st jerome’s primary school, munster...located in the suburb of munster in the southern suburbs of...

ST JEROME’S PRIMARY SCHOOL,

MUNSTER STRATEGIC PLAN 2019 – 2021

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

It is with pleasure that I present our Strategic Plan 2019 – 2021 which will guide the next stage of our journey at St Jerome’s. St. Jerome’s is a Catholic primary school located in the suburb of Munster in the southern suburbs of Perth. The school has a history of more than 80 years within the Cockburn area and continues to respond to the growing needs and demand of families from within our parish and from the new suburbs now surrounding the school. With almost 700 students from 3-Year Old Kindergarten to Year 6, the diverse and dynamic school life that is St Jerome’s Primary School, is reflective of the parish and the multicultural communities which breathe life into our wonderful school. It has been meeting the spiritual, educational and pastoral needs of young people since 1935.

As our school crest illustrates, Wisdom, Knowledge and Courage form a stable foundation for our students. Providing information, the skills to thrive in society, an understanding of God’s plan and finally the courage to be fearless in upholding what they know to be true, is central to the way we go about schooling at St Jerome’s. To do this the school places emphasis on the pastoral care of students and on creating an environment that allows students to feel safe and experience a sense of belonging. This then allows students to be challenged to strive for personal excellence and to discover and develop their talents not only for themselves, but for the service of others. The school staff are wonderful role models and are critical in creating this positive learning environment.

This Plan is organised around four key elements established by the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia (CECWA) – Learning, Engagement, Accountability and Discipleship (LEAD). The Plan outlines the school’s strategic priorities for the next three years and the outcomes against which future performance will be measured. These priorities ultimately will bring us closer to our vision, build on our strengths and meet the challenges of the future. Arriving at this point has entailed reflecting on the school’s foundational qualities and what they mean for a Catholic school in the twenty first Century. We have held discussions with various groups and reviewed a number of surveys taken across the community, in order to gauge the perceptions of staff and families on how the school is progressing. We have also considered some emerging challenges and discussed new trends and opportunities likely to be faced in the future. All of this information has been very useful in formulating this plan. I thank all those who have provided feedback over the past 6 months.

We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with parents as we embark on this plan and continue our tradition of providing an outstanding Catholic education in the Southern suburbs of Perth.

Mrs Helen O’Toole Principal

Mr David Barras Principal

Do not let your deeds belie your words,

lest when you speak in church someone may say to himself,

‘Why do you not practice what you preach?’

St Jerome

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OUR VISION

The St Jerome’s Primary School journey starts with our vision. It is enduring and declares our aspiration

and the type of place we are trying to be. It serves as the standard against which we consider our actions

and our decisions. We accept the challenge to be a place where the environment and curriculum are

illuminated by faith and touched by the Gospel spirit of love and freedom.

In this light, our school community seeks to develop the potential of its members, whilst respecting their

dignity and uniqueness.

OUR STRENGTHS

We are focussed on maintaining our excellent name which has been built on our strengths of:

✓ Being a place of faith, welcoming and inclusivity

✓ Being a place where respect and dignity of the individual is reinforced

✓ Being committed to our faith and achieving personal excellence

✓ Providing rich opportunities and a diverse curriculum

OUR FOCUS

Two strategic themes have been identified for the next three years and are evident in our goals:

✓ Our Students

✓ Our Community

They act as a continuous reminder of what is most important in bringing about our vision and provide a framework for organising our goals.

“All members may be concerned for one another.

If one member suffers, all members suffer; if one member is honoured, all members share this joy.

You then are the body of Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 12:25-27)

LEARNING Being a Catholic School of Excellence

The outcomes we seek are:

• OUR STUDENTS: High levels of student achievement.

• OUR COMMUNITY: A culture where all support curiosity in learning and striving for personal best.

OUR STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THIS INCLUDE…

1. Continue to use student data to identify learning strengths and needs as early as possible.

2. Continuous development of a diverse curriculum.

3. Maintain tailored intervention programs to meet student need.

4. Continue to build a school-wide approach and focus on the teaching of Literacy and Numeracy.

5. Develop the seven capabilities of the WA Curriculum throughout the learning programs for Years K-6. They are:

i. Literacy ii. Numeracy

iii. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability iv. Critical and creative thinking v. Personal and social capability

vi. Ethical understanding vii. Intercultural understanding

6. Establish a consistent school-wide approach to raising the level of student confidence in their ability to learn.

KEY SUCCESS MEASURES

• Student performance in school-based standardized tests and NAPLAN indicates:

o Year 3 and 5 performance in all 5 assessment areas extends into the top bands

• Student/Parent/Staff surveys indicate:

o The school continues to promote a culture of striving for personal best o The academic programs provide sufficient challenge and support a culture of learning

GOALS

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ENGAGEMENT Being a Pastoral Catholic Community


• OUR STUDENTS: Increased confidence and resilience in their learning.

• OUR COMMUNITY: Maintaining an expert teaching team through increased opportunities for staff learning and faith formation.


1. Enable and support increased opportunities for the professional learning and faith formation of staff.

2. Provide time and structured opportunities for teaching staff to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching, receive constructive feedback and use this feedback to adjust practice.

3. Increase staff and students use of technology to raise parental engagement in their child’s learning and understanding of their academic progress.

4. Continue the programs that promote confidence, resilience and awareness of personal safety.

5. Establish in conjunction with the Parents & Friends Association parent forums on topics linking to their needs or priorities.


• Parent/staff/student surveys indicate:

o Opportunities to understand the Catholic faith, for prayer & liturgy are frequent and appropriate o The school has established strong community relationships to enhance the learning opportunities of students o Staff opportunities for professional learning are appropriate o Staff opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their work are considered appropriate

GOALS

ACCOUNTABILITY Being Accessible, Affordable and Sustainable


• OUR COMMUNITY: Embracing growth in the surrounding community by ensuring that the school is well known and continues to be accessible.

• OUR COMMUNITY: Ensuring school facilities are contemporary and support the learning program.


1. Increase outreach to the various multicultural groups in the community to ensure they understand the strengths of St Jerome’s as the ‘first choice’ for primary education in the region.

2. Targeted promotion of the school’s strengths in the local area.

3. Establish and implement a Digital Technology Plan DTP) and demonstrate that there is a clear direction on where and how it will enhance the teaching program.

4. Formulate a Capital Development Plan for continued upgrades to classrooms, grounds and staff facilities and thereby ensuring spaces are contemporary, attractive and conducive to learning.


• Annual budgets indicate measurable increases in the resourcing of foci.

• Enrolments continue to be strong (greater than 660 in total; consistently enrolling at least 85 students in Kindergarten

• Staff feedback indicates learning spaces are contemporary, attractive and support teaching and learning

• A Marketing and Communication Plan is developed and implemented

• Enrolment interviews with new parents indicate that the strengths and accomplishments of the school are known

GOALS

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DISCIPLESHIP Inspiring Christ-Centred Leaders


• OUR STUDENTS: A strong ethos of love, respect and service of others within the tradition of the Catholic faith.

• OUR COMMUNITY: Demonstrate a welcoming, respectful understanding of all members of our community.


1. Promote a sound understanding of the school vision by all within the community.

2. By our actions, continue to maintain a strong Catholic culture in the school.

3. Continue to develop opportunities for parents, staff and students to develop a commitment to Christian witness through provision of service to those in need.

4. Review the school Evangelisation Plan.


• Parent, Student and Staff Surveys indicate:

o A strong and authentic Catholic culture is evident o An ethos of respect is evident in the community o At least one Christian service learning opportunity per year is provided for students and staff

GOALS


• Parent/staff/student surveys indicate:

o Opportunities to understand the Catholic faith, for prayer & liturgy are frequent and appropriate o A strong ethos of respect is observable

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St Jerome’s Primary School

38 Troode Street, Munster, WA 6166

Telephone: (08) 9499 9500

[email protected] www.stjeromes.wa.edu.au

mailto:[email protected]

st jerome’s primary school, munster...located in the suburb of munster in the southern suburbs of...

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