TAGAI STATE COLLEGE ANNUAL REPORT 2018 · 2020-05-19 · 2018 Annual Report 1 Tagai State College Contact information Postal address PO Box 1000 Thursday Island 4875 Phone (07) 4030

TAGAI STATE COLLEGE

ANNUAL REPORT

2018 Queensland State School Reporting

Every student succeeding State Schools Strategy Department of Education

2018 Annual Report 1 Tagai State College

Contact information

Postal address PO Box 1000 Thursday Island 4875

Phone (07) 4030 6333

Fax (07) 4030 6302

Email [email protected]

Webpages Additional information about Queensland state schools is located on:

the My School website

the Queensland Government data website

the Queensland Government schools directory website.

Contact person Judith Ketchell

Executive Principal

The Story of Tagai

Torres Strait Islanders’ Regional Education Council (TSIREC) commissioned a series of consultation meetings to name the new college located in the Torres Strait, formed by the amalgamation of 17 discrete state schools. The late Elder, Athe Walter Nona of Badu Island proposed the name, ‘Tagai’, from a legend commonly known by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the region. From 2007, Tagai State College became the official name of the college comprising 17 campuses spread across 48,000 square kilometres. The legendary figure, Tagai, is now a constellation in the southern sky described by Elders as the heavenly clock. Tagai directs the seasonal changes and his visibility in the night sky throughout the year tells Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the region how to adapt to the wind and tidal movements, and the best times to hunt, fish, plant and harvest. The Southern Cross is easily recognisable in the star formation that represents Tagai’s left hand that is holding his spear. In his right hand, Tagai is holding the branch of the red skinned fruit, known as ‘sorbi.’ The Tagai story varies from island to island. It is important to respect the story from the differing island communities. For example, some stories say that Tagai and the crew were fishing, while other versions of the story include Tagai’s blind brother; Keong. A.C. Haddon recorded the following version told on Mer, when he visited Torres Strait in 1898: Tagai left the boat for a short time and when he returned, he found that the crew had greedily consumed all the food and water. Tagai punished the crew by banishing them from the boat and the crew were tied together in groups of six and thrown into the sea; later becoming the constellations of Usiam (Pleiades) and Seg (Orion). Later, Tagai himself became the constellation in the night sky. Pronunciation Tagai is phonetically pronounced as ‘TUG-eye’ and spelt as Tagai in the Eastern Islands of the Torres Strait. In the Central and Western Islands, it is spelt as Thoegay and pronounced ‘THUR-g-eye’. With acknowledgments: Mura Gubal Gedira – Torres Strait Cross Cultural Framework.

http://www.myschool.edu.au/

http://data.qld.gov.au/

https://schoolsdirectory.eq.edu.au/


From the Principal

Introduction

Welcome to the college 2018 School Annual Report – this report is a celebration of our achievements as well as an analysis of areas for improvement considered for the college’s 2019 planning. The purpose of the 2018 college theme “United YUMI Excel” was to focus on uniting together in teams and collectively helping each other to excel across the college. The theme highlighted the need to build and restore respectful relationships within our school community teams; to always start with a strength based approach in order to positively create a positive learning culture for our students. The logo below was distributed to every campus to a create a workplace culture of unity, acknowledging and respecting differences to go beyond what we expected. The theme was a strong symbol for explaining very clear expectations about the teamwork required to improve student for the year ahead.

Whenever you hear someone from one of the Tagai State College school communities make reference to the phrase, The YUMI Way, they are referring to a process for ensuring inclusiveness and ownership of a system that has been quality assured by the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait since time immemorial. The word ‘yumi’ means ‘you, me and all of us here together’. It has a connotation of inclusivity, unity and oneness. Depending on the context, ‘yumi’ in the phrase The YUMI Way could be referring to a small group of people, a selected group of people, a large group of people or a nation of people. The YUMI Way incorporates a demonstration of respect for the peoples, languages, cultures and protocols in order to do business correctly in the Torres Strait region or when working with Torres Strait Islanders in other contexts. The YUMI Way is not only about using common sense, it is about implementing what works and best practice. Incorporating and applying The YUMI Way into policies and procedures will ensure these will be more effective when implemented in the Torres Strait context. Whenever we use The YUMI Way for doing business we can feel confident and assured that The YUMI Way is Our Way, the Right Way and the Only Way.


School Overview

Tagai State College has extended the provision of services from Prep to Year 12 to PrePrep to TAFE. We are committed to develop a Language and Culture program ensuring we acknowledge traditional protocols, knowledge and skills.

Tagai State College was established to deliver the highest standards of teaching and learning to achieve the aspirations of the Torres Strait Nation. YUMI Education is achieved by embracing our unique Torres Strait Island language & culture as the foundation to an extensive range of accredited academic studies.

Traditional languages in the Torres Strait Region are national treasures that are core to our culture and identity but Torres Strait languages as critically endangered. Torres Strait has two traditional languages, Kala Lagaw Ya (KLY) and Meriam Mir. Kala Lagaw Ya (KLY) is the language spoken in the near western islands, which had close contact with mainland Aboriginal peoples through trade. Meriam Mir is spoken on all of the Eastern Islands of Mer, Darnley and Stephen Islands. Meriam Mir is a vastly different language in structure than its neighbouring languages. It is closely related to the Papuan languages. A new English based creole known as Torres Strait Creole or Yumplatok is an outright recognised language that remains the most commonly used language to all Torres Strait Islanders. The Language of Instruction policy is to ensure that Early year teachers demonstrate a clear separation of languages to instruct students. English speaking teachers will always model SAE and not instruct in the creole.

Signature Pedagogy

Tagai State College has the signature pedagogy of Explicit Instruction. The model that is used is based on the work of Archer and Hughes. Explicit Instruction is whereby the students are guided through the learning process with clear statements about the purpose and rationale for learning the new skill, and demonstrations and practice with feedback until independent mastery has been achieved.

In 2018, every leader participated in the training to sustain instructional leadership capabilities.

Over 50% leadership changes and 40% of new staff in 2018


School progress towards its goals in 2018

NOT ACHIEVED IN PROGRESS ACHIEVED

Annual Implementation Progress Map 2016 2017 2018

Implement explicit improvement plan to ensure every student succeeds

Implement P-6 PET goal setting strategy to track student improvement

Improve the data culture using data walls and campus data sets

Build staff capabilities to improve One School ICPs, and EAPs

Use class placemats to inform interventions and referral process

Use Systems Leadership to build a desired culture t promotes learning

Implement Behaviour Improvement Plan to improve student behaviours

Review the staff wellbeing strategy using campus feedback system

Implement PBL system to explicitly teach students to be proud learners who are respectful, responsible and safe.

Implement the Attendance action plan with SWO case managing <85%

Implement the NAPLAN action plan to improve reading and numeracy

Review stocktake of assets system to track proper equipment for learning

Implement programs to further develop Admin Officers skills

Implement Strait Start for 0-3 years program to improve smooth transition

Implement model of further study for teacher aides upgrades

Implement the college profiling system and ESCM program

Improve Mentoring Beginning Teacher’s system for remote new teachers

Improve moderation systems that improve teacher judgement

Implement the Balanced Reading PD schedule to improve practices

Implement the college “Growing our own” strategy

Implement & review the college Recruitment Drive

Implement & review QIPs in all campuses

Moderate the Traditional language program for reporting

Monitor implementation of English & Maths in multi aged arrangements

Implement consistent explicit instruction teaching practices

Implement the Family Learning account to improve family engagement



HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2018 Year 7s transition to High School It was with a mixture of sadness and excitement that the college farewelled the graduating Year 6 students at the end of 2017. This represented the culmination of 7 years of education and the next step towards high school. Tagai Transition program incorporated the 2 stages:

Transition visits by the secondary team & boarding college to the outer islands in term 2

Induction program for year 7 students and families o Relationships – how to meet new people, make new friends within a peer group. o School work – how students adapt to new teaching and assessment styles, cope

with a wide range of subjects, adjust to having different teachers and classrooms, manage a heavier homework load, and a more complex timetable.

o Learning Place – how to adjust to a new community and a new school site, get to class on time with the correct books and materials, and possibly cope with new transport arrangements.

o Adolescent developmental changes – how to understand developmental changes during this time (e.g. physical changes, emotional swings, and an increased desire for independence). Peers will become a greater influence in their life.

Secondary Multi-purpose Court The community spirit of togetherness was evident in the blessing ceremony of the new Multi- Purpose Court at Waybeni Koey Ngurpay Mudh. The new complex, which is directly adjacent to the high school oval, had been in development for two years. Mr Steve Foster and Mr Ned David have been instrumental in driving this initiative for the benefit of all students in Torres Strait. The blessing ceremony on Wednesday 18 July took place at the Waybeni Koey Ngurpay Mudh under the leadership of our newly appointed Head of Campus, Suberia Bowie. “It’s very exciting for the students to have state-of-the-art facilities and we look forward to seeing them enjoy the use of the new court, and seeing the benefit for the whole community,” said Ms Bowie. Young Women’s Forum – Because of her, we can! Secondary students had the opportunity to participate in the Kayin Ipkazil Young Women’s Forum linked with this year’s NAIDOC theme, Because of her, we can! The purpose of this gathering was for our students to be inspired by successful women in our community who are doing some great work.

The college acknowledges the expertise from the secondary coordinators of this event: Matilda Loban, Amy LaBan and Mandy Medhurst.


Secondary Girls Rugby League They’re from a small island with little opportunity to play rugby league but Tagai State College's open girls’ rugby league side has proven that the Torres Strait has serious talent that performs on the big stage. The girls won the Peninsula Championships to qualify and the team were the fan favourites, drawing large crowds and huge cheers for their entertaining style of football. The girls played as a team unit with great attitude and tremendous spirit.

The girls were undefeated, winning the championship and qualifying for the finals in Brisbane. Tagai acknowledges the expertise of Joshua Bishop, College staff, parents of players & Torres Strait Youth & Recreational Sporting Association for supporting their inspiring journey.

Mabo Day Celebrations In 2018, every staff and student across our 17 campuses joined in celebrating Mabo Day with the community. At Warraber Ngurpay Lag, students and staff learnt about the significance of Mabo Day in class and prepared a poster to carry in the community march. On the day, the school leaders proudly presented a speech about 'What Mabo Day means to me’. This was followed by entertainment provided by our students who sang and danced for the community. The celebration concluded with a movie about Eddie Koiki Mabo and a lovely shared community lunch. Great celebrations highlighted across all campuses.


Attendance Every Day Counts Tagai State College made a positive start to the year with attendance with our students’ attendance at 85% for the first week of term. Our average student attendance rate the year so far is at 92%. Well done! The college is part of the Every Day Counts initiative aiming to assist in improving student attendance. Each

campus collaborate with the whole community in monitoring, communicating and implementing strategies to improve regular school attendance. It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that our children have the best opportunity to learn by making sure that every child is in school every day. Review of the college Curriculum & Pedagogical Frame As a Queensland state school, we use the Australian Curriculum as the foundation for what we

teach and assess.

2018, a group of College

leaders and teachers reviewed the curriculum plan and pedagogical framework to ensure the rich language, culture and identity was contextualised; evaluated how well 21st century skills were embedded and unpacked the critical issues to make English, Maths, Science and Languages curriculum more relevant to the learners.

2019 Areas for further development and alignment

SATE Reform – Senior school pathways - Growing our own VET pathway

Design Making the Jump EALD system

Review Attendance System

Review Sound Field Amplification systems

Review QT = Y(EI + C + ESCM) systems

Review Moderation system

Review Boarding Facility 2020

Review Staff Wellbeing System

Design Transition System


2018 Cyclone Season In 2018, the college commenced the year with significant heavy rains, strong winds and high tides caused by tropical cyclones passing through the region. This impacted daily school operations with changes to flights for new teachers arriving to their destinations, delivery of professional development, coaching services and student support services were interrupted. Staff and student safety were priority issues each day.

Our school at a glance

School profile

Coeducational or single sex Coeducational

Independent public school Yes

Year levels offered in 2018 Early Childhood - Year 12

Student enrolments 1533

Table 1: Student enrolments at this school

Enrolment category 2016 2017 2018

Notes:

1. Student counts are based on the Census (August) enrolment collection.

2. Indigenous refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.

3. pre-Prep is a kindergarten program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, living in 35 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, in the year before school.

Total 1544 1553 1533

Girls 752 739 743

Boys 792 814 790

Indigenous 1469 1468 1464

Enrolment continuity (Feb. – Nov.) 90% 91% 92%

TAGAI CAMPUSES FTE Headcount

Badhulgaw Ngurpay Lag (Badu Island) 172.5 181

Erub Eruer Uteb (Darnley Island) 56.5 62

Dauan Ngurpay Lag 28.5 31

Narupay Ngurpay Lag 69.5 71

Kubin Ngurpay Lag 28 29

Mabuygiw Ngurpay 54 57

Malu Kiwai Ngurpay Lag 58.5 60

https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/early-years/kindergarten-programs/kindergarten-in-indigenous-communities


Mer Eruer Uteb 58.5 60

Poruma Ngurpay Lag 33.5 34

Kadhego Ngurpay Lag 100 104

St Pauls Ngurpay Lag 52.5 57

Ugar Eruer Uteb 14.5 18

Waybeni Buway Ngurpay Mudh 359.5 390

Waybeni Koey Ngurpay Mudh 392 410

Warraber Ngurpay Lag 56.5 60

Iama Ngurpay Lag 56.5 59

Masig Ngurpay Lag 50 55

COLLEGE TOTALS: 1686.5 1652 Primary Totals: 1243 1301

In 2018, there were 151 students enrolled in a Pre-prep program.

Characteristics of the student body

Overview Tagai State College is advancing a nation of proud Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students. There is a very small population of non-Indigenous students who attend school in the Torres Strait. There are sixteen primary outer island campuses that transition students into the Secondary campus on Thursday Island together with two boarding colleges that accommodate student. Parent occupations are varied and range from the fishing industry, public service, hospitality, small business, childcare, arts industry and local councils, stag and federal government agencies. The greater majority of families attend church services regularly at many varied church denominations on all islands

Average class sizes

Table 2: Average class size information for each phase of schooling

Phase of schooling 2016 2017 2018 Note:

The class size targets for composite classes are informed by the relevant year level target. Where composite classes exist across cohorts (e.g. year 3/4) the class size targets would be the lower cohort target.

Prep – Year 3 14 16 16

Year 4 – Year 6 15 20 20

Year 7 – Year 10 20 21 18

Year 11 – Year 12 14 16 14

The College implements the Australian Curriculum from Year 1-12 and ensures standards for literacy & numeracy achievement are aligned to state benchmarks as outlined above.

https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/schools


Curriculum Highlights 2018 Tagai English Units have been specifically designed by the Teaching and Learning team to meet the specific needs of our students, teachers and context. The units and assessment tasks are genre and year level specific and aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Our students are learners of Standard Australian English (SAE) as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D). The English language is imperative for our students’ achievement in literacy, numeracy and all curriculum areas.

Mr Tim and Miss Karowa’s fabulous Prep students above have been busy making their own four-wheel drive for a class performance at parade. The students have been using recycled materials to make their cars whilst doing lots of learning. During vehicle construction, students encountered mathematical concepts such as shape, positional language (front, back, and side, in between and next to), counting, one to one correspondence, number recognition, length and measurement. The Prep students also worked on vocabulary building with words such as wheels, mirrors, blinkers, brakes, steering wheel, number plate and colours. Students have even got numbered parking spots to encourage number recognition. Goal Setting Primary Education Training (PET) Plans are individualised student goal setting plans that are collaboratively developed by the student, family and class teacher. These plans are developed twice a year (each semester). In addition to informing teacher planning, goal setting is an important opportunity for children to contribute to their own learning and strengthen partnerships between home and school. Inclusive Practices At Tagai State College, the focus is on the development of the whole child to be ‘two way strong’ and achieve the aspirations of the Learner Guarantee. We believe that every student is capable of learning and achieving in a safe, supportive, inclusive and disciplined learning environment. Teachers provide students with differentiated curriculum/pedagogy to accommodate students’ individual needs. This includes students with a verified disability; students working below year level; students who are gifted and talented; students who require learning support; students with mental health concerns; students in care; students with less than 85% attendance; Student with English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D)

A growing number of students at the college have conductive hearing loss throughout their school years. This impacts on the early acquisition of language and can result in permanent hearing loss. The classroom environment and English being a Second Language (ESL) are major contributing factors. In 2018, the Soundfield Amplifications Systems were implemented. They are not PA systems, although they can be used on assemblies to eliminate background noise and maximise range in open environments. The systems ensure soft sounds and consonants can be heard and also have the benefit of reducing negative effects on teachers’ voices. All Tagai State College classrooms have Soundfield Amplification devices installed. Teachers know it is imperative that the system is consistently used at all times to support student learning.


Student Reporting changes – Know Glow Grow!

At the end of each semester, students in Prep to Year 10 receive an End of Semester Academic Report which reports separately on each subject/learning area taught that semester. This year at the college, we have made changes to the way the comments are structured for Prep to Year 6, based on feedback from teachers, parents and Heads of Campus. In Semester One, students in Prep to Year 2 receive a Level of Achievement and Effort grade for English, Maths, Science and HPE. Students in Year 3 to Year 6 receive a Level of Achievement and Effort grade for English, Maths, History, Science and HPE. They will also receive a comment for each of these learning areas. These comments will follow the Know, Glow and Grow structure: We acknowledge that students learning of language and cultural knowledge is a lifelong process. Students who have been learning language and culture at school will receive comments and one of the following descriptions to show how they are progressing with their learning.

Language and Culture Reporting changes

[E] Efficient in: The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of cultural knowledge, language, protocols and practices. The student demonstrates a high level of skill and applies these to familiar and unfamiliar situations.

[A] Ability to: The student demonstrates a sound understanding of cultural knowledge, language, protocols and practices. The student can apply skills in situations familiar to them.

[B] Beginning to: The student demonstrates a basic understanding of cultural knowledge, language, protocols and practices. The student is beginning to apply skills in situations familiar to them.

Premier’s Reading Challenge Many school communities participated in the 2018 Premier’s Reading Challenge. The Premier's Reading Challenge is an annual state-wide initiative for state and non-state schools. The challenge is not a competition. It aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning. Reading plays an important part in students’ lives during their school years and beyond. It allows children to actively engage their imagination and opens up a world of educational opportunities.

Using the P-10 Literacy continuum One School monitoring tool at our college In 2018, the P–6 Literacy continuum was implemented as a versatile online tool to support teachers in track and monitor student literacy throughout the year. It is an expectation that teachers review and enter current marker achievement on One School at least once per semester.


A Night Under the Stars On Thursday 23 August, the clouds cleared for a glittering evening under the night sky. Tagai State College partnered with James Cook University (JCU) and the Australian Research Council Centre for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), to present A Night Under the Stars. The evening was about sharing with community members the nexus of traditional knowledge and scientific research about the stars and constellations. Traditional languages, story-telling and audio-visual displays featured in the program. The Kayin Badhulgaw Dance Group presented two visually stunning dances, accompanied by musicians and singers. Prof. Martin Nakata, (JCU) shared the scientific and cultural knowledge of the stars and the astronomical themes from the stories of Aboriginal peoples across the nation and highlighted Torres Strait cultural knowledge. Father Dalton Cowley shared wise words from Mr Bua Mabo about using the stars, tides and the seasonal calendar for gardening. Father Cowley also inspired us to think about our ancestor’s knowledge to survive by living in harmony with the land, sea and sky. The event was sponsored by the generous support of JCU and CABAH, as part of the college STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) initiatives.

Astronomer Visit Mer Eruer Uteb was fortunate to receive a visit from an astronomer, Dr. Duane Hamcher, from Monash University in Victoria. Over the course of the week, Dr. Hamcher taught the students, community members and Elders how to use a dobsonian telescope and took them on stargazing experiences. Students, community members and Elders used the telescope to view the planets Venus, Saturn and Jupiter, as well as various constellations including the Jewel Box, Tagai and Beizam. They also viewed a Globular cluster and alpha centauri, which is a binary star system (two stars orbiting each other). Dr. Hamcher kindly gifted the dobsonian telescope to the community of Mer which currently housed in the Mer Eruer Uteb Cultural Centre.


How Information and Communication Technologies are used to assist learning

ICT Technologies Information Communication Technology is a general capability taught for students in Foundation to Year 10 at the college. Digital Technologies builds on and extends ICT but intends to move students from consumers of ICT to creators. It is a new subject for Foundation to Year 10. This will be assessed and reported at least once every two years. The future demand in employment is for workers who have critical and creative thinking skills. (General Capability of the Australian Curriculum). Across the college there has been a range of efforts to prepare students for these technological changes. There has been an increased focus on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and the college strategy seeks to lift our students’ foundational skills to reverse the decline of skilled girl and Torres Strait Islander graduates. Code Club Australia In May 2018, Telstra sponsored Nicola Curnow from Code Club Australia to introduce the students to coding which is the basic language used for programming computers to do the routine manual and routine cognitive tasks in the workplace. Students learnt about the science of electrical circuits by using a kit called Makey. The Telstra team donated a huge box of equipment that can be used to assist our students to learn more about the computational language of coding and algorithms. University of Adelaide University of Adelaide provided training in computer and design technology for teachers. She trained over twenty teacher aides from across the Torres Strait Islands in how to write computational instructions, algorithms and programs for a beebot. Lauren also conducted a couple of professional development lessons for teaching staff at Waybeni Buway Ngurpay Mudh. Students learnt many new computational skills using beebots and the Makey kits.

Congratulations to students

Kendriek, Tyler, Annakula, Sean,

Perina, David and Lydia. Ugar

Eruer Uteb students all learned

how to take photos, including the

artistic concepts of a photographic

composition.

The purpose of our photography

was to portray our Ugar Island

home, from the student’s

perspective, to teachers who seek

to work in the Torres Strait. The

photographic results were high

quality. We are very proud of the

children for trying a new and

challenging experience. Their

enthusiasm was exciting and their

results were amazing.


Drone Camp

STEM is a curriculum-based pedagogical approach of educating students in four specific disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM integrates these disciplines into a cohesive learning experience based on real-world applications. The IMPACT framework (Inspire, Model, Practise, Apply, Connect, Transform) is a fluid and dynamic platform that empowers teachers. IMPACT is about challenging students to inquire, think critically, be creative, problem solve and work collaboratively. Both STEM and IMPACT provide opportunities to develop and support the teaching of twenty-first century skills such as design thinking, digital technologies, computational thinking, communication, collaboration, innovation, creativity that are being identified as crucial for our students to have for the future. We mapped out implementation plans to embed this into our curriculum and pedagogical practices across the college, The college acknowledges the expertise from Lisa Newland & Katie Ellard for leading an engaging two days of collaboration.


Sporting Highlights 2018 The annual ‘Stars of Tagai’ Sports Awards night started with an inspirational speech from Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP) runner Saliman Bin Juda. Saliman shared all of the highlights and low points of his New York marathon journey and the students hung off his every breath and he left them with these caring words of advice, “When you come up on stage, stand up tall and be proud of all of the work that you have put in to get here tonight”. As well as student winners, we acknowledged all of the hard work of our community members and organisations. Sports in the Torres Strait would not be possible without the tireless effort of people who selflessly put in endless hours of work personal time.

Wayne Guivarra Memorial Award, Terence (Waybeni Buway); Lena Passi Encouragement Award, Aaliyah (Waybeni Koey); U12 Dave Bell

Sportsperson of the Year, Anna (Waybeni Buway); Junior Sportsman of the Year, Daniel (Waybeni Koey); Junior Sportswomen of the Year,

Zila (Waybeni Koey); Senior Sportsman of the Year, Jayden/Hiroshi (Waybeni Koey); Senior Sportswomen of the Year, Alion (Waybeni Koey);

and Tagai State

College Excellence in

Sports 2018, Allanah

(Waybeni Koey).

Koeyma eso to (TSY&RSA). Without their contributions and commitment, the college would not be able to run the extensive sporting programs that we do. The college

acknowledges the expertise from every coach on every island who helped to prepare students for sporting carnivals. Without their dedication there would be no sports at all. We are looking forward to a bigger and better year in 2019.

Community Acknowledgements 2018

Outstanding Outer Island Contribution, Keith Fell; Outstanding Contribution to Primary School Sports, Dave Bell; Outstanding Contribution to Representative Sports, Ella-Faye Hosea; and Outstanding Organisation Contribution to College Sports, Torres Strait Youth & Recreational Sporting Association. Coaches High School AFL, Ben Ayton; Primary School AFL and U15 Boys Rugby League, Matt Arkell; Track and Field, Alex Marstella; Volleyball, Tammy Marstella and Danielle Lambert; U12 Basketball, Lisa Nona and Nicole Assan; U15 Basketball, Barry Tarrant; U18 Basketball, Deb Lui and Matilda Loban; U12 Boys Rugby League, Wayne Laza; U12 Girls Rugby League, Elsja Mosby; U18 Boys Rugby League, Oliver Flynn; and U15 and U18 Girls Rugby League, Josh Bishop


Student Sports Achievement Awards

Australian Football: U12 AFL Player of the Year, Terence (Waybeni Buway); High School AFL Male Player of the Year, Jayden/Hiroshi (Waybeni Koey); High School AFL Female Player of the Year, Allanah (Waybeni Koey); Hockey: U12 Hockey Player of the year, Anakin (Mabuiag); U12 Track and Field Athletics: Athlete of the Year and Peninsula Representative, Narasi (Kadhego); U18 Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Hannah (Waybeni Koey); Volleyball: U18 Volleyball Player of the Year, Kathleen (Waybeni Koey); Basketball: U12 Basketball Female player of the Year and Peninsula Representative, Anna (Waybeni Buway); U12 Brian Arndt Male Basketball Player of the Year, Terence (Waybeni Buway); U18 Basketball Peninsula Representatives, Alion and Aaliyah (Waybeni Koey); U18 Basketball Player of the Year, Alion (Waybeni Koey); Rugby League: U12 Rugby League Male Player of the Year, Terence (Waybeni Buway); U12 Rugby League Peninsula Representatives, Anna (Waybeni Buway), Sytarniah (Badu), Sally (Waybeni Buway) and Fiona (Waybeni Koey); U12 Rugby League Female Player of the Year, Anna (Waybeni Buway); Rugby League High School Peninsula Representatives, Alion, Allanah, Tenniel and Jazmyn (Waybeni Koey); and U18 Rugby League Player of the Year, Allanah (Waybeni Koey).


Early Years Highlights

In 2018, the Early year’s conference was held on Thursday Island – where educators and representatives from community organisations came together and exchanged strategies to best support young children, to improve outcomes for children through the delivery of quality early years educational programs. Leaders from Education, Health and community organisations presented on a wide range of topics including curriculum, language development, cultural practices, nutrition, teaching methodologies, technology for learning, supporting children with additional needs, and regulations relevant to early childhood and education and care services.

Other highlights in the Early Years for 2018 include:

College Pre prep Head of Department role became permanent in the college. This role was provided to support all primary campus to comply with operating a Pre prep services as well as provide a coaching service to leaders and staff to deliver a high quality improvement plan.

Advocacy for playground equipment replacement in four campuses. Consultation process being undertaken.

Workforce capability plan – Certificate III ECEC bridging program negotiated through TAFE.

District relief model explored to relieve staff from their duties

Funding contribution to support early years teachers to visit other teachers on the outer islands


Tagai State College proudly hosted Systems Leadership Theory training (SLT) for the fifth year for College Leaders and the third year for Community Leaders. The purpose of this training is to continue to strengthen leadership development across the Torres Strait Region. Tagai State College has been using Systems Leadership Theory over recent years with excellent results, in areas such as organisational effectiveness and consistency of practice. The development of an Academy and working closely with other organisations provides a unique opportunity for a common language, purpose and focus. One participant remarked, “After this training I have an increased confidence in my leadership ability. Another participant stated, “I tend to want to lead everything so understanding the team membership steps is going to very helpful for me.”


Student Leadership Camp for all primary student leaders at Badu Island

In term three, the school captains from all 16 of Tagai's primary school campuses were involved in the 2018 Young Leaders Camp at Badu Island. All of the students were put through their paces with some very early starts and a few late finishes. The students learned about what it takes to be a leader in their school and community. The three days were full of excitement with plenty of fun little activities to keep the young participants learning and growing. On the last night, the students each prepared and delivered a speech to community members. All of the young leaders stood tall and proud as they delivered their messages on what they had learnt and how they were going to implement their new knowledge back at their school. Congratulations to all of the students involved. They are a remarkable group of young leaders who will do amazing things in the future.


Social climate

Overview

Tagai implements the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) Framework that represents the universal, targeted and Intensive layers of service and support wrapped around the child in this student centred approach. We use this approach to ensure success for all. Teachers explicitly teach positive behaviours expectations at the beginning of each year and reinforce throughout. This has been taught through the following:

Use of explicit teaching and learning cycle to teach social emotional behaviours

Use of positive language Mina Pawa Debe Tonar

Building and restoring respectful relationships Restorative Practice is the college’s way of restoring relationship between students and staff. In 2018, the college invested in staff training to understand the purpose, context for use and what restorative practice looks like in the classroom, playground and a variety of settings. The consistent use of “Circle time” across the campuses enables a restorative culture and teaches students positive attributes trust and empathy. Complex case management is a process that is integral to the whole school approach to supporting complex needs of the students and families. Staff who have been trained in 2018 manage a collaborative, responsive, proactive and flexible process designed to support student access, participation and improvement of learning. College endorsed Social Emotional behaviour curriculum A range of DET programs have been promoted and aligned to the PBL framework within the college curriculum plan. College endorsed Pre-Intervention Manual is the college recommended resource to build a bank of strategies to support students with additional needs in the classroom.


Differentiation Placemat All teachers at the college use the differentiation placemat to make adjustments to the teaching process, environment, product and content. Teachers make the necessary adjustment to facilitate student access to the curriculum. Preventative measures like the Exercise, Breathe, Blow, cough, Wash program is a recommended routine in all primary campuses at the start of each day and after breaks to reduce the impact of potential hearing impairments..

Individual Curriculum Plans (ICPs) All students who have been referred through a rigorous Campus Educationally at Risk (CEARS) process to determine a possible intensive teaching approach supported by parents. In 2018, the college reviewed and refined the student referral process to ensure students on ICPs were achieving success at their level. Action Day against Bullying In 2018, every campus at the college was able to register for their day of action against bullying at school with their community. Community Councillors and other leaders joined in and gave strong messages to children about the effects of bullying.

DRUMBEAT – The college social skilling program Campuses have had the pleasure of Ms Taum Nona visiting to deliver sessions all about the YUMI DRUMBEAT Program. Teachers viewed various videos and were mentored in order to deliver and facilitate the YUMI DRUMBEAT Program. Ms Nona also held a parent information session on the evening to promote the program. During the course of the two days, two groups of six students each were selected to participate in the program. Students used rhythm to

express themselves, engaged in teamwork, set goals and used the drums to rumble to elicit or give information. The students learnt the basic notes of bass, tone and slap. Two very excited students were chosen to present at parade to show what they had learnt. We acknowledge the expertise of Ms Taum Nona and all participants.


Parent, student and staff satisfaction

Tables 3–5 show selected items from the Parent/Caregiver, Student and Staff School Opinion

Surveys.

Table 3: Parent opinion survey

Percentage of parents/caregivers who agree# that: 2016 2017 2018

their child is getting a good education at school (S2016) 93% 95% 92%

this is a good school (S2035) 95% 97% 93%

their child likes being at this school* (S2001) 96% 97% 96%

their child feels safe at this school* (S2002) 93% 91% 90%

their child's learning needs are being met at this school* (S2003) 90% 94% 92%

their child is making good progress at this school* (S2004) 92% 96% 94%

teachers at this school expect their child to do his or her best* (S2005) 97% 97% 97%

teachers at this school provide their child with useful feedback about his or her school work* (S2006)

93% 95% 92%

teachers at this school motivate their child to learn* (S2007) 95% 96% 94%

teachers at this school treat students fairly* (S2008) 91% 92% 87%

they can talk to their child's teachers about their concerns* (S2009) 95% 96% 95%

this school works with them to support their child's learning* (S2010) 93% 96% 93%

this school takes parents' opinions seriously* (S2011) 90% 93% 88%

student behaviour is well managed at this school* (S2012) 88% 83% 75%

this school looks for ways to improve* (S2013) 94% 96% 90%

this school is well maintained* (S2014) 91% 94% 90%


Percentage of parents/caregivers who agree# that: 2016 2017 2018

* Nationally agreed student and parent/caregiver items.

# ‘Agree’ represents the percentage of respondents who Somewhat Agree, Agree or Strongly Agree with the statement.

DW = Data withheld to ensure confidentiality.

Table 4: Student opinion survey

Percentage of students who agree# that: 2016 2017 2018

they are getting a good education at school (S2048) 92% 93% 93%

they like being at their school* (S2036) 94% 92% 91%

they feel safe at their school* (S2037) 90% 85% 88%

their teachers motivate them to learn* (S2038) 97% 96% 97%

their teachers expect them to do their best* (S2039) 98% 98% 96%

their teachers provide them with useful feedback about their school work* (S2040)

92% 91% 91%

teachers treat students fairly at their school* (S2041) 89% 88% 87%

they can talk to their teachers about their concerns* (S2042) 83% 84% 83%

their school takes students' opinions seriously* (S2043) 84% 84% 85%

student behaviour is well managed at their school* (S2044) 75% 70% 73%

their school looks for ways to improve* (S2045) 95% 92% 94%

their school is well maintained* (S2046) 88% 86% 86%

their school gives them opportunities to do interesting things* (S2047) 91% 91% 92%




Table 5: Staff opinion survey

Percentage of school staff who agree# that: 2016 2017 2018

they enjoy working at their school (S2069) 95% 96% 94%

they feel that their school is a safe place in which to work (S2070) 97% 93% 92%

they receive useful feedback about their work at their school (S2071) 88% 90% 87%

they feel confident embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives across the learning areas (S2114)

95% 96% 93%

students are encouraged to do their best at their school (S2072) 97% 97% 95%

students are treated fairly at their school (S2073) 95% 93% 92%

student behaviour is well managed at their school (S2074) 90% 80% 75%

staff are well supported at their school (S2075) 90% 87% 80%

their school takes staff opinions seriously (S2076) 92% 88% 84%

their school looks for ways to improve (S2077) 96% 96% 92%

their school is well maintained (S2078) 91% 88% 82%

their school gives them opportunities to do interesting things (S2079) 86% 88% 84%


Percentage of school staff who agree# that: 2016 2017 2018




Parent and community engagement

Family Empowerment Strategy

Parents are the first teachers of their children. Tagai State College Family Learning Account System (FLA), is a way that family members can invest in their child’s learning and development. Family members open a family learning account, and start earning points for different level of school activities. Points accumulate and are redeemed to claim items such as uniforms, lunch at tuckshop, student contribution towards excursions or as determined by the P&C, and Campus. The Family Learning Account system is inclusive, because we recognise that ‘family’ is one of the greatest assets that we have.

The second feature of our Family Learning Account is that it is strength based, because we recognise and acknowledge the skills, knowledge and expertise that family members have, that can enhance the learning of our children. The final feature is, reciprocity, which is the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit. By blessing others, we in turn are blessed. Our relationship prospers; we grow strong and proud, feel a sense of purpose and belonging.

In Meriam Mir language, Gagar Tup refers to a school of sardines, tightly packed in a spherical formation. At Tagai State College, we use the symbol of Gagar Tup to understand how we can best work together and support one another. In Gagar Tup, the sardines group together when

they are threatened. It is a last-ditch defensive measure when fish are threatened by predators. This instinctive behaviour is a defense mechanism. Gagar Tup can be 10-20 metres in diameter and extend to a depth of 10 metres. An Elder from Mer told Father Dalton Cowley, “Sometimes you can stand on top of the school, because they are so thick that you won’t sink.” At Tagai State College, Gagar Tup means that we work in unity and support each other. When times are tough, we pull together. We have each other’s back. We work as one. We are stronger when we are united.


School disciplinary absences

Table 6: Count of incidents for students recommended for school disciplinary absences at this school

Type of school disciplinary absence

2016 2017 2018

Note:

School disciplinary absences (SDAs) are absences enforced by a school for student conduct that is prejudicial to the good order and management of the school.

Short suspensions – 1 to 10 days 309 280 334

Long suspensions – 11 to 20 days 10 12 8

Exclusions 0 1 5

Cancellations of enrolment 3 6 8

Environmental footprint

Reducing this school’s environmental footprint

The TSRA Malu Kiyay Rangers have been regularly visiting senior this year and working with them on a gardening program. Students have learned different horticultural knowledge to do with seeds, planting, composting, native species, harvesting, soil types and seasons from our local rangers. This session involved students creating a large compost as well as a small team building a portable compost tumbler. The outdoor, hands-on program has inspired students to maintain the garden area and care for their corn, rockmelon and local coconuts. It has created a sense of ownership over the gardening area. We look forward to the small green house being built in the coming weeks.

Electrical Energy Saving Awareness Ergon Energy and their representative Andrew Kunst, Senior Engineer Control Systems and Dane Thomas, Isolated Network Manager came to Kubin Ngurpay Lag and delivered an engaging safety presentation. The Safety Heroes presentation was electrifying! Our students now know the three important steps they can apply if they see something electrical that may not be safe.

Electrical Safety - Safety steps to remember:

Look after yourself – stay away from the danger.

Look out for your mates – make sure your family and friends are safe.

Tell an adult – your parents, teachers, or dial 000

Secondary Renewable Energy


The original Bush light system that was donated by TSRA in 2012 has recently been moved from the Marine Discovery Centre and reinstalled at the Waybeni Koey Ngurpay Mudh Aquaculture Centre on Thursday Island. The Bush light system has been refurbished with Lithium batteries and a new inverter. The system will power the air and water pumps that ensure the fish in the aquaponics survive during a power outage, also making the production of food sustainable. Teachers Adrian Jeloudev and Chris La Rosa have worked tirelessly to make this happen with their students.

Table 7: Environmental footprint indicators for this school

Utility category 2015–2016 2016–2017 2017–2018

Note:

Consumption data is compiled from sources including ERM, Ergon reports and utilities data entered into OneSchool* by schools. The data provides an indication of the consumption trend in each of the utility categories which impact on this school’s environmental footprint.

*OneSchool is the department's comprehensive software suite that schools use to run safe, secure, sustainable and consistent reporting and administrative processes.

Electricity (kWh) 1,592,472 1,363,267

Water (kL) 27,028


School Funding

School income broken down by funding source

School income, reported by financial year accounting cycle using standardized national methodologies and broken down by funding source is available via the My School website.

How to access our income details

1. Click on the My School link http://www.myschool.edu.au/.

2. Enter the school name or suburb of the school you wish to search.

3. Click on ‘View School Profile’ of the appropriate school to access the school’s profile.

4. Click on ‘Finances’ and select the appropriate year to view the school financial information.

Note:

If you are unable to access the internet, please contact the school for a hard copy of the school’s financial information.

Our staff profile




Workforce Composition

Staff composition, including Indigenous staff

Table 8: Workforce composition for this school

Description Teaching staff* Non-teaching staff Indigenous** staff

Headcounts 165 193 140

Full-time equivalents

165 136 115

*Teaching staff includes School Leaders.

** Indigenous refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.

The teacher aide conference held on Thursday Island was split into 2 sepearate groups and the Teaching & Learning team delivered the following professional development in a reading programs and strategies; EALD strategies; managing difficult behaviours and classroom management strategies. The Building resilience program by Lisa Newland was a he success with all participants. Teacher aides are our valued staff and there was much to learn from each other, young and newly appointed teacher aides together with more than 30 years experience as a teacher aide.


Professional Development

Expenditure on and teacher participation in professional development

The total funds expended on teacher professional development in 2018 were $ 687,223

The major professional development initiatives are as follows:

Teacher Aide PD $135,113.16 (Teacher Aide Conference)

Admin PD $32,056.61 (Administration Conference)

Teaching PD $113,171.51 (MBT /4T, Profiling, Trauma, Growing Our Own, Induction)

Leaders PD $171,629.56 (Leaders Forums, System Leadership)

Pre-Prep PD $54,153.95 (Pre-Prep Conference, Cert 3 Course)

All Staff PD $181,098.70 (First Aid, General PD All Staff)

The proportion of the teaching staff participating as a percentage at the college is: approximately 65%. The mode of transport in small aircraft and accommodation costs on Thursday Island was the biggest expense for delivering professional development at the college in 2018.

Staff attendance and retention

Staff attendance

Table 10: Average staff attendance for this school as percentages

Description 2016 2017 2018

Staff attendance for permanent and temporary staff and school leaders.

97% 97% 97%


Proportion of staff retained from the previous school year

From the end of the previous school year, 86% of staff were retained by the school for the entire 2018.

Performance of our students

Key student outcomes

Student attendance

The overall student attendance rate in 2018 for all Queensland state P-10/P-12 schools was 89%.

Tables 11–12 show attendance rates at this school as percentages.

Table 11: Overall student attendance at this school


Overall attendance rate* for students at this school 89% 88% 87%

Attendance rate for Indigenous** students at this school 89% 87% 87%

* Student attendance rate = the total of full-days and part-days that students attended divided by the total of all possible days for students to attend (expressed as a percentage).

** Indigenous refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.


Table 12: Average student attendance rates for each year level at this school

Year level

2016

2017

2018

Year level

2016

2017

2018

Notes:

1. Attendance rates effectively count attendance for every student for every day of attendance in Semester 1.

2. Student attendance rate = the total of full-days and part-days that students attended divided by the total of all possible days for students to attend (expressed as a percentage).

3. DW = Data withheld to ensure

confidentiality.

Prep 86% 86% 84% Year 7 93% 87% 89%

Year 1 88% 87% 87% Year 8 88% 77% 81%

Year 2 89% 88% 89% Year 9 82% 87% 77%

Year 3 92% 89% 88% Year 10 84% 82% 83%

Year 4 92% 91% 89% Year 11 81% 86% 81%

Year 5 92% 89% 89% Year 12 85% 88% 82%

Year 6 92% 92% 91%

Student Attendance Distribution

Graph 1: Proportion of students by attendance rate

34

30

26

14

12

13

21

25

21

31

34

40

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2018

2017

2016

Proportion of Students

Attendance Rate: 0% to <85% 85% to <90% 90% to <95% 95% to 100%

Description of how this school manages non-attendance

Queensland state schools manage non-attendance in line with the Queensland Department of Education procedures: Managing Student Absences and Enforcing Enrolment and Attendance at State Schools; and Roll Marking in State Schools, which outline processes for managing and recording student attendance and absenteeism.

Tagai One School Guidelines clearly explains to teachers how to generate lists from One

School such as class rolls, sport rolls and excursion rolls to record student attendance and

absences. Teachers are required to ensure all rolls contain as a minimum: roll class; year;

teacher’s name; student details including EQ identification number, year level and birth date;

date (day, month and year) of each day to be marked; sufficient blank lines to accommodate

additional students and space for the roll marker’s initials to certify accuracy of records.

Tagai Attendance Guidelines explicitly explains the following:

How to record all student absences in One School using an appropriate code for full &

part time absences including records of late arrivals and early departures.

http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Pages/Managing-Student-Absences-and-Enforcing-Enrolment-and-Attendance-at-State-Schools.aspx

http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Pages/Managing-Student-Absences-and-Enforcing-Enrolment-and-Attendance-at-State-Schools.aspx

http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Pages/Roll-Marking-in-State-Schools.aspx

http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Procedure%20Attachments/Roll%20Marking%20in%20State%20Schools/sample.PDF

http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Procedure%20Attachments/Roll%20Marking%20in%20State%20Schools/flowchart.DOC


The absence codes for reasonable excuses to determine if a student has a satisfactory

reason for their absence.

The unexplained absences are noted and information is passed back to administration &

liaison officers to track and monitor with parents/caregivers.

Each campus to use the “Attendance” and Being on Time” Posters to promote positive

messages in the community of the importance of going to school and going to school on

time.

Each week, attendance data is published on the leader’s newsletter and the local

newspaper.

Significant work was undertaken to reduce unexplained absences.

Tagai has employed school welfare officers who have has a key role in case managing students who have less than 85% attendance rate to school.

NAPLAN

Our reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy results for the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 NAPLAN tests are available via the My School website.

How to access our NAPLAN results

1. Click on the My School link http://www.myschool.edu.au/.

2. Enter the school name or suburb of the school you wish to search.

3. Click on ‘View School Profile’ of the appropriate school to access the school’s profile.

4. Click on ‘NAPLAN’ to access the school NAPLAN information.

Notes:

1. If you are unable to access the internet, please contact the school for a hard copy of the school’s NAPLAN results.

2. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.



http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan


Year 12 Outcomes

Tables 13–15 show for this school:

a summary of Year 12 outcomes

the number of Year 12 students in each OP band

the number of Year 12 students awarded a VET qualification.

Details about the types of outcomes for students who finish Year 12 are available in the annual Year 12 outcomes report.

Additional information about the AQF and the IBD program are available at www.aqf.edu.au and www.ibo.org.

Table 13: Outcomes for our Year 12 cohorts


Number of students who received a Senior Statement 39 52 48

Number of students awarded a QCIA 1 1 0

Number of students awarded a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) at the end of Year 12

38 51 47

Percentage of Indigenous students awarded a QCE at the end of Year 12

97% 98% 98%

Number of students who received an OP 8 6 9

Percentage of Indigenous students who received an OP 19% 12% 17%

Number of students awarded one or more VET qualifications (including SAT)

33 39 35

Number of students awarded a VET Certificate II or above 33 39 28

Number of students who were completing/continuing a SAT

0 4 5

Number of students awarded an IBD 0 0 0

Percentage of OP/IBD eligible students with OP 1-15 or an IBD

50% 33% 67%

Percentage of Year 12 students who were completing or completed a SAT or were awarded one or more of the following: QCE, IBD, VET qualification

97% 98% 98%

Percentage of QTAC applicants who received a tertiary offer.

100% 83% 100%

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/about/publications/statistics

https://www.aqf.edu.au/

https://www.ibo.org/



Notes:

• The values above:

− are as at 11 February 2019

− exclude VISA students (students who are not Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia).

• Indigenous refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.

Table 14: Overall Position (OP)

OP band 2016 2017 2018 Note:

The values in table 14:

• are as at 11 February 2019

• exclude VISA students (students who are not Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia).

1-5 0 0 0

6-10 1 0 0

11-15 3 2 6

16-20 4 4 3

21-25 0 0 0

Table 15: Vocational Education and Training (VET)

VET qualification

2016 2017 2018 Note:

The values in table 15:

• are as at 11 February 2019

• exclude VISA students (students who are not Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia).

Certificate I 15 15 18

Certificate II 33 37 24

Certificate III or above 0 4 6

Tagai State College in partnership with FNQTAFE delivered the following VET training courses in 2018:

1. Certificate II Kitchen Operations

2. Certificate II Engineering


3. Certificate II Maritime Operations 4. Certificate II Land & Sea Management (CALM) 5. Certificate III Education

6. Certificate III Health Support Services

Apparent retention rate – Year 10 to Year 12

Table 16: Apparent retention rates for Year 10 to Year 12 for this school


Year 12 student enrolment as a percentage of the Year 10 student cohort 79% 79% 84%

Year 12 Indigenous student enrolment as a percentage of the Year 10 Indigenous student cohort 76% 84% 84%

Notes:

1. The apparent retention rate for Year 10 to Year 12 = the number of full time students in Year 12 expressed as the percentage of those students who were in Year 10 two years previously (this may be greater than 100%).

2. Indigenous refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia.

Student destinations

The Queensland Department of Education conducts annual surveys that capture information about the journey of early school leavers and Year 12 leavers from school to further study and employment.

Early school leavers

The destinations of young people who left the school in Years 10, 11 and prior to completing Year 12 are a growing group of students with the following reasons:

To seek employment.

Having difficulties transitioning back to boarding schools on the mainland.

To relocate to the mainland to care for extended family members.

A more detailed analysis of tracking early leavers has been implemented in 2018. This has involved data collected from the secondary campus, Year 12 students & families; the 2 boarding facilities; outer island Heads of Campus and local council officers.

Next Step – Post-school destinations

The results of the 2019 Next Step post-school destinations survey, Next Step – Post-School Destinations report (information about students who completed Year 12 in 2018), will be uploaded to this school’s website in September 2019.

To maintain privacy and confidentiality of individuals, schools with fewer than five responses will not have a report available.

This school’s report will be available at http://www.tagaisc.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Pages/Documents.aspx

Conclusion

https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/learning-outcomes/next-step

http://www.tagaisc.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Pages/Documents.aspx

http://www.tagaisc.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Pages/Documents.aspx


In 2018 the college achieved many milestones and have recognised that there is much to improve and strengthen in 2019. The college acknowledges the collective capabilities from the leadership team; teaching staff and school support officers. We began the year with the theme “United YUMI Excel” and it is with great pride and enthusiasm that we conclude the year’s report with an absolute work culture of working together to exceed our expectations. The college has a significant number of staff who go above and beyond the call of duty because they do this because of the strong belief that students deserve the best learning opportunities. We continue sharing our gratitude to parents, families and the wider community for the productive learning partnerships forged through our family learning accounts and other significant program partnerships. The college hosted many sigificant visitors who came to share their experiences and stories but also to learn from our students, staff and community who share a rich and diverse language and cultural experiences. The college has farewelled many staff in 2018 ;who will be in well skilled and highly capable of transitioning back to the mainland classrooms and schools. Tagai will continue to recruit and professionally develop a crew that are committed to navigating our students to a successful future.

TAGAI VISITORS IN 2018



A small number of the Tagai Leadership Team that go above and beyond the call of duty within their leadership role. It is the work about students that unites us, challenges us and gives us a shared sense of purpose that helps to balance

our wellbeing.


The community and school at Mer were honoured on Friday 10 August to host His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Her Excellency Lady Cosgrove. Traditional owner and community representatives, Victor Mabo, Robert Kaigey, Aven Noah and Melora Noah, met the special guests on their arrival at the airstrip. On the entrance at Mer Eruer Uteb, we met the dignitaries as they arrived. Our welcoming party included Mr Baimop Tapim, TSIRC representative, Mrs Melora Noah, P&C President and our Year 6 School Captains, Edward and Udiwad. The Governor-General spent time in the Year 2/3/4 class, speaking with students and staff, Claire Cheney (teacher), Miss Elsa Day (teacher) Dawn Mapa and Aliama Nai (teacher aides). Rassmey of Year 4 demonstrated outstanding courage and confidence by volunteering to read several pages aloud from a book for the Governor-General. A special parade was convened, where the Governor-General spoke to staff, students and the community about how overwhelmed he has been with our communities welcome and his commitment to ensure each proceeding Governor- General and Prime Minister visit the island of Mer and Mer Eruer Uteb. Local Elder and artist, Andrew Passi, presented the Governor- General with an incredible piece of artwork which tells the story of Mer. The visit concluded with delicious refreshments, kindly supplied by our amazingly supportive P&C, PBC and TSRA. We sincerely thanked their Excellences, the Governor-General and Lady Cosgrove for spending time with the students at Mer Erwer Uteb.

