There is always a buzz about the school. Busy boys and busy teachers going about all manner of business, and in doing so, creating, learning, collaborating and growing. There is a hum and a vitality to the school that excites me every day, and 2015 had more than its fair share of reasons to remind us of how lucky we are to be a part of this great community and school.
JEFF SYMMS
Head of the Preparatory School
I give particular thanks of course to the incredibly dedicated teaching staff of the Preparatory School. Teaching is a career of exceptional demands, with most parents being unaware of the many, many hours of preparation that underpin each successful day at school. Additionally, the non-teaching staff of the school is extraordinary in the amount of time and effort they give to ensure our school is the special place we know it to be. The administrative staff, co-curricular coaches, ground staff and cleaners all take pride in the job they do as they know it is vital to ensure our school’s continued well-functioning. I commend all of the boys on their academic progress – both those who achieve at the highest levels and those who find academics challenging. Education is not a race to the finish, but the continual progress towards a goal, and I am proud of the way that all boys engage in this process. As an example, in 2015, the teaching staff determined to target the boys’ reading levels, and after a great deal of professional learning a program was implemented to target comprehension levels and fluency, and across the year the boys’ achievements were monitored. I happily report that in each year level the standards have risen quite considerably. The boys have worked very consistently on improvement and congratulations to them and the teachers on setting a goal and working to achieve it. NAPLAN 2015 was a great endorsement of our school’s educative program. The boys in Year 3 placed as the secondhighest ranked school on the Gold Coast, pipped at the post only by St Hilda’s, and this in part due to the girls’ higher score in reading. As the Coast’s only boys school and one that is proudly
72
THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL SOUTHPORTONIAN 2015
non-selective, this is a tremendous result. Additionally, our Year 5 cohort scored impressively, again scoring higher averages than the State and national scores in all areas tested. The boys performed exceptionally well across a range of international and national competitions throughout the year, with very high levels of achievement in the ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) competitions conducted by the University of NSW. Our boys competed in the Science, English, Mathematics, Computing, Spelling and IT programs and we recorded a very high number of High Distinctions, Distinctions, Merit and Credit awards. The boys also excelled in the Language Perfect international language competition, and we regularly had boys and classes in the top performers worldwide for Mathletics. We had an excellent year, too, in sport. The tour to New Zealand was certainly a highlight and the boys enjoyed testing themselves against some of the strongest sporting schools of that country. The annual Armidale trip yielded good results and we hosted matches against a number of visiting schools throughout the year. Our swimming team performed very well in the GPS championships, coming away with a nail-biting second-place finish to Churchie. It all came down to the final relay and was a very exciting day. The Athletics team produced some great results and our boys recorded a couple of GPS records and were proud of their sixth placing. The cross country team also ran well and we recorded some outstanding individual results. But ultimately it has been the high participation rate that has been most pleasing. Across the year, and the vast array of sports we offer, most boys have found something to challenge and interest them. Musically it has been a very strong year at the Preparatory School. Boys have undertaken exams across a range of instruments and their results have been very good. The Instrumental Programs in Years 2 and 4 continue to
