2016 epping north public school annual report...p&c funds were also used to help fund technology...

Epping North Public SchoolAnnual Report

2016

4165

Printed on: 29 April, 2017 of 27 Epping North Public School 4165 (2016)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2016 is provided to the community of Epping North Public School (ENPS) as an account of theschool's operations and achievements throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Joanne Wilcher

Principal

School contact details

Epping North Public SchoolBoundary RdNorth Epping, 2121www.eppingnth-p.schools.nsw.edu.aueppingnth-p.School@det.nsw.edu.au9876 5254

Message from the Principal

In publishing this report to the school and wider community, I acknowledge the Kuring gai and Dhurag people on whoseland the school was built.

At Epping North Public School (ENPS) our goal is to develop successful, confident and creative learners, equipped withthe skills to become active and informed global citizens. At ENPS, we seek to develop in our students the capacity forlearning how to learn. This is a process of preparing and empowering students to master essential academic content, tothink critically and solve complex real world problems, to work collaboratively and communicate effectively, to beself–directed in their education and to have a growth mindset in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

We achieved outstanding results in NAPLAN, Maths Olympiad, Premier’s debating and we participated in Tournament ofthe Minds for the first time this year. We also achieved wonderful results in the sporting and musical arenas.

In 2016, growth mindset and goal setting has been explicitly taught to all students. In years 3–5 students have activelyengaged in learning how to learn. Our focus on goals is literacy and numeracy, critical and creative thinking andinformation communication technology (ICT).

When students work with teachers to set their goals they take responsibility and ownership of their learning. Studentstrack their goals on the digital platforms SeeSaw and Mgoals. These digital platforms allow parents access to theclassroom and their child’s learning like never before.

We continue to build on our previous work engaging students in critical and creativity thinking – project based, inquirylearning. When students are strongly engaged, they are successful in the tasks of rigorous intellectual quality and theyhave passionate, positive feelings about learning.

Students in Kindergarten have designed playground equipment that they can climb and play on every lunchtime andhave cooked healthy food and designed healthy food parties. Students in year 1 and 2 have participated in deep,authentic learning with their unit on water sustainability, Caine’s Arcade and their Australian Animal Expo.

We have connected with our community by participating in the senior’s reading program with residents from Poplar’saged care facility. This project is the first of its kind in Australia. Students in Stage 2 and 3 have participated in deep,authentic learning with their units on the Powerful Owl, Celebrations, Night of Notables and Financial Literacy. Wecontinue to connect with the community with initiatives that have seen us work with teachers and students from EppingBoys High School on anti–bullying awareness raising, music and coding. We have had local business leaders join us forour Stage 3 Financial Literacy expo held at North Epping Bowling Club. This program supported students to developentrepreneurial skills. Stage 2 have continued to uphold the long tradition of lawn bowls learning the skills once againfrom local residents.


We continue to invest in innovative technologies and transformational pedagogies to present curriculum in meaningfuland engaging ways. Technology at ENPS is a tool to personalise learning. Students are digital creators and activeparticipants not just passive consumers. Students are encouraged to explore interests and sustain curiosity through ourembedded technology.

Thank you to the teachers who have led and supported all the key initiatives and designed the most engaging andchallenging learning experiences for our students. Your energy, passion and commitment to deliver learning thatenergises and empowers passionate and articulate learners I find personally inspiring. It is a privilege to be part of thisteam.

The financial contribution by the P&C has supported many key educational programs including, some of the Minilit,Multilit, and learning support time, the newly refurbished classroom breakout spaces and technology. The Parents andCitizens (P&C) has supported the school and shares the school wide commitment to create a school with purposeful,successful learning for all students. Without the P&C we would not enjoy the same high quality environment, teachingand learning and extracurricular activities.

Many parent volunteers help with reading, canteen, band, dance, chess, uniform shop and fundraising and thesecontributions directly support all students to participate in opportunities that enrich their lives and build confidence andself–esteem.

THANK YOU

Joanne Wilcher

Principal

Message from the school community

Message from the P&C President

The Epping North Public School P&C is an active organisation operating within the school environment. We areextremely lucky to have a school executive and staff that are supportive of the programs and services provided by theP&C. Working together we are able to provide a learning environment that is the backdrop of an outstanding primaryschool experience for our children.

The P&C retail services of Canteen and Uniform Shop continued to flourish in 2016. Canteen service was increased to 2days per week (Wednesday and Friday) and employed 2 additional casual staff. The Uniform Shop continued to providea quality service that could easily challenge respected chain–stores. The 2016 profits from our retail services will beploughed back into school infrastructure, technology, and learning programs.

Our extracurricular programs of Dance and Band provided the children with an avenue of expression through music. Weare extremely proud of our inclusive policy for participants. It is not about how good they are but how much they want toparticipate.

Our Chess Club ran for all 4 terms in 2016. It gave children of all ages a chance to master this game of strategy. Onceagain, participation is based on the desire to learn and not ability.

2016 was declared the Year of the Parent. The aim? Social events for parents without the pressure of fundraising. Twoevents were held: Colour Trivia Night and Bush Dance. Both fulfilled the aim of providing the parents and friends with anight of fun. The bonus? An extra $8,000 in our fundraising account. These efforts were a practical example to our kidsof what having fun whilst giving back to the community looks like.

The funds raised by the P&C saw the completion of the extension of the School Hall COLA (Covered Outdoor LearningArea). It provided much needed shade during the Easter Parade. It enabled the school to save time and money byhaving its Presentation Day on the premises rather than having to transport the children, band and equipment offsite to alarger school. Let’s not forget to mention how much easier it was for parents to attend…

Other infrastructure projects included the refurbishment of the Science Room and installation of air conditioning.

P&C funds were also used to help fund technology (iPads, iPad storage and charging docks), technology infrastructure(WiFi, sound system amplifier), and 1,000 additional readers. A team of parents responding to a call for help saw everyone of those 1,000 books covered to protect and prolong their shelf life.

These projects, programs, and services are due to the tireless efforts of parents that care about enriching the educationexperience of their children. They are giving their children a practical and tangible example of what team work can


accomplish. An example of working for others as well as yourself.

Volunteers are the cornerstone of everything the P&C accomplishes in a year. No mention has been made of the teamthat look after the grounds and vegetable garden, help with literacy and numeracy. The list is endless. The ENPS P&Cteam make the job of President easy and rewarding. Thank you, team.

Marie McHugh

P&C President

Message from the students

This year, as the leaders of Epping North Public School we have begun our own leadership journey.

The many opportunities we have taken on board have given us the chance to grow not only our leadership skills but alsoas a person. We have learnt to set goals not only for ourselves but for our team as well.

Some of our highlights, opportunities and memories that have enabled us to implement our leadership skills are:

ANZAC dawn service

Music Festival

Presentation Day

Leadership Camp

Young Leaders Day

Hosting Assemblies

Greeting and welcoming guests to our school

We have always aspired to be leaders and hope that we have inspired students at our school to do so as well. Weencourage everyone to embrace all opportunities that this wonderful school community has to offer. We wish the best toour future leaders and the school.

The 2016 School Captains,

Sofia and Jackson


School background

School vision statement

At Epping North Public School, we will strive for excellence by developing successful confident and creative learners whowill become active and informed global citizens.

We believe all students and staff are lifelong learners who can demonstrate resilience, respect and responsibility.

We believe that both learners and the learning process are highly valued and supported by an engaged and activecommunity.

Epping North Public School is part of a rigorous, meaningful and dignified public education system that strengthensequity and democracy.

School context

Epping North Public School is situated on several hectares of park like grounds with a supportive and committed schoolcommunity. It has an enrolment of approximately 420 students K–6. The school has a purposeful focus on literacy andnumeracy achievement, which is supported by a cohesive and dedicated staff team who have expert knowledge ofcurrent pedagogy. Epping North Public School is renowned for its excellence in academic achievement and enjoys anoutstanding reputation in the creative and performing arts, sports, ICT and specialised programs to cater for the needs ofall students.

The school student population is comprised of 31% from speaking backgrounds other than English. The school isdeveloping strong links with the Epping Community of schools and other community groups. The school has a reputationfor developing the whole child and this ethos is strongly supported by an active Parents and Citizens’ Association whosupports the school in diverse areas to engage and strengthen student learning.

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework(SEF), school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the SEF. The framework supports public schools throughoutNSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practice across the three domains ofLearning, Teaching and Leading.

Our school executive were given dedicated time to thoroughly reflect on the schools practice and to determine theelements of the School Excellence Framework that the plan most strongly addressed. The executive reflected on theprogress being made across the school as a whole as measured against the indicators identified in the SchoolExcellence Framework.

In the domain of Learning, our efforts have primarily focused on the dimensions of learning culture, wellbeing andassessment and reporting. Our focus on individualised student goal setting has meant that our students are learning tobecome self–reliant and directed learners who can set meaningful goals, implement strategies and developsocio–cognitive dispositions that will see them achieve their targets. We are developing a culture that valuesrelationships, trust and respect, one that encourages students to consistently dotheir best.

In the domain of Teaching, our efforts have been primarily focused on the dimensions of effective classroom practice,data skills and use, collaborative practice and learning and development. Our teachers are part of a learning network andcollaborate on professional practice within and beyond the school context. In 2016 our collaborations includedInstructional Rounds with Beecroft and Epping Public Schools. Mentoring opportunities with Epping Boys High Schooland the ELEVATE action research project with the Association of Independent Schools and the Innovation Unit. Teacherprofessional learning both formal and informal, plays an integral role in improving individual practice. Teachers andschool executive have had opportunities to engage in personalised professional development, classroom observationsand individual Performance and Development conferences. Teachers collaboratively analyse internal and externalstudent achievement data to identify whole school targets as well as the individual learning needs of identified students.Student progress is continuously monitored and evaluated through our Learning Community teams. Within teams, staffuse a suite of data including, Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) for comprehension and maths, pre and postassessments, Planning Literacy and Numeracy (PLAN) data, student engaged assessment practices and consistent


teacher judgement. Data walls are reviewed every 5 weeks to monitor individual student progress, program adjustmentsand targeted initiatives.

In the domain of Leading, our efforts have primarily focused on the dimensions of school planning, implementation andreporting and, management practices and processes. In 2016 we focused on building greater community engagement instudent wellbeing and learning outcomes with the introduction of digitalised technologies that enhance parentengagement in classrooms and with individual students goals and aspirations. We further enhanced our reporting toparents and included a focus on learning dispositions and individualised goal setting. Expenditure from our ResourceAllocation Model (RAM) is strongly aligned to school priorities which result in improved outcomes for students. Theschool plan is a living document which establishes a clear vision for our school and maintains focus on the journey toachieving these goals.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine the strategic priorities in our School Plan, leading to furtherimprovements in the delivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about–the–department/our–reforms/school–excellence–framework


Strategic Direction 1

Developing the whole child as a learner, leader and global citizen.

Purpose

At Epping North Public School we believe that for students to pursue their potential as lifelong learners, leaders andglobal citizens they need to become confident, creative and critical problem solvers who demonstrate resilience andindependence.

As teachers and school leaders we are focused on the learning needs of every student experiencing a sense of success,growth, achievement, wellbeing and belonging.

Overall summary of progress

In 2016 class teachers trialled the K–6 stage based scope and sequence and have designed/adapted integratedconceptual units which incorporated science, history, geography and English outcomes, ICT and CCT. As a resultstudents have become deeply engaged leaners inspired to explore real–world challenges and problems throughauthentic project based learning and assessment opportunities.

A continued focus to maintain and further develop a critical and creative thinking culture has resulted in improvedteaching strategies across all Key Learning Areas. Students are now more skilled to think broadly and deeply using skills,behaviours and dispositions such as reason, logic, resourcefulness, imagination and innovation in all learning areas atschool.

In numeracy areas teachers have integrated the programs of Targeting Early Numeracy (TEN) in Stage 1 and financialliteracy in Stage 3. Teachers have been integrating technology into the maths program through using the Mathleticswebsite (live Mathletics, rainforest maths and Khan Academy). Student learning has been tracked and differentiatedthrough the TEN project in K–2. The results of this project have been plotted on the numeracy continuum and the PLANsoftware and indicate improvement in student outcomes. ENPS staff has dedicated time in planning meetings to discussand refine the implementation of the mathematics scope and sequence, using checklists to differentiate numeracyactivities.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Progress achieved this year Funds Expended(Resources)

Increase the percentage of year 3and year 5 students achieving inthe top two bands in writing andnumeracy.

Students achieved pleasing value–added results inliteracy and numeracy. Teacher professionallearning has been around the purpose and benefitof effective assessment and feedback as a tool toimprove student outcomes and inform teachers andstudents about future learning directions.

Increase the percentage ofstudents achieving at or beyondexpected stage standard inliteracy and numeracy on schoolbased assessment data.

The staff has continued to track student data usingPLAN. Teacher professional learning has involvedfurther investigation of the numeracy continuumand the interactive literacy continuum and the linksfor 'where to next' in student learning. The use ofPAT data as an assessment and diagnostic tool hasgiven achievement. The School executive has attended training on the School Measurement,Assessment & Reporting Toolkit (SMART) data toenhance skills in the analysis of school outcomesand trends in NAPLAN data.

Literacy and Numeracy(learning conferences) $13,455.00

Increase engagement ofstudents, staff and parents whoparticipate as proactive partnersin deep authentic learning thatincludes critical thinking, problemsolving, communication,collaboration, creative thinking

Curriculum programs and teaching practiceseffectively developed and assessed the knowledge,understandings and skills of all students.Targeted focus on improved teaching methods incritical and creative thinking, with professionallearning activities focused on building teachers’understandings of effective teaching strategies in

Curriculum (learning)Design $5,400.00





and imagination, character andcitizenship.

these areas. Students demonstrate improvedcritical and creative thinking skills, strategies anddispositions.

Next Steps

The stage based scope and sequence for English, Science, Geography and History will continue to be implemented,trialled and adjusted in 2017.

Teachers will continue to collaboratively write/adapt stage based integrated units to include English, Science, Geographyand History outcomes, incorporating CCT, ICT and assessment for, as, and of learning, based on teacher feedback in2016.

Teachers will continue to embed authentic assessment within the conceptual units and ensure that is directly linked tostudent learning with evidence of growth and development

Teachers will continue to revisit, build on and share successes and examples of ‘Seven Steps of Writing Success’program through planned teacher professional learning.

Teachers to further incorporate TEN/financial literacy and ICT technology into their maths programming.



Enhancing professional leadership, teaching and learning practices.

Purpose

At Epping North Public School, we believe that a school wide professional team has personal and collective responsibilityto enhance the outcomes and wellbeing of all students.

Through targeted, explicit and innovative professional learning within and beyond the classroom, teachers will learn fromeach others practices and pedagogy to create a dynamic teaching and learning environment.


As part of their Professional Learning Plan (PLP) staff developed Professional Learning Goals to focus their professionallearning. Teachers were also given the opportunity to undertake individualised professional learning to support specificprofessional learning goals.

The opportunity for teachers to observe peers proved successful among staff as a way to enhance teaching strategiesand fulfil professional learning goals. Feedback from supervisors after classroom observations was deemed useful andinformative by classroom teachers.

Comprehensive educational and wide community relationships were built, with the initiation of the inaugural Beecroft,Epping and Epping North Public Schools, Instructional Rounds community of practice (BEECOS). With support from ourcommunity of schools, a team of teachers engaged in whole school data collection to build a picture of learning and havedata driven recommendations for school improvement. Early recommendations indicated strong student metacognitivestrategies around learning and strong engagement and connection with learning.

Mentoring relationships with Epping Boys High School were facilitated between teachers and students with a focus oncurriculum design, coding, anti–bullying and wellbeing.

A small group of teachers took part in ELEVATE, an action research project focusing on designing learning for highpotential learners. ELEVATE is a cross sectorial project – with the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) and theInnovation Unit from London.




All staff have individualProfessional Learning Plans aspart of the Performance andDevelopment Framework. PLPwill include: individual, stage andschool goals.

All staff developed Professional Learning Goals,including an individual, stage and school goal.

Teaching programs were reviewed by stagesupervisors, and feedback given.

Ongoing and regular meetings between teachersand stage supervisor were organised to support theprocess of achieving goals through discussion andevidence collection.

Teachers developed their PLP, and were given theopportunity twice a term to undertake individualisedprofessional learning. They were also givenopportunities to undertake peer observations, linkedto Professional Learning Goals.

Stage Supervisors undertook classroomobservations. Feedback was given that was alignedto teaching standards.

Staff goal setting mentoringmeetings. $1350.00

Increase of staff employing 21century technologies andpedagogies to improve student

A small group of teachers was involved inInstructional Rounds with local Community ofSchools.

ELEVATE and InstructionalRounds $9450.00





outcomes.Instructional Rounds group took part in theidentification of a problem of practice, observationalrounds and developed a theory of action for futurefocus.

Student engaged assessment was established. InK–2 I can... statements, 3–4, Step it Up Walls and5–6 , co–constructed success criteria to supportvisible learning in the classrooms.

Teachers were given opportunities to share bestteaching practice through regular 'TeachMeets'.

Outside relationships were developed with EppingBoys HS.

A small group of teachers took part in ELEVATE.Identification and design of learning for highpotential learners was the focus.

Conceptual units were collaboratively developedand refined to reflect constructivist learning thatincluded CCT and ICT throughout.

Staff achieving and ormaintaining accreditation atProficient, Highly Accomplishedor Lead as part of theirprofessional learning linked toindividual Professional LearningPlans.

Ongoing implementation of the accreditation groupof teachers within the school and the localcommunity continued.

Regular meetings took place to further staffunderstanding of the teaching standards.

An Assistant Principal was successful in gaining agrant for the Leadership Initiative Project to supportthe attainment of accreditation at Lead Level.

Three teachers successfully gained accreditation atProficient.

Next Steps

Learning pods will be development focus for 2017. Groups of teachers will come together twice a term to discuss DylanWilliams, Formative Assessment.

Personalised Professional Learning will continue to support teacher professional learning goals.

There will be opportunities for peer observations (teachers visiting fellow teachers' classrooms to see different teachingpractices) which link to Learning Pods.

Observations–peer/supervisors will continue with feedback.

Instructional rounds will continue with new staff members given opportunities to join the Instructional Roundsgroup. ENPS staff will collaboratively identify school's problem of practice and develop a theory of action which will bethe focus for Instructional Rounds Observations.

Professional Learning on Accreditation will be provided for pre 2004 teachers in line with mandatory requirements atbeginning of 2018.

Timeline will be set for attaining accreditation at Highly Accomplished and Lead Level, to include evidence andannotations linked to professional standards.


A school handbook for new staff members and pre–service teachers will be created.

Induction and support structures will be established for long term casuals /temporary teachers to develop professionallyin line with the Department of Education Performance and Development requirements.



Innovative management (systems), support and resourcing which measurably improves indivdual and collectivewellbeing.

Purpose

At Epping North Public School we believe that a school wide commitment to purposeful, successfullearning willbeachieved through inclusive collaboration between teachers, executive,administration and support personnel, parentsand community members.

We will create, enhance and maintain a school culture, which is dynamic,equitable and sustainable where all studentsare provided with opportunities toconnect, succeed and thrive


There has continued to be a whole school focus of student assessment using PLAN, PAT and class assessment data toinform development of individual and whole class programs. Learning Communities have been refined to include stageData Walls to track student growth and development. Teachers continue to enter PLAN data every term and use it aspart of a triangulation of data to report, assess and program This is evident in Learning Community data walls, programsand reports to parents.

The Learning Support Team identification and support of students has been refined and developed to cater for new statemeasures including NCCD reporting and funding particulars. The support team continues to use out of school advisorsand suppliers to support and enhance in school support programs when required. The Learning Engagement Teamcontinues to evolve according to need.

The new reporting format was launched successfully in Semester 1 after whole school training and personal learningsessions to upskill teachers in use of the new indicator based model. Community feedback has been particularly positivein regard to the new format. The reports continue to be reflected upon and further enhanced after 2 sessions of use.

Investigations into BYO device resulted in decisions to supply one to one device from school funds beginning in Stage 3and being trailed in Term 1 2017.




Increased effective use ofassessment data by individualteachers and whole school teamsto monitor school wideachievement and progress inareas such as literacy, numeracy,cross–curricular skills, critical andcreative thinking as well asstudent resilience andwell–being.

All staff continue to enter PLAN data withprofessional learning targeting connection tonumeracy and literacy continuums. This hasinformed personalised and group programming.

All staff use PLAN data and student learning plansto inform planning for whole class and individualprograms, and accessing support as part of atriangulation of data evidence. This data is used aspart of Learning Community reports to trackstudents with support needs.

PAT data has been introduced and used as both adiagnostic and assessment tool.

Development of Critical and Creative Thinkingcontinuum and ICT skills continuum have enhancedteacher assessment and judgement.

School executive have attended SMART dataanalysis training to enhance analysis of schooloutcomes and trends in NAPLAN data.

PAT license 1620.00

PAT training 1000.00

Increase of parent participation inour school–home learning

Community forums were held to enhance parentunderstanding of critical and creative thinking, goal





partnerships to supportengagement in student learningand well–being programs atschool.

setting and the new reporting format. Digitaltechnologies such as Seesaw and Mgoals allowedparent access into student goal setting andachievement and student work.

Increased parent understandingof the learning progress of theirchildren and knowledge of how toeffectively support them to learn.

The newly developed report was introduced infirst semester with all positive feedback fromteachers and community.

Some refinement of general comment was made forsemester two to include a more thorough reportingof soft skills, dispositions and behaviours and ICT.

A final aspect for review will include the balance ofKLA indicators and layout to achieve a betterproduct. However content and comments weresuccessful and thoroughly reported by teacherswithout issue.

Increase of students, staff andparents meaningfully connectingwith student wellbeing programsin the school.

All students who were identified as requiringsupport through use of data and LearningCommunities were targeted by Learning andSupport Teacher (LaST) and improved learningoutcomes were evident in reports and assessmentdata.

The Learning Engagement Team (LET) hascontinued to develop and refine using a variety ofstudent opportunities

Reading Recovery data and literacy and numeracysummative assessments and data analysis showstudent growth in most cases.

School NCCD data was successfully collected andreferred

As part of grade planning, Learning Communitiesand handover for 2017, PLAN data, PAT data,NAPLAN results, and class assessments formedtriangulation of data to inform new teachers.

Learning Communities$14,400.00

Next Steps

We will:

Continue to monitor and maintain Learning Support, Learning Engagement and Learning Communities toensure support for students with learning needs or enrichment/extension.

Continue to refine new report layout.

Continue to provide professional learning opportunities around the use of data to enable teachers to better assessstudent needs.

Continue to develop student goal setting K–6 using a wider variety of digital tools and engagement of parents.

Continue to use and develop teacher and student skills in data use to inform programming and assessment.


Key Initiatives Impact achieved this year Resources (annual)

Aboriginal background loading All staff have an understanding of theAboriginal Education policy and incorporateAboriginal perspectives across all teachingprograms. School programs address theneeds of students identified as IndigenousAustralians.

Curriculum resources$682.00

English language proficiency The school EAL/D program achievesvalue–added results for all students withspeaking backgrounds other than English.

Staffing allocation forEAL/D 3 days a week.

$53,190.00

Low level adjustment for disability All students identified at risk through BestStart, NAPLAN, LST, Learning Communities,PLAN data and PLASST are supportedthrough program adjustments, SLSO time andLaST support.

SLSO costs for Minilit andMultilit and classroomsupport.

$17,074.00

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

Staffing entitlement allowed for teaching staffto design lessons and assessments together,team teach and reflect on practice.

Staffing Allocation

Socio–economic background The school achieves value added results forall students.

All students have equal access to thecurriculum.

$2,660.00

Support for beginning teachers All beginning teachers receive additionalsupport and funding during the first years oftheir career.

In/out of school relationships providecoaching support to ensure the ongoingdevelopment of beginning teachers based ontheir professional learning needs.

Participation in InstructionalRounds and ELEVATE

$8,161.46


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2013 2014 2015 2016

Boys 193 192 187 190

Girls 226 238 225 230

Student numbers have remained constant overprevious years.

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

K 97.7 96.5 95.2 96.2

1 96.8 97.8 95.5 95.9

2 96.7 97.4 96.7 96.6

3 97.3 97.4 96.5 96.9

4 95.7 97.6 95.7 96.9

5 96.8 96.8 97.4 95.9

6 96.5 97 96.2 97.4

All Years 96.8 97.2 96.1 96.5

State DoE

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016

K 95 95.2 94.4 94.4

1 94.5 94.7 93.8 93.9

2 94.7 94.9 94 94.1

3 94.8 95 94.1 94.2

4 94.7 94.9 94 93.9

5 94.5 94.8 94 93.9

6 94.1 94.2 93.5 93.4

All Years 94.7 94.8 94 94

Class sizes

Class Total

KC 19

KL 19

KG 19

1L 24

2/1J 24

1N 22

2R 24

2B 24

3T 33

3B 33

4C 27

4A 28

5D 28

6/5M 29

5W 29

6B 30

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Assistant Principal(s) 4

Classroom Teacher(s) 13.37

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0.32

Learning and Support Teacher(s) 0.5

Teacher Librarian 0.8

School Administration & SupportStaff

3.12

Other Positions 0

*Full Time Equivalent

Staff at Epping North work as a collaborative team tochallenge students and inspire innovative learning.Specialist teachers were employed to teach music,drama, technology and library. Three Student LearningSupport Officers (SLSO) were employed to assist withthe integration of students with special or additionalneeds.

Teacher qualifications


All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 16

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Each year funding is provided to enable school staff(teaching and non teaching) to participate inprofessional learning activities within and beyond theschool. A total of $18, 838 was allocated for teacherprofessional learning throughout 2016. All teachingstaff and support staff underwent training in theNational Disability standards, and the new LMBRsystem. Teaching staff also engaged in professionallearning for Instructional Rounds and collaborativepractice, technology using the SAMR and TPACKmodels. A major focus was on the design ofassessment as an integral part of the teaching andlearning, and the implementation of a reporting formatfor parents to gain a deeper understanding of theirchild's academic, skill and social development.

Three teachers gained accreditation at proficient.

Financial information (for schoolsusing both OASIS and SAP/SALM)

Financial information

The three financial summary tables cover 13 months(from 1 December 2015 to 31 December 2016).

The financial summary consists of school incomebroken down by funding source and is derived from theschool Annual Financial Statement.

Income $

Balance brought forward 364 834.64

Global funds 173 897.91

Tied funds 87 168.54

School & community sources 179 988.74

Interest 4 852.16

Trust receipts 27 835.00

Canteen 0.00

Total income 838 576.99

Expenditure

Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 64 919.21

Excursions 36 649.00

Extracurricular dissections 21 475.16

Library 3 147.77

Training & development 6 626.43

Tied funds 43 667.05

Short term relief 25 916.62

Administration & office 35 309.25

School-operated canteen 0.00

Utilities 27 103.18

Maintenance 21 405.87

Trust accounts 27 835.00

Capital programs 0.00

Total expenditure 314 054.54

Balance carried forward 524 522.45

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 30 November 2015 to 31December 2016.


2016 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 0.00

Revenue 783 415.25

(2a) Appropriation 714 485.15

(2b) Sale of Goods andServices

3 328.10

(2c) Grants and Contributions 62 376.19

(2e) Gain and Loss 0.00

(2f) Other Revenue 0.00

(2d) Investment Income 3 225.81

Expenses -339 886.62

Recurrent Expenses -339 886.62

(3a) Employee Related -167 699.74

(3b) Operating Expenses -172 186.88

Capital Expenses 0.00

(3c) Employee Related 0.00

(3d) Operating Expenses 0.00

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

443 528.63

Balance Carried Forward 443 528.63

There is no opening balance recorded in the SAPfinance table. The opening balance for the school forthis reporting period is recorded as the BalanceBrought Forward in the OASIS table.

The OASIS Balance carried forward amount (ie, fundson date of migration) is included in the (2a)Appropriation amount in the SAP table.

Any differences between the OASIS Balance carriedforward and (2a) Appropriation amount is the result ofother accounts and transactions being included in the(2a) Appropriation amount.

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above.

2016 Actual ($)

Base Total 2 578 131.59

Base Per Capita 22 232.43

Base Location 0.00

Other Base 2 555 899.16

Equity Total 124 618.05

Equity Aboriginal 682.30

Equity Socio economic 2 661.80

Equity Language 53 189.51

Equity Disability 68 084.44

Targeted Total 13 099.99

Other Total 48 443.71

Grand Total 2 764 293.34

A full copy of the school’s financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

Students in Years 3 and Year 5 continue todemonstrate outstanding achievement in NAPLANassessment in Literacy.

Overall students at Epping North PS performedextremely well showing a continued positive trend ofstudent performing in the top 2 bands in reading,writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation.

Year 3 • In reading, 80.3% of students achieved in the top

two bands. This compared well to 51.8% for theState and 76.8% for statistically similar schools.

• In writing, 77.3% of students achieved in the toptwo bands. This compared well to 54.1% for theState and 74.3% for statistically similar schools.

• In spelling, 83.4% of students achieved in the toptwo bands. This compared well to 54.4% for theState and 76.7% for statistically similar schools.

• In grammar and punctuation, 81.9% of studentsachieved in the top two bands. This comparedwell to 52.9% for the State and 76.2% forstatistically similar schools.


Year 5 • In reading, 74.3% of students achieved in the top

two bands. This compared well to 38.6% for theState and 61.6% for statistically similar schools.

• In writing, 33.3% of students achieved in the toptwo bands. This compared well to 18.7% for theState and 34.9% for statistically similar schools.

• In spelling, 53% of students achieved in the toptwo bands. This compared well to 33.2% for theState and 53.3% for statistically similar schools.

• In grammar and punctuation, 66.6% of studentsachieved in the top two bands. This comparedwell to 40.8% for the State and 66.2% forstatistically similar schools.


Students in Years 3 and 5 have demonstratedcontinued strong achievement in Numeracy.

Students achieving in the top two bands remainsconsistent with positive trend growth in Year 3numeracy and numbers, patterns and algebra and inYear 5 in numeracy, data, measurement, space andgeometry and numbers, patterns and algebra.

Year 3 • In overall numeracy, 63% of students achieved in

the top two bands. This compared well to 38.7%for the State and 65.6% for statistically similarschools.

Year 5 • In overall numeracy, 58.5% of students achieved

in the top two bands. This compared well to30.5% for the State and 57.5% for statisticallysimilar schools.

The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy and numeracytesting. Click on the link http://www.myschool.edu.auand insert the school name in the Find a school andselect GO to access the school data.


Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Each year school are required to seek the opinions ofparents, students and teachers about the school.

Students were surveyed through the online Tell Themfrom me (TTFM) regarding social and emotionalwellbeing at school.

81% of students had a high sense of belonging

97% of students valued schooling outcomes

92% of students demonstrated positive behaviour

76% of students were interested and motivated in theirlearning89% of students felt they try hard to succeed intheir learning

Staff were surveyed through a school based survey toreflect on the learning framework in the school. Staffwere asked to look at the 'What Worked Well' (WWW)and 'Even better If' (EBI). Most staff felt strongly thatgrowth mindset and goal setting initiatives were astrong support of student learning and facilitated a safeand supportive classroom learning environment for allstudents.

Staff were asked about their professional learning anddevelopment, most staff valued time to read researchand to collaborate with others. Time to reflect and refinelearning initiatives was also viewed favourably. Staff willbe given further opportunities to work collaborativelywithin and beyond the school in 2017.

Parents were surveyed through the online Tell ThemFrom Me (TTFM) survey. The partners in learningparent survey is based on a comprehensivequestionnaire covering several aspects of parents'perceptions of their children's experiences at home andschool. Successful schools foster greatercommunication with parents, encourage parentalinvolvement in their child's school work, and enlistparents to volunteer at school and participate in schoolgovernance. The survey also provides feedback toschools about the extent to which parents feel theschool supports learning and positive behaviour andpromotes a safe and inclusive environment. A score of0 indicates strong disagreement; 10 indicates strongagreement; 5 is a neutral position (neither agree ordisagree).

1. Parents feel welcome – 7.9

2. Parents are informed – 6.8

3. Parents at ENPS support learning at home – 5.9

4. Support for learning at ENPS – 7.3

5. Support for positive behaviour at ENPS – 8.1

6. Safety at ENPS – 7.8

7. Inclusion at ENPS – 7

Overall, there has been a measured increase in studentand parent engagement and wellbeing.. The findingsfrom these surveys are used by the school to determinefuture action for student, staff and communitydevelopment. They are also used as a measure of theeffectiveness of school policies, procedures andinitiatives.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

At Epping North Public School promotes the inclusionof Aboriginal perspectives in the teaching programs toensure student education opportunities are wellrounded. The school also promotes respect of theunique and ancient culture of the Aboriginal people inthe following forms:

Implementing educational programs that integrateAboriginal perspectives across different curriculumareas from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Embedding rich Aboriginal literature to support andenhance these programs and to increase respect,reduce prejudice and strengthen relationships in theclassroom, around the school and with the community

Valuing and respecting Aboriginal history and culture bycontinuing the school protocol of acknowledgement ofcountry and the flying of Aboriginal and Torres StraightIslander flags at school assemblies and specialoccasions

Celebrating NAIDOC Week, 3–10 July 2016

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Epping North Public School consists of a studentcommunity where 31% are from a languagebackground other than English (LBOTE). Approximately60 students were included in the EAL/D program in2016.

In 2016 Epping North Public School had the equivalentof a 0.6 full time English as an Additional Language orDialect (EAL/D) teaching position (3 days/week). InTerm 4 an extra half day was added due to extra NewArrivals Funding being made available. This allowedthe targeted teacher/s to work with small groups andindividual students to cater for the variety of studentlearning needs in English. These needs ranged from anewly arrived student with no English, to children whowere born in Australia but exposed to another languageat home.

ENPS has endeavoured to incorporate the variouscultural backgrounds represented within the schoolcommunity. The celebration of Harmony Day duringTerm 1 was held to reflect on what ‘harmony’ meant tomembers of the school community.


During Semester 1 EAL/D students were groupedaccording to which class they were in. This changed inSemester 2 when they were grouped according to theirEnglish ability. Lessons were tailored to the learningprograms of classroom teachers and have alsoincluded:

a transition program which supported newly arrivednon–English speaking students.

respect, peace and friendship being emphasised.

cross cultural perspectives being incorporated intoteaching and learning programs wherever possible.

students sharing their cultural backgrounds with eachother.

use of iPads and laptops.

Other school programs

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR ENGAGINGLEARNING (PBEL)

PBEL is our school wide program that is all aboutcreating a positive and encouraging learningenvironment where the students know what is expectedof them. It also provides a proactive school widesystem for defining, teaching and supportingappropriate student behaviours. The result of PBEL is apositive school environment in which learning andstudent engagement is enhanced through consistentexpectations of behaviour.

PBEL underpins the Wellbeing Framework by providingstudents, teachers and parents with a consistent,achievable and measurable system which results in apositive and clear learning environment. There is also aclear and common understanding of consequences forstudents who need extra guidance and reinforcement todemonstrate their understanding of these expectations.

Respect, responsibility and resilience are our threewhole school expectations and are explicitly taught,revisited and reinforced using a common language fromK–6.

ENPS has fully embraced PBEL for 6 years and thisyear it was reinvigorated by the introduction of a newreward system. This is the VRP Merit Award systemwhere children collect VRP’s which are tallied eachweek in classrooms. The winner with the most numberof awards receives a VRP Merit Certificate, isrecognised in the Monday morning assembly and hastheir name published in the weekly Boundary Bulletin. Ifa student receives 3 awards they are then eligible toattend the end of term Principal’s Morning Tea. Thissystem has been warmly received by the students,teachers and parents and has resulted in consistentimprovement of behaviour throughout the school.

The system will recommence at the beginning of 2017with all students starting in their new classes with a

zero balance.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SRC) 2016

Two students from each Year 1 to 6 class are electedto the School Representative Council each year, withKindergarten representatives joining us in Semester 2.

Our training morning in Term 1 was a big success, withstudents particularly valuing the chance to get to knowone another and to discuss specific scenarios whichallowed them to consider the issue of bullying from avariety of perspectives.

We continued to focus on the issue of anti–bullyingstrategies and perspectives. Ms Wilcher consulted withthe SRC about the draft school Anti–Bullying Policy.Students discussed different parts of the policy andoffered their opinions, affirming the relevance of eachsection.

Students also viewed and considered anti–bullyingmaterials which were shared with their teachers andpeers in the classroom and at assemblies.

This has been authentic, ongoing process, allowing ourstudents from K–6 to voice their concerns, somespecific examples and possible solutions to the problemof bullying.

In addition, we raised awareness on wider issues inseveral ways and also raised funds for our chosencharities: Stewart House and CanTeen.

Our elected leaders had the chance to speak in theirclasses, in our regular meetings and at assemblies.They enjoyed participating in worthy enterprises andthe opportunity to represent their class.

GOAL SETTING

At Epping North Public School we strive to developstudents who have the skills and dispositions to beself–directed/ motivated life–long learners.

We have a commitment to personalised learning toempower individual students to be active participants intheir education and success.

This year we have embarked upon setting individualacademic goals for each student. This has been animportant tool to enable students to self–direct andpersonalise aspects of their learning. Goal setting hasthe ability to significantly impact all learners as it catersfor the student’s area of development at the time.

In Term 1 we launched a whole school program whichimplemented the explicit teaching of goal setting skills.All students undertook a series of lessons to build theirknowledge of the process of setting SMART goals. Inaddition, the program educated students about theimportance of growth mindset and how student’s beliefsabout intelligence can directly impact upon theirsuccess.

Teachers were then allocated a day to individuallyconference with their students about appropriate goals.


It was a time to share each students’ strengths anddiscuss areas for further development. Over the yearevery child from years K–6 set personalised learninggoals using the SMART criteria based on teacherfeedback, self–reflection and peer critique. In writing,Kindergarten students used “I can” statements to setgoals and evaluate their learning. Students have shownownership of their learning and are able to clearlyarticulate areas for further development and/or possiblefuture goals.

Students were taught how to collect evidence, monitortheir progress and track their goals using Seesaw (K–2)and Mgoals (3–6). Each week students wereencouraged to work on their goals at home. Using adigital portfolio extended the partnership betweenschool and home and helped students reach theirgoals.

After the achievement of each goal classes celebratedsuccess in various ways including; class parties, meritcertificates and sharing work with other students.

Some stage 3 students set a goal to share theirexpertise in literacy and numeracy through mentoringand tutoring other students.

For primary students to see the impact of goal setting ina context wider than our school, we invited AndyFriend, coach of the Australian rugby 7s team, to sharehis experiences and expertise in setting and achievinggoals.

The infants students were treated to a growth mindsetassembly designed, created and presented by a groupof stage 3 students. These individuals were passionateadvocates of the benefits of having a growth mindset.

Students, teachers and parents have been encouragedand inspired by the goal setting process.

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING

Epping North Public School has continued into thesecond year of our K–6 CCT program. This has been inresponse to the Melbourne Declaration on EducationalGoals for Young Australians (2008), the inclusion ofCritical and Creative Thinking Capability in theAustralian curriculum (2013) and the requests ofemployers and industry for a future workforce that isequipped with entrepreneurial and creative problemsolving skills (IBM CEO Study, 2010).

During 2016 most students K–6 received two terms ofweekly lessons from the CCT specialist teacher wherethey were explicitly taught CCT dispositions, skills andstrategies. By participating in the unit ‘Caine’s Arcade’,Stage 1 students learned of the significant benefits ofapplying the seven dispositions of a good critical andcreative thinker. Older students learned how people getgreat ideas and put them into action by participating inthe LEGO unit ‘Every Brain is Awesome’. During the‘Gruen P.I.E.S.’ topic Stage 3 learned about the CCTskills that advertisers use to Persuade, Inform andEntertain in order to sell products.

We have continued to foster the dispositions in our

students with regular visits from Captain Dispositionpromoting the seven superpowers for learning. Andstudents continued to develop the skills that they willuse in activities requiring critical and creative thinkingby ‘exercising’ their brains regularly with CCTCrunches.

This year we have started to see more students usingtheir CCT capability in other learning areas such asLiteracy, Geography, History, Science and ICT as theylearn new skills, solve problems and design productsacross the curriculum. Many students in the olderclasses have completed big projects by participating inthe design process using the Coloured Thinking CapsScaffolding.“ By applying a sequence of thinking skills,students develop an increasingly sophisticatedunderstanding of the processes they can employwhenever they encounter problems, unfamiliarinformation and new ideas” (The AustralianCurriculum).

Next year students from Years 4, 5 and 6 will re–sit theVictorian Education Department’s online CCTAssessment (designed by the Australian Council forEducational Research) which most of our 2 to 4students attempted in 2015. We will compare 2017results with the scores from 2015. (The test measuresstudents’ abilities against critical and creative thinkingskills described in the Australian Curriculum.)

TECHNOLOGY

2016 marked an important milestone in our continuedeffort to provide future–focused education to allstudents.

Our major achievement is the introduction of a 1:1 iPadprogram, coupled with critical upgrades to wirelessinfrastructure and ongoing staff training. In addition, ourconnections with community and corporate supportersoffer students at Epping North PS incredibleopportunities to practice 21st Century skills and tacklereal–world challenges. Finally, in line with ourcommitment to meaningful learning experiences thatintegrate technology in engaging and authentic ways,we are constructing policies, writing curriculumdocumentation and facilitating in–house training suchthat our professional teachers can share theirsuccesses with technology and continue to provide thehighest quality of education across the entire school.

It is our belief that targeted technology enhanceslearning experiences for all students and empowers ourstudents to develop and communicate their learning innew modes and for new audiences and purposes. Inaddition, targeted technology supports students to thinkand act more critically and creatively with what theyhave learnt.

1:1 school–owned iPad Program

We are proud to announce the completion of the firststage of our school–owned 1:1 iPad program. Througha combination of school funding and significant supportfrom our generous P&C, we have dramaticallyincreased the number of iPads that are available tostudents in classrooms, and have achieved 1:1 for


Stage 3. Students in Year 5 and Year 6, from the startof 2017, will each have access to an iPad for theirdedicated classroom use. Students in younger classeswill also benefit, with each classroom K–4 gaining aclass set of iPads, enough for one iPad between twostudents (1:2).

The 1:1 iPad program represents two years of carefuldeliberation and planning, and signifies a majorinvestment in our students in recognition of theincreasingly connected, digital world into which they areentering.

In this regard, it’s important to establish our schedulefor implementation. Our school’s approach to this majortransformation around iPads has been broken downinto three stages: Access, Reliability and Confidence.

We have completed the Access stage, where devicesare now physically in the hands of students andteachers. This represents a substantial financialinvestment that includes the devices themselves alongwith critical upgrades to our school’s wirelessinfrastructure and the sourcing of secure storagetrolleys to accommodate and protect these devices. Asmuch as was practical and possible, we sought toforesee and minimise any potential obstacles tosuccess, and our AirWatch MDM was an importantdiscovery in this process. MDM (Mobile DeviceManagement) systems, such as AirWatch, allow theTechnology Coordinator to automatically manage,track, upgrade and install apps and restriction profileson all school–owned iPads. The process of managing afleet of almost 300 iPads would be impossible without asystem such as AirWatch.

Heading into 2017, our focus is on reaching andcompleting the Reliability stage and moving through tothe final Confidence stage. In order for teachers to haveconfidence in their devices, they need to know thatiPads will work reliably within our school’s wirelessnetwork, that all devices will have appropriate andtargeted apps available at any time and that IT issuescan be quickly and easily mitigated, all without anyinterruptions to teaching.

While we have endeavoured to counter anyforeseeable issues, for example increasing wirelessaccess capacity in classrooms in order to handleincreased traffic on our wireless network and providingsecure storage and charging facilities, the fact remainsthat a school–funded and school–owned iPad programof this size is still incredibly rare among Department ofEducation schools. We are confident that our approachhas been and will continue to be successful, howevermuch of this is new ground. We are committed toidentifying and rectifying technical issues as theyappear in order to facilitate a smooth transition fromReliability into Confidence.

Sherpa, an online Help Desk and Knowledge Baseplatform, has been developed to provide immediate andspecific support for a growing list of known IT issuesthat can affect iPads, and other technology in theschool. Sherpa is unique to Epping North PS andempowers teachers to take control of the day–to–daymanagement of their iPads. Sherpa is a powerful tool to

help us identify, target and rectify any unforeseenissues that might impact on the successfulimplementation of our school–owned 1:1 iPad program.

Connections to our Community and to CorporateSupporters

Technology empowers our students to achieve andsucceed, but it also offers new opportunities to connectwith groups outside our school.

We have a strong working relationship with EppingBoys High School, and both schools continue to benefitfrom the partnership. Each year, students in Year 4attend a coding and game–design incursion, run bysenior students from EBHS. It’s a great day, and ourYear 4 students look forward to the challenge oflearning to code using Scratch.

With the support of Muffin Break, we have partneredwith a local aged care residence and offered studentsthe opportunity to read to residents from Poplars over aSkype video chat. This has been an incredibly valuableproject. Students quickly developed their confidenceand fluency when reading to a wider audience, andboth students and the residents from Poplars lookedforward to their regular reading sessions with greatanticipation.

Ongoing Staff Development and CurriculumDocumentation

Change brings with it uncertainty, and this is very muchtrue with the big changes that have been introduced in2016. That being said, all teachers have shownresilience and enthusiasm in the face of thismomentous transformation. It’s been an incrediblyrewarding experience to watch our staff recognise thefuture of education and respond to these challenges insuch a collegial and encouraging manner.

To further support teachers in ongoing staffdevelopment, we are dedicated to maintaining andupdating curriculum documents and policies to reflectchanges in the ways we teach. Technology policieshave been written to accurately document best practicewith ICT in our school. We have developed an ICTContinuum, detailing a targeted framework for thelearning of ICT skills and concepts from Kindergartenthrough to Year 8. This is of special value with regardsto high–ability students; teachers can extendhigh–ability students by introducing them to moresophisticated technology concepts and products.

Teachers attend regular TeachMeets, in which theyshare a successful strategy or approach aroundtechnology that they have adopted.

Just like our students, teachers at Epping North PS arelife–long learners. We are eager to expand the deliveryof Professional Learning and to share our personallearning journey with others through online,collaborative platforms such as SeeSaw and iTunes Uand to incorporate weekly face–to–face ‘TechieBrekkies’ to further build capacity, confidence andexperience.


PERSONALDEVELOPMENT, HEALTH, PHYSICALEDUCATION (PD.H.PE)

The school swimming carnival was held in Februarythis year at a new venue, with all students invited tocompete in a range of 50m and 100m races, as well asa 200m medley. Many personal bests were achieved atzone level but no swimmers qualified to compete at thearea carnival.

At the school cross country carnival held in April,students in the 8, 9 and 10 year age groups competedin a 2km race around the school grounds, whilestudents in the 11 and 12 year age groups competed ina longer 3km race. Out of the 40 representatives whocompeted at the Zone cross country, two studentsprogressed to area level. K–2 students enjoyedparticipating in their own cross country carnival, whichenabled them to run a short course around the school,cheered on and supported by their buddies in oldergrades.

For the first time this year, our school ran a combinedfield and track event Athletics carnival. This included adiscus competition held on a separate occasion thatwas open to all students. Three new records werebroken in the 11 years shotput, 11 years long jump and11 years high jump. With many fantastic resultsachieved by all students who competed at the zonecarnival, one student was awarded the Junior GirlsBeecroft Zone Age Champion. Five students competedat the area athletics carnival with one studentprogressing to the State Athletics Carnival in shot put.

K–2 students held their own unique athletics carnival,which gave all students the opportunity to participate invarious modified field events such as shot put withbean bags, vortex javelin, relays, hurdles and longjump, which all help to improve their fundamentalmovement skills. Students also competed in short sprintraces in their age group.

In the Beecroft Zone Primary School Sport Association(PSSA), selected students in years 5 and 6 were giventhe opportunity to represent our school in the winternetball and soccer competitions, with both the netball Aand B teams remaining undefeated throughout theseason, finishing first in their competitions. A number ofstudents in Stage 3 were also selected throughout theyear to take part in the Sydney North knockoutcompetitions in soccer, cricket and touch football. Withmany individual sporting talents present in our schoolcommunity, many students in Stage 3 trialled forvarious Beecroft Zone and Area Sport Teams.Successful students represented our school, zone andarea in Tennis, AFL, Softball, Rugby League, RugbyUnion, Netball, Soccer and Touch Football.

In order to foster our love of sport as well as encouragefair play, sportsmanship and playing by the rules, aselection of year 6 students and teachers participatedin a Teachers vs Students Soccer game, which wassupported and enjoyed by the whole school.

Stage 2 students enjoyed participating in a five weeklawn bowls program at Epping North Bowling Club inTerm 4. Each week students walked with their teachers

to the bowling club to meet their volunteer instructors,who taught them the skills and strategies involved inlawn bowls. Through participation in this program,students had the opportunity to develop teamwork,cooperation and communication skills. Stage 2 studentsalso learnt about the importance of a healthy diet andparticipated in the H2Go program that encourages andraises awareness to students about the need to stayhydrated by drinking more water and less sugarydrinks. In learning this, students tracked their waterconsumption over one week to see how much waterthey drink and how they could remain or improve theirhydration. Students enjoying noticing the differencegood hydration has on their bodies and overall health.

In teaching and raising awareness about theimportance of road safety, our school once againparticipated in the annual Walk and Ride Safely toSchool days, which positively impacted on studentsunderstanding of why we should be active in ourtransportation to school and how we can do this safely.

This year, ENPS welcomed Sam Gallagher, an elitesoccer player and ex–student of Epping North, whospoke to all students at our annual Sports PresentationAssembly in Term 4. He inspired all students andguests by sharing his words of wisdom about thebenefits of participating in sport, as well as the need forgoal setting, perseverance and positive self–talk, bothin sport and life.

ENVIRONMENT

This year the “Green Team” generously gave up part oftheir lunch to participate in a range of activities tobeautify and care for our environment. Students havecontinued to be eager to help, and enjoy the challengeof maintaining our vegie garden. Bunnings kindlydonated some seedlings and came to help studentsplant vegies that will be used by the canteen as theybegin to bear fruit.

In Term 3 the Green Team monitors helped to completethe rainbow bottle top mosaic in Koala Grove whichlooks sensational. In term 4, these wonderfulenvironmental crusaders also worked with a parent tobetter understand native bees that we have in ournewly completed Native Garden, that was given a newlease of life by the General Assistant – Mr Toole.

As a gift to the school, Year 6 have purchased somemore “bee hotels” to continue developing andenhancing our school native bee population. It is hopedthat in 2017 children will be able to enjoy this newlearning space and study the tiny, stingless bees intheir natural environment.

CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS

In 2016, Epping North School students, continued to becreative and artistic.

As part of their Creative and Performing Arts program,students explored a variety of media often linking workproduced with conceptual units of work.


Art Show

2016 marked the 11th year of our annual Art Show,which took place during Education Week and OpenDay. The theme this year was “Totally Wild” whichallowed many avenues to be explored, from wildcreatures in the environment; Powerful Owls and otherAustralian native animals, to wildly beautiful culturalcelebrations.

Students created individual works using many differenttypes of art media: from paint, dye, fine liner, crayon,photos, to wool, pencil, paddle pop sticks, and clay.Skills demonstrated included sketching, weaving,knitting, printing, collage, drawing, tracing, cutting,sticking, and paper tole to communicate their messageand highlight their “wildness”.

The Powerful Owl projects created by Stage 2 studentsraised some money to go towards purchasing breedingboxes.

All artworks were signed by the student artists andgiven titles, ready for sale. The funds going towardsspecialist art materials and a new art gallery stylehanging system.

This year a stage winner was chosen from classwinners and these were proudly displayed in the frontoffice on a new hanging system.

Art Studio

The Art Studio was fully operational in 2016, withBefore and After school care air conditioning the areaand also using it as a learning space. The Art Studio isnow a great venue to create artworks. One exceptionalproject was the whole school art project completed forOpen Day in Education Week. The projects was totallydesigned by students using the Creative and CriticalThinking Skills process. Each student was asked tocreate an animal from their handprint that belonged toone of four environments: sky, savannah, jungle andsea. On Open Day they brought their print to the artstudio and glued it to their environment. The day wasfilmed in stop motion and became a news story for theterm on the School News Channel. This artwork is onpermanent display in the school hall.

Band

The band program at ENPS has continued its successin 2016.There were 118 students from Years 3 to 6involved in the band program. Our intake of TrainingBand students for 2017 has remained strong at 36, sothere will be over 120 students in the band program in2017. We believe the continued interest in joining bandis due to the high exposure within the schoolcommunity that the bands enjoy. There were 3 bands inoperation in 2016; Training Band, Concert Band andSenior Band.

Some of the band program’s achievements in 2016include:

Many performances were given at school including

Senior Band at the Badging Ceremony, Concert Bandat the Easter Parade, Concert Band at a K–2 Assemblyperforming Christmas carols, and Senior Band atPresentation Day.

Band Camp was held in May again at the CollaroyCentre. The camp was undoubtedly a highlight for thestudents and the progress they made in one weekendwas significant. The concert held the following Fridaywas a big success for all bands. Nearly all childrenattended band camp and for those who stayedovernight there were some supervised adventurousactivities on the Sunday morning which the studentsreally enjoyed.

For fundraising, there was one barbeque held atBunnings, Thornleigh and Cadbury Fundraisingchocolates were sold. Money raised will provide fundsfor the purchase of new instruments and music for nextyear. Due to the dedication of the volunteer familieswho help out with fundraising, we have not requiredexternal funding for 2016.

All three bands performed at the NSW School BandFestival in August, being awarded two golds and asilver.

The Epping Boys High School Jazz Band visited theschool in October. Some Senior Band studentsexperienced a workshop with the Jazz Band and joinedthem in a performance for the whole school.

In 2016 the bands continued to benefit from the talentsof Christine Pringle as conductor for Training andSenior Bands, and Rowan Tombs for Concert Band.The Band Program also attracted and retainedprofessional tutors to ensure that the students’ progresswas on track. Many students chose to and weresuccessful in passing their Australian MusicExamination Board (AMEB) grade exams. The resultsof this external testing confirms the quality of our tutorsand conductors.

Glenn Thomson continued as Band Convenorthroughout the year and was well support by a BandCommittee of another 12 band parents.

Our school liaison teacher, was new to the bandprogram this year and has settled in well to the role.

The Band Committee and the school liaison teacher willcontinue to seek out further performance opportunitiesfor all the bands at school, putting meaning andpractice into all that is learned at rehearsals.

Dance

2016 was a very successful year for the DanceProgram at Epping North. There was some fluctuationsin numbers throughout the year but we had 208students perform at the Annual End of Year concert.This was made up of 10 classes; 3 boys groups 1/2, 3/4& 5/6, 6 Girls groups – one for each year group, and aCo–Ed class for Kindy.

The classes were taught by three professional danceteachers, Miss Lauren and Miss Mel who have taught


for us over a number of years and Miss Laura whojoined us this year. The teachers continued to impressus with magnificent choreography and challengedstudents to develop new and more complex moves.

Some groups had the opportunity at school eventsduring the Year. We had two groups perform at theEaster Hat Parade and another two groups at OpenDay in Education Week. All students performed in theEnd of Year concert. Kindy performed one routine andall other groups performed two dances, with allstudents participating in the finale. The styles beingtaught and the dances performed by students arevaried with not only modern jazz but also ballet, lyricaland hip hop being taught.

We have continued to add new costumes to ourcollection and again we received lots of commentsabout how good they looked on stage and how muchthis added to the overall performance. Julien Ronfeldthas done a fantastic job sourcing purchasing andcataloguing all of our costumes.

This year also saw the formation of a new dancecommittee. With new faces becoming involved in theprogram we have lots of new ideas and look forward towhat the Dance Program can achieve in the future. Thecommittee has put together teacher contracts and ahire agreement for our dance mat and costumes thatwill be rolled out in 2017.


2016 epping north public school annual report...p&c funds were also used to help fund technology...

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