girraween primary school · michael grinder- leadership 1 mapa whole staff ... career but also all...

Girraween Primary School RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

PERSONAL BEST RESPONSIBILITY CARE RESPECT FAIRNESS Email: [email protected] Tel: 08 8983 3300 Fax: 8983 4202 PO Box 1042 Howard Springs NT 0835

Girraween Primary School Annual Performance Report to the School Community

2017

mailto:[email protected]

Girraween Primary School Annual Performance Report to the School Community 2017 (Aligned to the Department of Education Strategic Plan 2016 – 2018)

School Overview Our School Girraween Primary School has had significant population growth over the last five years and is at capacity. Every room in the school is used and many have shared usage, eg stage for music programs and outside school hours care programs. In 2017, school council have worked with the Department of Education to secure a two classroom building project for 2018 which will release the pressure. In 2017, we updated the Herkes street entrance and the Chill Zone, this area now looks very inviting for students and parents. Our Staff We have a dedicated staff who are committed to life-long learning. In 2017, staff engaged in professional learning within and beyond the school. Every staff meeting has a learning component to develop whole school understandings and programs. All staff have a personal development plan and professional development is provided to match individual and school goals. In 2017, Miss Georgina Gunson was awarded Highly Accomplished Lead Teacher status. Mrs Jemma Rust was recognised as the PARR educational leader of the year. Mrs Debra Weir was in the final five for the ‘everyday heroes’ awards and Ms Therese Balanzategui was a finalist in the music teacher category of the ‘every day heroes’ awards.

Course Staff attending Course Staff attending

Future Schools- digital technology

5 Sydney Theatre Company- School Drama

5

Michael Grinder- leadership 1 MAPA Whole Staff

Leadership- wellbeing 2 Spelling –scope and sequence Whole Staff

Sheena Cameron Writing Whole Staff PETAA Grammar 1

Sheena Cameron Reading 12 ALEA/AATE conference 3

Sheena Cameron Oral Language

8 Special Needs Conference 1

Beryl Exley Grammar

Whole Staff NCCD 3

STEM conference Canberra

1 Traffic Jam in the Brain 8

Principal Business Days x8 1 Leadership Conference 2

Myers Briggs personality types training

Whole Staff Managing difficult situations 8

Various Microsoft and Minecraft courses

8 Primary Years Assessment Project

3

Peter Sullivan- open ended maths

3 Physical Education 1

Musica Viva 1 BEAT choir 1

Rhythm to Recovery 2 Little Scientists 3

Water Safety 8 First Aid including anaphylactic and asthma training

10

Business Managers conference 2 SAMS training- different components

4


All teaching staff met the professional standards for teachers in the Northern Territory, including having obtained appropriate qualifications for teaching and abiding by the Code of Ethics for Northern Territory teachers. All classroom support have or are working towards a relevant qualification. Our Students In 2017, we reached 530 students at Girraween. Our preschool was bursting with 84 students which is our highest number for a cohort. 10% of our students are Aboriginal, 10 % are ESL and 8% have identified special needs. Our attendance rate averages 94% and we follow up all un-notified absences and case manage students of concern to try to improve attendance rates. 16 students had attendance of less than 80% with 3 in a critical zone of less than 50%. Family holidays during the school term does impact on attendance but most families inform the school and collect a holiday work contract. Girraween students are proud of their school and we use the school values; the seeds of success to build school and classroom expectations and community. Students are given opportunities for leadership and the student body is represented by:

Peer leaders who are voted for by peers in each year 4-6 class

House Captains- voted by students from year 3-6

Music Captains- chosen from application by staff

Peer Mediators- students in years 3 and 4 who do yard duty in the Early Childhood area.

Students are selected for various jobs around the school after writing written applications.- library,

canteen, bus and green team.

In 2017: Ryan Patricks was awarded a Fred Hollows Award Grace Rooney was awarded the Board of Studies Academic award Tristan Storey the Australia Day Citizenship Award Hailee Leather the Litchfield Council Citizenship Award Willow Townsend the Music Award Bailley Height and Kate Leafe the Principal’s Awards. Our Community Girraween has strong community support through our parents and local businesses. The school council is strong and proactive and organise community events and fundraising. They also work towards school improvements liaising with external agencies.


Principal's Report The 2017 school year was another very productive year of growth for our school. At Girraween we believe

that it takes a community to raise a child and I thank everyone who has supported the school in 2017.

We have a highly productive school council who have worked together for all of the students at Girraween.

They have organised our whole school events with successful movie and dance and quiz nights. They have

also worked with the department of infrastructure to ensure our school continues to have the buildings

required for our growing population. In 2018, we will see the addition of two more permanent classrooms to

our school. The council are also working with Litchfield Council on solutions to the traffic flow problems we

have each afternoon.

Our craft group have run three amazing stalls which have raised funds for us to provide additional programs

for the students. The Christmas stall this week was very successful and it was great seeing the ‘Christmas

Elves’ enjoying being shop keepers.

This year the school council has:

Developed the Herkes road entrance and the chill zone area.

Funded additional technology resources.

Continued to manage our highly valued Outside School Hours Care Service.

The administration team at Girraween are to be commended on their strong organisational skills, the

nurturing care they give the students and for keeping everything flowing so that the teachers can focus on

teaching and learning. The extra effort put in by this team can go unnoticed but should never be

underestimated. Our grounds continue to look wonderful and the farm is booming thanks to our grounds

and maintenance teams.

Our teaching team have shown dedication and commitment to our students. Teaching is a very rewarding

career but also all consuming, the energy required to work with large groups of children, all with different

needs comes from the deep satisfaction gained from watching the progress made. I am constantly impressed

by the creativity, professionalism and willingness to continue learning and striving for continual improvement

of our teachers.

I’d like to thank our Assistant Principals, Mrs Rust and Mrs Kimm and our Business Manager, Mrs Weir for the

wonderful job they have done of supporting our staff, students, parents and myself throughout the year. We

really have a great team at Girraween.

The most important people in our school are our students and they are all amazing. This year our students

have attended sleep overs and camps. They have gone on excursions and participated in workshops and

performances. These experiences add to the overall development and learning of each child. Students have

represented our school in the BEAT choir, Reach and regional sporting events. In every case they have been

commended on their behaviour. We have entered writing and mathematics competitions and have received

great results. Classrooms have been buzzing with learning across all curriculum areas and the challenges

presented by the new digital technology curriculum have been taken on with gusto. I am proud of the

progress made by every student.


Helen Chatto

Principal

School Council Report I wish to extend my thanks to our existing Council and subcommittee members. To teachers, support and administration staff and council employees. Also, to parent helpers and to all the volunteers who work hard work behind the scenes at our school in all areas. We acknowledge and appreciate the contribution you make to our school.

Girraween School Council seeks to engage with our community and invests it’s time to provide opportunities for this to happen. Holding a number special events at our school each year that allow our students to showcase their knowledge coupled with fun. The most significant of these occasions are Field Day and Dance Night. And in recent times we have added a free Movie Night. All of which have been a success.

School Council have also reviewed and revised our OSHC policies and procedures to ensure we provide the best care, understanding it is a necessary service for many of our parents.

Once again School Council successfully lobbied the Education Department for desperately needed classrooms. The two-room building is to be tendered in the next week with a view to complete construction by midyear.

And we are currently working with Litchfield Shire Council to attempt to alleviate some of the car parking and traffic flow issues the school experiences at peak times.

I would like to congratulate our 2017 School Council on a productive and successful year. And I am grateful to have had the pleasure of your support as the Chairperson.

Warm Regards, Tanya McKenna GPS Chairperson


Goal 1 – A great start for children. This goal was part of our on-going strategies. In 2017, we further developed our playgroup with the school chaplain driving the development of the group and working with parents to provide effective and relevant learning experiences for 0-4 year olds. We also added a ‘Songs and Story time’ for 0-4 each week which was very well received. The numbers varied from 5-25 each week. Our preschool had record enrolment of 84 and we ran four groups with students being offered 2 full days every week and alternate half days.

Goal 2 – Every student a successful learner Deliverables Improved writing: Using formative assessment to drive writing improvement.

Actions:

1. Build common understandings of ‘Bump It Up Walls’ and each class to have commenced using a wall.

2. Use of writing assessment to guide lesson planning in collaborative teams 3. All staff to attend professional learning with Beryl Exley on sentence construction and

paragraphing. 4. Host and participate in HUB Writing conferring process. 5. Sheena Cameron PD and commitment to action completed by all staff. 6. Students encouraged to enter writing competitions. 7. Moderation/Conferring program 8. Schoolwide Bump It Up Writing wall 9. Writer’s Notebook PD 10. Writers’ Picnic with rural hub 11. Writing display for community at Dance Night 12. Review spelling scope and sequence- are teachers using this? 13. Confirming in teams to ensure consistency of grading. 14. Staff attending grammar PD.

Impact Whilst we saw growth in formative assessment and student’s ability to set goals, this did not transfer strongly into our summative assessment. This will be an on-going goal.


Gaps

Spelling results are still an area of concern.

Need to aim for mores students achieving B’s in writing.

2018 Deliverables

Increase focus on the meaning aspect of learning to spell

Increase teacher knowledge of best pedagogical approach to teaching spelling

Continue to develop positive writing experiences for all students and monitor growth.

Deliverable 2. Wellbeing Increase student and staff resilience and well being Action

1. Harmony Day- focus on kindness, no bullying. 2. Care Bands- golden tickets.

3. Professional learning for staff rhythm2 recovery 4. Flow chart of process for wellbeing support for students 5. Pilates for staff implemented for their wellbeing


6. School counsellor to commence one day per week. 7. Continue play therapist one day per week. 8. Chaplain to implement small group programs. 9. Trial of SEL program. 10. Play Therapist employed and working with peaky end kids 11. Expanded small groups with chaplain 12. Five staff undertook the Traffic Jam in the brain on line course 13. Case management of students displaying at risk behaviour

Impact

Engine room established

Drum Beat classes for 15 students

All classes trialled NT Social emotional Learning program.

Students at risk were case managed and relevant intervention and support programs were

implemented.

Gaps Further build staff understanding of impact of sensory needs on behaviour and wellbeing

Regular school counsellor service for students whose mental health is a major concern

2018 Deliverables

Train more staff in traffic jam in the brain

Further develop the case management model


Goal 3 – Quality leaders, quality educators Implement a whole school approach to the teaching of digital technologies.

Deliverables: Building teacher capacity and infrastructure to implement digital technologies curriculum. Actions:

1. Formed Digital Technologies Interest Group 2. Five teachers attended Future Schools conference in Melbourne and provided feedback to

group recommendations for technology upgrades. 3. Teachers who attended conference trialled one initiative in their class and then taught to

other classes as a modelled lesson. Release was provided so teacher could observe the lesson. Mentoring to be on-going until initiative is embedded

4. Sharing of technology tips at staff meetings 5. Scope and sequence to be developed. 6. DT team share resources at staff meetings. 7. Code Club for OSHC 8. Updated laptop resources 9. Scope and sequence commenced 10. Features in newsletter and as video clips at assembly. 11. One teacher attended national STEM conference in Canberra in January.

Impact: All students had experience with the digital technologies curriculum.

Resources built up to make the programs sustainable

Most staff more confident and excited about the possibilities od digital technologies and are

now driving the change.

Gaps: Documentation of protocols and scope and sequence to be followed as school policy.

2018 Deliverables

Send two staff to Future Schools conference

Finalise the scope and sequence

Work with rural school’s hub on digital technologies pathways project

Further increase technology resources

Develop a maker space mobile trolley.


Goal 4 – Coherent and capable organisation – This goal has been part of our on-going programs. Girraween Primary has continued to work within our managed enrolment policy and has been challenged by being at capacity. School Council have worked with the Department of Infrastructure and two new classrooms will be built in 2018, these are being funded through Building Better Schools funding of 300,000 and $200,000 of school council funds.

2017

Operational capacity

The maximum operational capacity of the primary school is 428 students.

The current number of enrolments in the primary school is 443 students.

This equates to 103% per cent operational capacity in 2017. In 2018, we anticipate having 460 students in the primary school which equates to of 107% operational capacity.

Current statistics

Current student numbers by year level are:

Complete the relevant section based on the school’s student enrolments. PEA = priority enrolment area. Middle and senior secondary schools may also be required to provide statistics regarding student enrolments in subjects provided at the school.

Primary School

Year level Students from

inside PEA Students from

outside PEA Total students No. of

classrooms

2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017

Transition 64 49 2 2 66 51 3

1 50 70 7 2 57 72 3

2 47 47 6 9 53 56 2

3 60 57 9 3 69 60 2.5

4 66 54 8 15 74 69 2.5

5 51 65 14 11 65 76 3

6 35 40 8 19 42 59 2

426 443

Traffic control and parking continue to be an area of concern for the community. School council met with the Litchfield Council and traffic counts and observations have been undertaken with the Litchfield council committing to provide possible solutions in 2018.


NAPLAN


Student Enrolment, Attendance and Learning


School Survey Results In 2017, the main concern raised by students and parents was around behaviour management. We recognise that we have a small number of students who cause a large degree of disruption to programs. The following information was presented at an open meeting of the school council to elicit support to change the perception that we were not doing anything about these behaviours and to build understanding of issues of equity.


Audited Financial Statements

girraween primary school · michael grinder- leadership 1 mapa whole staff ... career but also all...

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