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Castle Cove Public School
Annual School Report 2014
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Principal’s message
Castle Cove Public School, founded in 1952, is located in a quiet, leafy suburb situated on a peninsula on the north shore of Sydney. The school environment is warm and welcoming with well-resourced learning areas, spacious grounds and excellent sporting facilities.
Our enrolment numbers this year were 490 on census date and comprised 241 boys and 249 girls. We enjoy the diversity that a range of ethnic backgrounds brings and are proud of the harmony that exists across the school community.
Castle Cove enjoys a strong reputation through high academic results and a commitment to the development of values and life-long learning skills in our students. At Castle Cove we value and appreciate a rich and stimulating learning environment where students can feel safe, valued and respected. Our students are enthusiastic about and engaged in their learning and strive to be the best person they can be. We offer high quality learning programs that are differentiated to meet the needs of all students. Our enthusiastic and dedicated staff members embrace continual development of their professional practice. We greatly appreciate a high level of parental support through active involvement in classrooms and contribution of skills and expertise to other areas of school life.
Each term students have engaged with our learning programs and school initiatives, striving to achieve their best, meeting daily challenges with effort and enthusiasm. The personal best of so many at both a team and individual level has resulted in recognition for many students in the academic areas and in sport, public speaking, debating, Robotics, music, choir, dance and chess, to name some other areas. Many of these achievements are recognised on the pages following.
This year has seen some inspiring Project Based Learning happening in the school. The Rhino project is one example and is described further in this report.
I certify that the information in this report is the result of a rigorous school self-evaluation process and is a balanced and genuine account of the school’s achievements and areas for development.
Jeanette Cope
Student Representative’s Message
The past year has been full of fun, enjoyment and learning experiences for everyone at Castle Cove. Our school has participated in many events some of which are listed below and many more that we haven’t such as surf school, dance, debating, Tournament of Minds, PSSA, Premier’s Reading Challenge and band.
Great Aussie Bush Camp. Every year the senior students go on a camp. This year we went to Great Aussie Bush Camp which is located at Tea Gardens. On this camp we participated in many activities such as canoeing, mud world, fencing and giant swing. We also visited the beach and were challenged to run our own stall at the county fair. This meant we had to compete against other stalls and watch our budget to ensure we weren’t over spending.
Year Six Gift. Following tradition, Year 6 leaves a gift to the school as a thank you for their years of education. This year, enough money was raised to give the school two presents. The first gift was a set new school flags - four House flags and one school flag. The “Bali” style flags were greatly appreciated when they were presented midway through the year. However, Year 6 had another gift up their sleeves when they announced they were purchasing new bubblers for the school.
Parliament House Visit. As School Leaders, a personal highlight this year was going to Parliament House. We were guided around the building and were then met by Gladys Berejiklian who presented us with a certificate of outstanding leadership qualities. We ended the afternoon with an afternoon tea.
Christmas Concert. This year the theme of the Christmas concert was Around the World. Stage 3 represented England and was made up of various
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different segments such as Shakespeare, the Beatles and sport. Other classes covered different parts of the globe including Africa, Japan, Germany and many more. We had an outstanding turn out and an estimated number of 1000 turned up over the three performances.
Molly Gallagher & Hamish Grant School Captains
Student information
It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.
Student enrolment profile
Student attendance profile
Management of non-attendance
As can be seen from the student attendance profile, attendance rates are very high across all
grades. Any student absence that becomes a cause for concern is followed up personally by the school. A DEC Home School Liaison Officer is available to assist the school should there be a need.
Workforce information
It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.
Workforce composition
Position Number
Principal 1
Deputy Principal 0
Assistant Principals 4
Classroom Teachers 17
Teacher of Reading Recovery 0
Teacher of Science 2
Learning and Support Teachers 3
Teacher Librarian 1
Teacher of ESL 1
School Counsellor 1
School Administrative & Support Staff 8
Total 38
The Australian Education Regulation, 2014 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce. At Castle Cove we have nil members of staff of aboriginal background.
Teacher qualifications
All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools.
Many staff members hold more than one degree with postgraduate studies ranging from certificate level courses at universities, through to postgraduate diplomas, a second degree or a masters degree in educational areas.
Qualifications % of staff
Degree or Diploma 84
Postgraduate 16
Professional learning and teacher accreditation
The school receives funds from the DEC to provide for teacher release from class and course
Gender 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Male 192 209 231 235 220 239 241
Female 183 197 207 220 247 242 249
0
200
400
600
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Stu
de
nts
Year
Enrolments
Male Female
Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
K 96.2 97.0 96.6 95.0 96.7 96.5
1 95.5 95.7 95.6 95.5 96.2 97.1
2 96.0 96.7 94.8 96.1 95.5 96.1
3 96.3 95.8 96.0 96.4 96.4 95.9
4 96.1 95.8 94.9 96.1 96.2 96.7
5 96.0 94.5 95.1 95.6 95.9 97.1
6 96.2 95.6 95.4 93.6 95.7 93.7
Total 96.1 96.0 95.5 95.5 96.1 96.3
K 94.3 94.7 94.7 94.3 95.0 95.2
1 93.7 94.2 94.2 93.9 94.5 94.7
2 94 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.7 94.9
3 94.1 94.5 94.4 94.4 94.8 95.0
4 94 94.5 94.3 94.3 94.7 94.9
5 94 94.4 94.2 94.2 94.5 94.8
6 93.6 94.0 93.8 93.8 94.1 94.2
Total 92.1 94.4 94.3 94.2 94.7 94.8
Sta
te D
EC
Sch
oo
l
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fees. The amount of funding is based on the number of permanent staff at the school. Additional funding comes from the DEC to support development of beginning teachers and the school also provides further discretional funding. Twenty-eight teachers participated in professional learning over the year at a cost of $17198.34 (average of $614 per teacher). Allocations of funding from the DEC included allowance for general professional learning, Literacy and Numeracy Programs and the implementation of the Australian Curriculum.
Professional learning is related to areas identified in the school management plan and DEC target area and is provided through weekly professional learning meetings, staff development days and external courses.
The North Harbour Learning Community also organised professional learning across the community of schools which took the form of Project Based Learning, Dyslexia Online, Literacy Through Drama, student Engagement, and Teacher Accreditation to name some.
Castle Cove currently has six teachers working towards accreditation with the NSW Institute of Teachers. In addition, our aspiring leaders are participating in professional learning to build their leadership capacity.
In 2014, funds were expended in the following areas:
ICT and 21st Century Learning
Beginning Teachers
ESL
Learning and Support
Quality Teaching in Numeracy 3-6
Gifted and Talented Education
Australian Curriculum
Best Start Training
Science K-6
Career Development
Student Welfare, Every Student Every School
Aboriginal Education
North Sydney Region Network conferences
Leadership forums and conferences
In 2014 a significant proportion of teacher professional learning time was dedicated to the implementation of the new Maths K-10 syllabus. Staff participated in a range of modules developed by the DEC and additional opportunities were available through workshops and Regional network meetings.
Financial summary
This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance.
Date of financial summary 30/11/2014
Income $
Balance brought forward 446364.77 Global funds 265934.51 Tied funds 133374.49 School & community sources 509394.36 Interest 14552.33 Trust receipts 26218.70 Canteen 0.00
Total income 1395839.16
Expenditure
Teaching & learning Key learning areas 128261.08 Excursions 75304.85 Extracurricular dissections 207684.27
Library 8660.45 Training & development 4272.77 Tied funds 82021.72 Casual relief teachers 99616.16 Administration & office 74995.80 School-operated canteen 0.00 Utilities 47740.47 Maintenance 20246.68 Trust accounts 33372.38 Capital programs 14904.80
Total expenditure 797081.43
Balance carried forward 598757.73
A full copy of the school’s 2014 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of the parent body. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school.
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School performance 2014
Arts
Choir
The students’ love of singing and performance flourished through the Castle Cove choirs led by Assistant Principal, Margie Byrom.
The aim of the choir program is to encourage the children to enjoy singing with each other, learn interesting repertoire, understand some aspects of choral musical notation and participate in performance.
Singing is a wonderful release and it gives the students opportunities to express their feelings, their thoughts and their whole self, through the words and music.
All students participate in this program and during the year they have explored themes, music selection, theatrical and other features that created harmonious choirs. The various choirs demonstrated their creativity and enjoyment of singing at events such as Open Day, weekly and A-Day assemblies and the NHLC Tutti Concert.
The Tutti Concert was held at The Chatswood Concourse in May. The Concert Band, under the direction of Tim Ferrier is made up of Year 5 and 6 students who are a particularly strong group of musicians. They were thrilled to be able to perform Fire Dance’ by David Shaffer in such a wonderful concert hall.
The Year 6 Choir, rehearsing and performing under the direction of Margie Byrom, sang beautifully China Roses which was written and composed by Enya and Nicky and Roma Ryan.
Kristian Babian, (Yr 4), who has been singing, dancing and acting from the time he could walk, performed When I Get My Name in Lights, with words and music by Peter Allen. It was a very professional performance from one so young.
Visual Arts
Our students welcomed artist and photographer, Matthew McLarty to talk about the Wild!Taronga rhino project, which was a community art exhibition to raise funds and bring awareness about the dwindling numbers of rhinos in the wild. During April large painted rhino sculptures
were erected and displayed in Taronga Zoo, around the city and out on a trail towards the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo. Matt explained the inspiration behind his design, the techniques that he used, including computer technology and the design selection process. Our senior students made 3D model rhinos and painted them with their own designs. We had over 100 small rhino sculptures and they were displayed around the school which made our own Castle Cove rhino trail. The students individually researched the rhino and their endangered status and then, through the use of QR codes glued to their rhino, allowed visitors and other school students to read the information on their Ipad or Iphone. A fund-raiser was held and a donation made to Taronga Zoo to support the Rhinos in the wild.
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The Willoughby Council’s annual Festive Season Flag Competition was held and offered students another way to show their creative abilities. Forty flag designs were chosen and, as in past years, CCPS did very well with eleven winners. The judges said that the quality of art was sophisticated. The designs were reproduced onto flags and were hung throughout Chatswood over the Christmas period.
The winners were Caspar Bosscher, Cara Murphy, Thomas Clare, Stella Robertson, Charlotte Hayden Ellie Shuetrim, Joe Dillon, Taiga Southam, Thomas Garrett, Macklin Houe and Anxia Wentworth-Ping.
Band
Our band programs have continued to go from strength to strength with our largest enrolment of over 130 students this year in our four bands – Training, Intermediate, Concert and Stage Bands.
The annual Band camp at Collaroy earlier this year was once again a great success as a result of many hours of hard work from our team of parents. All students benefited from the extended rehearsals with their bands as well as the smaller specialist instrument tutorials. In between workshops and rehearsals they greatly enjoyed outward bound activities including The
Giant Swing, Maze and Rock Climbing.
Our bands also took part in interschool music competitions including Ryde East Music Festival where they achieved excellent results. Training Band took out a Silver Award and Concert Band received the Gold Award.
At the largest festival of the year - the UNSW Music Festival - every band was placed in their categories. Stage Band joined Training and Intermediate Bands with a Silver Award and Concert Band collected a Gold Award.
CCPS participated in the Northern Sydney Wind Ensemble Spring Festival at the Concourse in Chatswood for the first time this year.
In Term 4, all our bands held a small JazzFest where they performed along with Roseville Public, Willoughby Girls High Stage Band and Benjamin’s Big Band.
This year also marks 20 years of teaching at Castle Cove for our Concert Band Master Tim Ferrier. Students through the years have benefited from his vast experience and talent and have gone on to continue with band programs through high school and beyond. We thank him for his commitment and dedication to our students.
Training Band plays its first public performance at the Easter Hat Parade.
Dance
2014 was another wonderful year for our Performance Dance Troupes. Students from Years 3-6 were invited to audition for a place on either our Junior or Senior Performance Dance Troupes. All students gave the audition their best and the level of competition was high.
Our Junior Troupe, made up of boys and girls from Years 3 and 4, lightened up the stage with “Boot Scootin”, choreographed by Stephanie Crowley. The dancers filled the stage with energy,
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precision and smiles. The Senior Troupe (Years 5 and 6) brought energy and excitement with a routine inspired by the track “We Go Together” from the movie “Grease” also choreographed by Stephanie Crowley.
After completing two audition rounds, our dancers were selected to perform at the Sydney North Public Schools Dance Festival held at Glen St Theatre. The festival is the largest of its type in NSW. Both troupes performed at three different shows and were given the opportunity to experience what it is like to perform in a professional theatre.
The troupes also performed at the Term 3 A-Day ceremony which celebrated creativity throughout the school. After months of practice, this was a perfect opportunity to showcase to the community the talents and the level of excellence achieved by the dancers.
Among other skills, the dancers learnt to execute a pirouette and to use their core correctly to support themselves when dancing.
Lara Dempsey, Cassie Baker and Jessica Weiling (Stage 3 students) represented Castle Cove PS at the Sydney North Public Schools Talented Junior Dance Workshops. These workshops were held in the prestigious Sydney Dance Company studios at Walsh Bay and gave our dancers an excellent opportunity to work with professionals in their particular style.
Gabriella Pancino, along with 90 students from other schools auditioned for the Talented Junior Dance Ensemble for 2014. We are delighted to announce she successfully gained a place on the Ensemble and decided to accept this wonderful offer. The Junior Ensemble performed at the Sydney North Public Schools Dance Festival and the Schools Spectacular in 2015. We are so proud to have a Castle Cove PS representative performing at these amazing showcases.
Castle Cove PS also offered Dance as a Sport option for Primary students in Terms 2 and 3. These dance lessons focused on basic movement skills, building up to more advanced execution of steps and correct technique. The students also learnt the correct terminology for movements, positions and directions using French vocabulary. All of their knowledge was put into practice as they learnt set choreography and also experimented in improvisation and creating their own choreography.
Sport
PSSA Interschool sports involved many of our year 3-6 students and provided opportunities for skills development in a number of team sports:
Netball: The senior netball team performed extremely well in their division and the younger netball teams came up against strong opposition in their division. The younger students successfully and quickly adapted to playing at the high standard that the PSSA competition demands. The A team came 1st in the B Grade. The B team and C team were jointly placed 7th in the C Grade.
AFL: The PSSA AFL small schools competition was tightly contested. The three boys’ teams placed 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively. The girls’ team dominated their division and were overall winners.
Soccer: Our soccer teams faced tough competition in the small schools divisions. The A Team came 4th in the A division and the B Team came 1st overall in the B division.
Swimming: CCPS is considered a smaller school in our local PSSA competition. However, we continued to be competitive against larger schools achieving pleasing results at all levels of swimming. A highly talented team consisting of Lexie Gersbeck, Angus Warren, Alice Vance, Evan Ausling, qualified for the Regional Carnival. All students performed at a high standard while competing for their Zone Team. Lexie Gersbeck came 4th in the final at regional for the 50 metre butterfly and narrowly missed out on a spot in the State Team.
Cross Country: Castle Cove PS representatives performed well, holding up well against stiff competition. While not placed in the top three, they gave their best and greatly enjoyed the challenge.
Athletics: Our athletes also performed well in the 2014 North Shore Zone Athletics Carnival with some great results: Aria Pape 2nd Long Jump, Luka Hill 2nd Junior High Jump, Kyle Fisher 2nd 11 Years High Jump, Omar Marouk 2nd Senior High Jump, Oliver Rajaratnam 3rd Senior Long Jump, Finn Fogarty 3rd 11 Years Discus. Six students were selected to join the North Shore Zone team to compete at the
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regional event. An honourable mention goes to the Year 5/6 girls 100m relay team (Lexie Gersbeck, Maia Johns, Megan Yun and Aria Pape) who placed 3rd in the zone final and just missed out on qualifying for the Regional Competition.
Tennis
Tennis was outsourced and continued with booming numbers, proving once again that this is a popular sporting choice for students not involved in PSSA sport. Tennis Cove was used with the senior students and the now established Keno Tennis (at Castle Cove Golf Course) was used for the junior students. Tennis lessons were held in Term 1 and 4.
Skills Clinics
Our school’s programs included K-6 Gymnastics (Moving Bodies), Athletics, Dance, Learn to Swim for Years K-2, and SEA Australia Beach Skills Education Day for Years 3-6. In addition, over 100 students from Years 4-6 undertook the Manly Surf School program which runs over Term 4 and teaches beach safety and surfing skills.
In whole school sport programs, the areas of focus were striking and hitting games, such as T-Ball and Hockey and invasion games, such as Capture the Flag and Basketball.
Rugby
For the fourth consecutive year Castle Cove participated in the ARU rugby GALA days.
Manly 7s Competition- In May Year 3 & 4 students competed in the in which they gained a great deal of experience.
Gordon 7s competition- Benefiting from the experience of last year, Castle Cove was able to better their placing in all age divisions. A highlight
from the day was our junior A team who came second in their competition. The senior team performed exceptionally with only one substitute and made it through the group stages, to the semi-finals. We look forward to growing the sport of Rugby in our school next year and become involved in more GALA days across the Northern Sydney Region.
Chess Club Chess is a valuable activity for children, developing their logical thinking skills as well as being a source of much enjoyment. Once again a successful year of chess has been experienced. The students (from Years 1-6) meet on Wednesday mornings from 8.15 to 9.15. In this time they have both a lesson and play games. Chess is a game that requires concentration, problem solving skills and the ability to think some moves ahead. We ran two in-school competitions and the top 30 students from the second competed in the inter school tournament. Castle Cove hosted this for the fourth year in a row.
Thank you to the parent volunteers who contribute to the smooth running of the club.
Robotics Club Robotics Club has continued to go from strength to strength under the guidance of parents Geoff Shuetrim and Mike Weiling. This year the club invested in all new Lego Mindstorms EV3 kits which have proven far more stable and easy to use. All students in Stage 3 complete a Science unit introducing them to the science of robotics and basic programming knowledge in Term 1. Students who have an interest are then invited to apply to join the robotics club. Fifteen club members are drawn from Years 5 and 6 and meet
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every Tuesday afternoon from 3.30 – 5.00 p.m. through all of Terms 2, 3 and 4. In Term 2 they developed their designing, building and programming skills through structured and guided activities set up by Geoff and Mike. These skills were then used to prepare for their participation in the First Lego League competition in November. The FLL challenge is a worldwide challenge involving 250,000 children from 80 countries, and centres around a theme each year. The 2014 theme was called World Class Challenge and explored the way that children learn and how they want to learn. CCPS entered two teams into FLL – Gears of War and Lego Legion. Apart from participating in the robot challenge where they were required to design, build and program robots to complete set missions, the teams were also required to complete a project where they had to come up with an innovative solution to this year’s challenge – redesigning how we gather and acquire knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Both teams performed well on the day and Gears of War came away with a trophy for programming excellence, while Lego Legion came up with an interesting technique to teach soccer skills to very young children. Congratulations to all the students involved! Our robotics club is also an online phenomenon! ABC Splash – which is the education website of ABC – filmed the club for a special live online event on robotics. You can see the videos on the ABC Splash website. A search for Castle Cove Public School will bring up all videos featuring our students. http://splash.abc.net.au/topic/-/t/1384513/robots-and-robotics.
Tournament of Minds
Tournament of Minds is a team problem solving challenge aimed at co-operation and creativity. It aims to enhance the potential of students by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management and working collaboratively within a competitive environment. Teams of seven students are required to complete a challenge from a selection of disciplines within 6 weeks and present this to a team of judges in a dramatic
form, in addition to group spontaneous challenge, at a Northern Sydney regional final. The rules of the competition include many rules to limit space, costumes, props, timing and the number of competitors in the performance area. Plans, costing and scripts are presented to judges prior to the performance.
Castle Cove PS entered a team of students in the Language Literature Challenge where the students presented scripted drama which included a selection of familiar literary characters within a contemporary context. Gabi Pancino, Cassie Baker, Tess Harris, Grace Harris , Olivia Hosie, Victoria Warren, Alice Vance completed the challenge presenting a quiz show “Australia’s Got Authors”, which included Mulga Bill, Gretel, Helen of Troy and the Emperor in New Clothes. A second team from Castle Cove participated in the Social Sciences challenge where the team dramatized moving an icon from one country to another. The team, Jessica Weiling, Molly Gallagher, Noah Reinhardt, Rowena McDonald, Jake Takehuchi, Macklin Houe, Evan Ausling, scripted and performed their reasons for and against moving emus from Australia to Sweden at the International Court of Justice with Alfred Noble. The Castle Cove students showed commitment and enthusiasm in the planning and implementation of their vision. The teams completed the tasks using creativity and collaboration. We look forward to competing in this competition in the future.
Science
It has been another exciting and stimulating year of discovery in Science at CCPS.
Our students receive a weekly 80 minute lesson from either Mrs. Gray (K-1) or Mrs. Rao (2-6). We have continued to use the website created in 2012 http://castlecovescience.com to showcase the Science programs in each year/stage with photographs and videos, provide homework and assignment information for students and parents, and also provide links for students to continue their learning online and at home.
Students have learnt about and investigated topics as wide ranging as light, sound, biodiversity, robotics, landscapes, materials, renewable energy, space, what it means to be ‘green’, matter, adaptations, forces, and plant life
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cycles. All the science units are aligned to the new Australian curriculum.
Students have attended CSIRO and Field of Mars workshops, been on excursions to the Powerhouse Museum, Kimbriki Eco-Centre and
IMAX and have used a range of online applications and technologies. Year 6 students visited the Jenolan Caves online as part of Australia’s Biggest excursion – an innovative and exciting initiative using CSIRO imaging technology.
The Spectra Science Awards program (www.asta.edu.au/resources/spectra) has continued to be popular amongst Stage 1 and Stage 2 students, with 84 students signing up to the scheme and more than 40 students completing all three home projects in order to receive their certificates and badges. This year we also had one Year 5 student complete a Senior Science Spectra award.
Mrs. Rao was privileged to be chosen as one of five teachers from across the country to visit the Kimberley region as part of BushBlitz TeachLive in Term 2. This exciting opportunity gave students an insight into how science is studied in the ‘real world’ and provided them with an authentic learning experience as they followed Mrs. Rao online through her blog, which detailed her adventures.
Science Under the Stars – our National Science Week event – once again beat the weather odds to go off with a bang (not literally!). Tickets to the event sold out within hours and both
students and parents enjoyed the multitude of science experiences on the day – student led hands-on activities, storytelling with a science theme, an exhibition showcasing the best of student work in science such as senior investigation projects, space brochures and Mars Rovers created by Year 4 students, posters by Year 2 students, animation movies on invertebrates by Year 3 students, and much more. Once again the highlight of the evening was the opportunity to view the night sky using professional telescopes belonging to the volunteers from the North Shore Astronomical Society.
CCPS has continued to enjoy much success in the Young Scientists Awards competition with 21 entries into the competition this year. The Young Scientist Awards are a major project of the Science Teachers’ Association of New South Wales and attracts entries from across the state. There were 746 entries this year from K-12, and 33 primary school winners of awards. Three talented CCPS students were awarded a major prize – Hannah Shaw, Harry Wood and Nic Opie. This was Nic’s second consecutive year to win a Young Scientist Award and Harry was awarded the Young Marine Scientist of the Year for his very interesting investigation on sea stars.
Of the 21 projects entered, a further 6 were awarded Certificates of Excellence, 8 were awarded Certificates of High Achievement and 4 projects received Certificates of Commendation.
Learning about polarised light in Year 4
Mrs. Rao with Dr. Miller an ichthyologist working in the Kimberley
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Academic achievements
Creative Writing
All Year 5 students participated in the Willoughby City Council Story Writing Competition. Inspired by the book There’s Something in the Water, the project aimed to raise awareness of environmental issues involving our local water catchments. Entries by students were linked to the class research on water catchments and the wildlife of those habitats. Mia Humphries’ story, Freddie the Frog and the Dirty Pond and The Adventure at Sea by Ellie Shuetrim were both selected as winners.
In the associated art section, the winning entry, Ringtail Possum, was submitted by Ivy Leggett.
Saskia Raymond (Year 2) achieved a Silver Award in the annual NSW Board of Studies WriteOn competition for her story, while Olivia Hosie (Year 4), achieved a Bronze Award for hers. Their work will be published in an anthology of winning students’ writing early next year.
Cassie Baker was awarded first place by the Rotary Club of Roseville Chase in their Essay Writing Competition. Cassie’s essay entitled The Gladiator, told the story of a gladiator, his first fight and his survival.
Lara Dempsey entered the Public Speaking section of the Competition, speaking about Racism and the impact that racist remarks can have. She cited the success story of Ahn Do, the Happiest Refugee. Her speech was very well researched, and confidently and enthusiastically presented.
Cassie (right) and Lara were presented on the night with the annual Rotary Shield which has listed past winners and a personal engraved plaque.
This year Stage 3 entered the poetry section of the RSL competition named Australia, My Country. The aim of the competition is to enhance the children's love of their country, and to deepen their understanding of the history of Anzac Day and the Anzac spirit and tradition.
We were extremely proud of the children's efforts and achievements. Lexie Gersbeck (Yr 6) won first prize and Amelia Walmsley (Yr 5) won second place. Lexie was also selected as the recipient of the Martin Harvey Award as overall winner of all the poetry sections.
NAPLAN
In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10.
The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments.
Year 3: from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6 (highest)
Year 5: from Band 3 (lowest) to Band 8 (highest)
Year 7: from Band 4 (lowest) to Band 9 (highest)
Year 9: from Band 5 (lowest) to Band 10 (highest)
The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and numeracy testing (NAPLAN).
Click on the link http://www.myschool.edu.au and enter the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data.
NAPLAN Year 3 - Literacy (including Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation)
Literacy results at Castle Cove were excellent for Year 3 in all of the literacy areas assessed.
The following four graphs show the six Year 3 bands and the percentage of our students (pink) placed in each of those bands. Also shown is a three year school average (lilac), the similar school group (SSG) average (green) and state average (blue).
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At CCPS we strive to see as many students in the top two bands as is possible. In reading, 81% of our students were placed in the top two bands compared with 46% in the state. These are excellent results.
In writing, the majority of our students were placed in the top two bands whereas, across the state, the majority lies below these two bands. It should also be noted that this graph only reflects the one genre tested in NAPLAN out of the ten that are taught here at school.
The graphs for spelling, grammar and punctuation also show very strong results.
NAPLAN Year 3 - Numeracy
The following graph illustrates our Year 3 students’ outstanding performance in numeracy. 68% of our students were in the top two bands and showed again that we are outperforming the state by a considerable margin (35%). Not one student is in the bottom band.
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Bands
Percentage in bands: Year 3 Reading
Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2010-2014SSG % in Bands 2014State DEC % in Bands 2014
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Percentage in bands: Year 3 Writing
Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2011-2014SSG % in Bands 2014State DEC % in Bands 2014
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Percentage in bands: Year 3 Spelling
Percentage in Bands
School Average 2010-2014
SSG % in Bands 2014
State DEC % in Bands 2014
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Percentage in bands: Year 3 Grammar & Punctuation
Percentage in Bands
School Average 2010-2014
SSG % in Bands 2014
State DEC % in Bands 2014
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NAPLAN Year 5 - Literacy (including Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation)
The results for Year 5 NAPLAN assessments are reported over six bands from Band 3 (lowest) to Band 8 (highest). Castle Cove students are performing at an outstanding level, consistently out-performing the state in each area.
In reading 72% of our students were placed in the top two bands compared to 33% in the state.
Our aim in reading is to implement programs that support students to achieve their potential with the results of the majority placed in the top two Naplan bands.
In writing the task was a persuasive text type. About 75% of our students were placed in the upper half of the bands, out- performing the state wide trend of 40%. The graph shows that persuasive writing is a difficult task for all students. We will continue to maximize our students’ performance by explicitly teaching writing skills and strategies that will result in improved writing in this genre.
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Percentage in bands: Year 3 Numeracy
Percentage in Bands
School Average 2010-2014
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Percentage in bands: Year 5 Reading
Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2010-2014SSG % in Bands 2014State DEC % in Bands 2014
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Percentage in bands: Year 5 Writing
Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2011-2014SSG % in Bands 2014State DEC % in Bands 2014
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Percentage in bands: Year 5 Spelling
Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2010-2014SSG % in Bands 2014State DEC % in Bands 2014
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NAPLAN Year 5 – Numeracy
The following graph shows our Year 5 students’ strong performance in Numeracy. Almost two-thirds of the students are placed in bands 7 and 8 (64%) compared to the state average of (41%). About 88% of our students are in the highest three bands.
Significant programs and initiatives – Policy and equity funding
Aboriginal education
At CCPS Aboriginal education is taught as a cross curriculum perspective and as such is embedded throughout the curriculum. At all assemblies and special occasions we observe the protocol of acknowledging country. At our A Day Assembly we, once again, invited Karen Smith, Aboriginal Education Officer from the Aboriginal Heritage Office, to give an Acknowledgement to Country.
Kindergarten: HSIE: In the Wants and Needs Unit students looked at different shelters, in particular Aboriginal shelters.
Indigenous perspectives informed many of the Science units taught this year:
Stage 1 students were studying the Changing Landscape Unit. They looked at Aboriginal explanations of weather and their relationship to the land. This included fire management.
Stage 2 students learnt about indigenous astronomy in their respective units on space. Through their unit on plants Year 3 students investigated indigenous plant use.
Mrs Rao (CCPS Science teacher) participated in Bush Blitz which gave students an insight into the significance of country.
Year Two students were learning to write book reviews in English. First they wrote one with their teacher based on a story about an Aboriginal child and then wrote their own reviews based on a book which was either about Aboriginal culture and/or written by an Aboriginal person.
Year 3 students investigated National Parks in HSIE. This included looking at Aboriginal sites, what to do to protect these heritage sites and understanding what life was like for Aboriginal people before and after European arrival.
Year 4 students were studying World Explorers in HSIE. This included looking at the interaction between certain explorers and Aboriginal people. The effect of subsequent colonisation was also discussed.
Seniors students each produced a biography of a prominent Aboriginal person.
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Percentage in bands: Year 5 Grammar & Punctuation
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Percentage in bands: Year 5 Numeracy
Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2010-2014SSG % in Bands 2014State DEC % in Bands 2014
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Our school also celebrates NAIDOC Week by flying the Aboriginal flag and this year we had Jess Sinnott with a colleague from Koori Kinnections working with the students looking at artefacts, producing artworks and learning about bush food.
The SRC sold wrist bands, pencil case packs and beanies to raise money for Koori Kids. Koori Kids is an organisation which provides support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This organisation also ran a colouring competition for K-2 – many of our students took part – as well as a rap writing competition for 3-6. Thousands of entries were received and Harry Wood was one of only 25 students, state wide, to receive a medallion and gift. This was presented to him, at a special assembly, by the Deputy Mayor of Willoughby and the Director of NAIDOC.
We are proud of our commitment to ensuring our students learn about all aspects of Aboriginal culture both in the past and the present.
Multicultural education and anti-racism
Over twenty different cultural backgrounds are represented by students at Castle Cove Public School. At Castle Cove Public School, we endeavour to build an inclusive environment where all cultures are equally valued. Multicultural perspectives have been embedded into all Key Learning Areas and in many additional activities to enhance students cultural understandings some examples include Musical Viva concerts, Opera house performances, singing and dancing in the End of Year Concert. Students studied and shared the traditions, arts and celebrations of their own cultures and other cultures.
K-6 students participated in Harmony Day celebrations with classes discussing and completing Harmony day activities in class and many sharing a culturally diverse lunch. On Harmony Day, students wore clothes that represented their own cultural backgrounds or dressed in orange, the recognised colour for Harmony Day.
Students from Years 3-6 at CCPS competed in the Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition which is administered by The Arts Unit. It is a speaking competition open to all public school students. The competition provides the opportunity to develop public speaking skills,
heighten the awareness of multicultural issues and improve confidence.
The students all first presented, at class level, a prepared speech from a selection of multicultural topics, and an impromptu speech. Best students then presented at a Stage 2 or Stage 3 final. The next level was the local area final which was held at CCPS. Thomas Garrett and Olivia Hosie represented CCPS from Stage 2, and Gabi Pancino and Lara Dempsey competed in the Stage 3 final. They presented their prepared speech and another impromptu speech against competitors from 14 local schools. Lara won the Stage 3 final and was selected to compete in the Northern region final which was a particularly impressive achievement
English language proficiency
In 2014 a total of 142 students at CCPS were identified as having a language background other than English with 32 students requiring a specific EAL/D (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) program.
Mrs Clarry, a specialist English Language teacher is appointed to the school to work with these students for two days per week, either in the classroom or small ability groups for targeted withdrawal support. This teacher also supports the classroom teachers in planning for on-going needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This includes EAL/D teaching programs and practices, modes of delivery, assessment differentiation for EAL/D students and reporting of EAL/D achievement using EAL/D Scales.
Learning and Support
The school’s Learning and Support Team meets weekly to discuss the learning needs of referred students. Individualised learning plans and support programs were developed in 2014 for identified students. Adjustments to learning programs and support included:
meetings with parents, teachers and school counsellor to establish and monitor learning goals. In subsequent review meetings the goals are evaluated, success is celebrated and new goals identified.
allocation of a Learning and Support Teacher (LaST) 2.5 days each week to the school. This role, currently filled by Robyn Kneebone, is a
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consultative one assessing and working with students who are experiencing academic, social or behavioural difficulties. Teachers are assisted in developing appropriate learning programs and strategies to support the identified students.
provision of support for teachers in classroom sessions by Student Learning Support Officers.
administration of cognitive and behavioural assessments by the School Counsellor, Gail Zinn.
Liaising with external practitioners including psychologists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and paediatricians.
differentiated programs with accommodations and adjustments where needed so that all students have equitable access to learning.
professional learning programs for teachers to address learner diversity in the classroom.
implementing Lunch Club, a lunchtime program led by Robyn Kneebone and which supports students experiencing social difficulties or anxiety on the playground
In addition to the funding provided by the DEC to manage the above, our generous community funds 7 teaching days each week which allows us to implement specific programs such as MultiLit, numeracy and literacy support, enrichment programs. There is an overall benefit in many grades of reduced class sizes that this additional resource provides.
Environmental Education
The goal of our Environmental Education is to provide the school community with a holistic and purposeful understanding of sustainable waste management. In 2014 Castle Cove Public School built upon already strong environmental practices. We ensure that as many waste products as possible are incorporated into the waste management system by recycling all paper, food and green waste. The final stage of this system involves using the composted waste on our gardens in the form of mulch, worm castings and worm tea.
The Waste Free Wednesday program has grown into Waste Free Everyday The students are encouraged to reduce the amount of waste they bring to the school by packing their lunch and
recess in either reusable or recyclable packaging. Classes log the percentage of children with waste free lunchboxes and the winning class for each week is announced at the weekly K-6 assembly. The winning K-2 class wins Klara Koala for the week and Warwick the Wombat is looked after by the winning 3-6 class.
CCPS Earth Kids (Years 2-6) and Junior Earth Kids (Year 1) – our student environmental groups continued to grow in popularity. Around 25 enthusiastic students of CCPS Earth Kids meet every Thursday at lunchtime and participate in various activities designed to look after and manage the environment around CCPS. These include: managing the compost bins; worm farms; weeding, feeding, planting and harvesting the gardens and collecting rubbish. They also act as ambassadors for the earth in their classrooms, promoting good practices such as switching lights and fans off when leaving the room, keeping doors closed when air conditioners are being used and promoting Waste Free Wednesdays. There are approximately 12 volunteer Year 1 Junior Earth Kids on the K-1 site. These students are rostered once a week, to collect and empty classroom and playground compost bins and tend the worm farms. There are five worm farms and they are tended each school day by the Year 1 Jnr Earth Kids. The worm juice and casts are used to fertilise the two vegetable gardens.
CCPS is also privileged to have a stingless native bee hive on the grounds thanks to the efforts of our General Assistant, Mr Andrew Sutcliffe. During the year we have supplemented our rich plantings of shrubs in the school grounds with native flowering plants that will provide food for the bees through the year.
Carbon Cops was student initiative that grew out of a program called CCES (Climate Clever Energy Savers). A dedicated group of 15 Stage 3 students have continued to monitor energy wastage in the school by checking classes during recess and lunchtime, and placing a ‘black balloon’ on the door if any electrical appliances had been left on. All classes that had not received a black balloon would go into a ‘draw’ to win the privilege of looking after the Carbon Cop mascots Penny Penguin and her baby. The initiative has been extremely successful with fewer and fewer classes needing to be black ballooned through the year.
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In Term 1, all students spent some time during the morning using gloves and tongs to pick up rubbish around the school as their contribution to Clean Up Australia Day. It was heartening to see their enthusiasm for tidying up all the areas of the school playground.
Environmental education has also been integrated into the teaching programs across all grades. As an example, Year 3 completed a unit on Biodiversity in Term 3 and participated in an excursion to the Field of Mars EEC where they had the opportunity to learn about the importance of habitats in promoting biodiversity. In connection with Mrs Rao’s BushBlitz science adventure, all grades participated in units of work that mirrored her experience. Years 5 and 6 conducted a biodiversity survey of the school grounds using online apps that allowed their records to be added to online data bases such as The Atlas of Living Australia.
Environmental Education is definitely embedded in the culture of Castle Cove Public School.
Respect and Responsibility
At the beginning of the school year all of Stage 3, as senior students and leaders of the school, participated in a whole-day leadership program delivered by Rising Generations. The goal, through a series of activities and team building exercises, was to provide the students with skills to develop their ability to take on their leadership roles. Leadership is promoted at Castle Cove Public School through the school prefect system, Peer Support Program, Student Representative Council (SRC), the Buddy system and the school’s Middle School Program (encompassing all Stage 3).
All students in Years 5 and 6 also undertook an intensive day’s training program to become Peer Support leaders. The Peer Support Program is designed to enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of students and to build relationships across the school which, in turn, develops self-esteem, social networks and reduces bullying.
In Term 1, pairs of Stage 3 students in the role of leader and co-leader, were assigned a group of twelve students from Years K-3. They involved the group in discussion and activities to teach them about making and managing friendships with a focus on conflict resolution strategies.
At the start of the school year, each Year 6 student was allotted a 2014 Kindergarten buddy. The senior students participated in the Kindergarten Orientation days, meeting their buddy, looking after them and getting to know them through a series of stories, craft and play activities. In 2014 the senior students helped their buddy settle into their classroom, and met with them at recess and lunch on their first day of school. This greatly enhanced the transition from home to school for the Kindy students.
Throughout the year there have been many opportunities for the buddies to get together with many firm friendships and support networks being developed for our youngest students.
Students from classes in Years 2 to 6 elected representatives who attended Student Representative Council (SRC) meetings each fortnight. There, students following meeting procedures, discussed school issues, made decisions and reported back to class, determined fundraising activities and led action groups. SRC representatives used the SRC blog back to facilitate their meetings and to post relevant comments regarding class issues and decisions.
The fundraising highlights by our students in 2014 included the raising of money for Stewart House, for the Children’s Medical Research Institute through a “Jeans for Genes” day, and for World Vision through whom we sponsor a child in Laos.
Funds were also raised for endangered animals by the whole school (Corroboree Frog), Years 5/6 (Rhinos) and by K/1R who researched a number of endandered animals and then made papier mache models of them which were very successfully auctioned for Taronga Zoo’s Conservation Fund.
A proud K1/R outside the office ready to present their tin of raised funds
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School planning and evaluation 2012—2014
School evaluation processes
NSW public schools conduct evaluations to support the effective implementation of the school plan. In 2014 castle Cove PS completed an evaluation of the school’s Stage 3 Student Leadership Program
Aim
To create a quality student leadership program that offers opportunities for development of leadership skills to every Stage 3 student.
Background
Student leadership, in its most traditional form, provides opportunities for a small group of senior students to play roles that are usually ceremonial in nature. Over a number of years, and the last two in particular, we have attempted to improve the leadership program and the voting system of our student leaders here at CCPS and, to this end, have provided leadership opportunities to a wider number of our senior students.
Student leadership activities link strongly with learning about citizenship and the processes involved in a democracy. They can assist all students to learn about, and exercise, the rights and responsibilities of participating in a community that values social justice. The development of student leadership skills involves opportunities which encourage students to:
act in roles of responsibility with integrity and honesty
foster a sense of vision and purpose
work with others to determine and achieve collective goals
take on responsibilities and use decision making skills in order to carry a project through to a successful conclusion
be active, reflective listeners who respond effectively
earn the respect of others through their actions.
After discussions and opportunities for feedback with students, staff and the P&C, we have determined to make some further and major changes to the structure of our School Leaders system for 2015, thereby offering a more inclusive, quality program
Recommendations
Continue to build students’ understandings and skills of leadership through the curriculum and the many varied activities of school life. In this way students develop their individual capacity to lead and influence others in a responsible manner.
The position of School Captains and House Captains will be continued. However, the prefect positions will be discontinued and will be replaced by teams of Peer Leaders.
Each Term 4, Year 5 may engage in a leaders’ “internship” which targets aspiring leaders. This is a four-week program in which participating students must undertake a range of leadership experiences and contributions to the school community all which are logged in a reflections journal. Upon successful completion of the internship, the position of Peer Leader is awarded.
All Peer Leaders in the following year will join committees (Environment, Communications, Buddies and Sport), rotating each term to cover them all. They will manage a variety of roles and responsibilities all of which contribute to the school community and which offer on-going development of skills and abilities of our young leaders in a more authentic way.
All Peer Leaders qualify for and may choose to stand for the positions of School Captain and Vice-captain (four students in total). An election will take place in about Week 7 of Term 4, and all students in Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6) and teachers will vote.
Peer Leaders who are unsuccessful in the position of School Captain or Vice-Captain will be given an opportunity to run for House Captain, (8 positions in total) and will be elected by their House members (Years 3-6) in about Week 8 of Term 4.
We believe our Stage 3 Leadership Development Program will be greatly enhanced by these changes as they will allow a greater number of students to access opportunities for leadership skills development, maximise student participation in decision making and encourage a greater sense of belonging to the school community.
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School planning 2012-2014:
School priority 1
All students access rigorous, meaningful and
dignified learning programs that recognise
diverse learning needs.
Outcomes from 2012–2014
A strong Learning and Support framework is developed for meeting the diverse needs of all students in our school.
Sustained high quality professional learning and support for teachers to understand and address the adjustments that will support individual learning needs.
Evidence of achievement of outcomes in 2014:
18 teachers completed a 50 hour Autism training course, which increased their capacity to understand and make adjustments to support individual learning needs for students with an autism spectrum disorder.
18 teachers completed a 50 hour Dyslexia training course, which increased their capacity to understand and make adjustments to support individual learning needs for students with dyslexia.
All staff were provided with a diagnostic assessment kit and training to help them accurately assess and plan for individual learning needs.
All students K-6 were plotted on the NSW literacy and numeracy continuums, allowing teachers to easily identify and plan for next steps in learning.
A data wall tracking the progress of all students K-6 in literacy was created, enabling staff to quickly identify students working ahead or behind grade expectations and to provide appropriate support.
All students requiring additional learning support were allocated case managers who coordinate the provision of support programs and assist teachers in making appropriate adjustments to their teaching programs.
Systems were established to enable class teachers, case managers and appropriate support staff to collaboratively review the progress of target students regularly and plan for continued growth.
The impact of support programs in literacy and numeracy were assessed and the
programs streamlined to allow for greater improvement in literacy and numeracy outcomes for target students.
Teaching adjustments for Gifted and Talented students (GaTs) were reviewed across the school, and systems were put in place to better ensure and track the provision of appropriate adjustments for GaT students.
Middle schools students identified as being at risk of disengagement were provided with access to specific enrichment programs.
School priority 2
The new Board of Studies Mathematics & English Syllabus K-10 for the Australian curriculum is successfully implemented into the school.
Outcomes from 2012–2014
All staff members develop a thorough understanding and knowledge of the NSW English and Mathematics K-10 Syllabus in readiness for its full implementation in 2015.
Evidence of progress towards outcomes in 2014:
Online Professional Development sessions were available to staff throughout the year that focused on the implementation of the new Mathematics curriculum.
Staff was given time to engage with the available support and understand what changes are required before starting to plan and program using the new syllabus documents.
Review current school practices, considering what is done well and areas for improvement including student achievement data, the learning needs of students and reporting practices.
Staff were trained in the use of the Numeracy and Literacy Continuum K-10. Staff plotted each student in their class on both continuums in SENTRAL.
A literacy data wall was constructed showing were all student are placed on the continuum. This formed the basis of how needs can be met and helped differentiate programs.
Stage 3 students participated in “Chatzfest” a short film festival organised by the North Harbour Learning Community. Students were able to use their skills in visual literacy by
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making short films based on the topic of Australia. Three groups were awarded prizes.
Staff were trained in the use of the DEC Program Builder allowing teachers to select outcomes and content directly from the NSW syllabuses for the Australian curriculum to create scope and sequences and units.
Teacher/Librarian sourced library resource that reflected Asian Perspectives and presented to staff. Stage teams requested resources to assist in writing new or modified units of work.
School priority 3
Parents and students will understand pathways in which to report incidents and teachers will have clear action plans for managing any bullying situations.
Outcomes from 2012–2014
To address this target area we wanted to redevelop our student welfare Anti-bullying policy in accordance with the new DEC Anti-bullying policy and the Castle Cove parent community. Our goals were to make the identification and reporting process clearer for parents and teachers.
Evidence of progress towards outcomes in 2014:
The revised Anti-bullying Plan and methods for reporting bullying to be posted on school website and publicised via school newsletter.
All school staff provided with training in the Anti-bullying Plan.
A flow chart developed to assist teachers respond appropriately to reports of bullying.
Units of work created and anti-bullying lessons taught in every class, focusing on how students can identify and respond to bullying.
Anti-bullying Contact Officers (ABCOs) appointed from school staff and trained in the process for investigating and responding to complaints of bullying.
A bullying report section to be added to the Sentral Welfare Database to allow for improved tracking of bullying reports, investigations and responses.
Parent/caregiver, student, and teacher satisfaction
In 2014, in preparing for the new School Plan 2015-17 and to support delivery of greatest school satisfaction to the school community, the school sought the opinions of parents and teachers about the directions of CCPS.
The survey was issued based on the Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians and covered 4 goal areas:
Equity and excellence
Successful learners
Confident and creative individuals
Active and informed citizens.
A number of statements that support the development of these goal areas were given. While all the statements are important, parents and teachers were asked to identify 3 goal statements that best reflected their own values and that they believed were most pertinent in establishing future directions of the school.
Approximately 80 families and 22 teachers responded. Overleaf, on the following two pages are their tabled responses and rankings.
What was pleasing was how closely matched the ranking was between parent and teacher groups, giving a clear way forward in the planning.
In Q1, the teachers’ top two choices of statements matched parents’ top two.
In Q2, parents and teachers matched two; parent fourth choice matched teacher third choice
In Q3, parents and teachers matched all three
In Q4, parents and teachers matched all three and in same order.
Future Directions 2015-2017 School Plan
NSW DEC is implementing a new school planning process for 2015-17. The new plan will be published on the school’s website from the beginning of Term 2 2015.
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Q1 Below are listed a number of statements that work towards promoting equity and excellence in
our school. All are of importance, but some will resonate with you more than others.
Statements Parent
Rank % Teacher
Rank %
Schools must provide all students with access to high quality schooling that is free
from all forms of discrimination. 2 54.65 1 63.64
Schools must ensure that economic disadvantage ceases to be a significant
determinant of educational outcomes. 23.26 18.18
Schools must provide a supportive and engaging learning environment which
caters for students with a range of behavioural difficulties and complex special
needs.
19.77 3 54.55
Schools must ensure they contribute to a socially cohesive society that respects
and appreciates cultural, social and religious diversity. 32.56 27.27
Schools must encourage parents, carers, families, the broader community and
students themselves to hold high expectations for their educational outcomes. 39.53 22.73
Schools must promote a culture of excellence by providing challenging and
stimulating learning experiences and opportunities that enable all students to
explore and build on their gifts and talents.
1 82.56 1 63.64
Schools must structure personalised learning that aims to fulfil the diverse
capabilities of each student 3 46.51 45.45
Schools must promote high expectations for the learning outcomes of Indigenous
students.
0 4.55
Q2 Below are listed a number of statements that work towards developing successful learners. All
are of importance, but some will resonate with you more than others
Statements Parent
Rank % Teacher
Rank %
Schools aim to develop the capacity of students to learn and to play an active role
in their own learning. 22.78 45.45
Schools aim to ensure students have the essential skills in literacy and numeracy
and are creative, productive users of technology. 2 51.90 1 68.18
Schools aim to foster students’ ability to think deeply, logically and critically when
evaluating evidence and sources of information
40.51 3 50.00
Schools aim to foster students’ creativity, innovation and resourcefulness, and
enhance their ability to solve problems in
ways that draw upon a range of learning areas and disciplines.
3 50.63 2 54.55
Schools aim to develop students’ ability to plan activities independently, to
collaborate, work in teams and communicate ideas.
35.44 22.73
Schools aim to support students in making sense of their world and in thinking
about how things have become the way they are. 10.13 9.09
Schools aim to ensure students are on a pathway towards continued success in
further education, training or employment, and acquire the skills to make learning
and employment decisions throughout their lives.
30.38 22.73
Schools aim to inspire students to become motivated to reach their full potential 1 54.43 27.27
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Q3 Below are listed a number of statements that work towards developing confident and creative
individuals. All are of importance, but some will resonate with you more than others.
Statements Parent
Rank % Teacher
Rank %
Schools aim to ensure students have a sense of self-worth, self-awareness and
personal identity that enables them to manage their emotional, mental, spiritual and
physical well-being.
3 55.26 1 72.73
Schools aim to ensure students develop personal values and attributes such as
honesty, resilience, empathy and respect for others. 2 61.84 1 72.73
Schools aim to help students relate well to others, and form and maintain healthy
relationships 23.68 27.27
Schools aim to foster a sense of optimism in students about their lives and the future. 10.53 22.73
Schools aim to develop students' ability to be enterprising, show initiative and use
their creative abilities. 26.32 18.18
Schools aim to develop students' knowledge, skills, understanding and values to
establish and maintain healthy, satisfying lives. 23.68 22.73
Schools aim to foster students' confidence and capability to pursue university or post-
secondary vocational qualifications leading to rewarding and productive employment. 18.42 0.00
Schools aim to help students be well prepared for their potential life roles as family,
community and workforce members. 15.79 9.09
Schools aim to develop students' confidence and willingness to embrace
opportunities, make rational and informed decisions about their own lives and accept
responsibility for their own actions.
1 64.47 3 54.55
Q4 Below are listed a number of statements that work towards developing active and informed
citizens. All are of importance, but some will resonate with you more than others.
Statements Parent
Rank % Teacher
Rank %
Schools aim to develop in students the capacity to act with moral and ethical integrity. 1 74.32 1 86.36
Schools aim to develop students' appreciation for the diversity of Australian society
and understanding of Australia's history, culture and system of government. 40.54 27.27
Schools aim to ensure that students understand and acknowledge the value of
indigenous cultures and possess the knowledge, skills and understanding to
contribute to and benefit from, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous
Australians.
9.46 31.82
Schools aim to foster commitment to the values of democracy, equity and justice, and
participate in Australia's civic life. 41.89 36.36
Schools aim to develop students' ability to relate to and communicate across
cultures, especially the cultures and countries of Asia. 22.97 0.00
Schools aim to promote the importance of working for the common good with an
emphasis on sustaining and improving natural and social environments. 3 47.30 3 40.91
Schools aim to develop students as responsible local and global citizens. 2 63.51 2 77.27
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About this report
In preparing this report, the self-evaluation committee has gathered information from evaluations conducted during the year and analysed other information about the school's practices and student learning outcomes. The self-evaluation committee and school planning committee have determined targets for the school's future development.
Jeanette Cope - Principal
Corinne Campbell – Assistant Principal
Susie Jacobs - Assistant Principal
Margie Byrom - Assistant Principal
Trent Moses - Assistant Principal
School contact information
Castle Cove Public School Kendall Road CASTLE COVE NSW 2069 Ph: (+612) 9417 1039 Fax: (+612) 9417 4377 Email: [email protected] Web: www.castlecove-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
School Code: 3919
Parents can find more information about Annual School Reports, how to interpret information in the report and have the opportunity to provide feedback about the report at:
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/emsad/
asr/index.php
