St Gregory the Great Reports... · St Gregory the Great Catholic Primary School 396 Manningham Rd,...

St Gregory the Great

396 Manningham Rd, Doncaster, 3108

REGISTERED SCHOOL NUMBER: 1678

2016 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

St Gregory the Great Catholic Primary School


2016 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 ............................................................................................................................................... 5

Education in Faith .............................................................................................................................................. 7

Learning & Teaching ......................................................................................................................................... 9

Student Wellbeing ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Leadership & Management .......................................................................................................................... 16

School Community ......................................................................................................................................... 19

Financial Performance ................................................................................................................................... 23

Future Directions .............................................................................................................................................. 24

VRQA Compliance Data ............................................................................................................................... 26




Contact Details

ADDRESS 396 Manningham Rd Doncaster VIC 3108

PRINCIPAL Dr Margaret O’Donnell

PARISH PRIEST Monsignor Anthony Ireland

SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR Mrs Deirdre Diamante

TELEPHONE (03) 98484483

EMAIL principal@sgdoncaster. catholic.edu.au

WEBSITE http://www.sgdoncaster.catholic.edu.au

Minimum Standards Attestation

I, Margaret O’Donnell, attest that St Gregory the Great Catholic Primary School is compliant with:

All of the requirements for the minimum standards and other requirements for the registration of

schools as specified in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) and the Education and

Training Reform Regulations 2007 (Vic), except where the school has been granted an exemption

from any of these requirements by the VRQA.

Australian Government accountability requirements related to the 2016 school year under the

Australian Education Act 2013 (Cth) and the Australian Education Regulations 2013 (Cth)

1st February 2017




Our School Vision




School Overview

HISTORY

St Gregory the Great Primary School is situated on the corner of Manningham and Williamsons Roads, Doncaster. The school commenced in 1968 as one room at Ss Peter and Paul’s Primary School, East Doncaster. During 1969, three portable classrooms were purchased from East Doncaster and moved to the present site on Williamsons Road. These three portables, along with other portable classrooms, were bricked together to form the main building. Children moved into this block at the commencement of term three, 1969 St Gregory’s received formal registration from the Registered Schools Board in February, 1970, under the direction of its first Principal, Teresa Bushell. Fr John Mullally was the first Parish Priest. The present Parish Priest, Monsignor Anthony Ireland, has been at Doncaster since September, 2009. Dr Margaret O’Donnell was appointed Principal in July, 2000.

PARISH

St Gregory’s School is called to serve the children and families of St Gregory’s Parish and as such is inseparably linked with the Parish and the life of the Church. All school families are encouraged to take an active part in the Parish. The major aim of our Parish Primary School community is the Christian development of the children within the context of the Catholic tradition. From Grade three onwards, children have an opportunity to be trained as altar servers and commit to service at Parish Masses. Grades three, four, five and six children attend the 9am Parish Mass each week.

SCHOOL

On Census day in February 2016, there were 414 children enrolled at St Gregory’s School in 17 classes organised as follows:

3 x Prep classes 2 x Grade One classes 1 x Grade One/Two class 2 x Grade Two classes 2 x Grade Three classes 1 x Grade Three/Four class 2 x Grade Four classes 4 x Grade Five/Six classes

St Gregory’s School is in the high socio-economic grouping of schools and in 2016 employed 40 full or part-time staff. At all times the staff of St Gregory’s is dedicated to the education and wellbeing of our children. We are a high achieving school and go to great lengths to maintain this level of achievement, as identified in the School Improvement Plan.




Principal’s Report I am very pleased to be able to present to you this Annual Report for the 2016 school year. This report summarises the achievements and goals of our school during the 2016 school year. A hard copy of the report can be collected from the office or sent to parents on request. The report has also been posted on the school website as a downloadable file and is located in the ‘Parents’ section’. I would be very happy to receive feedback from this Annual Report. We are proud of the achievements of St Gregory’s School and want to ensure our community is kept informed. A Partnership St Gregory the Great Catholic Primary school exists as part of the parish of St Gregory the Great. We encourage parents to be active members of St Gregory’s parish and to share the richness of belonging and contributing to this community. From the moment your child is enrolled at St Gregory’s school, Monsignor Tony, the staff and I will work in partnership with you for the development of your child. We acknowledge the fact that parents are the primary educators of their children and we are delighted to be able to work in partnership with you in this God given task. The staff of St Gregory’s school will endeavour to provide by word, action and the example of our own lives, education in the Catholic faith for your children, as they come to know the person of Jesus Christ and are encouraged to live out the Gospel values in their daily lives. We further acknowledge our responsibility to provide a broad balanced curriculum, which will enable your children to grow intellectually, emotionally and socially. Children learn best when parents and school are working together for the benefit of the child.

Highlights The 2016 year began with the annual commissioning of teachers during the parish Mass in early February. A separate Mass on a weekday evening was held to induct school captains and welcome new families to our school. Families are encouraged to attend Mass at weekends in our parish and to emphasise this, particular class Masses were arranged for grade 3-6 children on a fortnightly basis, at the 5pm Sunday Mass time.

In May, our Year Three children celebrated their first reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and in July and August their First Eucharist.The celebration of Confirmation in September was a particular highlight of 2016 for all Year Six students and other children from our parish. Our Archbishop, Dennis Hart conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on our children.

In 2016 our school was required to undergo an external review process. The staff of the school produced a Self Evaluation Report which was then given to Tony Frizza who was appointed as the External Reviewer. After reading the report Tony conducted two days of intensive interviews with staff and stakeholders, culminating in his External Review Report.The Report was very waffirming of our school and helped us in drawing up directions for the next four years, 2017-2020.

Child Safety has always been an area of focus for us, but documentation in this area was enhanced following the advent of Ministerial order 870 and its related requirements.Seven standards of child safety were articulated. Staff meetings, Education Board meetings and parent meetings were organised as we worked our way through the documentation required to enable St Gregory the Great school to be compliant with the new Child Safety Standards

Musical performances for all children were times of real learning as in 2016 each child was involved in making media presentations which were then shown to the parents. All children from our Prep to Year 6 enjoyed a great year of learning and fun as they engaged in the other specialist programs of the Visual Arts and the LOTE programs of Mandarin and Italian.




Sport is often a highlight for our children. In 2016 a number of our Year Three to Six children participated in interschool swimming, athletics and cross country and some progressed to Zone Level. Our 9 basketball teams were very successful with most reaching semi finals or finals.

As in previous years, Year Six children attended an activity camp at Philip Island in August but in 2016 our Year Five children went to Canberra for their excursion camp in October. This was the first time we had travelled to Canberra and evaluation of the experience suggests we will repeat this in 2017.

At St Gregory the Great school we encourage our community to live their Catholic faith. Social Justice projects help our children to give active expression to their faith. In 2016, two mini fetes were held, one run by Year 3/4 students and one by Year 5/6 students, to raise money for our sister school ‘Sayaw’ in the Philippines. Early in the year children from Year Five and Six were commissioned as Mini Vinnies. These children took part in a sleepout in June to raise money for the St Vincent de Paul society’s work for the homeless.

Congratulations to our students, parents and staff and thankyou for your efforts to make 2016 a great year for our community. Dr Margaret O’Donnell Principal




Education in Faith

Goals

To strengthen St Gregory’s school as an active Catholic Community in which individuals are supported to live their faith in the contemporary world.

Intended Outcomes

1. That a commitment to Catholic Faith development is embedded and evident in the behaviour and life of our student community.

2. That students are engaged in their Catholic Faith.

Achievements

In order to achieve the goals and intended outcomes of St Gregory’s School in the area of Education in Faith the following strategies and ongoing practices were undertaken during the 2016 calendar year.an

The whole school community took part in the external review process developing the directions for the next review cycle

The School Vision Statement continues to be unpacked and developed so as to nurture a community in which the Catholic Faith permeates all areas

Staff engaged in professional learning activities and experiences across the school year to highlight the importance of Education in Faith

A supportive and inclusive learning environment was provided for all students and families, where students engaged in contemporary practises making these beliefs and practices relevant to the 21

st

centuryr

A multi-modal approach to delivering the curriculum engaged the students in a contemporary manner, utilising ICT tools and inquiry based learning to promote opportunities for them to make links with their world today

Our Religious Education Program is based on the Archdiocese of Melbourne Religious Education Framework Renewal documents, shaped by the 5 content areas of Scripture and Jesus, God, Religion and Life, Church and Community, Morality and Justice, Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments.

Using the framework of “Knowledge and Understanding”, “Reasoning and Responding” and “Personal and Communal Engagement”, in the context of contemporary practices and methodologies, our children were offered a wide range of experiences to enhance their understanding of the teachings and practices of our Catholic faith in line with the four pillars of sacred story, sign and symbol, ritual and living

The Melbourne Religious Education Framework Renewal documents were introduced to staff over the year, and were used to guide planning to ensure a rich learning experience for all students

Moderation of student’s work was regularly undertaken as part of PLT and assessment agenda to further engage with the new standards and to enable effective feedback for staff and students in the formal process of assessment and reporting

The Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation were celebrated by the school and parish community

Parent formation evenings were offered to all parents from Prep to Year 6, covering topics of Prayer, the Year of Mercy, the Catholic Tradition as well as the Sacraments

The Year Three and Four students took part in a Retreat at Amberley House as part of the Sacramental program for Eucharist. A team from the Missionaries of God’s Love worked with the teachers and students to prepare and lead the day’s activities

The Year Six students attended a Retreat Day at Holy Cross Centre in preparation for the celebration of Confirmation

The Liturgical Calendar directed our students’ focus to the significance of the seasons of the Church. Our Catholic faith was also celebrated as a community through assemblies, liturgies and Masses

Prayer continued to form an integral part of each day as we led the children to a deeper relationship with God through Christian meditation




Year Three to Six students attended weekly parish masses with the parishioners. Students at these Masses lead the readings and acted as Altar Servers. Teachers worked to prepare students for the gospel readings, and links made through the Parish Priest’s homily were addressed in the classrooms

Class Masses were offered for levels of the school in which students and their families would take on an active role in the Mass acting as readers and bringing forward the offertory. The School Choir lead the music at one of these Masses each term as well as the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation

Altar serving was promoted through the school as an important Parish Ministry and the children were trained by the sacristan.

The Catholic identity of the school was expressed in Icons and displays in classrooms and around the school and in practices of prayer and worship

Opportunities were provided that enabled our students to focus on their Catholic faith in action by promoting support for our sister school in the Philippines and the work of St Vincent de Paul at the local level. Our Mini Vinnies group for children from Year Five and Six met fortnightly with teachers to pray for others and to determine ways to be of service to others. They led the community in hosting the Winter sleepout and the Vinnies Christmas Tree appeal

The school hosted the ‘Kid’s View’ social justice conference. Students from the Mini Vinnies group attended as a way to assist them to build awareness of social justice. Students also attended Caritas “Just Leadership” days to further develop their understanding of the issues around Social Justice

Throughout the year focus through awareness and support was also directed to Caritas, Catholic Care, Catholic Missions, and Corpus Christi Men’s Home.

Students from the Senior school attended the annual Mass for Catholic Missions

CATHOLIC CULTURE AT ST GREGORY’S At St Gregory’s school great importance continues to be placed on nurturing children in their Catholic faith. The insight SRC data on Catholic Culture is very positive and shows strong evidence that Religious Education has a high profile in our school community. This data shows that children, parents and staff all consider our Catholic ethos, prayer life and faith are essential to each day.




Learning & Teaching

Goal

To develop a stimulating contemporary learning environment where every student is challenged and supported to achieve continuous improvement and success.

Intended Outcomes

1. That students are more engaged in their learning and are challenged and supported to achieve continuous improvement and success.

2. That student achievement in Mathematics will improve. 3. That student performance in Oral Language in the early years will improve.

Achievements

During the year 2016 the following achievements and ongoing practices ensured the smooth running of St Gregory’s School in the area of Learning and Teaching.

The staff continued to focus on engaging students in their learning as well as challenging and

supporting them to achieve continuous improvement and success.

Staff continued to participate in a structured PLT day, providing opportunities for collegial discussion, improved effective planning for a differentiated curriculum, evaluation and moderation of student work and student data.

Staff continued to focus on evaluating student data, to ensure that learning and teaching is differentiated to meet the needs of all students.

Mathematics intervention and extension groups were introduced in Year 1, as well as being continued for students in Year 3 and 4.

Staff continued to focus on, articulate and display clear Learning Intentions and Success Criteria, which has continued to encourage students to take more ownership of their learning.

In consultation with students and parents, staff set academic learning goals in Religious Education, English and/or Mathematics, as well as Personal Learning goals for each student at the beginning, middle and end of the year. These goals were monitored for achievement, adjusted where necessary and reported on in the June and December reports.

The progress of students in the AusVELS domains was reported to parents in June and December.

Students continued to receive English support with Literacy Intervention and Extension programs, including Reading Recovering, ERIK, PERI and Peer Tutoring for reading between the Year 5 and 1 students.

Literacy data from Prep to Year 6 was submitted to Catholic Education Melbourne at the end of Term 1 and Term 4. Staff used this data to evaluate programs and inform teaching.

Data was used to create Personalised Learning Plans (PLP) for students with particular social and/or learning needs at both ends of the developmental continuum.

Throughout 2016 staff participated in webinars conducted by the Department of Education. These webinars dealt with the New Victorian Curriculum and explained how these documents can be implemented and used effectively.

Staff began to implement the New Victorian Curriculum during planning and moderation. This curriculum will be fully implemented in 2017.

Prep parents attended either scheduled Classroom Helper training sessions or met with the Director of Learning and Teaching for one-on-one training.

Throughout the year, staff continued to schedule weekly classes in the Discovery Centre as a multimedia, information and elearning area.

As part of our focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) the students in Year 4 undertook the Lego Robotics. This required the students to build the Lego robot ‘Milo’ and program it to undertake particular movements.




In 2016 the staff implemented the Progress Achievement Tests in both Reading and Mathematics from Prep to Year 6. This will enable the staff to track the progress of each student in both of these areas throughout their primary school years.

In 2016 St Gregory’s took part in the Online NAPLAN Trial. Students in Year 3 and 5 completed an Omnibus Test (reading, spelling, grammar and mathematics) and an online writing test. This experience provided both staff and students a valuable insight into completing these tests in an online ‘locked-down’ browser. In 2019 all NAPLAN testing will be online throughout Australia.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The proportion of children at St Gregory’s who met the National Benchmarks in 2016 is shown below.

The changes in benchmark results from the previous year are also shown below. The strong

curriculum and excellent teaching and learning practices of our school are reflected in these results.







The Year 3 data shows that in the following domains, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, St Gregory the Great Primary School is outperforming other schools. Writing is a particularly strong area in the 2016 data.




The Year 5 data shows that in the five domains, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy, St Gregory the Great Primary School is outperforming other schools, although the 2016 data suggests that the area of Numeracy is a challenge and the Writing area is a strength. Strategies implemented that contribute to this high level of student performance include

on-going professional development in literacy

collegial teaching

specific time allocation for professional learning teams to meet in their levels to moderate student data

explicit direction for students with learning intentions identified and evaluated against success criteria




Student Wellbeing

Goals

To develop a contemporary school climate which fosters positive relationships and empowers every student to be an independent, resilient and successful learner.

Intended Outcomes

1. That classroom behaviour will promote a positive learning environment for every student. 2. That students develop greater resilience.

Achievements

During the 2016 year the following achievements and ongoing practices ensured the smooth running of St Gregory’s school in the area of Student Wellbeing:

There was a major focus on developing The Child Safe Standards to comply with the Ministerial Order 870

St Gregory’s hosted a Professional Learning day for staff from other schools to upgrade and meet requirenents for Anaphylaxis – (Minisetrial Order 90)

New Staff members participated in Restorative Practices: New Teachers and Refresher Course at the Catholic Leadership Centre

Two staff members participated in an Educational Support for Students with Low Vision Professional Learning day

All mandated Staff members completed the Mandatory Reporting eLearning module

The Student Wellbeing Leader attended Student with Disabilities Application Guidelines and NCCD information briefing days followed by completing NCCD surey collection online for CEM

The Student Wellbeing Leader attended a sequential four part series reflecting on the personal and social capabilities of the National curriculum – exploring strategies through five domains – body; relationship; stamina; engagement and character

Four staff members attended the Stress Less conference at the Manningham Civic Centre

Teachers were involved in program support meetings with staff from the CEM

Three staff members attended a presentation at Marcellin College on ‘Mindset and dealing with

Anxiety’

All staff members were involved in Professional Learning about Restorative Practices and Social and Emotional Learning, during scheduled staff meetings

Restorative Practices continued to be the approach used in supporting students to manage conflict situations

As members of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, initiatives related to cyber safety and cyber bullying were included as part of the curriculum

A session in week seven of each term was dedicated to a whole school Better Buddy activity to promote the importance of building strong relationships within and across levels

Incursions to educate students about road and fire safety and First Aid were conducted

Online links were published in the weekly newsletter to provide access to parents about relevant information to build resilience in children

The school offered the services of one school counsellor from Catholic Care for two days a week to students

Children participated in Social Skills programs to support their development in building strategies to interact with students and adults appropriately

Specialist programs comprising Visual and Performing Arts and Physical Education were provided for all children and LOTE (Languages Other Than English) was provided for children in Year One to Six in Italian and Mandarin

A Multicultural Day was held. The day included entertainment in the form of a show presented by different cultural groups

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The Student Wellbeing Team Leader continued in her role overseeing the areas of Student Services and Student Wellbeing

Reading sessions and an orientation morning for all new Prep children were organised to meet 2016 teachers and buddies

Feeder schools’ Staff met with Year Six teachers to discuss background information about prospective students moving to secondary schools

Transition meetings involving Secondary school staff, parents and current teachers were held for students going to secondary schools

Opportunities were provided for children in Year Six to hold leadership roles

The average student attendance over the year was 94.77%. This high attendance rate shows the

commitment and dedication of our children and their parents. Children and their parents see the value

of attending school regularly. In accordance with our school policy, parents are contacted if students

are absent from school for more than three days without explanation.

STUDENT SATISFACTION

According to St Gregory the Great Catholic Primary School’s Insight SRC survey data in relation to

other Victorian schools, Student Morale is in the top 30% which is relatively high and indicates that

children feel valued and respected. The Insight SRC data shows that Student Motivation and Learning

Confidence are high, indicating that children see themselves and their abilities in a positive manner

and are motivated to perform to the best of their ability.




Leadership & Management

Goals To develop a stronger professional learning culture through supportive and strategic leadership and management.

Intended Outcomes

1. That effective leadership and management will create an environment which supports improved

learning for children and staff professional growth.

Achievements

At the heart of the positive school culture which exists at St Gregory the Great school is our shared vision to

have God at the centre of our lives so that we can assist our students and community to live lives which are

Christ centred. The following achievements are highlighted for the 2016 school year in the area of Leadership

and Management:

The 2016 year began with the annual commissioning of teachers during the parish Mass in early

February. A separate Mass on a weekday evening was held to induct school captains and welcome

new families to our school. Families are encouraged to attend Mass at weekends in our parish and to

emphasise this, particular class Masses were arranged for grade 3-6 children on a fortnightly basis, at

the 5pm Sunday Mass time.

Preparations for the 2016 External Review, commenced in October of 2015. This enabled us to

implement evaluation and analysis Review sessions in February of 2016. Four staff meetings were

led by the Leadership team before two days of intensive work enabled us to explore the major Review

questions. These Review questions were related to our goals for the 2013-2016 Review period, the

extent to which we had achieved these goals, the reasons why achievement occurred or did not occur

and how we embedded our Catholic school vision in these achievements. Following from the

intensive two day workshop, a Self Evaluation Report was produced for the external reviewer,Tony

Frizza. Tony visited the school in April, met with major stakeholders and completed the VCSA check.

He produced an External Reviewers Report which was presented to staff and the Education Board in

May of 2016.The report was very affirming and provided us with a starting point for the next School

Improvement Plan 2017-2020.

Emphasis on building teacher capacity continued as the Professional Learning Team (PLT) day was

timetabled to release teachers to share learnings at each level of the school. Moderation of student

work and analysis of data were important aspects of this PLT collaboration of teachers.

In 2016 the Leadership team audited current role descriptions for the Principal, Deputy Principal,

Student Wellbeing Leader, Religious Education Leader, Director of Learning and Teaching, Learning

and Teaching Level Leaders and the Information and Technology Leader. Key Performance

indicators were drawn up for each role. Part of the Annual Review meetings with the principal, will

require the person holding the leadership role to document achievement in line with the key

performance indicators.

A key leadership focus for 2016, was the development of a shared understanding and approach to

contemporary learning. As teachers became more proficient in the use of Google Apps for Education,

a need for year 5/6 students to have their own dedicated laptop was identified. In 2016 each year 5

student was provided with a chrome book and this will continue to be the case for each year 5 child

over the coming years.

In March of 2016 our local Catholic Secondary feeder school Principals and Learning and Teaching

leaders were invited to come to our school to hear about and see contemporary learning happening in




the grade 5/6 area of the school. Later in the year St Gregory the Great school was invited to take

part in the “Towards Effective Learning Spaces’ ( TELE ) project run by Melbourne University. Our 5/6

area lends itself to exciting learning, as an area with distinct advantages from an infrastructure point

of view. Our learnings from using this space were discussed and recorded to help other schools as

they plan purpose built contemporary learning spaces.

The strategic schedule for the PLT day was enhanced in 2016, and discussions with staff led to

improvement of the Customised Teacher Individual Plans (CTIP). Child Safety featured strongly as a responsibility of the Leadership team , with the advent of

Ministerial order 870 and its related requirements.Seven standards of child safety were articulated.

Staff meetings, Education Board meetings and parent meetings were organised as we worked our

way through the documentation required to enable St Gregory the Great school to be compliant with

the new Child Safety Standards. This will be ongoing in 2017.

Administration and organisational tasks were implemented and evaluated by the Leadership Team on

a regular basis. Resources in Religious Education, English, Mathematics, ICT and general curriculum

areas were audited, purchased and maintained to provide delivery of all school programs

Staff attendance at St Gregory’s school was:

Staff retention at St Gregory’s for 2016 was 93,55%. High staff morale and a positive school environment are demonstrated by this high retention rate. Whilst we may be sad to see some members of staff move on for personal or professional reasons it is exciting to welcome new staff with their new enthusiasm, skills and ideas

Teacher Qualifications - A high level of skill and professionalism is shown by the staff of St Gregory’s School. The following table highlights comparison levels of St Gregory’s staff to those of other schools:

These high qualifications also show a commitment by the staff of St Gregory’s to lifelong learning.

Professional Learning - Expenditure and Participation: Approximately $80,000 was spent on professional learning activities in 2016. This was an average of about $2,000 per full time staff member. All staff participated in both formal and informal professional learning activities, some of which were:

Curriculum and Administration Staff meetings (Minimum of two per week)




Professional Learning Team meetings (Minimum of 2 hours a week) External Professional Development activities across all curriculum areas Professional Development days (four per year);

In 2016 these days focussed on: 1. Two day workshop related to the Review 2. Assessment and Reporting (Learning and Teaching)

Commitment to Professional Learning enables teachers at St Gregory’s school to increase their knowledge and skills, and consequently strengthens the teaching and learning capacity within the school.

TEACHER SATISFACTION

Surveys conducted in 2016 revealed, on analysis, a high level of teacher satisfaction as shown in the above graph. It is also pleasing to note from the 2016 surveys that the Leadership and Management practices at St Gregory the Great school ensure that the school is optimally positioned to fulfill its vision of serving the children and families of our parish and the wider community. The support and active encouragement of our Parish Priest is a major positive contributing factor in this area of Leadership and Management. Another major strength of our school is the high staff morale as evidenced by the School Climate data of the School Improvement Surveys. The four pillars of empathy, role clarity, engagement and learning are strongly aligned and in comparison, with other Australian schools, are very high. Research has shown that these four pillars of culture, drive employee wellbeing, engagement and performance. In the case of St Gregory the Great school, high staff morale is attributed to these factors.




School Community

Goals To develop dynamic community partnerships in support of student learning and wellbeing

Intended Outcomes

1. That the collaborative relationship between school, home, parish and the wider community is

strengthened

2. That parents are actively engaged in their child’s learning

Achievements

During the 2016 year the following achievements and ongoing practices ensured the smooth running of St

Gregory’s School in the area of School Community.

Strong partnerships and connections between Parish and school were maintained through various

events and celebrations. These included Guest Speaker evenings with presentations by Monsignor

Joe Tachi on the ‘Diversity within Christianity’ and Janina Hiebel on the meaning of Jubilee

Class masses with the choir and Sacramental Formation evenings presented by Monsignor Tony

Ireland, also served to connect parish and school

The preparation for the St Gregory’s Jubilee celebration provided the opportunity for the school’s

involvement and the initial celebrations involved a whole school BBQ and Tabloid Sports event

St Gregory’s hosted a presentation for feeder secondary schools to inform them of contemporary

learning practices that prepare the children for their transition to secondary education. Principals, and

Vice Principal, Wellbeing and Learning and Teaching Leaders from Our Lady of Sion, Siena College,

Our Lady of Mercy, Marcellin and Whitefriars College attended this session that involved

presentations by staff as well as viewing children actively learning in the CLA

Partnerships with prospective feeder Catholic secondary schools continued to be fostered through the

following:

o Students from local secondary schools completed work experience, Companionship, Duke of

Edinburgh and Community Service placements at St Gregory’s. This enabled secondary

students to gain experience in working with staff and students in an educational environment.

The school also benefitted greatly from the contributions of the varied work that students

undertook

o Transition Meetings with coordinators from Secondary schools and senior staff were

undertaken to assist with the move to secondary education of students from our school

o St Gregory’s became a site for secondary schools to advertise forthcoming Open Days as

well as events such as drama performances

o St Gregory’s Leadership staff attended a presentation at Marcellin College to be informed

about ‘Mindset and dealing with Anxiety’

o Past students from St Gregory’s attendind secondary schools presented information to

current students about transition to secondary education

o St Gregory’s senior students attended music and drama performances and workshops

presented by secondary students from feeder schools

Parents have actively been involved and encouraged to participate in decision making processes as

representatives on various committees such as the Parish Education Board, Parent’s Association,

Classroom Representatives, Graduation Committee.Parents were also involved in responding to

various surveys about uniform, school procedures and protocols




Raising the Parish and school community’s awareness has continued to be a significant focus to

assist those in need through fund raising events, mini fetes, visiting other schools to promote the

plight of the homeless and following up with bear making activities, hosting a Caritas Conference and

preparing Christmas hampers. These actions significantly contributed in supporting partnerships with

charity organisations such as St Vincent de Paul, our Friendship School in the Philippines and the

Farmers in Gippsland,

St Gregory’s Parent community have been generous in their continuous and ongoing support by their

contributions, organising and participating in school events such as sport carnivals, working bees,

excursions and gardening groups

Workshops and information sessions, in particular in English, with a focus on reading and writing

strategies, were conducted to inform parents about strategies and understanding related to children’s

learning

The Principal continued to present sessions with parents to discuss matters raised by them as well as

focuses on curriculum

St Gregory the Great was represented at the Catholic Education Visual Arts Exhibition at the Catholic

leadership centre at which students art works were on display

The Literacy Leader and Reading Recovery teacher presented sessions for parents on supporting

their children in developing Literacy strategies.

Toddler playgroup sessions have continued to provide an environment for parents and toddlers to

form relationships with school, children and other parents

Community venues such as Manningham Council, Bounce, Aquanation, Hagenauer's Reserve, and

Currawong Park provided environments for further learning and teaching opportunities related to

Sustainability and Health and Physical Education

Students were provided with incursions to enhance their learning and promote learning experiences

that involve expert personnel other than school staff These included St John’s Ambulance, First Aid,

Wheel Talk and The Legion of Mary,

The school’s relationship with Grevillea Aged care Centre has continued to be strengthened. Weekly

visits to the school with a small group of aged people and a carer have occurred and Year Four

students benefited from working and learning with ‘our friends from Grevillea’ on school related tasks.

In addition the choir from Grevillea Aged Care Home presented for the whole school a performance to

entertain and share their talents with St Gregory’s students

Communication remains a high priority to forge relationships with parents and the wider community.

Relevant information about school related events and procedures were communicated to parents

through various forums. These have included: online and hard copy weekly newsletter, flyers

advertising forthcoming events, notices related to particular year level activities, schoolbag apps,

Annual Report to the Community, Report from the president of the Parish Education Board and in

particular this year the Reviewer’s Report

Parents along with teachers and children have been active in contributing to goal setting for their

children in order to set directions for the future

Celebrating Chinese New Year was a significant event where school, parents and parishioners came

together to acknowledge diversity of the community through craft activities, entertainment and sharing

a lunch typical of Asian cuisine

Fire Carrier students continued to acknowledge the founders of our land as part of the introduction to

school assemblies, community events at Amberley and ongoing visits to classrooms to share

information about Aboriginal heritage

Metro Music, Tennis Hot Shots, Hockey Clinic workshops and information sessions provided the

opportunity for the students to be involved in additional educational and extra-curricular activities

within the school day

Students attended local community events such as the ANZAC memorial ceremony and

Lead2Sustain Conference




Community events such as Harmony Day, Remembrance Day, National Sorry Day, The Biggest

Morning Tea were acknowledged through school liturgies, fundraising activities and classroom

activities

Connections with ACU, Latrobe and Swinburne Universities provided the opportunity for student

teachers to complete their placements and provide staff with the opportunity to mentor prospective

graduates

The school profile is advertised through the school website, Catholic Magazine, Child Manningham,

the Leader, and many local kindergartens

Open Days and school tours are conducted to provide the opportunity for prospective families to view

the school in action

In partnership with various cultural groups our community’s diversity was celebrated on Multicultural

Day

The Perma Group organisation were instrumental in supporting the Gardening Group in setting up

garden beds which are looked after by students and parents

The school hosted a choir festival in collaboration with 5 other schools to provide feedback from an

expert on performance as a choir

Parent expertise was invited to support learning and teaching connected to STEM. A car

manufacturer lead engineer attended planning meetings with staff and conducted workshop with a

focus on insights in engineering as well as an opportunity for students to gain practice in developing

problem solving strategies

Student learning was enhanced by carefully selecting off site venues with appropriate programs and

exhibitions. These included the Immigration Museum and Science works

In collaboration with a project Team from Melbourne University, St Gregory’s participated in the TELE

project (Towards Effective Learning Environments) which involved the principal, staff and students

from the senior level completing surveys, observations from a Project Team of students working in

the CLA, focus groups discussion to understand further how the design and the pedagogical use of

learning environments (school facilities) in primary and secondary Catholic Schools in the state of

Victoria impact on the learning and teaching of students

A Slovakian Orchestra ‘Silver Strings’ presented a performance with a Christmas theme for the whole

school. Students enjoyed the great talents of the musicians and singers




PARENT SATISFACTION

At St Gregory’s School we believe that a positive community is strengthened by an atmosphere of open communication from the principal and staff. Insight SRC data shows that parents express a high level of general satisfaction, (top 30% of Parent Opinion Survey). We place a strong importance on communication between teachers, parents and children, and work hard to keep communication open for all involved.




Financial Performance

REPORTING FRAMEWORK MODIFIED CASH

$

Recurrent income Tuition

School fees 441,979

Other fee income 229,464

Private income 52,691

State government recurrent grants 692,867

Australian government recurrent grants 2,601,296

Total recurrent income 4,018,297

Recurrent Expenditure Tuition

Salaries; allowances and related expenses 2,917289

Non salary expenses 933,367

Total recurrent expenditure 3,850,656

Capital income and expenditure Tuition

Government capital grants

Capital fees and levies 131,166

Other capital income 50,000

Total capital income 181,166

Total capital expenditure 104,031

Loans (includes refundable enrolment deposits and recurrent, capital

and bridging loans)

Total opening balance 324,000

Total closing balance 288,000

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.




Future Directions

Education in Faith

At St Gregory the Great we want to continue to build a strong Catholic Identity. We are committed to our

vision to engage with parents, and inspire in our children a passion for Loving and Learning. The staff will

work to sustain and build upon current contemporary practices to ensure that the Catholic faith is relevant to

the lives of our students and their families. The Horizon’s of Hope will guide the implementation of the

Melbourne Religious Education Framework Renewal standards. The standards will be utilised to support the

development of relevant contemporary Religious Education Curriculum in the school. Teachers will continue

to undergo professional development to explore the re-contextualisation of the Catholic faith and traditions as

we engage with our community to reflect on and develop our faith. Opportunities will be provided for students

to put their faith in action through our connection with our Sister school in the Philippines, the work of the St

Vincent de Paul Society (Mini Vinnies) and the school’s fundraising efforts. Students will be provided with

opportunities for involvement in the Sacramental and Liturgical life of the School and Parish through the

attendance at the Weekday 9am Mass and with allocated Class Masses at the Sunday 5pm Mass.

Learning and Teaching

In 2017 we will continue to build teacher capacity in the use of Contemporary Learning tools with emphasis on

engaging students in their learning through contemporary practices. Professional learning opportunities for

teachers in analysing data and matching strategies to support students in their oral language will be provided.

Continued efforts in differentiating curriculum will be implemented in order to extend the range of student’s

achievements in the higher end of the learning curriculum. Parental engagement will be strongly encouraged

through creating increased opportunities for deeper parent input into their children’s learning.

Student Wellbeing

In 2017, we will continue to engage with parents and students to implement social and emotional learning that expresses our Catholic identity and provides for the needs of all students. Engaging with and assisting parents in, developing resilience in students through information sessions and articles. Focus on allocating added resources to extend students and assist those with special needs in learning, behaviour and social and emotional areas.

Leadership and Management

The 2016 School Review resulted in a new 2017-2020 School Improvement Plan (SIP). The goal of the 2017-2020 SIP in the area of Leadership and Management is “ to maintain a strong, professional, dynamic learning culture, reflective of our Catholic Identity, characterised by high level leadership, effective management and strong accountability”. The next School Improvement Cycle will focus on continuing to build a collaborative, professional, Catholic learning culture which supports and drives learning. As educators at St Gregory the Great school, the staff will engage with parents to give active expression to our Catholic identity as we prepare our children to be people of service to their community in the future.




School Community

In 2017 we will continue to focus on making connections with working parents and parents from diverse

cultural backgrounds to improve engagement. We intend to increase the effective use of multi modal tools to

communicate and promote school and parish events in order to improve participation and connection and

utilise the parent portal of ICON to engage parents more fully in their child’s learning. Where possible we will

strive to connect with parents and encourage active engagement in decision making processes and

incorporate parental expertise to support and enhance learning and teaching




VRQA Compliance Data







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