. These characters provided an identity and a focus for the development of 8 core values which this year were further divided into 16 specific values which related to bullying. This was done to support the Friendly Schools and Families program which was rekindled mid last year at the request of the school community. The values chosen came from the program developed by Mr Steven Godden (Best Performance) which endeavours to present the concepts of the different values in user friendly language. The structure of the program remained similar to 2009 with the exception that the Penelope Pursuit and Eddy Environment values ran throughout the year and were the responsibility of teachers to develop within their class. Again, staff have praised the value and running of the program via the end of year survey. This year an effort was made to acknowledge children who continually demonstrated our target values with the introduction of bronze, silver and gold awards. Recipients of these awards attended an event (excursion to High Flyers ) at the end of the year designed to acknowledge their efforts and say thankyou. To give children more opportunity to achieve these special awards, the program switched from focussing on a new value every 4 weeks, as in 2009, to every 3 weeks in 2010. The year 2,4 and 6 cohort were tested as part of Eddystone’s biannual monitoring of achievement in the values area. Best Performance were used to analyse the results, which generally indicated good understandings of the core values across the groups tested and good progress in the year 4 and 6 cohorts from their previous testing. The
results indicated areas of weakness which will become the school’s focus in 2011. Key recommendations for 2011 are to extend the time taken to focus on each individual value to 5 weeks to support the needs of our IEC and younger children, and to strengthen the induction process of our values program to new staff. Penelope Pursuit Pursuit of personal
Excellence Reggie Responsibility Ethical Behaviour and
Responsibility Cosmo Care Compassion and Care Richie Respect Respect Jerry Justice Social Justice Eddy Environment Conservation and the Environment
FRIENDLY SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES In 2010 all classes implemented the scope and sequence chart which was developed to guide staff in the yearly planning and implementation of the Friendly Schools & Families program. The commitment was for every staff member to teach the Understanding Bullying unit appropriate to their grade level as well as one other unit outlined by the scope and sequence chart. This is aimed at developing common processes, strategies and language throughout the school community with respect to bullying. The survey conducted at the end of the year reflected a very positive response by all teaching staff, who found the program beneficial. Most mainstream classes completed presenting the program to their groups while most ESL groups struggled to find a starting point due to the background and diverse needs of their children. Key recommendations for next year are for more resources to be purchased, enough for every staff member, and to develop a scope and sequence suitable for the needs of the mainstream classes as well as the ESL children. When complete, the new scope and sequence needs to be endorsed by all staff.
STUDENT SURVEY 2010 Students in Year 4 to Year 7 were surveyed this year. This included one ESL class as well. Overall feedback was extremely positive. The following statements registered a positive response from students. Over 85% of students agreed with the following statements.
• This school encourages a sense of pride in achievement and a sense of self-worth.
• The school has clear goals and a positive school identity.
• I feel safe and secure at school. • The school rules are enforced in a
consistent manner. • This school strives for high academic
standards. • This school has realistic educational
expectations of me. • I receive help form teachers when I
experience difficulty learning. • Teachers at this school are
professional, committed and enthusiastic.
• Teachers at this school treat me fairly.
• I am encouraged to achieve to the best of my ability.
• My teachers have a good understanding of what they teach.
• Teachers deal quickly with disruptions caused by students in class.
The following areas registered 20% or more students disagreeing with the following statements.
• I am given opportunities to have a say about this school.
• The school does not have a bullying problem.
• The school responds to issue of racism.
Interestingly, while some students have expressed concerns about bullying, they have also indicated that they feel safe at school, that the rules are enforced in a consistent manner and that teachers deal quickly with disruptions caused by students in class.
The school can consider some strategies to strengthen the role of the Student Council so that the views of other students can be considered. The issue of racism is one that our school can also examine more closely. Our “Eddystone Values’ has a focus on respect, care, fairness and responsibility. We have the ‘Friendly Schools and Families’ program which specifically examines social skills and highlights strategies for resilience and bullying. As some students have only been at our school for one year, this will continue to be a focus for 2011.
FINANCIAL REPORT
The Interactive whiteboards were a major expenditure item across the school. Eight interactive whiteboards were purchased using various sources. Funding utilised from the technology budget, use of IEC fee payers and also Commonwealth funding contributed to the purchase of this technology. The school also purchased a black and white photocopier. The previous model had already reached the point whereby the servicing and cost per page was becoming expensive. A major focus for the voluntary contribution was to channelled towards science equipment. The school purchased ‘Primary Connection’ kits which matched the curriculum resources to best support the program.
DIRECTIONS, TRENDS AND PRIORITIES FOR 2011
The school will continue to consolidate the Intensive English Program which was initiated in 2010. Staffing levels will now be fully determined as student enrolments stabilise: Continual improvements on student standards in literacy and numeracy will remain our focus for 2011. This will be achieved by; • ensuring our School Plan 2010-2012 aligns to Department of Education priorities and directions as outlined in Classrooms First, Plan for Government School 2008-2011 and Focus 2011 • implementing School Priorities in;
• Literacy o Consolidating and inducting new
staff in the Whole School Literacy Plan.
o Consolidating First Steps Reading.
o Introducing First Steps Writing in 2011.
• Numeracy
o Continuing to develop the Numeracy Support program to assist teacher pedagogy and student outcomes.
o Implementing whole school Numeracy plan.
o Consolidate First Steps Number o Consolidate Problem Solving
Model.
• Values o Consolidate the “Eddystone
Values”. o Consolidating the introduction of
the “Friendly Schools and Families” program.
• developing our “Eddystone Curriculum” through our Curriculum Committee; • fostering and nurturing community links and partnerships as a means of supporting curriculum initiatives; • implementing use of ICT throughout the curriculum and support the On-line Curriculum project with key staff and • creating an educational culture that provides parents with the skills and knowledge to support their children with their learning.
