2011 Annual School Report - Gordon West Public School

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Following this professional learning, Gordon West staff were educated about the PEEL method and the progression from Stage 2 comparison style topics to Stage 3 political / change debates. Year 1 teachers provided students with opportunities to practise their ability to support an opinion or point of view and shared work samples with the K-6 staff. As part of the 2011 Turramurra Learning Community project, Year 4 students completed reflective journals, encouraging the use of persuasive language devices following play building experiences in drama. Target 3 Literacy Target 2011 – Eco-garden Literacy Program K-2 To expand and incorporate all aspects of literacy K-2 into teaching and learning programs using the eco garden as a learnscape by developing a teaching resource bank for spoken and written texts to improve student literacy learning outcomes. Our achievements include: The Literacy target’s K-2 focus was to expand and incorporate all aspects of the literacy K-2 into the teaching and learning programs using the eco-garden as a learnscape by developing a teaching resource bank for spoken and written texts to improve student literacy outcomes. At combined stage meetings K-2 teachers determined the English syllabus outcomes which would be addressed through interaction in and with the eco-garden. K-2 teachers brainstormed relevant literacy teaching and learning activities based on the Quality Teaching Framework. Following these initial discussions two K-2 teachers attended a professional development course at the Botanical Gardens and returned to share their knowledge with colleagues. At subsequent stage and grade meetings and across stage levels K-2 student work samples were shared and discussed to show the progression in writing and the development and interpretation of visual literacy. During Term 2 student work samples were also presented at a K-6 staff meeting for broader professional learning. Students and K -2 teachers were involved in planting, maintaining, observing, recording and utilising the eco garden as a tool for real and relevant learning beyond the classroom in the outdoor environment. Teaching and learning programs incorporated many learning experiences in the eco garden as a stimulus for literacy learning including talking and listening, visual literacy and writing of various text types including description, recount, persuasive text, narrative and poetry. Student work samples demonstrated enhanced vocabulary and an increased understanding and interpretation of visual literacy. The Quality Teaching dimensions of Intellectual Quality, Quality Learning Environment and Significance were embedded in the teaching and learning programs. Teachers and students further developed their communication skills of questioning, reasoning, and critical thinking through the various opportunities to share dialogue about the literacy outcomes. These experiences contributed to the development of rubrics for the assessment of persuasive texts. Target 4 Literacy through Drama – Turramurra Learning Community Project 2011 Using the dramatic skills (playbuilding) taught, students will develop deep knowledge and deep understanding of the concept focus and use drama to further develop their literacy skills. Our achievements include: The focus of the 2011 Turramurra Learning Community project was to use drama strategies to enhance student’s English and literacy outcomes. The program focused on the professional learning of primary teachers to enhance the creative and literacy processes of their students through the use of educational drama as the medium for improving students’ English and literacy outcomes. In Term 1, 2011 Year 4 teachers at Gordon West identified relevant literacy outcomes derived from current state syllabus documents and an analysis of the students’ needs. The syllabus outcomes selected included students undertaking and sustaining roles in a variety of drama forms to express meaning in a wide range of imagined situations, performing in improvisations, incorporating elements of drama (focus, space, character, mood, movement, dramatic tension) and vocal skills, creating meaning for an audience and reflecting on and discussing the effectiveness of their own work and the work of others. Participating teachers identified that Year 4 students could benefit from improvement in their expressive oral language skills, their understanding and use of expressive and descriptive language, their confidence in writing texts and their capacity to develop the use of imagery and the elaboration of ideas in their persuasive and descriptive writing. The program was attended by Gordon West Year 4 teachers and students throughout 2011. With the professional assistance from Turramurra High School’s drama department, relevant drama strategies and authentic literary texts were incorporated into a series of drama lessons. Through these transformative learning opportunities the students engaged in curriculum and educational experiences that promoted creativity, innovation, cultural appreciation and personal values. The 2011 Turramurra Learning Community project culminated in Term 4 with a collaborative workshop presented and coordinated by Year 9 Turramurra High School drama students. The Gordon West teachers were very positive about the professional learning and the improved student literacy outcomes of their students involved in the program. The teachers reported a growth in confidence, understanding and expertise in using drama strategies in their programming and recognised that many of the learning activities undertaken corresponded closely with important life skills including persistence, listening with understanding and empathy, metacognition, striving for accuracy, questioning and problem posing, finding humour, taking responsible risks and creating, imagining and innovating. Through drama exercises students were encouraged to be active rather than passive learners. They demonstrated increased levels of attention, retention and enjoyment in the act of learning through drama. Following each drama session, students wrote reflection journal entries and pieces of persuasive and descriptive writing. They learnt to draft, revise, proofread and published well structured texts based on these creative experiences and showed development in their literacy skills in terms of their ideas, audience and written language features. 18
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. The school has adopted a cyclical approach to the evaluation of the six areas of education and management practices to ensure that it operates at a highly efficient level. Educational and Management Practice Culture Background Enhancing the quality of the school’s management practices and improving the learning outcomes of all students are key educational objectives. The survey tool SchoolMap, developed by the Department of Education and Training (DET) was used to collect information. The primary purpose of the SchoolMap best practice statements is to provide a framework for analysis of the operation of schools in six key areas. The statements are based on the findings of research and the views of a wide cross section of teachers, parents and students about current practices and potential best practice in schools. SchoolMap best practice statements were used to evaluate school management at Gordon West with regard to school improvement performance, major and minor changes to school programs, monitoring and evaluation of programs, student and staff welfare, teacher professional development, school organisation, financial management and communication. Responses were collated under strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree. The SchoolMap evaluation instrument was used to evaluate whether: 1. The school is continually looking at ways to improve its performance. 2. The school continually makes minor changes to its programs to improve what it does. 3. The school makes major changes from time to time to improve what it does. 4. The school regularly measures the success of its programs. 5. The educational needs of all students are met by the school. 6. The school care about the students and the discipline is fair. 7. The staff at the school are valued and supported. 8. Teachers undertake extra training to improve their classroom teaching. 9. The school is well organised. 10. The allocation of money and other resources is managed effectively. Findings and Conclusions Staff The school set preliminary targets before administering the tests. The school expectation was that at least 80% of teachers would respond ‘Strongly Agree’ or ‘Agree’ to the statements in the area of School Management. The staff response to the best practice statements was over 80% for eight of the ten statements with responses to Question 3 and 8 at 75%. These statements related to major change (Question 3) and systematically planned professional development (Question 8). Parents A total of 89 parents responded to the SchoolMap best practice survey. Parent responses were very positive. Responses of strongly agree/agree were selected for 8 of the 10 statements with each of these receiving over 80% combined. The 2 statements which rated less positively were “The educational needs of all students are met by the school” (56%) and “The school makes major changes from time to time to improve what it does.” (57%) Some parents surveyed believe the school could further improve in the area of meeting the needs of all students. Currently the school employs a specialist learning support teacher and three learning support teachers’ aides to work closely with our students who require additional assistance. The $30,000 received annually from the Gordon West Parents and Citizens in addition to a similar amount funded by the school makes the Learning Support program the most financially resourced of all the school programs. Currently this additional learning support focuses on improving student literacy skills. With the need to maximise the use of these available funds, the school prioritises students who need support in literacy as developing a student’s reading comprehension skills is beneficial to progressing their proficiency in both literacy and numeracy. The school’s vision is “to be seen as a school of excellence, with a definite purpose and direction” and continues to excel academically, on the sporting field and in cultural pursuits. Our achievements are in part due to the strong, ongoing efficient and effective management of the school. While this stability and success creates little necessity to make major management changes, Gordon West is always looking at ways to improve and refine its existing organisational processes. Students A total of 120 students from Year 5 and 6 were surveyed. Overall the survey results indicated that the students at Gordon West were generally positive to the school’s management practices. The responses relating to the allocation of finances, student welfare and major school change were statements scoring 60%. The remaining seven statement responses scored over 75%. Future Directions The evaluation of survey results identified certain areas for future development including the need for the school to: • Greater involvement by staff in the decision making and leadership roles. • Ensure all staff update their professional learning plans annually, and • Investigate implementing additional communication strategies and refining existing practices. 19
Page 1 and 2: NSW Department of Education & Train
Page 3 and 4: P&C MESSAGE The P&C had another ver
Page 5 and 6: STAFF INFORMATION It is a requireme
Page 7 and 8: Rugby Union Children in Years 3 and
Page 9 and 10: Year 3 NAPLAN - Spelling School SSG
Page 11 and 12: Year 5 NAPLAN - Reading School SSG
Page 13 and 14: Year 5 NAPLAN - Numeracy School SSG
Page 15 and 16: National Benchmarks The Commonwealt
Page 17: TECHNOLOGY With the increase in cla
Page 23 and 24: To address this concern the office
Page 25 and 26: SCHOOL PLANNING 2012-2014 School Pr
Page 27 and 28: School Priority 3 - Quality Teachin

2011 Annual School Report - Gordon West Public School

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