nhulunbuy christian college annual report 2015 christian college annual report 4 may 2016 school...

Nhulunbuy Christian College Annual Report 2015

Location: Nhulunbuy Postal: PO Box 621

Telephone: 08 89872187 Fax: 08 8987 2357

Email: [email protected]

1 Nhulunbuy Christian College Annual Report

May 2016

Vision Statement The vision statement of NT Christian Schools is, ‘We desire to be a Christian community,

learning together to live life as God intended, offering hope for the world’.

Mission Statement To partner with parents in providing an education that honours Jesus, is academically rigorous, develops character and promotes healthy relationships. We want our students to grow in wisdom, be empowered to serve others and make a difference in the world.

grow in wisdom : serve others : change the world


May 2016

Principal’s Message It remains a humbling privilege to live and work in the township of Nhulunbuy and be part of

the ever unfolding story of Nhulunbuy Christian College.

With mine closures at the end of 2014 everyone was

unsure of what 2015 would look like. Would our

enrolments shrink as our town population halved?

Would our precious families need to relocate to find

work? Would we lose our favourite teachers as they

left with their spouses and how were we going to be

faithful to our mission in distinctly different times?

We however had no reason to question God’s

faithfulness to our school and take this opportunity, in this

report, to celebrate His goodness and the abundant joy we have experienced together in

2015.

With a great sense of anticipation, the school year started with over 75 new students (about

1/3 of our total enrolment), 7 new staff and myself as the new Principal! With our numbers

higher than previously experienced and new families eager to partner with teachers, it was

evident that the college in 2015 would be moving forward in positive and exciting ways.

2015 was a year of welcoming those new families and working intimately within a

partnership, to provide an education that focused on high academics, relationships and well-

being. It was a year of forging strong and lasting relationships and growing existing ones.

Parents were regularly invited into the classrooms and into the College for events. The

students held science fairs, morning teas, pancake days and concerts. There were endless

opportunities for families to come together and celebrate within community.

In our commitment to the well-being of students we also chose to expand our Learning Support Unit. New programs were put in place and a team of exceptional ladies were employed to provide support to all students within the NCC family. The Learning Support staff and classroom teachers worked tirelessly together to show each and every student in the college that they were loved and valued. We all know that from this outpouring of support our students in 2015 were given the chance to shine! I am continually in awe of the amazing people that make up the ever changing yet dynamic

and welcoming NCC community. In 2015 new parents took on roles within the college, often

quietly, making significant contributions to the life of the school. I give thanks for a

tremendous staff who love their students and are a committed team. I also give thanks that

2015 was a year that provided students with endless opportunities to thrive. For this we

smile!

We are loved by our God and because of this we move forward into 2016 with much joy!

Yours in Christ

Lara Hvala


May 2016

Contents

Vision Statement ............................................................ 1

Mission Statement ......................................................... 1

Principal’s Message ........................................................ 2

Contents ......................................................................... 3

School Profile .................................................................. 4

Staffing Information (FTE) .............................................. 5

Highlights of the School Year .......................................... 7

Teaching and Learning .................................................... 9

Parents and Community ............................................... 11

Finance and Facilities.................................................... 13


May 2016

School Profile

Total enrolments 191

Girls 109

Boys 82

Full-time equivalent enrolments 191

Indigenous students 5%

Language background other than

English

9%

Student attendance rate 91.5%

Figures above are taken from the 2015 August Census data.

Non-attendance is not a significant concern at NCC. Whenever a student is absent, contact is made with the parents during the morning of absence. Chronic or unexplained absenteeism was not an issue in 2015.

There were no critical incidents that impacted the College in 2015.


May 2016

Staffing Information (FTE)

Staffing Profile Qualification if Full-time Term/FTE

Principal

Lara Hvala

Bachelor of Theatre Bachelor of Education

1.0

Deputy Principal Michael Vos Bachelor of Education 1.0

Teaching Staff Rachel Stockley Bachelor of Education 1.0

Tracy Pickford Bachelor of Education ( Early Childhood) 1.0

Desarei Stanaway Bachelor of Education

1.0

Robyn Atkinson Bachelor of Education 1.0

Anne Fourie

Dip Ed (Sen Prim) Dip Spec Ed (Rem Ed)

1.0

Rebekah Galpin

Bachelor of Education 1.0

Sarah Bambery Bachelor of Education 1.0

Michelle Hamburg Bachelor of Art Grad Dip Ed

.8

John Hamburg Bachelor of Art Cert in Commercial Art

.7

Don Sams Bachelor of Arts Dip of Teaching

1.0

Sarah Hayman Bachelor Science Masters in Teachers

1.0

Kelly Dare Bachelor of Education .6

Jillian Bridgfoot Bachelor of Education .2

Troy Ferrier Bachelor of Education (Humanities) .6

Learning Enhancement team

Terese Marchesi (Head of Student Support)

Bachelor of Social Science 1.0

Esther Rika

.8

Lee-Anne Prigeon .8

Monaliza Adams Cert III Aged Care .75

Cheryl Alexander .45

Carla Vos .2


May 2016

Pamela Staben Cert IV Youth Work .5

Marcia Cummings Associate Degree in Business Studies .65

Christie Giles .5

Steve McArthur Bachelor of Education .4

Office and Support Staff

Rachel Wolfaardt Bachelor of Accounting Science (BCompt) 1.0

Kylie Whyte Cert IV in Graphic Design

1.0

Josiah Hamburg .5

Sandra Brazier Dip Library and Information Services

.5

Maintenance Staff Graeme Dun Associate Diploma in Farm Management, Horticulture

.2

Mark Hvala .2

Mike Fourie Bachelor of Science .2

All teachers have a minimum of four years training and are registered with the NT Teacher Registration Board. No staff identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.


May 2016

Highlights of the School Year

The college is situated in the heart of East

Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. In 2015

we ran an Indigenous dance program

throughout Term 3. Under the talented

instruction of Arafura Dance Association

teachers, every single Middle School

student participated in contemporary

indigenous workshops and performances. It

has been wonderful for our students to be

immersed in the culture of our region, with

Year 7 students also attending a week long

camp at the remote Indigenous homeland of Bukudal. Our students also participated in

various sessions and assemblies that celebrated Indigenous art, music, language and culture.

Our SRC representatives attended

the opening of the Garma Festival.

NCC also participates in a number of

fund-raising causes. We proudly

support The School of St Yared in

Ethiopia and fundraise at every

given opportunity. This year we

have chosen not only to support the

school with regular donations but

we now sponsor two students,

Hellene and Abrahame. Serving

others and giving to our local and global

communities is something we endeavour to

promote. Students coordinated events to serve

those in our immediate community and the Annual

Day of Service was again a chance for our students to

bless others.

Our school celebrates sporting achievements weekly.

I can happily report that the interschool cricket and

soccer events held at Yirrkala School and Nhulunbuy

Primary School in 2015 were a highlight for all

involved. All schools in this region continue to build

relationships through events such as these. Our

students are given opportunities to participate

locally and then travel the NT to represent the region in athletics, tennis, soccer, swimming


May 2016

and other sports. Several of our students travelled to Katherine, Darwin or Alice Springs in

2015.

Whilst we can focus on the many highlights of

the year, I am sure that parents, staff and

students will agree that the End of Year Musical

was a standout evening. Hosanna Rocks involved

all primary students and a selection of Middle

School students, who took on the production

roles. The musical showcased our talented

students in every year level. It was another

example of how our students and staff across

year levels work so wonderfully together to

surprise us all!

2015 was full of highlights and I know that

everyone also enjoyed Reading Under The Stars,

Book Week Parade, Crazy Hair Day, Sleepovers,

Bike Day, Talent Shows, Year 6-10 Camping Program, Sporting Carnivals, Pancake Breakfasts

and Morning Teas. All events gave our students a chance to shine and an opportunity for

families to be part of our beautiful school.


May 2016

Teaching and Learning Continual growth in our Middle School and Year 10 programs is news to celebrate! With

more students enrolled in this part of the college, we have been able to offer a greater

selection of subjects and different

electives.

Our college continues to offer Year 10

in conjunction with NTCC - Northern

Territory Christian College. Our

college essentially operates as a

campus of NTCC (Darwin) and our

students attend classes here in

Nhulunbuy. This continues to be a

great partnership.

Our Middle School students have also

been able to participate in new

electives this year. Outdoor

Recreation, Food Technology, Art and Drama were offered to enthusiastic students.

In recognition of our school’s location

(Arnhem Land) we also introduced

Indigenous Language and Culture as a

compulsory subject to all Middle School

students. It has been well received and

another way we have invested in

building relationships within our

community and a respect amongst our

students.

Our Middle School students attended

camps with students from other NT

Christian Schools in 2015. These camps

are integral in building relationships

between colleges and as a result

encourages our Senior Students to

continue Year 10 through NTCC and explore the possibility of Year 11 and 12 in Darwin. It

keeps our students in the NT Christian School family.


May 2016

Important teaching and learning continues

to occur in the Primary section of NCC

also. Each week the Year 6 students had

science classes with our Middle School

science teacher. This bridge into Middle

School was a new initiative in 2015. In

addition, the Upper Primary classes held

science fairs and parents were invited

into the school to see what wonderful

work was happening in the world of

science.

Primary classes continue to run

Connected Units across year levels and

there were a lot of opportunities for

classes to mix across year levels. All staff

participated and contributed to curriculum meetings with other colleagues and collaborated

where possible. Sharing ideas always energizes our practice and all staff participated in

professional development and curriculum planning sessions relevant to their sections.

The whole school ‘homework club’ continued through the year as well. It continued to be

open to students from Year 2 – Year 10.

Lastly, we continued our connection to Tribes and Kids Matters framework to ensure NCC

remains a positive learning community where students at any level can access learning and

shine.


May 2016

Parents and Community Our mission statement is clear. “To partner with parents in providing an education that honours Jesus, is academically rigorous, develops character and promotes healthy relationships.”

Parents are the primary educators and staff

continued to focus on building relationships

with family members every day. Families are

invited into Primary classes, encouraged to

attend regular parent meetings and be

involved in the education of their children.

We take great delight in travelling on a

journey with all parents and students and see

it as a huge privilege.

The college community is a close knit

community who call Nhulunbuy their home.

Whilst our families come from all over

Australia, NCC is like a family where diversity is valued and celebrated.

We are also fortunate to have parents who eagerly participate in events held at the College.

Sports days, camps, small group reading sessions, class and library support are some of the

ways parents contribute. We have a small P&F group who run the canteen and the annual

Open Day. Our council is small in numbers also but integral to the amazing things we can

and do offer at the College.


May 2016

The following questions and graphs are excerpts taken from our annual parent survey: The survey was based on 78 family submissions.


May 2016

Finance and Facilities Income 2015

Private income: $842 500

Recurrent Government income: $2 254 275

Capital Grants: $67 538

During the course of 2015, the only

significant change to facilities was the

addition of new desks and lockers in various

primary classrooms. In addition, we

purchased new lockers for the Middle School

students.

We have utilized all rooms in the school for

classes, including library rooms for Middle

School homeroom and classes.

An overhaul of the irrigation system occurred in 2015. It will be completed in early 2016.

There are no significant capital improvements planned for 2016. Painting of the whole

school is planned for 2016.

Buildings are in great condition and the College grounds are picturesque.

2015 concluded with changes

to leadership, new families

enrolling and additional staff

employed in the Middle

School. As we welcome new

families and new staff at NCC

there is a strong message of

hope. We look forward with

anticipation.

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