Koorana Primary School, in Warnbro
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| OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS We Value The encouragement of students to accept responsibility- * Respect and tolerance for others and for individual differences; * The provision for all students the opportunity to learn and the acceptance and valuing of their efforts; * The promotion of a learning partnership between teachers, students, parents and community; * The provision of a safe environment for students, staff and community members; We Believe The mental and physical health of all staff and students is a priority; * Children need to see the relevance and purpose of their schooling; * Values need to be embedded in the curriculum and modelled by the staff; * Teachers must retain a sense of humour and keep things in perspective; * Successful teaching will occur in a positive, fun and stimulating learning environment; * All school community members should be encouraged in both formal and informal ways and be recognised for everyday efforts and achievements; SCHOOL COMMITMENT The School Will Provide * Support for staff and students in the pursuit of excellence and the maximisation of potential; * Encouragement of innovative programs and practices; * Opportunities for staff empowerment; * Opportunities for staff collaboration; * Regular and open staff communication; * A whole-school values program; * A clear BMIS policy; * A clear assessment and reporting policy; * An effectively managed SAER policy; * Regular and open parent communication;PRINCIPAL'S REPORT In 2006 the staff were committed to sustaining quality educational programs that were underpinned by the school's Principles of Learning, Teaching and Assessment. These protocols are now embedded within Koorana's Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Plan (2006/2007) and importantly, feature prominently as a tool for individual reflection and personal development in the teacher driven 'Accountability Framework', ratified by all staff in December 2004. During week nine, of term two 2006, Koorana Primary School participated (self nominated) in a full summative School Review. Unlike other reviews this process was conducted by a 'Team' comprising the Director, Principal Consultant and a further two accompanying Principals from the Fremantle Peel District. The process provided expert, independent verification of Koorana's analysis of its performance and practice and timely advice on strategies for improvement through constructive dialogue carried across a full school day. The review focused 'in detail' on the eight outcomes of the School Review Framework and used as its starting point school performance information gleaned from the previous cycle. Importantly, it provided an opportunity for the Koorana teachers to assure the 'Team' and community representatives that 'within its own context' and like schools, the school is performing exceptionally well, and to expectations. Over ninety (90) pieces of evidence (Policy, Programs, Data and Strategic Initiatives) were tabled throughout the Review, which supported in detail the Academic Management Team's assessment (Effective) of the school's performance across the eight outcomes. I provide in Appendix C a list of members and their portfolios on the day. A substantial school review such as this requires an on going holistic approach. The collection and collation of vast information and data relies on the contributions from an array of staff. I wish to recognize the efforts of the School's Executive at this point - Mr Iain McIntosh (Vice Principal), Deputy Principals - Mrs Anna Heedes, Ms Denise Duffy, Mr Graham Winterbottom and Mrs Jenni Waldron, Mrs Hazla Wabeke (Registrar) and Mrs Cathy Fox (School Officer). This committed, professional and enthusiastic Executive has contributed enormously to this document - leading and assisting teams of staff in a suite of curricula and co-curricula portfolios throughout 2006. The continued success of Koorana Primary School is assisted by the outstanding efforts of our immediate community. Our Parents and Citizen's Association, under the leadership of Mrs Belinda Kirschke and Mr Gary O'Reilly, have worked tirelessly throughout the year and our School Council, made up of representatives from staff and families provided much valued guidance and direction. The entire staff have worked above and beyond 'their call of duty' to produce quality, challenging and relevant programs for our children. The extra curricula work often goes unseen, however I assure the community their 'extra' contributions have certainly been noted and appreciated by myself, the school's Executive and students this year - these 'extra kilometres' critical to the overall success of Koorana Primary School in 2006. I wish to thank all staff for their outstanding efforts and once again congratulate them on a job well done. On a personal note - I wish to thank the community for their ongoing support and staff for their commitment, integrity and loyalty. As a group, we look forward to the challenges that await us all in 2007.Peter Thatcher PrincipalSCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT During the course of 2006 the Koorana Primary School Council has successfully negotiated a range of matters inclusive of school performance, policy, planning and finance. The Council provides the following as examples attended to and successfully addressed during the 2006 academic year. * Encourage the continuation of the Koorana Primary School and Education Support Centre joint Integration Management Committee. * Endorsed keystone initiatives such as the Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Plan 2006/2007 and the school's inaugural Spelling and Conventions Framework (K-7) document. * Review and ratification of the 2006 budget (2006 School Development Plan). * Setting of school fees, contributions and charges schedule in accordance with Education Act 1999 for 2007. * Set for teaching staff the School Priorities for 2007 (ratified). * Review and endorsement of the Koorana Primary School Development Plan for 2007 inclusive of 2007 project budget. * Provided input re the school's full day School Performance Review in June 2006. Chairperson: Linda Harris Community: Nadia August, Jo Motu, Janet Briggs (Aboriginal Community) Staff: Peter Thatcher, Denise Duffy, Clayton Godwin, Dawn GubbinsSCHOOL PROFILE Opened in 1994. Classified as a Level 6 Primary School for 1997, to be re-assessed in 2008 SEI 95.72 (2001 ABS) FTE 39.2 Current Principal, Mr Peter Thatcher - appointed meritoriously to Koorana Primary School in January 2001. At this time he was the fifth Principal in seven years. Approximately nineteen staff transferred out of the school in 1998. Staffing identified and allocated fourteen Clear Vacancies for the 1999 school year. Peter Thatcher assessed and signed off on their permanency status during Semester 2 2001. Maternity and miscellaneous leave has subsequently impacted on several key system and school initiatives, eg CAR Policy and GIRLNS. The school population peaked between 1999 to 2002, with numbers in excess of 1000 students. Rockingham Lakes Primary School was gazetted during this period and opened its doors on the Koorana Primary School site, for Semester 1 2002 - before moving to its own premises. Mr Thatcher was the interim Chairperson of the Steering Committee for the Rockingham Lakes Primary School in the 12 months lead up to the appointment of its Principal.OPERATIONAL PROGRAMS KPS operates on a 6 x 50 min period day. 4 x Specialist Programs - ICT, Visual Arts, Physical Education and LOTE (Indonesian). Performing Arts (0.2 FTE). BM&D (1.9 FTE) $37 900. LSC (0.3 FTE). CLNP $54 211 - 80% of which was converted to 0.9 FTE Education Assistant time for the school initiated Getting It Right Program (Team). Defence Force Transition Aide Program (0.2 FTE). Getting it Right Literacy/Numeracy * Dual Programs from 2002-2005 (1.0 Numeracy, 0.6 Literacy) * Single status in 2006 (Literacy). ITAS (0.4 FTE 2005). PSPI. AEIO (0.8 FTE). Homelinks. School Based Community Liaison Officer (0.23 FTE).THE AUSTRALIAN EARLY DEVELOPMENT INDEX The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) was completed in the City of Rockingham in October-December 2005. It was a population measure of young children's development based on a teacher-completed checklist. The five developmental domains that were measured are: * Physical health and well-being * Social competence * Emotional maturity * Language and cognitive skills * Communication skills and general knowledge. Each domain has a cut-off. Children below this cut-off are considered to be developmentally vulnerable compared to all of the children across Australia who participated in the AEDI (Project) population). Children performing well are those who show in the top 25% of the domain. The average age of the children surveyed (72) at Koorana Primary School was 5 years and 10 months. AEDI - Vulnerability On One Or More Domains Koorana Primary School - Number of children developmentally vulnerable * Approximately 30% vulnerable on one or more domains * Approximately 10% vulnerable on two or more domains * Clearly reflects the presentation of our students upon arrivalACADEMIC MANAGEMENT TEAM The Academic Management Team (AMT) has continued to work in a most effective manner and has become a central part of the empowerment, collaboration and shared decision-making that occurs in the school. It is the forum for school leaders to co-ordinate, interact and determine school direction. In 2006, the group drove the review of the Koorana Primary School/Koorana Education Support Centre Integration Policy, maintained the implementation of the school's participation in DET's Making Consistent Judgements (MCJ) program and orchestrated reflection and adjustments to the school's 2006 Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Policy. Previously these two major policy documents were ratified at whole school staff meetings during November 2005. See Appendix C for a complete breakdown of the roles and responsibilities undertaken by this group during the course of the Academic year, in particular its role in the term two formal School Review day. Chairperson: Peter Thatcher for 2006 Academic Management TeamPARTICIPATION The Fremantle/Peel District has requested schools to submit Attendance Targets together with an Attendance Improvement Plan for 2007 based on attendance data collected in semester one 2006. It was evident from the data received that in specific areas of years 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 student absences were higher than District levels. Also that in one specific area Aboriginal students' absences was higher than District level. It should be noted however that our overall attendance records showed that attendance was significantly better than the District level especially in the area of authorized absences (when parents/carers inform as to their child's absences). The Attendance Improvement Plan 2007 will include the following strategies in the target areas to hopefully improve attendance levels and in turn lift Literacy and Numeracy levels for all students:- * Regular phone contact/visits with parents/carers of students with high absenteeism * Reward whole class attendance for Morning Fitness * Briefing parents regarding attendance at the start of the year during Parent Meetings * Trialing Healthy Morning Teas in the junior school * Lunchtime Computer Club * Ensure the Aboriginal Studies Program occurs in all classes especially those with Aboriginal students.PRIORITIES 2007 * Numeracy * Literacy * Health Programs embedded in the 2007 School Development Plan included the CIP-2, CLNP, Getting It Right Specialist and LSC Programs and BMIS (BMAD) initiatives inclusive of the new values based PATHS program for K-Year 4.BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT & WELLBEING (BMAD) Teaching Learning and Assessment Learning outcomes of improving self management and interpersonal skills continued to drive the Wellbeing Program would be measured in improved student learning outcomes in 2006 - social, emotional and academic. Based on the successes of 2005, the two programs of the Home Room Group and Self Esteem Groups were continued. The Home Room Group comprised twelve students from years 5-7; the Self Esteem Groups were restructured with students from years 4-7 attending in separate year level groups throughout the week. An MSE values based survey, SOCIAL OUTCOMES OF SCHOOLING: Respecting and Valuing Others, was completed by all students from years 4-7. Continued analysis of Attendance Records for information on absenteeism assisted in determining a linked influence which could impact on student academic development. Behaviour Records data was collected for the third year for comparisons of student progress in classrooms and the playground. The Home Group was conducted daily, for forty-five minutes. The students participated in fitness, co-operative and collaborative activities, fine motor skills work, discussion and meditative tasks. They returned to their classrooms prepared for formal learning. The Self Esteem Groups were conducted once weekly for each year level with emphases on self worth, self confidence, participation, and teamwork skills. Ten other varied values based programs were implemented in 2006. They included:- Phys Ed Lunch Activities Individual Student Assistance TheatreSports PATHS training for staffBeehive Challenge Wall Climb and Initiative GamesYears 6 & 7 Challenge Programs MentoringVisual Arts Jugglacise Results Behaviour improvement was evidenced in classrooms, with 42% of our target students improving their behaviour and positive results were evidenced in attitude, concentration and work completion skills. A safer, more positive learning and working environment was provided for students and teachers respectively. Behaviour results in the playground showed a dramatic improvement, a priority area for development in 2006. Long term improved behaviour in the classroom appeared to have a positive impact, with 71% of our target students improving their behaviour in the playground. School attendance maintained its consistent high rate. Intervention strategies were implemented for several students with irregular attendance, resulting in an improved attendance rate. Several students who demonstrated challenging behaviours showed improvement in their academic achievements. A small proportion did not demonstrate improvement in the English and Maths learning areas. These areas will continue to be the foci for our target students in 2007. The continued implementation of a variety of programs assisted in the upskilling of classroom teachers, providing them with increased confidence and competence to support and engage students with challenging behaviours. Recommendations * The initiated programs that have proven successful in modifying student challenging behaviours will be continued and developed. Support systems will be maintained to assist students with challenging behaviours in their efforts to improve academic performance. * An emphasis on year level assessment moderation will be maintained in 2007 to retain reliability in student achievement levels. * A review of the records in MSB procedures will be addressed, with orientation for new staff members. A common understanding of recording classroom and playground misbehaviours provides reliable data for analysis and comparison. Initiatives to reduce target student misbehaviour in the playground will be introduced where necessary, and maintained. * Continued development of teacher skills in drama, improvisational learning, problem solving skills and team building activities will be encouraged and supported. * Team work challenge activities will continue to be conducted on THE BEEHIVE framework on site to develop resiliency in student social skills, problem solving and goal setting. * Longitudinal studies in academic progress for students with challenging behaviours will be continued. * Implementation of a whole school approach in a values based program, PATHS, will commence for K-4 in classrooms. Co-Ordinator: Pat Kealley for 2006 Academic Management TeamABORIGINAL EDUCATION The Co-ordinator of the Parent School Partnership Initiative continued the good work this year on the community initiated project to improve Literacy and Numeracy levels in our Aboriginal Students. The project was completed in December 2006. The students worked at their own level and rate through the Support-A-Reader Program. The students improved their reading capacity over the past semester by an average of two levels (series). Students also had the opportunity to improve their numeracy skills through the Computer at Home Program. Many students took the step to borrow the discs and work through a self-evaluating program. Parents were also invited to improve their computer skills by learning to use the computer at Home Program and in turn assist their children in their learning. Co-Ordinators: Peter Thatcher, Anna Heedes, Janet Briggs (AIEO) for 2006 Academic Management TeamEXECUTIVE SUMMARY To achieve our goals in 2007 the staff of Koorana Primary School must challenge themselves professionally by continuing to reflect upon current practice within the context of DET's Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Plan. Further, individuals' curriculum delivery must be underpinned by the Principles of Learning, Teaching and Assessment which has been identified as a Recommendation listed within the Director's 'School Performance Review Report' completed in June 2006. We shall view ourselves as a collaborative community of teachers, students and parents with a shared value structure. Central to our existence, the notions of natural justice, individual difference, academic rigour, empathy, equity and care. | ||||
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Date | Rating | The good... | The bad... | And overall... | ||
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| 2009-03-02 17:17:14 Added by Anonymous Report abuse
| nothing is good about it most of the teacher are bad and realy bad angermanigment kids there | poor teaching ed surport staff | do not go there your child will not learn | ||
www.thisreview.com.au/Reviews/Education/Public-Primary-Schools/Western-Australia/Koorana-Primary-School-Warnbro-Western-Australia
