Yearbook2017_demo

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OXFORD FALLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2017 YEARBOOK TOP ACHIEVERS IN THE STATE WERE: • Monique Gomez placed in the top 20 in the State for French Beginners • Luciana Lopez placed in the top 50 in the state for Dance • Harry Vasey placed in the top 70 in the state for Industrial Technology 35 students appear on the Distinguished Achievers List, having scored in the top band (Band 6 or E4) in at least one course: Rebecca Barlow, Charlie Birnie, Nathan Blyme, Tyler Bowles, Caitlyn Burton, Arabella Cleary, Rory Coverdale, Finn Ruby Dawe, Joshua De, Matthew Dennison, Jacob Ditchfield, Aryan Eshraghi, Cameron Gain, Lea Gleitsmann, Monique Gomez, Red Hunt, Lucy Laidlaw, Luciana Lopez, Isabella Luciani, Sascha MacDonald, Francesca Mays, Madeleine McIntyre, Donald McNamara, Elyse Morris, Alexander Nicholls, Alexandra Norris, Oliver Perillo, Maddison Pullinger, Amelia Rose, Joshua Spiller, Daniel Stone, Hamish Taylor, Benjamin Turner, Harry Vasey, Melanie Wearing. PERFORMING AND CREATIVE ARTS • Accelerated Dance students, Luciana Lopez, Sascha MacDonald and Melanie Wearing in Year 11, were nominated for CallBack; a selection of outstanding performances and projects from HSC Dance students to be held at the Seymour Centre, University of Sydney. All three students were nominated for both their Core Composition and their Major Study Performance – a very rare event indeed. The judges ultimately selected Luciana and Sascha’s Major Study Performances for inclusion in CallBack. NAPLAN RESULTS 2017 In May this year the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) was completed by all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in all Government and Non-Government schools in Australia. The NAPLAN tests report each student’s level of achievement against the National benchmarks in Literacy (Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation) and Numeracy (Data, Measurement, Space & Geometry and Number, Patterns & Algebra). NAPLAN tests allow us to identify areas for improvement for individual students and to identify school-wide priorities for the future. It was pleasing to note that the Literacy and Numeracy scores at OFGS exceeded the State comparison in all areas for each cohort sitting this assessment program. AVERAGE SCORES Reading Writing Spelling Grammar Numeracy OFGS NSW OFGS NSW OFGS NSW OFGS NSW OFGS NSW Year 3 469 437 434 421 449 427 457 444 459 416 Year 5 542 509 493 478 545 508 564 506 531 500 Year 7 580 549 539 517 572 558 577 547 580 560 Year 9 623 589 607 559 613 592 624 583 626 603 • Caitlyn Burton and Harry Vasey were both nominated for inclusion in Intech, the annual exhibition of outstanding Major Projects by HSC Industrial Technology (Multimedia) students. Caitlyn produced a website and an immersive short film installation to raise awareness of mental health issues. Harry produced a short film, using ‘claymation’, with an accompanying website. Harry’s Major Project was, in fact selected by the judges for display in the exhibition. • From Visual Arts, two Major Works were selected for the Express Yourself Exhibition, these being Georgia Peter’s watercolour and Ben Shelley’s drawing work. COURSE HIGHLIGHTS The school average exceeded the state average in over 95% of the courses offered here. In the following courses the school average greatly exceeded the state result: • Ancient History • Biology • Business Studies • Dance • Economics • Food Technology • French Beginners • Geography • History Extension • Industrial Technology (Multimedia) • Legal Studies • Mathematics General • Mathematics • Modern History • Music 1 Mr Paul Arena Director of Curriculum 10
Director of Teaching and Learning K–12 REPORT At Oxford Falls Grammar School teachers work hard to design learning experiences that are rich, relevant and rigorous. Dr Susan Marks Director of Teaching and Learning K–12 This year teachers have continued to meet together in Sharing and Learning Teams (SaLT) to set goals, plan teaching and learning strategies, reflect on students’ learning and share best practice. Our SaLT program provides teachers with an action research model of continuous professional development that is grounded in research, inspires teachers to experiment with engaging approaches to learning, and holds them accountable to one another. In the Senior School, this year has seen the introduction of the OFGS 3Cs model of learning (see right). Inspired by Guy Claxton’s Mind Questioning Reasoning Analysis Observation Cognition Independence Imagination Connecting Reflection (2002, 2011) Building Learning Power approach to developing effective learners, the OFGS 3Cs model was designed in-house, specifically with OFGS students in mind, and centres on three domains of learning – Cognition, Collaboration and Commitment – each of which features eight important learning behaviours. In the cognition domain, behaviours such as questioning assumptions, imagining and critical reflection engage students in the learning process as creators, rather than merely consumers, of ideas. The importance of working effectively in collaboration with others, through exercising behaviours such as reliability and empathy, is also vital to successful learning. Finally, commitment to learning is an important part of the model, for without <strong>demo</strong>nstrating behaviours such as perseverance, self-belief, focus and effective planning, learning may well be shallow and sporadic. Carol Dweck’s (2006) research on ‘growth mindset’ (that is, the belief that intelligence is not fixed, but can grow through effort) and Angela Duckworth’s Listening Empathy Reliability Humility Collaboration Encouragement Leadership Teamwork Assertiveness Effort Focus Revision Perseverance Commitment Self-Belief Planning Risk-Taking Absorption Emotions and Will Relationships (2016) work on ‘grit’, support this emphasis on learning behaviours located in the commitment domain. In the Junior School, teachers have been consolidating last year’s focus on the implementation of strategies to improve reading through the CAFÉ model. This model – an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanding vocabulary – involves teachers offering explicit instruction in these key areas. In addition, students are encouraged to practise literacy skills independently, while the classroom teacher engages in reading conferences with individuals and small groups. This year teachers have also restructured a number of English lessons, so that aspects of literacy – such as spelling, reading, writing and grammar – are integrated into literacy blocks, rather than being taught in isolation. Our sustained focus on reading, both at School and in terms of our homework policy that prioritises reading, has seen a substantial increase in the number of books borrowed from the Library and improved reading results across the board, including improved NAPLAN reading results. As part of the SaLT program this year, Junior School teachers also had the opportunity to participate in passion projects, ably led by our Junior School SaLT leaders. These included workshops on: teaching writing effectively; inquiry-based learning; effective use of iPads in the classroom; and new approaches to fostering students’ wellbeing and resilience. Once again, 2017 has afforded OFGS teachers a range of opportunities to hone their craft as skilful practitioners. Our vibrant professional learning community has continued to flourish as we have devoted ourselves to ongoing learning, reflection and refinement of our practice. Dr Susan Marks Director of Teaching and Learning K-12 Claxton, G. (2002). Building learning power: Helping young people become better learners. Bristol, U.K., T.L.O. Claxton, G. (2011). The learning powered school: Pioneering 21st century education. Bristol, U.K., T.L.O. Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. New York, N.Y. Scribner. Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, N.Y. Random House. OFFICIAL REPORTS DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING 11
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