school performance report 2007

St Thomas School & Preschool

2017 School Performance Report


St. Thomas School & Preschool P a g e | 2

School Features St Thomas School was established in 1896 in the parish of the Holy Cross Church of

Goodwood. Central to our family focused community is the ‘celebration’ of ‘life giving’ and genuine

partnership between Parish, parents, students and staff. In partnership with parents and the

Parish we educate children in faith. The ethos of our school and the initiation of children in a

faith community are supported by a curriculum that provides opportunities for faith in action

experiences.

Our teaching and learning program is vibrant with a strong focus on contemporary pedagogy

in all curriculum areas. We provide our students with extensive access to I.C.T.’s through the

use of interactive whiteboards as well as screens in each classroom. Mac book laptops for

years 3-7 are available for leasing and all classrooms have a collection of Mac books

available for students to use.

The school has a comprehensive Physical Education program which offers students the

opportunity to participate in the Sporting Schools program, Parent initiated Sports and catholic

schools carnivals.

Science has become a major focus with the primary connections program right across the

school. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the annual Science Oliphant

Awards, where they can enter into a variety of categories to demonstrate their learning.

Recently the school has introduced the Children’s University Program through Adelaide

University. This program acknowledges the additional learning that students achieve outside of

normal school time, allowing students to graduate annually at the university and affirm their

wonderful learning.

St Thomas School has 395 students from preschool to year 7 with 2 Indigenous enrolments and

13 students with disabilities.

St Thomas School and Preschool has a dynamic parent group which is actively involved in all

aspects of our community life. Our energetic parent group facilitates friendship within our

community and provides information and framework by which parents can become involved in

many aspects of the preschool and school.

Our school motto is Faith * Family * Future. We work in partnership with parents and the

newly formed Emmaus Catholic Parish to achieve our aim to: educate children in Faith within a

nurturing Family environment so that they can contribute to the world now and into the Future.



Principal’s Report

2017 was a very exciting year for St Thomas School and Preschool. Through our daily lives,

we have continued to live our vision of Faith, Family and Future. Our constant re-visiting of

this theme allows us to keep reimagining what this means for our school.

Faith

Our Faith is a lived experience of gospel values that connects us with our Christian tradition.

Last year we explored with staff and students the word of God and how we live that out in

school and community. We introduced Community Prayer as a way of welcoming all in our

community to experience prayer with us. Mass and Liturgy was celebrated in whole school

and smaller group settings. In a more specific way, our Mercy Values were used to bring

together the tradition of our school with the life of Jesus and how he lived. As a school, we

have begun to explore more deeply how we live with Compassion, Challenge, Justice,

Respect and Integrity. Our Mercy Day last year incorporated an element of action where

students made a gift for others or were involved in an element of social justice. Our Wall of

Mercy in the Student Services area is a visible expression of our gratitude to others who

display the Mercy Values in our school.

Family

Families are our most important partner in each child’s educational journey. This partnership

is one of mutual respect and shared aspirations. Together we are working with children to

enable them to learn and grow and form a positive image of themselves. Last year we became

much more deliberate in how we introduced apps to enhance the communication between

home and school. Our teachers took this on with great enthusiasm and I am constantly hearing

beautiful stories about the dialogue occurring between home and the classroom. We also ran

some parent information sessions on different aspects of our school. Topics included Ecology,

Positive Education and Wellbeing, Master Planning and ICTs. We will continue to offer

parent workshops into the future and are also exploring alternative mediums for sharing this

information.

Future

As we empower children to shape their own preferred Future, our focus on building a

community of engaged learners continues. This focus applies to all members of our

community and in 2017 our teachers were actively engaged in their own learning too.

At St Thomas, we often talk about having a Growth Mindset. Learning is about taking risks

and challenging yourself. This is most likely to occur when children feel positive about who

they are and what they are capable of. For this reason, we continue to focus on Positive

Education, the PERMA Framework and Character Strengths. We have continued to have

many visitors to St Thomas. Most have come to see how we integrate ICTs and learn from our

staff and students. Without a doubt, every time someone new comes to St Thomas, they

comment on how happy our students are and how articulate they are about their learning.

Planning and Vision

In 2017 we began a new Master Plan for St Thomas School and Preschool. This involved a

selection process and a review of submissions from 3 architects. At the end of the year,

Grieve, Gillett, Anderson were selected to undertake this work. They have held an initial

consultation with members of our school leadership team and will look to consult with the

school board during the year.



During this time we will also be developing a new Strategic Plan for St Thomas. My initial

thoughts about some key areas for us to consider are:

Strengthening our Catholic Identity:

• Looking at who we are

• How is faith expressed in our community?

• Being part of a system (Catholic Education South Australia)

Creating New Spaces: • What are our options for new spaces?

• What needs are apparent?

Encouraging New Perspectives: • Ecology

• Indigenous perspectives

• Students with Disabilities

Embedding New Pedagogies: • 21st Century Work skills/General Capabilities (Aust Curriculum)

• STEM

• Metacognition

Farewell to departing board members

At this time, it is important that we recognize three of our members who will no longer be

continuing on the board.

Robin Waring has been a member on two iterations over many years. He was formerly the

Chair of our board and has served our school and community with humility and care.

Scott Lintern is our current treasurer and has provided significant insight and guidance

through this role. Scott has also been an active participant at Community events and a proud

board member and voice for St Thomas.

David Wark has been the Chair of St Thomas School Board for a number of years and has

served with great dedication and passion for excellence. David has been part of a major

capital development and has overseen the transition in leadership here at St Thomas with the

appointment of a new principal and deputy principal within 12 the past 18 months.

My sincere thanks to Robin, Scott and David for their service to our community.



Enrolment data

Student Community Profile percentage

School Card level 3.5% (14 students)

ESL 0% (0 students)

Special Education (funded) 3.3% (13 students)

Indigenous students 0.5% (2 students)

Catholic Students 54%

Non Catholic students 46%

Preschool Rec Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Total

2012 72 88 51 44 43 29 40 6 11 384

2013 72 109 56 50 42 43 29 21 6 428

2014 48 63 78 58 44 41 40 10 19 401

2015 47 51 66 71 55 43 39 20 9 401

2016 42 55 53 62 69 54 40 19 18 412

2017 36 52 50 52 56 67 50 23 9 395

2018 44 46 50 50 50 57 62 31 14 404



Work force composition St Thomas School and Preschool has 23 teaching staff, including 22% Male and 78% Female,

of these 63% are part time. In addition, there are 17 Educational, Administration and

Maintenance staff. The tuck shop is made up of all volunteers and operates on Monday

Wednesday and Friday.

The school Leadership team comprises of the Principal, Deputy Principal, and REC (.04) with 4

teaching staff as POR for leaders of Learning.

There were no self-identified indigenous staff members in 2017.

Teacher Qualifications In our school we are fortunate to have a number of teachers with two or more qualifications in

education

Masters Degrees 7%

Bachelor Degrees 100%

Graduate Diploma 7%

Diplomas 34%

Graduate Certificates 46%



Student Attendance The average student attendance of our school in 2017 was 92.25%

Year Level Term 1 Term 2

Reception 95.58% 94.00%

Year 1 96.24% 92.42%

Year 2 96.37% 93.43%

Year 3 97.62% 94.69%

Year 4 97.09% 94.28%

Year 5 96.99% 93.46%

Year 6 95.53% 91.22%

Year 7 96.30% 94.91%

Average 85.75% 94.27%



Year Level Term 3 Term 4

Reception 92.25% 95.70%

Year 1 89.34% 93.92%

Year 2 92.83% 94.39%

Year 3 94.29% 96.67%

Year 4 94.99% 95.02%

Year 5 94.12% 93.54%

Year 6 94.94% 93.75%

Year 7 92.74% 95.43%

Average 93.94% 95.38%

A description of how non-attendance is managed by the school:

Student attendance is taken in the morning lesson and all absences are recorded on our central

administration data base system, along with other information such as whether it is a known or

unexplained absence. Parents are asked to call in or use the Skoolbag app to report a child

being absent. If a child is late they must report to the front office.



Satisfaction Parents, Staff and Students

Satisfaction with the School

Comments from staff, students and parents provide the school with an appreciation of St Thomas

School & Preschool’s commitment to quality teaching and learning, the pastoral care and

satisfaction with the religious dimension of the school. Strong sense of wellbeing and student

teacher relationships as well as a welcoming nature to the school community was clear. All surveys

provided informed feedback to assist with the overall school strategic plan and areas of

improvements.

Parent, Staff and Student Satisfaction

Satisfaction of staff is determined through a staff satisfaction survey, informal and formal

meetings and staff performance reviews. The greatest levels of satisfaction recorded were in

the areas of:

• Pastoral care and wellbeing of students

• School community spirit

• Valued and supported

• Access to a range of professional development

Staff felt a strong sense of team work and comfortable in approaching colleagues for support.

They find their work rewarding, providing them with a feeling of satisfaction and

accomplishment. Many commented on the safe and caring environment provided and they

believed the students displayed an incredible care and concern for each other.

Suggestions of improvement include, looking at play space, more teaching and learning spaces,

assistance with developing IEPs and understanding the levels of adjustments.

Satisfaction of parents is determined through an annual survey. The results show that parent

satisfaction at St Thomas School indicated that their expectations were being met and supported.

All new parents to the school are asked about their first experience and parents have felt

extremely welcome and valued. The greatest levels of satisfaction with the school were in areas

of:

• Maintenance and appearance of the school facilities

• Pastoral care and wellbeing of students and families

• Teaching and learning programs

• Schools commitment to ICT

Suggestions for improvement included more shelter for students, maintaining the high standard

of teaching and learning and to continue to review this annually. Keep up with technology and

continue to be a school that invests in ICT.

Satisfaction of students included a school survey which was used to find out the views of our

students and how well they are supported at St Thomas School.



Student Survey Student This year students have been given many opportunities to share their views about our school. Class meetings have been held, often with a specific purpose in mind. Students were also given to opportunity to provide their input into the schools master plan. Mr Cowan spent a lot of time

speaking with each class and collating individual responses across the whole school. Children were asked what they like about St Thomas, How they learn best, what they would like to see added to the school and what they would like to be changed.

Staff Survey Staff Staff at St Thomas are given many opportunities to provide feedback about aspects of the

school and their work. Weekly staff meetings are a time where specific professional learning is undertaken but there is also an opportunity for issues to be discussed and resolutions sought. An open agenda

generally allows for staff to share ideas and concerns. Weekly on a Monday morning a meeting is held outlining key events for the week. This forum also gives staff an opportunity to share concerns.

Each year all staff have a professional review with the principal or deputy. The purpose of the review is for staff to receive feedback about aspects of their performance but also for them to raise any issues and indicate their levels of satisfaction regarding their work in the school.

In 2017 staff were asked specifically to give suggestions and analysis of how we express the Catholic Identity of our school and also how they communicate with parents. Overall staff value our liturgical celebrations, commitment to social justice, Mercy Values and approaches to

Religious Education.

Parent Survey Parent Satisfaction Parent satisfaction plays an important role in the life of St Thomas School & Preschool. Each year the parent satisfaction survey allows the school to reflect and review parent’s feelings around overall school life. The survey provides valuable information around whether the school is a safe environment for students, that the school is well maintained, it addresses student behaviour, looks at whether student learning needs are being met by the teachers, whether support is being well used and ways that the school can continue to improve. This valuable information allows for a continued and constant reflection and shapes the schools strategic plan for overall school improvement. In 2017 all parents were invited to provide input into our school’s master planning process. This involved either attending a forum at the school or by providing written feedback. This information helped inform the Master Planning Brief that was provided to the architects.



ST THOMAS SCHOOL SURVEY

Catholic Identity

What is it about being a Catholic School that drew you to St Thomas?

What opportunities do you see for us to make our Catholic Identity more visible?

School Vision and Purpose

What are your priorities for your children here at St Thomas?

What skills, dispositions and knowledge do you feel are important for children to flourish?

How do you want your child to feel as they reflect on their time here?

Indoor Space and Facilities

What future needs do you envisage for us in terms of: • Changes to existing classroom architecture

• Rethinking the purpose of some spaces

• Adding additional learning spaces

• Access to additional facilities

• Access to additional land or external facilities

Outdoor Space

How do you see our yard and play spaces evolving?

What could we improve from the existing?

What could we add?

What could we remove?

Additional Perspectives

Are there any key perspectives or influences you feel would enhance our school?

For example, Ecology or Indigenous perspectives, an Early Learning Centre?

School Income

As a Catholic School we rely on the prompt payment of school fees to assist with the operation of the school.

The school receives income from three main sources:

Australian Government Funding State Government Funding



Income from school fees and levies

The graph below shows that approximately 56% of our funding comes from the Australian

Government funding, 30% School fees, charges, other private sources & 14% is State government grants.

YTD Amount Annual Budget Income Recurrent

School Fees

$1,032,506.00

$1,301,552.00

Misc Income

$52,814.00

$31,000.00

Interest Income

$21,603.00

$2,200.00

CEO Misc Income

$139,584.00

$20,200.00

State Govt Grants

$586,551.00

$260,157.00

Commonwealth Govt Grants $2,266,191.00

$2,442,941.00

Total Recurrent Income $4,099,249.00

$4,058,050.00

School Improvement

$0.00 $500,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $1,500,000.00 $2,000,000.00 $2,500,000.00

School Fees

Misc Income

Interest Income

CEO Misc Income

State Govt Grants

Commonwealth Govt Grants

Recurrent Income 2017



VISION

“St. Thomas School and Preschool, in partnership with families and the contemporary Church, educate children in FAITH, with in a nurturing FAMILY environment, as we prepare them to contribute to the world now and into the FUTURE.”

St. Thomas School and Preschool strives:

Faith:

• To be a ‘faith filled’ community where we value the unique presence of God in

all people.

• To acknowledge and support parents in the formation of their children’s faith.

• To educate in faith through a contemporary religious education curriculum that

promotes the development of Christian values and Catholic traditions.

• To celebrate our faith as members of the Emmaus Catholic Parish.

Family:

• To value the role of family and acknowledge parents as the primary educators

of their children.

• To nurture ‘life-giving’ partnerships between Families, School and Parish.

• To promote a family inclusive environment that acknowledges and celebrates

our diversity.

• To recognise that we are all members of God’s family and as such are called to “Love one another”.

Future:

• To educate the whole child by recognising our role in preparing children for life

and a constantly changing future.

• To commit to the pursuit of educational excellence.

• To provide a broad based curriculum that acknowledges the diverse experiences, skills, abilities and learning styles of the children we serve.

• To support and prepare children to take their place as ‘leaders of the future’ in

a socially just world.

Catholic Identity

Goals What are we

trying to achieve?

Strategies What actions will we take to

achieve our goals and

targets?

Responsibility Who will lead this?

Resources What human

and financial

Success Indicators



resources will

we need?

How will we know

we have been

successful?

Meaningful Prayer Services and Liturgies occur regularly. To be a place of welcome for all CIF: Domain 1 1.3

• Regular prayer

gatherings – Early Years, Primary Years & Middle Years that are opened to the wider school community

• Active

participation by students, staff and families

• Weekly staff

prayer

• Roster of class participation in monthly parish youth mass

Leadership Team

REC

Prayer resources

Parish Youth Group Co-ordinator

Parish

Associate

CESA RE Team

Attendance to prayer sessions and involvement

of school community

Staff confidence and deepening of leading effective prayer Increase in attendance & participation at Mass of our families

The school demonstrates a mission which is inclusive by reaching out to those who are marginalised and ensuring this outreach is reflected in its policies, procedures and programs

CIF: Domain 1 1.2

• Develop a School Social Justice Policy with a structured approach to charitable works

• Form a student social justice group

• Regular morning

teas to be held in the church after class masses, liturgies and at the beginning of each term

• Parent reps are

invited to attend social events to discuss and plan initiatives to welcome new families and support those in need

REC

REC & Class Teachers

Leadership

St Vincent de Paul Society

Caritas

Australia Catholic Charities

Contact other Catholic Schools

Budget for morning tea Refreshment

box with supplies

The completion of a policy document

School staff and

community adhere to

Fundraising policy and leadership of

Social Justice activities are broadened

Attendance and membership of

the group

Parents staying and supporting morning teas

Activities planned and processes put in place to ensure new families are welcomed and

supported.

Effective Use of Data

Goals What are we trying

to achieve?

Strategies Responsibility Who will lead this?

Resources What human and financial

Success Indicators



What actions will we take

to achieve our goals and

targets?

resources will

we need?

How will we know

we have been

successful?

The school collects and uses data to inform pedagogy to ensure continuous improvement CIF: Domain 6 6.1 6.2 6.3

• Develop and

monitor a systematic plan for the collection of data for staff to access

• Build on

teachers skills in analysing and interpreting data through PD

• Provide time for

staff to meet in teams to analyse and reflect on data collected

• Participation in

the Cluster Collaborative Engagement Numeracy Project

Leadership & Leaders of

Learning Team

Teams

3 POR positions –

Early, Primary & Middle

Years established

Provide

release time each fortnight

for POR

Athina Fotopoulos

CESA Numeracy

Team

School improvement in be evident in student achievement and grades, i.e. NAPLAN results, PAT M & PAT R tests Analysis of the data Staff satisfaction and growth in skills – change in approach to teaching styles – a shift Positive attitude and positive approach to data collection Parent satisfaction and understanding of student learning

High Quality Teaching and Learning

Goals What are we trying to

achieve?

Strategies What actions will we

take to achieve our goals and targets?



and financial resources will

we need?

Success Indicators

How will we

know we have been

successful?

• The school provides high quality teaching and learning through the design and delivery of contemporary pedagogy

• Numeracy Research Project - 2 Cluster staff meetings a term + 2 pupil free days to work

Leadership & Year Level Teams

AITSL website

Effective Feedback and appraisal strategies in place and adopted



• Provide structures and processes for ongoing teacher feedback on their performance/pedagogy

• Deepen our understanding of how children learn

CIF: Domain 5 5.2 5.4

in teams on a shared the cluster goal

• Continued Participation in the CESA Re-Imagining Childhood Project – focusing on Numeracy All staff involved as ‘professional partners’ in project

• Introduce filming of lessons using rotational camera and staff personally reflection on lesson

Cluster Leadership Team & Athina

CESA

Adrian, Keiran & Stephanie

Pupil Free Days

& Staff Meetings –

cost

Athina Fotopoulos

CESA Numeracy

Team

Tina Adamo CESA

TRT required & funding available through CESA

Swivel Camera

purchased

Staff open to feedback, the establishment of effective collaboration and trust Teaching pedagogies that acknowledge and encourage the child as active protagonists Successful Action research projects shared with cluster

Effective Administration and Resourcing


achieve?

Strategies What actions will we

take to achieve our goals

and targets?

Responsibility Who will lead

this?


and financial

resources will we need?

Success Indicators

How will we know

we have been

successful?

• Improved

physical environment and facilities to inspire and maximise learning

• Regular site

meetings with leadership, Architects from Designinc & CESA IPAD team during building works

• Communicating

building progress to school community

Leadership Team with assistance from School Board

Adrian, Tanya

School loan & school

funds

Design Inc – Noel Thomas IPAD CESA – Ivan Cavuoto

Finance checks –

Jayne Ansell & Finance Committee

Contemporary facilities with more storage and easy access through buildings Whole School community satisfaction Increase in school tour numbers and school enrolments



• To establish policies and practices that incorporate environmental and sustainable initiatives

CIF: Domain 9 9.3 & 9.5

Introduce a student permaculture group to encourage student voice in the planning of initiatives Invite staff participation Re-establish kitchen garden Investigate opportunities for nature play

Bruce Ford (groundsman)

Bunnings

Nature Play

SA

NRM

KESAB

Unley Council

Aesthetics of the school Participation of students and classes and teachers Feedback from school families Student engagement in alternative play

Strong Leadership


achieve?

Strategies What actions will

we take to achieve our goals and

targets?



and financial resources will

we need?

Success Indicators

How will we know

we have been successful?

• Staff expertise is maximised to build leadership capacity

• Promotion of collaborative leadership in order to develop professional capital of staff

CIF: Domain 3 3.2 & 3.3

Encourage and support leadership aspirations of staff by providing leadership opportunities and PD Establishing an expectation of shared leadership that includes shared responsibility and accountability Providing staff time for sharing knowledge and skills

Leadership Team

Release time

Budget

CESA PD & Consultants

Outside agencies

Staff promoting and modelling contemporary initiatives Increased staff satisfaction Staff leading change Greater collaboration across the whole school



Staff involved in decision making =

school performance report 2007

Documents