2015 annual report st paul's monbulk

2015 Annual Report to the School Community

REGISTERED SCHOOL NUMBER: 1879

St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, Monbulk


2015 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 ....................................................................................................................................... 6

School Education Board Report ............................................................................................................... 8

Education in Faith ...................................................................................................................................... 9

Learning & Teaching ................................................................................................................................ 12

Student Wellbeing .................................................................................................................................... 15

Leadership & Management ...................................................................................................................... 18

School Community ................................................................................................................................... 23

Financial Performance ............................................................................................................................. 26

VRQA Compliance Data ........................................................................................................................... 27



Contact Details

ADDRESS 59 Moores Road Monbulk VIC 3793

PRINCIPAL (Interim) Patricia Stewart

PARISH PRIEST Fr Simon Grainger

SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR Mrs Melissa Tyquin

TELEPHONE (03) 9756 7201

EMAIL [email protected]

WEBSITE www.spmonbulk.catholic.edu.au

Minimum Standards Attestation

I, Patricia Stewart attest that St Paul’s Primary School, Monbulk, is compliant with:

• AlloftherequirementsfortheminimumstandardsandotherrequirementsfortheregistrationofschoolsasspecifiedintheEducationandTrainingReformAct2006(Vic)andtheEducationandTrainingReformRegulations2007(Vic),exceptwheretheschoolhasbeengrantedanexemptionfromanyoftheserequirementsbytheVRQA

• AustralianGovernmentaccountabilityrequirementsrelatedtothe2015schoolyearundertheSchoolsAssistanceAct2008(Cth)andtheSchoolsAssistanceRegulations2009(Cth)

20 May 2016



Our School Vision

Together

Active in the Spirit

Journeying in God’s Love

Striving for Success

Reaching Out to All



School Overview

St Paul’s is a primary school of 125 students located in a quiet residential area close to the Monbulk town centre in the Dandenong Ranges. Our students come from the surrounding areas including Silvan, Emerald, Avonsleigh, Macclesfield, The Patch, Mt Dandenong, Olinda and Cockatoo. St Paul’s is part of the Belgrave Parish which has mass centres at Monbulk, Belgrave, Emerald and Gembrook. Two schools comprise the parish – St Paul’s in Monbulk and St Thomas More’s at Belgrave.

At St Paul’s we provide programs that cater for the spiritual, academic, physical, social and emotional development of all students. The children, parents and staff work together to provide a curriculum with an emphasis on providing every child with the skills necessary to become life-long learners. We provide a curriculum that offers meaningful learning for students, through an integrated focus on knowledge, skills and behaviours which can be transferred to new and different environments. Wherever possible, learning is presented using an Inquiry approach. This approach encourages children to be confident in challenging themselves to learn through open-ended tasks by drawing on a range of tools and strategies, empowering them to become independent learners. Involvement with the local community provides opportunities for students to see learning beyond the classroom and in context. We provide learning opportunities that are:

• relevant

• rich

• personalised

• explicit

We support, engage and enable our students to develop core knowledge, skills and understanding through:

• reflecting and planning • thinking and working creatively • communicating and collaborating • exploring, experimenting and creating new knowledge.

Our Catholic school provides a stimulating and enriching education based on our faith in the teachings of Christ’s Gospel. The ethos and curriculum of St Paul’s invites and supports students to discover God’s presence in their daily lives.

Connecting the children’s learning to community was continued to be recognised as an important area of focus. The school undertook a number of social justice initiatives, including the consolidation of the Mini-Vinnies initiative and the strengthening of our association with the charitable outreach organisation of Monbulk Care. Classes shared examples of learning through the school newsletter on a roster basis. Examples included photos, work samples and student reflections. Connections to the faith community were deepened through weekly Prayer Gatherings and Whole School Masses. Parents and the wider community were invited to be part of various learning experiences e.g. Parent Engagement with their Child’s Learning, Kidproof Cybersafety Workshop, Grandparents’/Special Persons’ Day, Chess competitions, End of Year Nativity Play and



Concert and the choir singing at community functions. Weekly Prayer Gatherings/Assemblies were used as a time of prayer and reflection, while enabling opportunities to showcase particular learning journeys and achievements.

St Paul’s School continued to work with an external consultant, Tony Dalton to develop and maintain strong family partnerships where engagement is the key. As part of the Prep 2016 transition parents were invited to participate in structured Learning walks around the school.

At the end of the 2015 school year St Paul’s gained eSmart accreditation, which is a series of cultural change interventions developed by The Alannah and Madeline Foundation. eSmart aims at creating positive, respectful and inclusive cultures which reduce bullying and cyberbullying and increase online safety.

The goals articulated in the Annual Action Plan comprised:

• To improve student’s ability to integrate faith and life • To provide a Contemporary learning environment which, promotes student

engagement, and improves outcomes in literacy and numeracy • To maximise student wellbeing and sense of connectedness to school • To develop a work environment characterised by shared vision, a strong sense of

teamwork and a focus on continuous improvement • To further connect student learning with local and global communities.



Principal’s Report The major focus in relation to school improvement during 2015 was the time and commitment given by school staff to complete the requirements for the School Review and for Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, VRQA. St Paul’s school staff took ownership of these processes to ensure all documentation, recommendations and goals were aligned with the philosophy of St Paul’s School Community. Intended outcomes were identified according to the needs of the school within the 5 spheres; Faith, Learning and Teaching, Student Wellbeing, Leadership and Management and Community. Goals for the 2016 School Annual Action Plan were identified and suggested actions and responsible personnel listed.

Throughout 2015 the children were provided with a variety of opportunities to enhance their growth and development across many strands of the curriculum. Most involved many hours, sometimes weeks, or even months of planning and preparation on the part of staff, students and parents. These opportunities were seen to include, but not limited to:

§ Weekly Friday afternoon Prayer assemblies § Sacramental preparation and celebrations § Student Representative Council (SRC) § The School Athletics Day § School choir performances, e.g. Monbulk Merry Christmas, End of Year

Nativity Play and Concert § Inter-school Sports Program § Rugby Clinics § AFL Clinics § Cybersafety Workshops § Reach Rookys Program – Yr 6 students § Mini Vinnies § Association with Monbulk Care Network § Chess (Yrs 3 – 6): Terms 2 & 3, including interschool chess tournaments § Camps: Year 2 Sleepover; Year 4 – 3 days at CYC Phillip Island; Year 6 – 4

days at Coonawarra Farm Resort § Exhibition of Visual Art at Catholic Education Week Visual Arts Exhibition

and the Mountain Doo

Towards the end of the 2015 school year St Paul’s School community was advised that their highly respected principal, Mr Frank Dame, had been appointed to the role of principal of a Catholic Primary school in Surrey Hills commencing on 27th January 2016. Opportunities were provided to formally thank Frank for all his efforts to build community through his efforts to create strong active home/ school partnerships that supported student learning.

Father Simon was supported by Catholic Education Melbourne to form a panel to work with him to formalise the principal appointment process.

As well as the need to address the appointment of a new principal, St Paul’s also said farewell to their school administration officer Yvonne Mitchell, who gave many years of dedicated service to St Paul’s school community. The P and F committee have heralded the idea to name the soon to be constructed stage after her.



The school community celebrated the news that the school has been accredited as an eSmart school. School personnel worked on policies and procedures to ensure every child is safe in an online environment.

At the end of the school year documentation was received stating that St Pauls’ School along with all Victorian schools would be required to commence the process of addressing policies and procedures to ensure the school conforms with Ministerial Laws for Child Safety.

St Paul’s continues to be an inclusive school where every child, parent and staff member is valued and for their efforts to show respect for each other and a belief that every child will reach their full potential.

Patricia Stewart Interim PRINCIPAL(Term 1, 2016)



School Education Board Report

Chairperson Report 2015/2016

The most significant event of 2015-16 year was the resignation of our principal of 7 years, Frank Dame. Frank was a tremendous leader for our school during his time in the role. Some of the significant things that Frank was able to accomplish during his time at St Paul’s was growth in enrolments and student numbers, strong financial management of the school and most of all the effective educational ethos driven through the teachers to all the students. Frank has created a great culture at our school where every child feels included. He was able to establish and maintain very strong relationships both within the St Paul’s community itself with staff and families, and to establish and connect strongly into the local wider community. I would like to thank Frank for his fantastic contribution to our school. He will be missed. Frank will be succeeded by Michael Watt who joins the school on 9 May, after our interim principal Patricia Stewart took up the reigns, and I look forward to working with him in this new role.

During the year there were a number of things we as a Board have been involved with. Firstly was the announcement of our change of sports shirt which was introduced in July 2015 to become compulsory at the beginning of 2017. We studied the results of the School Improvement Survey including the prepared Improvement Plan and also reviewed the updated Critical Incident & Mandatory Reporting process along with the Code of Conduct.

Several guest speakers came to present to us throughout the year including a presentation held in conjunction with the St Thomas More’s Advisory Board by Patricia Palmer from the Catholic Education Office on the role of School Advisory Boards. Rodney Kwok, the school’s accountant presented on the schools financial performance and Christine Wakeling presented on the results and recommendations of the most recent school review process.

Enrico Marrone brought us up to date on the Capital Works Programme. This will be one of the most substantial programmes in the school’s history and includes the development of the now new Administration area, the refurbishment of the resource area and redevelopment of what was the Junior Building. It is very exciting to see our school moving ahead to benefit our children.

Finally, one of the most critical things that the Board has spent time on in the last 12 months is the attraction of new students and families to the school. The Board endeavours to implement a strong marketing programme to ensure the future growth of our school community.

As this will be my last report as Chairperson I would like to thank every member of the Board for their ongoing involvement and enthusiasm. I would especially like to thank Frank, Caroline and Father Simon for their guidance and support. They have worked tirelessly for the improvement of our school to benefit all of our children.

Melissa Tyquin

SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD CHAIRPERSON



Education in Faith

Goals & Intended Outcomes To improve student’s ability to integrate faith and life.

That students will demonstrate a deeper understanding of faith-based (gospel) values and their link with everyday living.

Achievements • Combined Schools Opening Year Mass with sister parish school at St Thomas

More’s. Families of both schools warmly invited. • Sacramental program for Confirmation, Eucharist and Reconciliation prepared and

facilitated by our Parish Priest Father Simon Grainger and Parish Sacramental Coordinator Andrew Milne.

• Whole school recognition of Sacramental Candidates at Prayer Gatherings. • Expectation that all staff attend Sacramental Masses. • Visit by Bishop Mark Edwards including whole school Prayer Gathering and

classroom visits. • Continuation of weekly whole-school Prayer Gatherings, where the focus of the

prayer relates to units of work, topical events or the church cyclical calendar. Parents are warmly welcomed and invited to the Prayer Gatherings.

• Further strengthening of links with story, symbolism, and traditions of our faith through whole school liturgical celebrations of the significant events in the Church calendar e.g. Lent and Holy Week, Easter, St. Paul’s Feast Day, Advent and Christmas, in addition to Graduation celebrations, class liturgies and termly whole school masses.

• Continuation of whole school Grandparents’/Special Persons’ Day Mass and morning tea (Literacy focus).

• Continuation of class masses each term, shared with the local faith community. • Continuation of social justice actions where children support the disadvantaged and

needy in the local and global communities. These actions included projects such as Project Compassion, support of the St Vincent de Paul Society, and the continued association with the Monbulk Care Network.

• Revision of Christian Meditation in RE PLMs and continued practice across the school.

• Timetabling Christian Meditation throughout the school daily and fortnightly during whole-school Prayer Gatherings.

• Continued setting of appropriate standards by exploring, developing the understandings of, and practising the values which have direct links to living in a religious way.

• Emphasis of the Nine Australian Values for Schooling at St Paul’s – Principal’s Awards given weekly to highlight modelled practices.

• Linking of classroom prayer time and Circle Time to the Nine Australian Values for Schooling.

• Continuation of the Rookys Program by the Reach Foundation. • Maintaining attention to staff spirituality through planned weekly prayer and

reflection. Planned timetabling of staff prayer to include as many staff as possible.



• Continuation of the focus on innovative and purposeful teaching practices in Religious Education drawn from previous professional development and the purchase of relevant resources.

• Maintaining Professional Learning Team meetings devoted to teaching and planning using the Religious Education Frameworks combined with Inquiry strategies.

• Continuing the use of the Assessment and Reporting Tracking Tool to assess learning and as a guide for ‘moderation’ in Religious Education.

• Using learning and teaching goals within Religious Education to prepare an Overview of Religious Education on nReports for both Semesters 1 and 2.

• Inclusion of rich tasks in Religious Education as evidence of learning in Student Learning Folios each term.

• Continued Saturday evening Family Masses and sausage sizzles to encourage the development of faith and school community.

VALUE ADDED

• Continuation of the Year 6 Mini Vinnies Action Group. • Mini Vinnies Commissioning Mass – Students presented with ‘Members’ badges by

St Vincent de Paul conference leaders. • Planned Social Justice actions by senior school students who act to inspire the

school community to support the disadvantaged and needy in local and global communities, e.g. St Vincent de Paul.

• Continuation of the Rookys program by the Reach Foundation. • Student artworks qualified for display and judging in the Catholic Education Week

Visual Arts Exhibition. • Continuation of Christian Meditation throughout the entire school on a daily basis. • Daily prayer in the classroom. • Strong connections to, and the use of, Throughlines, in Values Learning that is

emphasised at St. Paul’s. • Continuation of whole school Grandparents’/Special Persons’ Day Mass and

morning tea (literacy focus). • Fortnightly class masses shared with the local faith community. • Weekly whole-school Prayer Gatherings/Assemblies, which parents are

encouraged to attend • New sacramental program planned and facilitated by Fr Simon and Sacramental

Coordinator Andrew Milne for Confirmation, Reconciliation and Eucharist. • Whole school involvement in social justice initiatives such as Project Compassion. • Linking Advent practice to community action for Monbulk Care and St Vincent de

Paul. Junior school students’ excursion to Monbulk Main Street to spread Christmas cheer through carolling and distributing gifts. Middle school visit to Monbulk Care and collection of gifts to be distributed within the local community. Senior School students collection of gifts for St Vincent de Paul.

• Whole School Christmas Nativity Play in the church with hymns sung by our school choir.



Learning & Teaching

Goals & Intended Outcomes To provide a Contemporary learning environment which, promotes student engagement, and improves outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

That student outcomes in English improve with a focus on spelling and writing.

That student outcomes in Mathematics improve with a particular focus on number and the language of Mathematics.

That student engagement continues to improve.

Achievements • Maintained assessment in all Domains using appropriate assessment strategies and

tools, such as rich tasks, criteria and rubrics. • Testing data collated in an electronic form and saved on the Curriculum Server. • 1:1 Pre-testing days in Literacy sustained. • Assessment schedule was evaluated and modified to address the needs of the

school. • Professional Learning Team Meetings (PLTM) held weekly with a Literacy and

Numeracy focus on alternating weeks. • PLTMs comprised a team planning focus lead by the respective leaders. • Continued skilling of students to form their own inquiries. • Formalised planning model to develop Inquiry Units with the aim of increasing staff

understandings of the inquiry process. Documentation and alignment with AusVELS. Exploring ways of increasing student engagement and ownership of learning.

• Provision made for whole staff planning days once per term, lead by the Learning & Teaching Leader.

• Through PLTMs ensured Professional Learning aligned with AusVELS. • Sustained implementation of the Mathletics Program across the whole school. • Sustained strategies to allow for the creation of a Personalised Learning

environment. • Use of open-ended activities to enable personalised learning. • Explicit focus on the 4 Spelling Strategies and the 7 Steps for Writing Success. • Continued focus on spelling and the further development and evaluation of a spelling

continuum in response to children’s performance against spelling outcomes. • Development of Guiding Principles for the teaching of Literacy and Numeracy to

ensure a consistent whole-school approach. • Entered second year of F-6 Learning Literacies Course. • All staff participated in a Professional Learning Day on ‘Sustaining Improvement in

Mathematics’ lead by CEOM School Mathematics Advisors. • Professional development of Literacy Leader and LSOs in ERIK and PERI to support

students experiencing difficulty in Literacy. • Development of the Teaching and Learning Implementation Guide. • Moderation of student work was a focus in PLTMs.



• Student and staff workshops were continued with Denise Hall from ITMatters2Kids, ensuring that students were provided with further ways in which to communicate, collaborate and create using classroom iPads.

• Edmodo was utilised as the platform in which children and teachers could share learning in a digital environment.

• eLearning Leader supported both staff and students with new ways of learning using ICT in the classroom, through scheduled focus lessons.

• Continued implementation of ICT skills and research through the use of: • iPads (minimum of 8 per classroom) • Professional Development in Web 2.0 Online Course • Edmodo • Online programs, such as Mathletics, Rainforest Maths, Sunshine Online, etc.

• Through the Reading Recovery program, students identified at risk in year 1 were taught strategies enabling them to meet Target Standards of Text.

• Used data to identify students requiring additional support with literacy. Literacy Leader was provided with additional time to support staff and students.

• Professional Development on Individual Learning Plans - revision of good practice to ensure consistency in the way they are developed by staff.

• Continued use of Individual Learning Plans to address the particular learning needs of children identified as ‘at risk’ or requiring further extension.

• Continued Chess Kids tuition for students in Years 3-6. . • eSmart Program used as a student wellbeing and Cybersafety framework. • Professional Development for staff in Emergency Management • Parent information sessions, including: Transition to Primary School (for new

parents); Level Information Evenings; Cybersafety Program facilitated by KidProof Australia; Parent Engagement in Your Child’s Learning with Rachel Saliba.

• PLMs formalised agendas were based on the AAP, AITSL Professional Standards for Teachers and student data results.

• Continued exploring AusVELS Strands, Domains and Dimensions in Science, History, Literacy and Numeracy when planning whole-school Inquiry Units.

• Continued use of ‘Throughlines’ in developing Inquiry Units. • Continued to support pre-service teachers and work experience students. • Continuation of Prep and Year 6 individual buddies and buddy classes.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Data provided by the Catholic Education Office Melbourne illustrates the proportion of students at St Paul’s School who met the National Benchmarks as assessed by NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy & Numeracy) testing during the period 2012 - 2014. When interpreting the data, it is important to note that due to small student numbers in year levels at St Paul’s, one student may be reflected as approximately 5% of the total. The table and graphs found on pages 28 and 29 of this report, referring to VRQA Compliance Data, illustrate the variation in national minimum standard results between the 2012 and 2014 testing cycles. It is important to note that, with one exception, the results are not a comparison of the same cohort of children, but of those students in Years 3 or 5 in 2012 to those in Years 3 or 5 in 2013 and, once again, to those in Years 3 or 5 in 2014. However, the figures can be viewed as indicating a trend over time, when comparing Year 3 in 2012 with Year 5 in 2014, as in this instance they comprise the same group of students. The table and graphs show that in 2014, 100% of Year 3 students met the national minimum standard results in Writing, Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation and Numeracy. This reflected



a positive growth between 2013 and 2014 of the following proportions: Spelling – +15.4%; Grammar & Punctuation – +7.7%; Writing and Numeracy – 0% as 100% of students met the minimum standards; and Reading – +10.6%. In summary, every test reflected positive growth with the exception of tests in which 100% of students already met the minimum standards in both 2013 and 2014. When comparing the Year 5 cohorts of 2013 and 2014, the 2014 students recorded a negative change in the proportion of students meeting the minimum standards. Interestingly, when examining the trend over time of the same students in Year 3 (2012) with their results in Year 5 (2014), a positive change can be seen in the Grammar and Punctuation testing results.

This data is examined by staff, along with other data collected internally, to inform our annual planning for improvement, as part the School Improvement Framework.



Student Wellbeing

Goals & Intended Outcomes To maximise student wellbeing and sense of connectedness to school.

That student learning confidence will improve.

That student relationships will be improved.

Achievements • Maintained networks with local community services, i.e. Student Focused Youth

Services (SFYS). • Working relationships with community groups such as Monbulk Care. • Senior students connect with the wider community using service learning as its

focus. Continuation of the Mini Vinnies program. • Incorporated social justice student organised initiatives, e.g. Mini Vinnies Soup Day

and Crazy Sock Day. • Continued the focus on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) using strategies such as

Circle Time. • Continued Restorative Practices throughout the school (including part-time staff and

specialists). • PAASS document outlining rights, responsibilities and expectations throughout the

school. Common language used when dealing with students, parents and teachers. • Chaplaincy program maintained through the National School Chaplaincy Student

Welfare Program. • Staff member trained Certificate IV in Youth Work • Chaplaincy allocation was used at early intervention and intervention stages with

groups, families and individual students. • Student Wellbeing Co-ordinator attended 2 annual CEO professional development. • Conducted an extensive Prep Orientation Program. • Conducted information sessions/workshops on Transition into Primary School

(based on Kids Matter), Restorative Practices, ICT practices and Literacy and Numeracy Walks for the parents of 2016 Foundation students during orientation sessions.

• Student Forums with the Principal. • Chess program run by Chess Kids: Years 3 – 6 • Student participation in district swimming, cross country and athletics. • Inter-school Round Robin Day • Walk to School Wednesdays • Participation in National Walk to School Day • Participation in the Day for Daniel - Daniel Morcombe Foundation : Keeping Kids

Safe • Encouragement for students to have daily fruit break at 10.00am and bring a water

bottle to school. • Scheduled staff meeting time specifically focusing on student wellbeing needs

considered important for the school. • Continued practice of Christian Meditation across the whole school. • Staff school closure day on ICT – G.A.F.E. • School Buddy program between students.



• Prep/Year 6 Buddy program. • Continued opportunity for school choir membership, including performances for the

Senior Citizens and Monbulk Christmas Parade. • F-6 Student Representative Council – student lead initiatives; development of

leadership capacity. • Successful and supportive camp program: Year 6 camp to Coonawarra Farm

Resort; Year 4 camp to CYC Phillip Island; and Year 2 sleepover at school. • Transition Programs: Maintained regular communication between local

kindergartens and regional secondary colleges. • Past students visited Year 6 exiting students as part of the transition program. • Bendigo Bank Award presented to a senior student at the end of the year. • Student artwork displayed in the Catholic Education Week Art Show. • Explicit teaching of social and emotional skills. • Explicit teaching of the Nine Values for Australian Schooling within the classroom. • Fortnightly/weekly focus on nominated values across whole school. • Weekly values award presented to a member of each class by the Principal. • Term 1 curriculum focus on building relationships, resilience and the values. • Continued in a SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) network group with three

other schools. Continued focus upon school community partnership and the KidsMatter Framework.

• Explicit teaching of ‘Cybersafety’ awareness. • Newsletter items focusing on cybersafety, values, building resilience, confidence. • Annual update by all staff on Mandatory Reporting online module. • SunSmart awareness: Maintained accreditation as a SunSmart School. • End of year orientation session for years P – 5 to encourage familiarity with the

following year’s classroom environment, teacher and classmates. • Continuation of Reach Foundation ‘Rookys’ program. • Completion of work on the eSmart Framework at St Paul’s; accreditation awarded

Dec 2015. Gained eSmart status. • KidsMatter action team continued to meet on a regular basis. • KidsMatter component 1 undertaken by Wellbeing Leader and shared with whole

staff. • All students F-6 completed KidsMatter survey. • Continued work with Family School Partnerships including staff forums, community

conversations with staff, parents and students. Learning Walks with Prep 2016, parents.

• Life Education Van • One iPad workshop with Denise Hall

When students are absent from school, written communication – either letter or email – is required from the parents/guardians. Should a student be away from school for three consecutive days, and the school not be notified, the classroom teacher and/or Principal will make direct contact with the parents/guardians. If a student is ever absent for a prolonged period of time or with regular frequency, either the Principal or Student Wellbeing Leader will make direct contact with the parents/guardians. In certain instances a letter will follow the phone conversation. Parents/guardians are regularly reminded, via the school newsletter, of their obligation to send their children to school on a consistent basis, and that reasons for absenteeism are to be legitimate and in writing. Articles on the impact of regular absenteeism are incorporated in the school newsletter, and are supported by the inclusion of the parent brochure – ‘Every Day Counts’ (Department of Education & Training).



VALUE ADDED

• Walk to School Wednesdays, in which staff and parents walk with the students from the Monbulk shopping centre to the school; a distance of approximately 900m.

• Active participation in National Walk to School Day. • Active participation in the Day for Daniel - Daniel Morcombe Foundation: Keeping

Kids Safe. • Active School Choir: Practice every Thursday afternoon. • Public performances by the school choir at the Country Fair, Monbulk Merry

Christmas and the Senior Citizens • Chess program run by Chess Kids: Years 3 – 6 • Interschool chess competitions. • Rookys program, by the Reach Foundation, for Year 6 students • Involvement in inter-school sport. • Parent information sessions/workshops on Restorative Practices. • Maintained essential networks with local community services, e.g. Student Focus

Youth Services. • A developmental and successful camp program. • Members of a SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) network group with three

other schools. • Student Forums with the Principal • Explicit teaching of ‘Cybersafety’ awareness. • Bendigo Bank scholarship to outstanding Year 6 student. • Mini Vinnies raising the awareness of social justice issues. • Mini Vinnies fundraising for people in need in the community • Mini Vinnies continued strong community links with local organisations. • Life Ed van incursion to school to support teaching of Drug Ed. For all classes.

STUDENT SATISFACTION

Student Satisfaction, as reflected in the results of the 2015 School Improvement Surveys (prepared by InsightSRC) there was marked improvement shown by the students for the areas of Emotional WellBeing, Teacher Relationships and Engagement in Learning Results from Parent Surveys showed high results for student transitions (81%), student connectedness to school (79%) and Student Safety (79%) . Moving forward into 2016, an explicit focus will revolve around ways of explicitly teaching Social emotional Learning and differentiated learning for all students. Throughout 2015, students were provided with numerous opportunities tin which to express student voice, including: participation through the Student Representative Council; active involvement through Student Forums with the Principal; opportunities to negotiate their learning pathways through the school’s approach to an Inquiry-based curriculum; and further opportunities to learn using contemporary tools and methods.



Leadership & Management

Goals & Intended Outcomes To develop a work environment characterised by shared vision, a strong sense of teamwork and a focus on continuous improvement.

That staff climate will continue to improve.

Achievements Religious Education

• Attendance at REL meetings • Combined Schools Opening Mass at St Thomas More’s • Visit by Bishop Mark Edwards • Reporting against the Tracking Tool and Learning Foci • Continued staff mass at St Thomas More’s with Mater Christi College, St

Joseph’s College, St Thomas More’s School and St Paul’s School.

Curriculum • Personalised Learning Approach through Curriculum Leader & Principal

Network Meetings; and via staff Professional Learning Meetings • Implementation of Teaching & Learning Implementation Guide • St Paul’s Throughlines used in whole-school Inquiry Planners • Implemented aspects of Performance and Development Culture, e.g.

Learning Walks, Introduction of CITDP (Customised Individual Teacher Development Plans)

• Two day school closure – whole staff Self Reflection Report writing • Data Meetings: Recording and analysis of testing data • Continued planning units of work and rich tasks as a whole staff during PLMs • Staff evaluating units of work using the 5e’s • Attendance at Learning & Teaching Leaders’ Network Meetings by Learning

and Teacher Leader and Principal.

Literacy • Literacy PLMs on a fortnightly cycle • Implementation of Literacy Assessment Schedule • Development and implementing the Guiding Principles of both Literacy and

Numeracy • Focus on whole school approach to Literacy • Whole school family group day during Literacy & Numeracy Week • Lyn Watts: Meeting with Literacy Leader re planning future professional

development with a writing focus. • Analysing Literacy Data • New Reading Recovery Teacher training continuing. • Literacy Cluster Meetings • Literacy assessment tools PAT R, V, S implemented. • PROBE administered from Yrs 2-6 • Developing Guiding Principles in the teaching of literacy



Mathematics • Mathematics PLMs on a fortnightly cycle • Continuation of Envision Maths program • Implemented St Paul’s Mathematics Planner • Focus on Mental Computation strategies, Counting, Language of

Mathematics • Implementation of formalised Mathematics Assessment Schedule • Rich assessment tasks • Development of Mathematics Guiding Principles • Mathematics Cluster Days • Mathematical Data analysis – Linking data to purposeful teaching and

learning • Maths Continuum and Developmental Framework used as planning tools • Continuation of ‘Maths 300’ and ‘Rainforest Maths’ • Continued Mathletics implementation from P-6 • All staff participated in a Professional Learning Day on ‘Sustaining

Improvement in Mathematics’ lead by CEOM School Mathematics Advisors.

ICT • Change2 ICON: Maintained implementation of The Plan • Edmodo used as the platform for electronically sharing online folios and work

samples • Purchased an additional 30 iPads for student use • Student and staff iPad workshops with ITMatters2kids • All staff created their own Google account and commenced communicating

via the St Paul’s Google Calendar • Continued eSmart • Termly meetings with Richard Callanan (ICON Coach) • Attendance at eLearning Zone Network Meetings • nForma web applications implemented across the school • Development of Cybersafety Policy • Maintenance of: Computer Lab; student and staff iPads; Interactive

Whiteboards, staff laptops • Cybersafety workshops for staff and parents by KidProof Australia • ICT User agreement distributed term 1 to all students • iPad User agreement distributed to all staff and students

Wellbeing

• Rachel Saliba: Parent information evening • Cybersafety workshops for staff and parents by KidProof Australia • Participation in SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) Cluster meetings • Attendance at KidsMatter Conference (2 days) • Kidsmatter: Presentation to SACSC Cluster • Cybersafety: eSmart • Restorative Practices and Circle Time • Regular staff meetings to address Wellbeing • Regular attendance at Zone and Cluster Meetings • Student Wellbeing Conference: 2 spaced days • Mandatory Reporting and Child FIRST online module completed • Implemented KidsMatter surveys with all students • Reach Rookys program for Year 6 students (one per term) • Positive Action Agreement for a Safe School distributed during Term 1



• Continuation of National School Chaplaincy Student Welfare Program • A whole school approach to Pastoral Care/Student Wellbeing • Attendance at Student-Focused Youth Services (SFYS)

Student Services

• Using iPad Apps with special needs students • Staff professional development on Individual Learning Plans • Regular PSG Meetings (one per term for funded and some non-funded

students) • Teachers released for submission writing - ½ day per child • Attendance at Zone Cluster and Network Meetings

Leadership

• Leading Personalised Learning • Attendance at CEM Regional Network meetings for all members of

Leadership Team • Continuation of Learning Walks • Weekly formalised leadership team meetings • Leadership Minutes communicated to all staff via Google Drive • Leading of Community Conversation • Attendance at Principal Networks and Conferences



EXPENDITURE AND TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

DESCRIPTION OF PL UNDERTAKEN IN 2015

A variety of professional learning opportunities, including intensive course work, was undertaken by staff, including but not limited to:

• GAFE and KidsMatter school closure days for all staff • Personalised Learning: CEOM Learning & Teaching Leaders’ Network - 4

days • KidsMatter Conference – 1 day , 7 staff • Nationally Consistent Collection of Data • CEOM - OSR Workshop Preparing for May 1 Increments • Admin Officers’ Network Days and Finance Cluster Meetings • Student Wellbeing Leaders’ Days - 2 days • Emergency Management Training with Dynamiq - all staff • Certificate IV in Youth Work (Open Colleges) • Diabetes Education Day for Classroom Teacher • Attendance at ‘Schools As Core Social Centres’ (SACSC) Cluster Meetings • Network Meetings and Cluster Days for staff holding Positions of Leadership

(POL) & key responsibilities within the school • Weekly Professional Learning Meetings: Literacy, Numeracy, Religious

Education, Wellbeing and Teaching & Learning focus • CPR and Anaphylaxis Update - all staff • Asthma Update - all staff • 2 day school closure dedicated to writing school Report for School Review • Mandatory Reporting Online Module - all staff • School Leadership: Deputy Principals’ Eastern Schools OEZDP Conference • ACHPER Health and Physical Education Conference • Diploma of Accounting (Applied Education)



NUMBER OF TEACHERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN PL 16

AVERAGE EXPENDITURE PER TEACHER FOR PL $1335

TEACHER SATISFACTION

Based on 2015 School Improvement Survey Data compiled by Insight SRC and discussions with, and informal feedback from staff, the level of staff satisfaction has shown growth in the areas of Empathy, Clarity and Engagement. While there has been growth shown in relation to Role Clarity it is timely to consider whether focusing on setting clear expectations has detracted from Appraisal & Recognition and Professional Growth. The 2015 School Climate percentile ranks indicate that growth occurred from 2014 to 2015 in the areas of: Individual Morale (78%) School Morale (74%) Supportive Leadership (84%) Role Clarity (84%) teamwork (75%) Empowerment (79%) Ownership (83%) Student Behaviour in classroom (87%) Curriculum Processes (82%) Parent Partnerships (81%) and Respect for Students (92%). It is pleasing to report that teachers showed positive results for Student Behaviour both in the classroom and the overall school setting. The support the school receives from the parent and parish communities, combined with the current trend in staff retention figures indicate healthy levels of staff wellbeing that correspondingly contribute to a positive school climate.



School Community

Goals & Intended Outcomes To further connect student learning with the local and global communities.

That student learning is enhanced by adopting a more outward facing position, through the creation of connections with local and global communities.

Achievements • School Advisory Board addressed by Principal on implementation and findings of

School Review Process. • School Advisory Board addressed by external Reviewer to share final School

Review. • Planned social events by the P&F e.g. Country Fair, Girls Night In, Family Movie

Night, Bike-a-thon, Dog Show • Regular use by parents of the Parent Meeting Room, e.g. regularly scheduled P&F

meetings • Family School Partnerships conversations continued to share ideas to support St

Paul’s School to become an ideal school. • Prep / Foundations Families were invited to share Learning walks through out the

school as part of the Prep Induction Program. • Continuation of Parish Based – School Supported weekly Sacramental classes with

Parish Priest and Sacramental Co-ordinator. • Information sessions for parents and children, based on the three Sacraments of

Initiation, were conducted by Parish Priest and Sacramental Co-ordinator. • Sacramental candidates presented to the parish community at weekend masses. • Casserole/Meal bank to support St. Paul’s families in times of need or sickness. • Continuation of the Reach Rookys program for Year 6 students. • Whole school involvement in Italian Day – parent involvement. • Each class gathered together with local parish community to celebrate Wednesday

weekday masses (once a term per class). • Scheduled Family Masses on early Saturday evenings followed by barbecue to

encourage community social connections. • School Discos twice per year • Walking Wednesdays – where children walk with teachers from Woolworths car park

to the school grounds – approximately 900m. • Participation by children and families in annual ‘Walk to School Day’. • Bendigo Bank Sponsorship recognising contributions made by year 6 students. • Weekly Prayer Gatherings/Assemblies to which parents and relatives are warmly

invited. • P and F contributed financially to the perimeter school fencing. • Inter-school Sport Round Robin Day – parent involvement. • Whole school sports day – parent involvement. • Whole school AFL inflatable sports activities – parent involvement • Choir performances at Merry Monbulk Christmas, Country Fair and for the Senior

Citizens. • School tours and open days • Prep enrolment interviews • Year 4s attended Mater Christi College dress rehearsal for performance • Years 3 – 6 SES visit, BO Meteorology



• Pre-Service teachers from ACU • Emerald Sausage Sizzle, organised by parents, where the school is further

promoted in the community. • Six scheduled school working bees involving school families concluding with a social

gathering. • Sustained role of the St Paul’s OSHCare (Outside School Hours Care) Committee. • Discreet support of school families in need through the Monbulk Care Network. • Reciprocal support of the Monbulk Care Network by the school students at

Christmas time. • Maintenance of SACSC (Schools As Core Social Centres) Outer Eastern Region,

where St Paul’s routinely met with three other Catholic schools in the local area. • Use of the multi-purpose hall for local community basketball training groups. • Family BBQ in January for new Prep Families. • Buddying of new Prep parents with existing families. • Seventh year of Mini Vinnies Core Group: Year 6 St Vincent de Paul action group.

Fundraising efforts included Soup Day, 5c Friday, Crazy Sock Day, plant sale and Christmas gifts for St Vincent de Paul. These events were supported by some of the local businesses through their donations.

• Involvement of parent helpers in the classroom. • Parent involvement in Mini Vinnies fundraising actions. • Parent organisation of monthly hot lunch days, sushi days once per term and icy

poles in Terms 1 and 4. • Grandparents/Special person’s day and Mass with a literacy focus. • Christmas Carol celebration and evening concert. • Mother’s day stall and Father’s day breakfast and stall • Junior school classes visited Main St. Monbulk in December to sing Christmas

carols. • Principal/Student forums continued with members of school leadership team. • Gained eSmart status • Weekly pilates classes for local community held in the church. • Literacy and Numeracy Parent Information Sessions on ways parents can support

their children at home. • Life Saving Victoria: Years F-2 Sink or Swim Water Safety, Years 3-6 L.S.V. Open

Water Learning at Lysterfield Lake.

PARENT SATISFACTION

The Parent Opinion scores evident in the 2015 School Improvement Survey Reports reflected a continued high level of satisfaction. Many ‘indicators’ showed that previous scores were sustained. Parent Partnerships (77%), Behaviour Management (75%), Approachability (83%) and Student Safety (79%) reflected the greatest level of satisfaction amongst our parents. Transitions (81%) continued to show a favourable response.

Connectedness to School, Reporting and Student Safety showed the greatest improvement between the 2014 and 2015 survey periods.

St Paul’s School continued to be involved in the CEOM Outer Eastern ‘Schools as Core Social Centres’ (SACSC) Cluster. We continued to work within the CEOM ‘Learning Together’ framework to address and engage parents to form active Family/ School partnerships.



• Whole school ANZAC focus o Year 6 – Shrine o Years 3,4 and 5 – attended Upper Ferntree Gully ANZAC service and

Emerald Memorial Walk o Years F-2 – Walk to monument and RSL in Monbulk o ANZAC Day students, parents, staff took part in march in Monbulk Main

Street • Student Portfolios sent home each term • Andrew Chinn day session and whole school evening performance • Year 6 Retreat Day



Financial Performance

REPORTING FRAMEWORK MODIFIED CASH $

Recurrent income Tuition

School fees 101 051

Other fee income 74 716

Private income 16 091

State government recurrent grants 338 887

Australian government recurrent grants 1 181 451

Total recurrent income 1 712 196

Recurrent Expenditure Tuition

Salaries; allowances and related expenses 1 254 271

Non salary expenses 258 193

Total recurrent expenditure 1 512 464

Capital income and expenditure Tuition

Government capital grants -

Capital fees and levies 31 312

Other capital income 30 822

Total capital income 62 134

Total capital expenditure 227 598

Loans (includes refundable enrolment deposits and recurrent, capital and bridging loans)

Total opening balance 23 818

Total closing balance 201 863

Note that the information provided above does not include the following items: System levies charged to individual schools, intra-systemic transfers and diocesan supplementary capital fund (SCF) supported borrowings for primary schools. The information provided is not comparable with other educational sectors. This VRQA template is not comparable to the ACARA school-level income reporting requirements which are to be reported on the MySchool website. ACARA school level reporting requirements will require system level income from Government grants and some private income to be allocated by school. This will be a small adjustment in relation to the total level of school resources. At this stage, recurrent income from Government sources, school generated income and capital expenditure are to be reported by schools. Additionally when assessing the private income of the school include both recurrent and capital school fees.



VRQA Compliance Data

PROPORTION OF STUDENTS MEETING THE MININUM STANDARDS

NAPLAN TESTS 2012

%

2013

%

2012–2013 Changes

%

2014

%

2013–2014 Changes

%

YR 03 Reading 100.0 84.6 -15.4 95.2 10.6

YR 03 Writing 95.2 100.0 4.8 100.0 0.0

YR 03 Spelling 90.5 84.6 -5.9 100.0 15.4

YR 03 Grammar & Punctuation 95.2 92.3 -2.9 100.0 7.7

YR 03 Numeracy 100.0 100.0 0.0 100.0 0.0

YR 05 Reading 94.4 100.0 5.6 92.6 -7.4

YR 05 Writing 94.4 100.0 5.6 84.6 -15.4

YR 05 Spelling 94.4 95.0 0.6 84.6 -10.4

YR 05 Grammar & Punctuation 94.4 100.0 5.6 96.2 -3.8

YR 05 Numeracy 100.0 100.0 0.0 92.6 -7.4



AVERAGE STUDENT ATTENDANCE RATE BY YEAR LEVEL %

Year 1 94.79

Year 2 92.61

Year 3 91.44

Year 4 92.78

Year 5 94.14

Year 6 95.07

Overall average attendance 93.47

TEACHING STAFF ATTENDANCE RATE

Teaching Staff Attendance Rate 92.23%



STAFF RETENTION RATE

Staff Retention Rate 86.67%

TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS

Doctorate 0.00%

Masters 30.77%

Graduate 15.38%

Certificate Graduate 7.69%

Degree Bachelor 84.62%

Diploma Advanced 46.15%

No Qualifications Listed 0.00%

STAFF COMPOSITION

Principal Class 2

Teaching Staff (Head Count)

16

FTE Teaching Staff

14.190

Non-Teaching Staff (Head Count)

7

FTE Non-Teaching Staff

5.704

Indigenous Teaching Staff

0