LIZ HUGHES

KARYN DURRANT

13/2/2018

The Gladstone Kindergarten has amalgamated with Gladstone Primary School and Georgetown Primary School to become'Gladstone Primary School'. The last AGM of the Governing Council was held on February 21st 2017, and the GoverningCouncil was dissolved. The School and Kindergarten are currently operating on separate sites waiting for a new building to becompleted. This has been delayed from July 2017 to June 2018. The Administration and Leadership responsibilities are beingshared between the 2 sites.

The Gladstone Kindergarten has serviced an average of 30 families in the community. We have continued to provide thePreschool and Occasional Care Program. We have had the addition of Playgroup every fortnight and Child and Youth HealthService Clinic once a month. Both programs have been well used throughout the year.

The centre Educators consisted of:- 0.6 Director/Teacher- 0.5 Preschool ECW- 12.5 hours Occasional Care ECW 2- 4 hours Occasional Care ECW 1- 7 hours (average) Preschool Support ECW 1

The Gladstone Primary has had up to 46 families and 17 children new to the school and 8 children who left during the year.Throughout the year there were up to 13 children who identified as being ATSI. The school was staffed with:- Principal- 6 teachers: 3 full time and 3 part time- 3 School Support officers working across the school- an ACEO for 6 hours a week.The school operated with 3 classes: R-2, 3/4 and 5/6/7.

The Kindergarten and school children joined together for events such as BookWeek, NAIDOC Day, visit to the CFS shed,Partnership Cultural Day and Patch Theatre.

As Governing Council Chair this year it is my pleasure to present the Governing Council report for 2017.

In January we welcomed Mrs Liz Hughes as Principal to Gladstone PS and we had a full and representative election of parentsto the Governing Council. This year we established new sub committees including, Finance, Fundraising, Grounds, Kindy andIdentity committees. Committees make up a large part of Governing Council and this year all committees have been busy.

I would like to say a big thank all the parents who have been part of Governing Council this year.

We thank the Finance Committee for their management and continued balancing of the school’s books.

I would like to thank the organisers of the Fundraising Committee. We have had successful fundraisers this year, includingFather’s Day Raffle, Girl’s Night In and some catering for a DECD Training Day.

Our Grounds Committee has been busy this year. With a walk and talk at the start of the year there was a list of things that thegrounds committee wanted to achieve. With 2 working bees they were able to cross off: sorting and seriously cleaning outvarious sheds around the school; the cement slab and the re-erecting of the garden shed from Georgetown PS; improving thevegie patch with manure, fluffing up the bark chips under the playground and a few other tidy up jobs.

Our Identity Committee is well underway to producing new logos for our school and this is on track to be finalised before theKindy join us, midway through next year.

Governing Council would like to thank all the staff who have run our school this year in a dedicated and hardworking manner.Your commitment and support to our students especially and their parents is a credit to you all.

This year we say farewell to Kerri Blackwell, who has taught the 5-7 class in partnership this year. Kerry has held manypositions at this school over her 14 years including Principal in 2016. We will miss her dedication to the students, herdedication to your class, her experience, leadership and expertise in IT. We wish Kerri all the very best in her new role asPrincipal at Port Wakefield Primary School.

It has been another busy year and some of the many achievements and happenings at the school during 2017 have been:

An Active Yr 7 Leadership Group led by Katie DeverellMeet and Greet NightWater Safety ProgramGHS Swimming Carnival and Sports DayWhole school camp to Pt HughesRocky River Sports DaySAPSASA Sports representatives in Swimming, Cross Country, Netball, Soccer, Athletics and Cricket.Wheelchair SportsNAIDOC Day Celebrations3-7 Camp to GlenhavenCorridors of Green at AppilaMastermindSchool DiscoAnd various other performances and excursions

Thankyou

Karyn DurrantChairperson

Gladstone Kindergarten was Assessed and Rated this year as ‘Exceeding’ in all 7 Quality Areas of the National QualityStandard.

1. The documentation about each child's program and progress is available to families. 30% of parents reported being informedabout children's progress or learning program. Our objectives were for: - Families to feel informed about their child's learning and development. - Families to feel they have contributed to their child's learning goals. - Trial some ways to share children's learning with Occasional Care Families.Parents were surveyed at the beginning of the year. Verbal conversations each term were identified as the main way parentswanted to receive information about their child's learning. Portfolios had quality documentation of each preschool child’slearning and interests. A year book and DVD displayed common events and experiences. Survey Results show 90-95% offamilies felt informed about their child's learning and how the curriculum was attending to their needs.Discussions with all families have revealed trusted relationships with the parents and children were highly valued - more so,than books of learning stories which are highly time consuming. The photos sent on the phone to a concerned parent or tocelebrate an achievement were highly valued.

2. Educators respond to children's ideas and play and use intentional teaching to scaffold and extending children's learning.Educators feel they can develop a deeper understanding of children's ideas and increase their planning quality for intentionalteaching opportunities, and increase children's contribution to planning and learning. Objectives were: - Formalising and documenting adults' observations and notes to inform and review the curriculum decisions. - Explore strategies for children to contribute to planning and their assessment.Educators recorded intentional teaching activities in their program from observations. Then Educators report what happened,where the children's interests and ideas lead the activities and the follow up for children's learning. Observations have beencollated to explore children's global develop needs, and inform the portfolios, Statements of Learning and Parent discussions.

Recommendations for 2018- Continue to develop rich Documentation of all children’s learning.- Inquiry project around ‘Active Listening’- Community interaction and involvement to strengthen relationships.

Priority 1 Building a whole school cultureFocusing on: 1. School values, particularly Respect. 2. Growth mindset characteristics – challenge, productive struggle,valuing mistakes. 3. Habits of Mind characteristics – perseverance, managing impulsivity.Strategies that were worked on included:Teaching and learning about the brain began in Week 1 of the year with an introduction using various resources. Initially therewas a lot of resistance from children who wanted to be told what to do and not to have to think for themselves. By the end ofthe year many children were: comfortable taking on challenge, prepared to struggle to learn something new, and prepared totake risks and learn from their mistakes.Recommendations - work to continue to ensure that there is consistency of language across the school, especially forteachers new to the school.Priority 2 LiteracyFocusing on: 1. Reading 2. WritingWith many teachers unfamiliar with the Accelerated Reader program and unreliable technology, reading did not showconsistent improvement that could have been expected.Good progress was seen against SEA in Running Records.End Term 4 % at or above SEA Reception 71% Year 1 75% Year 2 67%Excellent results in NAPLANReading % at or above SEA Year 3 82%Year 5 88% Year 7 90%PAT-R gave mixed results with lower results in Year 4 and 6.% at or above SEA Year 3 100% Year 4 29% Year 5 73% Year 6 60% Year 7 89%Writing was something which was considered to be a need across the Upper Mid North Partnership and a Bookmakingworkshop was held for Preschool and Early Years school staff to learn more about children seeing themselves as authors.This was embraced by both the Kindergarten and the R-2 classes. The school was also a part of the Brightpath trial along withmost schools in the Upper Mid North Partnership. The trial involved in 2 pieces of narrative writing which was then moderatedby teachers. Teaching points were then available to ensure improvement for individual children. The second piece of writingwas then used to gauge progress.NAPLAN were much stronger for year 7 childrenWriting % at or above SEA Year 3 64% Year 5 60% Year 7 80% Term 2 – Term 3 %of children with increase in Scaled Score Year 1 100% Year 2 100% Year 3 29% Year 4 25%Year 5 50% Year 6 56% Year 7 56%Due to the moderation process being new learning for teachers the BRIGHTPATH results are difficult to make conclusionsabout.Recommendations - a training course for teachers in using the Accelerated Reader to ensure progress. We have registered tobe a part of the Brightpath trial again in 2018. New staff will need to be trained in the moderation process. We have alsoidentified the need for professional development in the teaching of Writing and in Writer’s Notebook to continue the Narrativejourney.Priority 3 Numeracy / MathsNumber was identified as being crucial for progress and achievement in Maths. The QuickSmart program had 15 children fromyear 5 to 7 working with a trained SSO. All staff attended ‘Mathematical Mindsets ‘ workshop with Professor Jo Boaler andmany teachers embraced ‘the power of mistakes and struggle’ providing opportunities for multiple entry and exit points forchildren in their learning.NAPLAN results for year 5 & 7 were good but considerable work is needed with some year 3 children.Numeracy % at or above SEA Year 3 55% Year 5 88% Year 7 80%PAT – M results showed weaknesses in year 4 & 6.% at or above SEA Year 3 89% Year 4 50% Year 5 82% Year 6 40% Year 7 67%Recommendations – that teachers continue to work on providing challenge in Maths. The TooSmart program to be used withchildren from year 1 & 2 to improve understanding and flexibility with Number.

84.8%

As a school that often has fewer than 15 children eligible to sit NAPLAN in each year level, small changes in the number of ourchildren can cause large changes in the percentages shown in the previous graphs. This makes it more difficult to use thosepercentages to draw reliable conclusions about changes in performance from year to year. Therefore we concentrate onparticular cohorts and individual children.As discussed in the Improvement Outcomes section. Results for Reading were quite positive. Results for Numeracy were quitelow in year 3 but showed positive gains in PAT-M testing later in the year. All children needing additional support were identifiedto ensure progress and this will be continued in 2018.In Reading most children from 3-5 and 5-7 showed middle to upper growth. Which is supportive of the interventions andclassroom practices put in place to support all children. However Numeracy results for 3-5 show that more work is needed toimprove outcomes for a lot of children.Early support and a focus on Number in the Early Years, as identified in Improvement Outcomes, will encourage flexibility withNumber in 2018 and into the future.There are 7 children currently in year 3 & 5 who will need to be extended to ensure that they maintain their Higher Bands statusin Reading and 6 children in Numeracy. Classroom programs should reflect how these children are being catered for.

The Preschool Attendance this year has been less than previous years. 30% of absences have been due to illness.35% of absences have been from Family Commitments to appointments and celebrations. And, 35% of absenceshave been unexplained when the Attendance Sheet is marked at 9:30 am. All unexplained attendances have beenfollowed up with families if the child returns the next preschool session. If child is absent for more than twoconsecutive sessions Educators make contact with the family.

Average Attendance for Playgroup has been 11 Children over 17 sessions.

The percentage of school attendance has declined.Teachers contact families either by phone or text message after 2 or 3 days absence. We have also had supportfrom the Attendance & Engagement Officer for chronic non- attendance. The ACEO works closely with families toencourage regular attendance. Regular items are placed in the newsletter around the importance of attendance tochildren's learning, progress and achievement. Staff have been working hard to build relationships with children andfamilies so that problems can be identified early and dealt with as needed.We look forward to making improvements with continuation of many staff in 2018.

Gladstone is a transitional area, families often move in and move out. At the end of 2017 we had 12 confirmedenrolments for 2017.

Total Children Enrolled at the Service for Preschool and Occasional CareTerm 1 = 37Term 2 = 41Term 3 = 45Term 4 = 49

26 Children Enrolled in Playgroup

17 children [10 boys & 7 girls] from year 6 & 7 undertook the Wellbeing and Engagement survey. The majority ofchildren reported low levels of Social Bullying, Verbal Bullying, Physical Bullying and Cyber Bullying, 29-35%% ofchildren reported medium and 6% reported high in all areas except physical. Children are encourage to reportbullying to adults and all complaints are taken seriously. Usually after investigation of all involved a 'conference' isheld to resolve the issue and for consequences to be allotted. Parents are contacted if deemed necessarydepending on the seriousness.

The DECD Opinion Survey was distributed to 13 Preschool families. 3 responses were received. They:- Strongly Agree - Agree their child's learning is supported.- Strongly Agree - Agree there is Quality Teaching and Learning Programs Provided.- Strongly Agree - Agree their child's relationships and communication is supported.- Strongly Agree - Agree their is Quality Leadership and Decision Making.

We sent out a Survey Monkey to all families who use to Centre with questions related to the Improvement Plan. 21Responses were received.

After watching and being a part of the new kindy hours structure (2 full days and 3 full days for the last 14 weeks).Do you believe this suits the needs of the children and we should continue it into the future, if possible?100%•Yes 0%•NoDo you feel informed about your child’s learning goals from conversations with Educators and documentation?95%•Yes 5%•NoDo you feel informed about how the curriculum is contributing to the needs of your child?90%•Yes 10%•NoPlaygroup has been well attended this year. Do you believe this is because of the facilitating Educator beingpresent; developing relationships with families and providing a relaxed inviting environment?100%•Yes 0%•No

Comments:I think the way you have set up kindy hour structure is fantastic as it gets them ready for school better. I also thinkthe staff have done a fantastic job this year, I like the way how they provide flexible learning and take the children'sinterest into consideration when programming. My child has really enjoyed this year at kindy.Excellent kindy. Very friendly and welcoming. Could not ask for a better place for my child to attend.Great job keep it up!A fun and safe environment for all.Playgroup has been great, my daughter is so excited to go each time. The educators presents relieves all thepressure and is very welcoming.

From the school,10 people responded to the Parent survey in regard to their eldest child in the school.There was strong agreement 70% or more with these statements:1. Teachers at this school expect my child to do his or her best.2. Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn.3. I can talk to my child's teachers about my concerns.4. My child likes being at this school.5. My child feels safe at this school.

There was some disagree & neither agreement or disagreement to these statements:1. My child is making good progress at this school.2. This school works with me to support my child's learning.

Responses to:What else would you like to tell us about your child's learning (achievement and progress) at this school?included:- children stagnating, progressing well or needing extension.- confusion around progressing well and assigned grades- the need for more opportunities for parents to meet with teachers both formally and informally.Responses to:Tell us more about your opinions of the school. What is going really well, what needs improvement, etc?included:- better communication through newsletters, diaries etc.- encouraging more parental involvement- teacher consistency- focus on responsibility a positive

No staff survey was conducted.No student survey was conducted.

The DECD guidelines are adhered to with all adults who are regularly in the school having screenings before theybegin work. DECD now have a reminder system and on-line application which ensures that this occurs.

Currently families are preferring public education for Primary School. The strong links between the kindergarten andthe school enable the children to feel familiar and comfortable in the school environment. With the Kindergartenmoving onto the school site during 2018 this should be further enhanced.The school attracts quite a few enrolments from people living in temporary accommodation in Gladstone and theother small towns which have bus access to the school. This results in quite a bit of movement during the schoolyear.

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