Westminster Junior Primary School, in Westminster
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| (As at first semester 2006) THE NATURE OF THE CATCHMENT AREA Westminster Junior Primary School is located in an inner suburban area with predominantly older Homeswest dwellings either rental or owner occupied. In 1995, with the completion of the Reid Highway, which essentially separated the area from the rest of Balga, the suburb was officially named Westminster. From around this time, there has been a noticeable building program in the area with units and new private dwellings replacing older homes. The New North Development is continuing the upgrading of the local area with support for demolition of unsightly blocks of flats, refurbishment of others into separate villas for resale, and overall beautification of the area. This will be ongoing for the next ten years. The School caters for students from Kindergarten to Year 3 and parent interest and support has always been very positive. STAFF PROFILE Including the Principal, the school has a total teaching staff of 14.25. A number of the staff have been at the school for over 10 years. This level of experience is balanced with five staff who have joined over the last two years. All staff, both teaching and non-teaching, are enthusiastic and dedicated, bringing a wealth of background and experiences to the school. In addition, through an English as a Second Language (ESL) Project, we share a full-time ESL Teacher and an Ethnic Teacher Assistant with two other local primary schools. The school draws on the expertise of staff members to fill the special teacher roles in Art, Physical Education and Music. The school is also part of the Learning With ICT project (100 schools), which when completed, will provide students and staff with the most up to date ICT access. The School has 18 non teaching staff and, in addition, a School Nurse and School Psychologist are also available to provide support services on a regular basis. The student population is culturally diverse with over 10a0having an ESL/NESB background and Aboriginal students comprising around 22a0of the total K-3 population. SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE SCHOOL The campus has three schools located within its boundary - Westminster Junior Primary School, Westminster Primary School and the Westminster Education Support Centre. The Primary School and the Education Support Centre are located in the same building, while the Junior Primary is on the opposite side of the school campus. As Westminster is divided into Junior and Senior schools, the staff believe they are in an excellent position to give the K-3 age group the full benefits of their early childhood expertise. A Getting it Right (English) teacher works closely in collaborative planning. The school has an allocated Students at Educational Risk (SAER) specialist and a comprehensive case management structure for these students. The Junior Education Support Centre class is located on the Junior School site and has facilities including ramps, showers and modified toilets available, catering for students with special needs including wheelchair access. These students are integrated into all mainstream classes for the afternoon session. Edale Aboriginal Kindergarten (3 and 4 year olds) with 28 students in a sessional program, came under the jurisdiction of Westminster Junior Primary School during 1997. It occupies one unit of the off-site Edale Kindergarten with 34 Edale Kindergarten 4 year olds occupying the other unit. The school is actively involved in promoting the development of the 0-4 years focus in the community, establishing a playgroup, run every Tuesday morning. Negotiations are underway to develop an Aboriginal playgroup, possibly on the Edale site. Music, in particular singing, has been a long term interest at Westminster. All groups Pre-Primary to Year 3 enjoy group and whole school singing sessions, which lead up to the Christmas Pageant. Dance, Drama and Media are enhanced through a comprehensive excursion/incursion component which compliments classroom programs. The school runs an Active After School sport program twice a week and a Breakfast Club. A local church group assists with a community 'Soup' program each Tuesday during Terms 2 and 3. SCHOOL COMMUNITY The school recognises the importance of a strong partnership between students, parents and staff. Parent assemblies, the school newsletter, meetings, interviews, special nights and a general 'open door' policy at the school assists communication. Special community assemblies are held celebrating, ANZAC, NAIDOC, Easter and Book Week. The Art and Music programs culminate in a combined Art Show and Christmas Pageant during the last week of the school year. Westminster Junior Primary School shares a P&C with the other two schools on site and has an executive committee dedicated to fundraising projects for the benefit of all students. School Council meets regularly and actively participates in school decision-making. The school's Indigenous community is involved in planning for the cultural development of the community. The school has been successful in establishing a 'Yarning' club during 2006 using a IESEP grant. | ||||
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