536 3425 asr 2011 - werris creek public · pdf fileprovide! so many! opportunities! for! our!...

Werris Creek Public School Annual School Report

2011

3425

1

Our school at a glance

Students

Our school population is drawn from rural families and families from the Werris Creek and Quirindi townships. Our students are a delightful group and our school has a genuine family atmosphere. The students know and support each other. There is a climate of tolerance, fair play and togetherness within the student body.

Our student population at the completion of 2011 was 118.

School Captains

Dayna Porter Ben Hope

Vice Captains

Taylor Verrall Nicholas Boyle

Student Representative Council (class reps.)

Kindergarten: Hayley Grogan

1/2: Luke Baldo 2/3: Lillie Clark

4/5: Cassidy Carter 5/6: Ben Hope

Staff

We are proud of our school and its achievements. The teaching, ancillary and support staff work extremely hard throughout the year ensuring that our students receive the best education. They provide so many opportunities for our students and have made schooling such a memorable experience.

The Teaching Staff in 2011 comprised:

Michael Windred: Principal

Timothy Munday: Assistant Principal / Librarian / R.F.F.

Catherine Anderson: Class Teacher

Christopher Lyon: Class Teacher

Leeanne Batho: Class Teacher

Christine Roser-‐Whitney: Class Teacher.

Lyn Windsor: Class Teacher

Emily Tomlinson: Reading Recovery

Michael Clark: Aboriginal Education Officer

All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

SASS (School Administration and Support Staff):

Sue McLaughlin: Primary School Administration Manager Level 1

Michelle Fritz: Rel. Primary School Administration Manager Level 1

Kaye Beaton: School Administration Officer

Debbie Munday: School Administration Officer

Rachel Baldo: Learning Support Officer

Sharon Pitcher: Learning Support Officer / Tutor

Therese Hamilton: Learning Support Officer

Shellie McInnes: Learning Support Officer

Douglas Durrant: General Assistant

Carolyn Kelly: School Cleaner

Eileen Roach: Tutor

Scott Munday: Tutor

Significant programs and initiatives

In 2011 we have once again invested a lot of time and energy into giving our students the best start to school and to make learning irresistible for them. We do this because we want to make certain that our students receive the best possible education.

Significant areas of focus in 2011 include:

Positive Behaviour Learning

Performing Arts: Infants Concerts, CAPERS and School Musical.

PSP: Parents as Partners, Home Reading and Resource Building.

Transition Class – Werris Creek Prep

Consistency in Teacher Judgement

National Partnerships: QuickSmart, Understanding Words, In-‐class technology, Professional Learning, Speech Therapy.

Excursions: Dubbo, Coonabarabran, Willow Tree, Gold Coast.

2

Messages

Principal’s message To everyone in our school community, thank you for your contribution to another successful year. It

seems like a very long time since the beginning of this year when we were expecting the majority of our BER projects to be completed and come back

to a revamped school. However, we returned to a school that resembled a war zone. Fortunately for us work recommenced and our school started to

look like a place of learning. We feel like ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ with our new elevator.

It is also very important to state that if it wasn’t for the endless hard work of Douglas, Joyce and

Harold Durrant our school grounds wouldn’t be back to looking as magnificent as they do now. We won a further two garden awards this year.

We are very fortunate at Werris Creek to have a

highly skilled, enthusiastic and committed staff who give willingly of their time in so many ways. I would like to say thank you to our teaching,

office, grounds and support staff for ensuring that our students are supported under your guidance and dedication. You are truly a professional and

genuinely caring staff.

Our classrooms are alive with 21st century technology. The students and teachers are able to connect with up to date research, plus experts and

other children anywhere in the world. This has opened the wider world to our children and opens pathways of learning through this interactive

medium. The teachers and students love them. This year we purchased another laptop library, a set of iPads for Kindergarten and a Heumi multi

touch table. Early next year we will acquire a further 30 iPads for the senior classes to use plus another laptop laboratory. Therefore every child

has access to a research station.

Every year our school presents many wonderful opportunities to our students for them to participate in both in and out of school. The fact that every child in our school has the ability to

participate in so many activities is priceless. We just love spoiling them.

We are also very proud of our academic achievements. These excellent results are achieved through a commitment to whole school planning, a bounty of resources and continuous training and development of our teaching staff. When compared to other ‘like’ schools across Australia we are ‘head and shoulders’ above them. This is a great achievement for the Werris Creek school community.

I would like to thank the P&C executive Rachael Baldo, Karen Holloway, Trish Landrigan, Tania Haling, Jackie Buckingham and their team of

dedicated helpers. They once again went above the call of duty and provided the students financial support, gifts and resources. You have

done a wonderful job in spoiling our students and staff.

Best wishes, to Jake, Nick, Kailee, Ben, Blair,

Nicolaas, Sacha, Taylor L, Zack, Courtney, Makayla, Dayna, Damon, Jaron, Taylor V, Natalie, Ayrton and Lauren. I hope that high school is

everything you imagined it to be. Good luck with your future.

With students at the CENTRE of our world I look forward to another successful year in 2012. I am

really looking forward to seeing Blake, Darcy, Iva, Jenna, Tom, Connor, Emily, Eliza, Larni, Erica, Shaun and Pip joining us in Kindergarten.

I certify that the information in this report is the result of a rigorous school self-‐evaluation process and is a balanced and genuine account of the school’s achievements and areas for development.

Michael Windred

3

P & C message The P&C have had another successful fundraising

year and I am very pleased to report that we have contributed a significant amount of money to support the school and students in 2011. Our

fundraising events featured a variety of events such as raffles, Street Stalls, Pie Drive, BBQs and a

Twilight Fete.

These events would not have been possible without the organisation, help and support of our volunteers and just as importantly our school

community and businesses for their aid of these events. To everyone involved this year we thank you very much.

This year we made some major contributions

including $2000 to the Gold Coast Excursion and $3000 towards the sandpit and soft fall equipment area. Our ongoing commitment of supplying

Sporting Trophies and Blues, subsidies for Class excursions and Capers, State Representatives and Annual Book Awards for our students, as well as

the Infants Christmas gifts has been fulfilled.

I would like to give special thanks to the P&C committee and our members who are always there to lend a hand and help with events during

the year. I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to four ladies in particular that always go above and beyond the call of duty.

They are; Heidi Grogan, Carly Robinson Trish Landrigan, and Karen Holloway. I sincerely appreciate the help and support you have all

provided to myself, the school and P&C.

Thank you to our fantastic team of volunteers who give up their time to ensure the canteen is opened to provide recess and lunch to the students plus cater for school functions. Your efforts have been outstanding and are greatly appreciated. Thank you to Jackie Buckingham who co-‐ordinated the Meals on Wheels roster this year and to all our volunteers who delivered meals throughout the community. Special Thanks to the office staff Sue McLaughlan, Michelle Fritz and Kaye Beaton for their help in the administration of our fundraising events, taking phone calls and directing incoming

notes and money to the P&C. They do a fantastic job on our behalf. We thank you! Good luck to our Year 6 students who leave us this year. We hope that you enjoy high school and succeed in your future endeavours. Final thanks go to Mr Windred and teachers for your support of the P&C and for the wonderful work you do with our children each and every day. The P&C look forward to another successful year in 2012. New volunteers are always welcome!

Rachael Baldo P&C President

Student representative’s message We would like to thank everyone who elected us

as school captains for 2011. It has been an honour and a great experience to be your captains. Werris Creek Public School has offered us many great

opportunities over the years including school spectacular, dance festival, CAPERS, musicals, debating, chess, fantastic excursions and many

awesome sporting opportunities.

Our primary years have been very enjoyable, however it wouldn’t have been so great if it weren’t for the wonderful teachers and staff that

put in such an effort to make these years the best any student could have.

We’d like to thank all the teachers for all of the wonderful things they do for us. As Mr Windred

always says, “Small School, Big Opportunities”. Which is so true Mr Windred. We’d also like to thank Taylor and Nick for all of their help and

support in our role as school captains.

Congratulations to the incoming captains Brianna and Billy. We wish you all the best and hope you enjoy this role as much as we have.

To all of the students of Werris Creek, you are

very lucky to be part of such a fantastic school. We hope you enjoy your primary years as much as we have. Good luck to our fellow Year 6 students as

we head off to High School together. What an exciting time ahead!

Dayna Porter and Ben Hope

4

School context

Student information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Student enrolment profile

Gender 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Male 44 46 58 56 56

Female 43 60 58 61 60

Student attendance profile

Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 K 94.4 94.9 92.0

1 90.3 92.5 94.1 2 93.9 93.4 91.5 3 93.3 94.8 93.3 4 93.2 95.1 97.9 5 92.8 91.1 93.7 6 94.5 91.7 91.9

Scho

ol

Total 92.6 93.1 93.3 93.2

Management of non-‐attendance

In NSW, it is a legal requirement that children attend every day unless sick or on a planned holiday. This means all children between the ages of six and fifteen are legally required to attend school. At Werris Creek attendance is recorded daily and a 'roll call' is conducted before the first lesson of the day. Any absence from school should be explained within seven days of the absence. We are also required to inform parents promptly of any unexplained absences.

The students who have fallen below the 85% attendance level have been identified. The

strategies that are in place to improve student attendance include support from the Home School Liaison Officer, inclusion of attendance articles in newsletters and at parent meetings. The school also has in place procedures to enable the follow up of absences causing concerns. This includes letters being sent home to the parents of the students identified, plus each teacher has a term calendar with which they can track the patterns of students that are causing concern. An attendance award system is currently being considered.

Class sizes

Primary class sizes are included in the annual school report in order to provide parents with as much local information as possible. The following table shows our class sizes as reported at the 2011 Class Size Audit conducted on Monday 21 March 2011.

Structure of classes

Roll class Year Total per year Total In class

K K 14 14

1/2 1 17 25

1/2 2 8 25

2/3 2 7 27

2/3 3 20 27

4/5 4 6 21

4/5 5 15 21

5/6 5 7 26

5/6 6 19 26

We endeavour to keep the class structures in the children’s academic stages, however this year in order to keep class sizes small in the dependent lower years we had to formulate two cross-‐over classes; 2/3 and 4/5.

Hayley and Natalie during reading buddies.

0

50

100

150

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Stud

ents

Year

Enrolments

Male Female

5

Staff information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Staff establishment

Position Number

Principal 1

Assistant Principal 1

Classroom Teachers 3

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.5

Support Teacher Learning Assistance 0.3

Teacher Librarian 0.2

P.S.P. Teacher 0.2

Part Time 0.2

Relief from Face to Face 0.21

National Partnership LSES Teacher 0.6

School Learning Support Coordinator 0.1

Aboriginal Education Officer 1

Counsellor 20 days

School Administrative 1.406

Learning Support Staff 3.2

Total 12.916

The National Education Agreement requires schools to report on Indigenous composition of their workforce. We are very privileged to have the expertise of Michael Clark (our Aboriginal Education Officer) on our staff. Michael is dedicated to the education of all students at our school. He has the responsibility of coordinating QuickSmart, Debating, Public Speaking, Sport, Multicultural programs, Anti-‐Racism, plus our Aboriginal Advisory Committee.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.

Qualifications % of staff

Degree or Diploma 75%

Postgraduate 25%

Financial summary

This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance.

Date of financial summary: 30/11/2011

Income $ Balance brought forward 68, 120.12 Global funds 121,645.39 Tied Funds 329,399.05 School & community sources 38,344.95 Interest 4,557.39 Trust receipts 4,373.60 Canteen 0.00 Total income 498,320.38

Expenditure Teaching & learning Key learning areas 7,103.14 Excursions 28,050.14 Extracurricular dissections 7,538.35 Library 322.24 Training & development 5,945.53 Tied funds 232,632.33 Casual relief teachers 16,584.18 Administration & office 68,243.15 School-‐operated canteen 0.00 Utilities 18,933.20 Maintenance 7,219.18 Trust accounts 3,739.04 Capital programs 0.00

Total expenditure 170,129.38

Balance carried forward

A full copy of the school’s 2011 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the School Council and/or the parent body. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school.

Having some fun on a technology day.

6

School performance 2011

Achievements

Arts

This year was a busy year for the Arts at Werris Creek Public School. Our art works were displayed

at the tenth Currabubula Art Show. We had many wonderful entries with the following students attaining prizes. Stage 3: Nick Boyle – attained 3rd

prize for the 3D models and Natalie Weir – was awarded a Super Effort award.

Some of our students participated in the Tamworth Eisteddfod. Natalie Weir and Xanthe

Bryant who achieved a 3rd in the Hip Hop and Contemporary dance routines and attained Highly Commended in their Jazz routine. Hayley Morris,

Imogen Lyon, Scarlett Nelson and Hayden Daw came first in their Tap routine, 3rd for their Lion King dance and a High Commendation in their

Jazz. Janie Gillies’ dance group attained 2nd with their Danish dance, 3rd in her Ballet and a High Commendation for Jazz. This year students

attended a performance The Gruffalo at Quirindi Royal Theatre.

Our Kindergarten and Stage One performed songs and dances at the annual CWA luncheon. They

also presented their Christmas Concert at school, which was a wonderful performance.

Ben Hope and Sacha Landrigan took part in the regional Multicultural Public Speaking

competition. They both gained much experience through their participation.

Our Stage 2 and Stage 3 teams participated in a debate against Wallabadah Public School. Both of

our teams were excellent in their delivery and rebuttal and won. They then participated in a debate against Nundle Public School via the

Connected Classroom. Once again their talents were showcased and they were once again successful.

Our senior choir was involved in a national

simultaneous singing performance. Schools from

across Australia performed the song ‘We’ve Got

The Music’ as part of a joint Federal and State Government initiative to promote Music Education in schools. The Performing Arts unit

coordinated the performance and the live video links in major cities across Australia. We tuned into Sydney Town Hall where our choir sang in

conjunction with the 600 students there.

Our Stage 2 and 3 dance groups and the choir were involved in CAPERS at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre in November. They

danced and sang beautifully. Everyone had a wonderful time.

This year Werris Creek Public School celebrated twenty years of musicals. Each year the school

puts on a full 'Broadway style' musical involving the entire primary section in singing, dance and drama. A number of students who have been

involved in these productions have gone on to pursue performing arts related activities in secondary and tertiary studies as well as in their

careers. This year the school presented excerpts from a number of these productions in November with matinee and evening shows.

The students of Werris Creek Public School were

presented with guitars funded by Werris Creek Bowling Club. The guitars were purchased with the proceeds of Werris Creek Railway Bowls Day

and this was co-‐ordinated by Mr Les Greentree.

Pictured are: Back: Reece Hogg, Oscar Thistle, Ben

Baldo, Dru Buckingham, Les Greentree. Front: Scarlett Nelson, Sarah Grogan.

7

Sport

The students at Werris Creek Public School had many opportunities to represent their school in sport and many students were able to exhibit their talents in this area. Our students had the opportunity to participate in Primary School Sports Association competitions (PSSA) in Netball, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Softball, Basketball, Touch and Cricket.

We had some great results; namely the Boys Softball team who made it through to Regional finals and our combined Rugby Union 7’s made it to the Regional Knockout in Tamworth. Our school was also represented in a number of North-‐West Sporting Trials that included: Tennis, Basketball, Swimming, Touch, Netball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Softball, Cross Country and Athletics. Some of our younger students participated in the Primary School Horse Sports. The highlights for 2011 were: • Dayna Porter and Cassidy Carter were North

West State Swimmers. • Cassidy Carter was a North West

Representative at state in Basketball. Cassidy also was a North West Representative in Athletics.

• Dayna Porter was a North West Representative in Touch Football.

• Nick Boyle represented the North West in Softball.

• Dayna Porter, Cassidy Carter and Tyler Thistle were Quirindi Zone Swimming Champions.

• Dayna Porter, Taylor Verrall and Cassidy Carter made the Quirindi Zone Netball Team.

• 35 Werris Creek students made it to Quirindi Zone Cross Country.

• Ana Haling and Georgia Moore attained high places in several Horse Sports Carnivals.

This year we had visits from Basketball and Rugby League Development Officers. The whole school were involved in various activities which promoted the skills of these particular sports. We held a multisport gala day that involved our students in a variety of sports, which included Rugby Union, Basketball, Gymnastics, Boxercise and Rugby League. Every week the children at Werris Creek Public School participate in Physical Education. Programmes like “Fundamental Movement and Gymnastics “were used. Sport on Friday’s involved; Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, Touch, Oz-‐Tag, Zumba, Totem Tennis and Hockey. The Bouncing Around Gymnastics Show was a hit with the students at Werris Creek Public School. The performers demonstrated a lot of acrobatic and gymnastic skills, which was very entertaining. The Hectic Brothers presented their circus skills performance at our school and it was an awesome

performance.

Gymnastics was also taught during Active After School in Term 3 and 4, which was a great success. Active After School ran for the entire year providing students with extra skills in other sports including, Lawn Bowls, Swimming and Golf. A learn to swim program conducted at Werris Creek Memorial Pool was facilitated for Kinder to Stage 1 students and for those in Stage 2 and 3 of whom needed extra assistance. This was conducted in Term 4.

Boys Softball team. Regional Finalists

The Girls Basketball Team

8

Academic

In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10.

The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments.

Yr 3: from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest for Year 3)

Yr 5: from Band 3 (lowest) to Band 8 (highest for Year 5)

Literacy – NAPLAN Year 3

In Reading there were 15% of students below the National benchmark and 47.4% at and above proficiency.

In Writing there were 15% of students below the National benchmark and 37% at and above proficiency.

In Spelling there were 15% of students below the National benchmark and 37% at and above proficiency.

In Grammar / Punctuation there were 15% of students below the National benchmark and 37% at and above proficiency.

The overall areas of strength lie in the areas of lower order comprehension (literal questions) and writing. Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation will be areas of focus with this cohort of students as there were pockets of strengths and areas of development that need to be addressed such as phonograms, suffixes, long vowel digraphs, homophones, sentence structure and simple forms of punctuation. An area of development in Reading is answering higher order thinking type questions such as making connections, visualising, drawing inferences, determining important ideas, the purpose and synthesising information.

0

20

40

1 2 3 4 5 6

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 3 Reading

Percentage in Band School Average 2008-‐2011 SSG % in Band 2011

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 2 3 4 5 6

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 3 Wricng

Percentage in Band SSG % in Band 2011

0

10

20

30

40

1 2 3 4 5 6

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 3 Spelling


0

10

20

30

40

1 2 3 4 5 6

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 3 Grammar & Punctuacon


9

Literacy – NAPLAN Year 5

In Reading there were 9% of students at or below the National benchmark and 15% at and above proficiency.

The overall areas of strength lie in the areas of lower order comprehension (literal type questions).

The answering of higher order thinking type questions such as making connections, visualising, drawing inferences, determining important ideas, the purpose and synthesising information posed problems in information and persuasive texts and will need further teaching.

In Writing there were 0% of students at or below the National benchmark and 19% at and above proficiency.

In Spelling there were 0% of students at or below the National benchmark and 19% at and above proficiency.

In Grammar / Punctuation there were 9% of students below the National benchmark and 5% at and above proficiency.

The results showed severe problems in Grammar and Punctuation. This is a focus in 2012. Writing is an area of strength, whereas Reading is an area of development that need to be addressed.

In Spelling complex digraphs and diphthongs were poorly answered along with, spelling rules silent letters and consonant clusters. WCPS has an explicit and systematic Scope and Sequence of sound groups and spelling rules in which the staff have to implement and assess against.

0

10

20

30

40

50

3 4 5 6 7 8

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 5 Reading


0

10

20

30

40

50

3 4 5 6 7 8

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 5 Wricng

Percentage in Band

SSG % in Band 2011

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

3 4 5 6 7 8

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 5 Spelling


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

3 4 5 6 7 8

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 5 Grammar & Punctuacon


10

Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 3

In Number, Patterns and Algebra there were 16% of students below the National benchmark and 21% at and above proficiency. In Measurement, Data, Space and Geometry there were 5% of students at or below the National benchmark and 21% at and above proficiency.

Therefore in overall Numeracy there were 11% of students at or below the National benchmark and 21% at and above proficiency.

The areas of strength in Number lie in the areas of Fractions (Halves), Repeating Patterns (P&A), Number (symbol recognition), Money (calculate), Multiplication (arrays). Whereas multistep word problems that involve the four operations pose an area of development, pattern completion and multistep calculations.

The areas of strength in Measurement, Data, Space and Geometry were Data (interpreting graphs), Comparing Area, 3D (recognition of objects) and 2D (recognition of shapes). Areas of development were 3D prism nets, Chance unlikely outcomes, Data (word problems / graphs), 2D rotations, comparing time and Position (locating position).

Numeracy – NAPLAN Year 5

In Number, Patterns and Algebra there were no students below the National benchmark and 34% at and above proficiency.

In Measurement, Data, Space and Geometry there were no students below the National benchmark and 28% at and above proficiency.

Therefore in overall Numeracy there were no students at or below the National benchmark and there were 34% at and above proficiency.

The areas of strength in Number were Fractions (quarters), Addition and Subtraction (symbols), Continued Patterns (P&A) and Multiplication and Division multistep problems. Areas of development included Fractions and Decimals (number lines), Word problems concerning two or more steps, Four digit multistep problems and Patterns and Algebra (decimals and equivalent relations).

The areas of strength in Measurement, Data, Space and Geometry were Angles (parallel), 2D (tessellation), Position (coordinates / symmetry), Data (timetables), 3D (cut faces / description), Data (word problem / tally marks), and Time (comparison of). Areas of development included Data (interpreting / multi-‐step), 3D (visualisation / multi-‐step), Length (conversion), and Area (calculation).

The main comparison to previous years in the spread of students within the bands was that there were fewer students in the lower bands and more students in the upper bands.

0

10

20

30

40

1 2 3 4 5 6

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 3 Numeracy


0

10

20

30

40

50

3 4 5 6 7 8

Percen

tage of stude

nts

Bands

Percentage in bands: Year 5 Numeracy


11

Minimum standards

The Commonwealth Government sets minimum standards for reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, spelling and numeracy for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

The performance of the students in our school in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy is compared to these minimum standards. The percentages of our students achieving at or above these standards are reported below.

Percentage of Year 3 students in our school achieving at or above the minimum standard in 2011.

Percentage of Year 3 students achieving at or above minimum standard (exempt students included)

Reading 84.2 Writing 84.2 Spelling 78.9 Grammar & Punctuation 84.2 Numeracy 89.5

Comparisons to schools across New South Wales (PSP) and similar schools across Australia (SSG).

Lower Bands WCPS PSP SSG

Reading 37% 30% 39%

Writing 16% 16% 20%

Spelling 31% 25% 28%

Gram/punct. 26% 26% 28%

Numeracy 36% 30% 39%

Upper Bands WCPS PSP SSG

Reading 58% 43% 38%

Writing 58% 62% 53%


Gram/punct. 58% 51% 44%


When compared to other similar school groups (SSG) and schools who are also Priority School Program (PSP) i.e. low socio economic schools, we outperformed these schools. WCPS had more students attain results in Band 4, 5 and 6 (Upper Bands) and mostly fewer students in Band 1 and 2 (Lower Bands).

Percentage of Year 5 students in our school achieving at or above the minimum standard in 2011.

Percentage of Year 5 students achieving at or above minimum standard (exempt students included)

Reading 90.5 Writing 100.0 Spelling 100.0

Grammar & Punctuation 90.5

Numeracy 100.0

Lower Bands WCPS PSP SSG

Reading 10% 36% 39%

Writing 5% 25% 26%

Spelling 0% 26% 30%

Gram/punct. 14% 32% 35%

Numeracy 0% 29 16%

Upper Bands WCPS PSP SSG

Reading 48% 32% 27%

Writing 47% 37% 32%


Gram/punct. 33% 41% 60%


When compared to other similar school groups (SSG) and schools who are also Priority School Program (PSP) i.e. low socio economic schools, we performed slightly less than these schools in Band 4, 5 and 6 (Upper Bands) however had less students in Band 1 and 2 (Lower Bands).

12

Significant programs and initiatives

Aboriginal education

The Aboriginal culture is on the forefront of our

school charter as we consistently incorporate Aboriginal content and perspectives into our day-‐

to-‐day teaching and learning experiences. These perspectives are emphasised through the mandatory content taught through HSIE and are in

accordance with DET Aboriginal Education policy.

Our Aboriginal Advisory Council provided the school support and knowledge this year. The council meets every term with the school’s

principal and Aboriginal Education Officer in order to discuss and plan educational and cultural opportunities for our students.

Our A Day celebration this year was superb.

Aboriginal Dancer and Story-‐teller Sean Dewarr treated our students and families to a performance. They also participated in Aboriginal

workshops and were able to try some traditional bush tucker.

Multicultural education

The Werris Creek Public School community acknowledges Australia as a multicultural nation.

The teachers incorporate the multicultural perspectives through the mandatory cultural units taught in HSIE and through multicultural texts

used during literacy.

As part of a new tradition at our school we combine Harmony Day, which is the celebration of multicultural Australia, with the launch of the

CWA country of study. This year the country of study was Iceland.

Our celebration day included cooking, a fact finding mission on Iceland, stories, dances and

songs. It was a fantastic day.

Our students produced wonderful projects and artwork for the Country Women’s Association (CWA). Our Early Stage One and Stage One

students entered in a colouring in competition, while our Stage 2 and 3 students completed

projects. Our K, 1 and 2 students performed at the

Country Women’s Association annual luncheon.

Winners: Colouring-‐In (K,1 & 2)

1st – Hayley Lowe 2nd – Rory Bender 3rd – Zac Taylor

Posters (3/4) 1st -‐ Jaylene Pitcher 2nd -‐ Dru Buckingham

3rd – Jake Pitcher

Posters (5/6) 1st – Emily Thornton

2nd – Courtney Norton 3rd – Dayna Porter

Encouragement Awards

Angie Grogan Joel Parry Hannah Croucher

Sacha Landrigan

Positive Behaviour Learning

Werris Creek Public School respects the basic values of the home and promotes socially acceptable behaviour based on the fundamental

principles of: the right to learn without disruption; care and consideration for each other; care of property and environment, and the right to feel

safe and happy at all times. At Werris Creek Public School our student welfare and fair discipline is underpinned by three core values –

Safety Respect Achievement

Through our core values we endeavour to shape our students into respectful citizens with the

capacity to make the right decisions and choices in life and create a climate of tolerance, fair play and togetherness within the student body.

It is our vision to provide a safe and happy environment where respect, individuality and achievement are valued.

13

Priority Schools Program

We are in the third quarter of a four year cycle of funding that is solely aimed at improving student outcomes in Literacy and Numeracy plus forming strong parent and community partnerships. In 2011, these funds were used in order to promote the following programs.

In order to form closer partnerships and encourage involvement within the school with our parents and community we hosted several functions throughout the year. These included the Welcome BBQ, picnic day, Information evenings whilst we ran our discos, and Parents as Partners. Most of these were funded through the Priority Schools Funding program. We also purchased iPads for the Kindergarten and for students with learning needs, provided professional development for staff in Consistency in Teacher Judgement and debating, bought Home Reading and Prep Resources, and running our Werris Creek Prep Program.

Parents As Partners

We had a small but enthusiastic turnout at this

year’s Parents as Partners day. John Joseph ‘The Brain Man’ is a world renowned expert in brain research and how to apply this research into your

child’s education. What a privilege it was to have such an expert here working with our parents, especially after our staff had spent two

enlightening days with John in Moree at the New England Small Schools Conference. He is an absolute legend! He is engaging, practical and

knowledgeable. It was a real honour to have such an international icon, here at our school.

John Joseph at our Annual Parents as Partners

Werris Creek Prep.

In order to give our students the best start to

school we annually conduct a Kindergarten transition class, which we call Werris Creek Prep. The transition class has been an unquestionable

asset to our school and is well received by our school community. This Kindergarten preparation is conducted during Term 3 and 4 every Monday

and Friday. Due to the introduction of Werris Creek Prep our Kindergarten students commence each year ready to resume the class and school

routine, as they are so familiar with their school. They are introduced to their senior buddies when they enroll in the Prep class. Their buddies ensure

that all of their needs are met in the playground. This established relationship is carried over into Kindergarten where their buddies are once again

there for them. It is a terrific reciprocal relationship.

Jenna enjoying her literacy session during Prep.

Consistency in Teacher Judgment (C.T.J.)

This year we continued to build consistent

professional practices and teacher judgement across the small schools within the Liverpool Plains Learning Community. The pooling of

expertise through C.T.J., lessens the workload, informs our teaching and is a terrific avenue to increase our knowledge and repertoire of teaching

strategies. These days are a great opportunity for teachers to share their teaching practices with

trusted peers.

14

Home Reading

At Werris Creek Public School we encourage students to regularly read at home. This is very important as it consolidates what they are being taught at school and the practice improves their fluency, phrasing and increases their vocabulary. This can also prove to be a quiet, valuable bonding time between parent/ caregiver and child.

The students of Werris Creek are given a home reading diary by their classroom teacher. They fill

this in once a day when they read. Every 25 nights (one page) they return the diary to the class teacher. The child will then write their name on

the home reading wall, receive a certificate and they are recognised in the newsletter and at our weekly assembly.

We randomly conduct a book draw at our

assemblies where all of the children on the reading wall have their names are placed into a barrel and five names are drawn out to receive a

book prize.

Those children who reached 100 nights home reading by the end of semester one were invited to attend a family picnic at Hoamme Park as a

reward. The children who reached 200 nights by the end of semester two were invited to attend a community engagement activity in Tamworth,

where they played tenpin bowling, had lunch at McDonalds then went to the movies. Our students were also involved in the Holiday Reading is Rad

program.

Our Home Reading rewards are terrific!

National partnership programs

This was our third year of being a part of the National Partnership Low Socio Economic Status school four year cycle. The major expenditures of this program were professional learning for the staff, the QuickSmart, Understanding Words and MULITLIT tutor programs. We employed a Speech Therapis. We also purchased literacy, mathematics and technology resources. Another component of the funding involved extra staffing.

QuickSmart

The program is especially designed to improve children’s speed and accuracy in basic math problems and functions. The program consists of

students working in pairs for three 30 minutes sessions per week with a tutor.

MULTILIT

MULTILIT helps students overcome reading problems, offering reading assessments and

reading resources for low progress readers. Some students don’t learn to read using conventional methods, therefore require a specialized program.

Selected students individually worked with a tutor in 3 x 30 minutes sessions per week.

Literacy is valued at Werris Creek.

Understanding Words

Werris Creek Public School is entering into an

exciting partnership with Griffith University, which is situated in Queensland. Our partnership centres on the development of literacy skills in children

who are struggling with reading. The research will primarily focus on: Phonological Awareness,

15

Letter-‐sound knowledge, Decoding skills, Sight

words, Oral reading on controlled texts, Grammar, Comprehension Strategies, Vocabulary and Morphological knowledge.

Dr Craig Wright from Griffith University came to

Werris Creek Public School in order to train tutors in the ‘Understanding Words’ methodology and work with staff in refining the program for our

school. This program has been a great success.

National Partnership funds were used to increase in-‐class technology

Speech Pathology

We enlisted the services of Speech Therapist Nicky Chirlian in order to set up articulation and language processing each Tuesday morning. The

targeted students were involved in group sessions with Nicky initially then sessions with our tutors.

Ana, Amber and Eliza experiencing Autumn at school

Other programs ‘Back to School’ competition

This year Lou and Josh from the 92.9 morning radio show “The Gettup” broadcasted from Werris

Creek Public School. Our school was successful in

its application to have Lou and Josh broadcast

from here through the ‘Back to School’ competition. It was a fantastic occasion for all of our staff and students. Sam Baldo was the winning

student whose entry was successful in getting the team here. Sam received a voucher for $150 worth of CD’s and a movie voucher.

Parents, students and staff partnerships make a difference

Gold Coast Excursion

This year’s excursion was to the Gold Coast. It

was an amazingly awesome event for our Primary students. The travelers went to:

• Infinity -‐ Futuristic World of Wonder;

• Mount Tambourine Rainforest Skywalk;

• Surfers Paradise beach for a swim;

• Outback Spectacular;

• Movie World;

• The Night Markets in Surfers Paradise;

• Dream World; and

• Ten Pin Bowling at Surfers Paradise.

Enjoying the rides at Dreamworld

16

Progress on 2011 targets School targets are set after the staff have an in depth analysis of the NAPLAN results, in-‐school data gathering, survey analysis, student enrolment, student attendance, student literacy and numeracy performance K – 6, staff profiling, student engagement plus a comprehensive study of parent and community involvement.

Target 1

Increase the percentage of Year 5 students at and above proficient standards in literacy from 14 %

to 20 %

Only limited progress was made towards this target as the percentage of students attaining proficiency in literacy this year was 15%. Grammar and Punctuation was identified as an area to target.

Our achievements include:

• The average growth rate from Year 3 to Year 5 in 2011 increased dramatically from 29.7 to 66.2.

• Our formative classroom assessment indicated increased achievement of stage outcomes.

• Literacy support was implemented to students who were identified as experiencing difficulty and sustained growth was recorded.

• In Year 3, 47.4 attained proficiency in Reading and 37% of our students attained proficiency in Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation.

Target 2

Increase the percentage of Year 5 students at and above proficient standards in overall numeracy

from 13 % to 20 %

There was considerate progress made towards this target as the percentage of students attaining proficiency in numeracy this year as we had 33% of our students attain proficiency.


• The average growth rate from Year 3 to Year 5 in 2011 increased dramatically from 8.1 to 81.9.

• Our formative classroom assessment indicated increased achievement of stage outcomes.

• In Year 3, 21% attained proficiency in Numeracy.

Target 3

To increase student engagement from 71% to 80% in the classroom.

Considerable progress was made towards this target. Through the use of the ‘engagement tool’ student engagement in planned observations

were 98%.


• The staff implemented engaging pedagogical practices in their classroom.

• The staff incorporated strategies that enhanced learning opportunities through in-‐class technology and the connected classroom.

• The introduction of mentor teachers in classrooms to assist with clinical supervision, programming and team-‐teach when applicable.

• The Early identification of student support needs that led to enrichment and recovery.

Key evaluations

It is a requirement for all NSW public schools to conduct at least two annual evaluations – one related to educational and management practice and the other related to curriculum. In 2011 our school carried out evaluations of:

Educational and management practice:

Assessment

Curriculum: Mathematics

Parent, student, and teacher satisfaction

In 2011 the school sought the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school.

17

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Agree Don't Know Disagree

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Agree Disagree

Parent Survey 1. Maths is an important learning area at school. 2. My child enjoys mathematics. 3. My child enjoys doing practical work in maths at school. 4. I believe that my child’s skills in mathematics have improved. 5. My child is strong in the number strand. 6. K 2: My child is becoming confident with number facts. Primary: My child is becoming confident with times tables. 7. My child is strong in the measurement strand. 8. My child is strong in the space and geometry strand. 9. I understand how mathematics is taught at school. 10. My child’s teacher makes mathematics interesting for my child. 11. The school has plenty of equipment to teach this subject. 12. Provided with useful information about my child’s progress. 13. My child receives help in Maths when she / he needs it. 14. My child enjoys using computers in maths at school. 15. My child receives mathematics to practise for Homework. 16. I am confident I can help my child with mathematics at home.

Student Survey 1. Maths is important to me. 2. I am good at maths. 3. I like doing hands on activities. 4. I have improved in maths this year. 5. I am good at number. 6. I know many number facts like the times tables. 7. I am good at measurement. 8. I am good at space and geometry. 9. I am good at solving word problems. 10. My teacher makes maths interesting and enjoyable. 11. I like to work with others to solve maths problems. 12. I use the computer to help me with maths. 13. I receive help in maths when I need it. 14. I like to use computers in maths. 15. My teacher gives me maths to practise for homework.

This year as part of our five year cyclic review we targeted ‘Mathematics. The following feedback is a result of the surveys we received from the students and parents.

Our parent responses were quite small this year, eleven in total. However there were enough responses to gain an impression of parent perceptions. These included: a lot of parents were unsure of their child’s strengths in Mathematics or felt there was not enough information provided to them to inform them of their child’s progress. It was interesting to note that the majority of parents felt comfortable in helping heir children with their homework. We run Maths workshops for parents to understand how we teach Maths. All but one said that they would come to these workshops.

Our students overwhelmingly found the level of Mathematics work they do interesting and important to them. They

are confident with their progress and the level of support they receive. Some interesting comments that we will adhere to were: They would like more computerised avenues to learn Maths, they are still finding word problems

difficult and time tables a chore.

Findings: We will continue to run parent information session in mathematics throughout the year in 2012. These will

primarily be held during our evening discos. We will endeavour to be succinct in our student reports. We are already researching suitable and engaging maths sites and programs to involve the students in, plus keep assisting student

understanding in word problems and times tables.

Evaluation Curriculum: Mathematics

18

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

6

5

4

3

2

1

Agree Not Sure Disagree

Evaluation of Management: Assessment

Parent Survey

1. I understand how my child’s learning is assessed.

2. I am kept informed of my child’s progress in all subject areas.

3. I can see that my child is learning new concepts.

4. Is the work that your child undertakes for Homework a good indication for you to judge how they are performing?

5. My child’s teacher talks to me about my child’s learning when I ask them.

6. My child is provided feedback on their class work.

The data gathered from this survey is very positive. • 79% of parents understand how their child’s learning is assessed. 21% are unsure.

• 93% of parents said they are kept informed of their child’s progress in all subject areas.

• 93% of parents said they can see that their child is learning new concepts.

• 50% feel that the work that their child undertakes for Homework is a good indication for you to judge how

they are performing. 50% were unsure.

• 86% feel that their child’s teacher talks to them about their child’s learning when they ask them.

• 79% of parents said teachers provide feedback to their child about their class work. While 14% were not

sure if this occurred.

Findings: Four years ago our staff made a comprehensive decision to increase the level of reporting and the manner in which we report to our parents. This is obviously paying off as the majority of our parents believe that they are kept informed of their child’s progress, however the fact that 21% of our parents are unsure of how we assess suggests that we need to disseminate information about the way we assess student growth at Werris Creek Public School. It is also evident that we need to address our homework procedures and practices to ensure that our parents understand the purpose of homework.

19

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Agree Disagree

Parents feel WCPS is a place where … 1. I am made to feel welcome. 2. Students who do well are noticed and are congratulated. 3. My child enjoys attending. 4. Teachers care about their students. 5. Students are given regular homework. 6. Teachers help those students who have personal problems. 7. Teachers listen to students and are fair. 8. Students who are having difficulties in their learning are noticed and are supported. 9. Teachers have high expectations of students and insist on them always doing their best. 10. My child feels happy and safe in the playground. 11. My child’s teacher provides learning activities that are interesting and are appropriate to my child’s needs and abilities. 12. My child’s teacher manages the class behaviour well. 13. My child’s teacher talks to me about my child’s learning.

Our written parent response this year was small, however combined with the telephone interviews conducted with a parent focus group we were able to attain the following data.

Parents/community responses + Focus Group Survey • 90% of parents are made to feel welcome. • 90% of parents said that students who do well are noticed and are congratulated. • 100% of parents said that their children enjoy attending. • 100% feel that the teachers care for the students. • 100% feel that the students are given regular homework. • 100% of parents said teachers help those students who have personal problems. • 90% feel that the teachers listen to students and are fair. • 100% of parents said students who are having difficulties in their learning are noticed and are supported. • 90% of parents said teachers have high expectations of students and insist on them always doing their

best. • 100% of parents believe their child feels happy and safe in the playground. • 90% feel that the teachers provide learning activities that are interesting and are appropriate to their

child’s needs and abilities. • 85% believe that teachers manage the class behaviour well. • 85% believe that teachers talks to them about their child’s learning.

Findings It was terrific to hear so many positive comments about Werris Creek Public School. Positive comments included: love the support for students, great opportunities, kids are happy to go to school, awesome use of in class technology, beautiful grounds, soft fall looks impressive, love the sandpit, committed and approachable staff, great communication by staff, my children are learning, the school has a nice feel about it …

Suggestions for areas of development/improvement include: consistency of homework across the grades, more notice needed for events, purchase a school bus to ease transport issues.

Future Directions: Readdress Homework policy. Implementing skills learnt in QuickSmart in ‘warm ups’ in each class… (K-‐6 focus). Continue to encourage parent involvement in school activities.

The Quality of School Life Survey: Parents

20

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

.

Agree Disagree

Students feel WCPS is a place where … 1. I am made to feel welcome. 2. Students who do well are noticed and are congratulated. 3. My child enjoys attending. 4. Teachers care about their students. 5. Students are given regular homework. 6. Teachers help those students who have personal

problems. 7. Teachers listen to students and are fair. 8. Students who are having difficulties in their learning are

noticed and are supported. 9. Teachers have high expectations of students and insist

on them always doing their best. 10. My child feels happy and safe in the playground. 11. My child’s teacher provides learning activities that are

interesting and are appropriate to my child’s needs and abilities.

12. My child’s teacher manages the class behaviour well. 13. My child’s teacher talks to me about my child’s learning.

Findings:

* 93% of students believe that they are made to feel welcome. * 96% of students say that they are noticed and are congratulated. * 92% enjoy attending school. * 96% feel their teachers care for them. * 100% said that they received homework regularly. * 96% feel that teachers help those who have personal problems. * 93% believe that teachers listen to students and are fair. * 98% believe students who are having difficulties in their learning are noticed and are supported. * 99% feel that teachers have high expectations of students and insist on them always doing their best. * 94% feel happy and safe in the playground. * 96% of students believe that their teacher provides learning activities that are interesting. * 92% believe that their teacher manages the class behaviour well. * 93% believe that are continually learning.

What are the best features of Werris Creek Public School?

The way we are helped, the teachers support with family problems and school problems, learning a lot, having lots of friends, sand pit, story time, lots of computers, the iPads, P.E., playtime (bull rush), library, gold slips, gardens, the equipment, the ‘multi touch’ table, the teachers, sport, dancing, art,

they make you feel welcome, QuickSmart, its supportive … Everything.

What could the school do to make it better for our students? Put in a swimming pool, have sleep time, play all day, trucks in the sandpit, more toys, canteen open all of the time, a full size football oval with posts, more sports gear, amusement rides, putt putt golf, a

tennis court, each class have their own laptops and iPads, less homework, ice cream days, paint the school bright colours learn to sing and play music, swings, a round-‐a-‐bout, lockers, vegetable garden, colour printers in every room, more equipment.

The Quality of School Life Survey: Students

21

Professional learning We continued professional development and

learning in Literacy and Numeracy, with a focus on, Persuasive Writing, Small Schools Conference, Best Start, Positive Behaviour Learning, Non-‐

Violent Crisis Intervention, Autism Training, Sport Coaching, Technology in the Classroom and a

brilliant couple of days with mathematics expert Brian Tickle. We continued our pursuit to support student learning through such courses in

Understanding Words (Griffith University Partnership), MULTILIT, QuickSmart and Newman’s Error Analysis. In-‐school professional

learning centred on Consistency in Teacher Judgement. We focused on Persuasive Writing, Maths workshops, Spelling and an introduction to

Grammar with our colleagues from other small schools within the Liverpool Plains Learning Community.

The majority of professional learning funds came out of the National Partnerships grant.

Monetary Source

Amount Percentage Loss

School Global a/c

$5 945.53 17%

TPL Tied Grant

$2 796.83 8%

PSP $ 9802.20 28% NSPLSES $16654.69 47% Total $35 199.25

School planning 2012—2014 The school planning policy provides direction for the preparation and implementation of school plans including the identification of priority areas, intended outcomes and targets that are consistent with the NSW State Plan and the Department’s planning documents.

School priority 1

Outcome for 2012–2014

Year 5 matched students will achieve greater than or equal to expected growth in NAPLAN 2012 in 2 of the 4 dimensions for Literacy.

2012 Targets to achieve this outcome include:

• Improve the literacy levels of all students with a particular focus on Grammar and Comprehension.

• Strengthen the capacity of all teachers to improve student learning outcomes.

Strategies to achieve these targets include:

• Staff understanding has deepened through the completion of the ‘Prioritising Grammar’ course.

• Undertake training in ‘Focus on Reading’ and adopt its practices.

• Review policy, procedures plus teaching and learning practices K-‐6.

• Involvement in the CLIC Curriculum Collaborations project for implementing the Australian Curriculum in small schools.

School priority 2


Increase levels of Numeracy performance for all students.


• Two thirds of matched Year 5 students, will achieve greater than and or equal to expected growth in NAPLAN 2012 Numeracy.

• Maintain the average growth rate from Year 3 to Year 5 in Overall Numeracy at 30.0.

22

• Increase the percentage of Year 3 and 5 students at and above proficient standards in overall numeracy from 13 % to 20 %.

• Strategies to achieve these targets include:

• Involvement in the CLIC Curriculum Collaborations project for implementing the Australian Curriculum in small schools.

• Review policy, procedures plus teaching and learning practices K-‐6.

• Students are supported through involvement in explicit lesson criteria, Newman’s Error Analysis, Quicksmart in the classroom and community tutors.

School priority 3


Maintain student engagement at 85% or better.


• Strengthen evidence based practice in assessment and feedback to improve student learning, thus building capacity in leading curriculum within the teaching staff.

• Strengthen the capacity of all teachers to improve student learning outcomes.

• Strategies to achieve these targets include:

• Professional learning that targets quality teaching practices.

• Buddy teachers appraisal process is increased with the introduction of teacher control over questioning.

• Buddy teachers appraisal process is increased with the introduction of walkthroughs and academic engaged learning behaviour observations.

• Through their academic programs, teachers display their knowledge and understanding of the quality practices.

About this report In preparing this report, the self-‐evaluation committee has gathered information from evaluations conducted during the year and analysed other information about the school's practices and student learning outcomes. The self-‐evaluation committee and school planning committee have determined targets for the school's future development.

Michael Windred Principal

Tim Munday Assistant Principal

Michelle Fritz School Administration Manager (R)

Christine Roser-‐Whitney Class Teacher

Michael Clark Aboriginal Education Officer

Rachael Baldo P&C President

Dayna Porter School Captain

Ben Hope School Captain

School contact information

Werris Creek Public School

Dewhurst Street. Werris Creek. 2340

Ph: 02 67 687065

Fax: 02 67 687732

Email: werriscrk.p-‐[email protected]

Web: www.werriscrk-‐p.schools.nsw.edu.au

School Code: 3425

Parents can find out more information about Annual School Reports, how to interpret information in the reports and have the opportunity to provide feedback about these reports at:

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/asr

536 3425 asr 2011 - werris creek public · pdf fileprovide! so many! opportunities! for! our!...

Documents