CONTENTS
SECTION ONE – OUR MISSION 1.1 Our Mission ................................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Message from the Chairman of the Board of Directors ............................................................................... 6
SECITON TWO – OUR ANNUAL REPORT 2.1 About this annual report ............................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Policy for Educational and Financial Reporting 2007 ................................................................................... 7
SECTION THREE – OUR RESULTS 3.1 SNAP and ELLA Testing Year 7 2007 ............................................................................................................ 9 3.2 School Certificate Results Year 10 2007 ....................................................................................................... 10 3.3 Higher School Certificate Results Year 12 2007 ........................................................................................... 10
SECTION FOUR – OUR STAFF 4.1 Professional learning .................................................................................................................................. 14 4.2 Staff qualifications ....................................................................................................................................... 14 4.2 Teacher attendance and retention rates ..................................................................................................... 15
SECTION FIVE – OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY 5.1 Community satisfaction ............................................................................................................................... 16 5.2 Student attendance ..................................................................................................................................... 17 5.3 Student retention to Year 12 ....................................................................................................................... 17 5.4 Post school destinations 2007 ..................................................................................................................... 18 5.5 Promoting Respect and Responsibility ........................................................................................................ 18
2 contents | St Mary Star of the Sea College
SECTION SIX – OUR POLICIES 6.1 Enrolment Policy ......................................................................................................................................... 19 6.2 Welfare and discipline ................................................................................................................................. 20 6.2 Complaints and grievances .......................................................................................................................... 22 6.3 Homework policy ........................................................................................................................................ 23 6.4 Policy location and access ........................................................................................................................... 24
SECTION SEVEN – OUR GOALS 7.1 Achievements in 2007 ................................................................................................................................. 25 7.2 Targets for 2008 .......................................................................................................................................... 26
SECTION EIGHT – OUR FINANCES 8.1 Income ........................................................................................................................................................ 27 8.2 Expenditure ................................................................................................................................................. 27
St Mary Star of the Sea College | contents 3
SECTION ONE – OUR MISSION
St Mary Star of the Sea College is a Catholic College founded on the Good Samaritan Benedictine tradition, aspiring to live the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. The College community provides young women with an holistic education characterised by the Benedictine values of: love of God love of learning hospitality stewardship peace
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St Mary’s is an independent Catholic College for girls owned by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and conducted by a Board of Directors. It was founded as a parish school in 1873 by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan under the guidance and direction of Archbishop Bede Polding, Australia’s first bishop. The secondary section of the College was established in 1875 with 14 students. Ownership of the College resides with The Trustees of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, 2 Avenue Road, Glebe Point NSW. In the space of more than 130 years of Catholic education, the College has expanded its buildings, its curriculum and its horizons in order to keep pace with the demands of population growth, employers and tertiary institutions, the changing nature of the world we live in and the Church’s vision of human society. There are approximately 1,158 students from Year 7 to Year 12. Over the past 40 years lay staff have joined with the Sisters in staffing and administering the College. Today there are no longer any Sisters teaching at the College. We have one Sister of the Good Samaritan, Sister Rita Fitt, who works with our welfare team in family liaison. The St Mary’s staff strives to live as a community of caring people, not necessarily of the same religious denomination but sharing Christian values and dedication to the personal development of the students they serve, in whatever capacity this may be. Being aware of the importance of the teacher’s role is a vital motivating factor in encouraging teachers to improve professional expertise, and to show personal interest in the welfare of the students. This is stressed in the documents of Vatican II: Among all the agencies of education the College has a special importance. By virtue of its very purpose, while it cultivates the intellect with unremitting attention, the College ripens the capacity for right judgement, provides an introduction into the cultural heritage won by past generations, promotes a sense of values, and readies for professional life. By creating friendly contacts between students of diverse temperament and background, the College fosters among them a willingness to understand one another. Moreover, the College sets up a kind of centre whose operation and progress deserve to engage the joint participation of families, teachers, various kinds of cultural, civic, and religious groups, civil society, and the entire human community. Beautiful, therefore, and truly solemn is the vocation of those who assist parents in fulfilling their task, and who represent human society as well, by undertaking the role of school teacher. This calling requires extraordinary qualities of mind and heart, extremely careful preparation, and constant readiness to begin anew and to adapt.
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1.2 MESSAGE FROM MR MICHAEL MCDONALD – CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD I am pleased to present the Annual report to the community for 2007. At the Annual General Meeting I expressed to the students and staff what a special gift St Mary Star of the Sea College is to the community. I also encouraged everyone associated with this wonderful enterprise to find real and practical ways of living out the values of our College’s mission, the same five values on the front page of this report. In particular, my challenge to the community is for students to recognize their own uniqueness and to recognise and respect the uniqueness of other students and everyone else in the community. 2007 was another year of exciting development at the College, and the focus of these developments remains the wellbeing and success of all of our students. The building program has been prepared to meet the curriculum needs of the girls for the future. The needs of education in this century continue to emerge and the Board has begun to look at improvement of other areas. The present library is not adequate for the number of students and hasn’t the facility for flexible learning spaces especially for seniors. This will be the next phase of development. Parents and their daughters are expecting more in the senior years, such as a senior study area. The Board has decided to refurbish the library and the senior study. Laptops for Year 7 were introduced in 2007 and have heralded another phase of learning for our students. This will continue into the next few years with each Year 7 beginning with laptops and a rollover in Year 9. The work ahead is in enriching learning in on‐line classes and continuing the education of teachers to refresh their skills. The college’s students have many ethnic backgrounds and variances of religion. As a Good Samaritan College we are “neighbour” to those who need us and offer the opportunity for all girls to experience liturgy and prayer. I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the Directors for their commitment to the College and the work of the Board. I have a deep appreciation for the leadership and assistance given to the Board by the Principal, and gratitude to the Executive team and staff of the College for working and implementing the college’s mission.
Michael McDonald Chair, St Mary Star of the Sea College Board
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SECTION TWO – OUR ANNUAL REPORT 2.1 ABOUT THE COLLEGE ANNUAL REPORT We are pleased to provide for our community an annual account of the College in a range of areas including educational results, teacher training and financial responsibility. School reporting is mandated by NSW Education Act, and detailed in the Registered and Accredited Individual Non‐government Schools (NSW) Manual (Section 3.10) This report forms an important part of our relationship with our community.
2.2 EDUCATIONAL AND FINANCIAL REPORTING POLICY 2005 St Mary Star of the Sea College will maintain the relevant data and comply with reporting requirements of the NSW Minister for Education and Training and the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training. This reporting will include public disclosure of the education and financial performance measures and policies of the school as required from time to time. Procedures Procedures for implementing the policy include: Identification of the person responsible for coordinating the final presentation and distribution of the annual report to the Board of Directors, Board of Studies and other stakeholders as required. For each reporting area, identification of the staff member responsible for the collection, analysis and storage of relevant data for the provision the relevant information to the coordinator for inclusion in the report. Determination of the specific content to be included in each section of the report and its review each year to ensure ongoing compliance, relevance and usefulness. Preparation of the report in an appropriate form so it can be sent to the Board of Studies and be published for the College community. Setting the annual schedule for: o Delivery of the information for each reporting area to the coordinator o Preparation of publication of the report o Distribution of the report to the Board of Directors for approval, Board of Studies, and the College community.
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Requests for additional data from the NSW Minister for Education and Training To ensure that any requests from the Minister for additional data are dealt with appropriately, the College will identify the staff member responsible for coordinating the College’s response. The person is responsible for the collection of the relevant data and for ensuring it is provided to the Board of Studies in an appropriate electronic form. DEST Annual Financial Return The College will identify the staff member responsible for completing the questionnaire. This person is responsible for the collection of the relevant data and for ensuring it is provided to DEST in an appropriate form. Nominally, this person is the enrolment and registrations officer.
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SECTION THREE ‐ OUR RESULTS 3.1 SNAP AND ELLA TEST RESULTS ‐ YEAR 7 2007 In English Language and the Literacy Assessment (ELLA) test students performed well above state level in each of the four components. 60% of Year 7 achieved at high level in writing (compared with 35% across the state), 54% Year 7 achieved at high level in reading, 53% Year 7 achieved at high level in language and 55% of year 7 achieved at a high level in literacy overall. This was significantly higher for reading, writing and overall literacy results then in 2005 and 2006. The state average for students in this band is 35%. The 2007 results provided us with data with which to construct intensive literacy and numeracy workshops. These workshops will be delivered over 2008 to students who had been identified as being close to, or below benchmarks. The results of the Secondary Numeracy Assessment Program (SNAP) were once again very strong. Table: ELLA and SNAP results percentages above elementary level Test 2007
No.
Percentages of students achieving elementary band or higher
of students
Year 7
196
99%
reading
196
99%
language
196
99%
literacy
196
99%
Secondary Numeracy Assessment Program SNAP
191
89%
English Language and Literacy Assessment ELLA writing
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3.2 SCHOOL CERTIFICATE RESULTS – YEAR 10 2007 The College obtained excellent results in the external School Certificate examinations. Students performed above State level in the five School Certificate tests. In Australian History and Australian Geography, the number of students that received Band 6 results was twice the state average. Students in 2007 continued the strong performance in English Literacy with 57% of candidates placed in Bands 6 and 5 as compared to 33% of the State. 30% were placed in Bands 6 and 5 in Mathematics compared to 21% of the State. Once again Science students gained improved performances in the top bands. 49% of students were placed in Bands 6 and 5 in Science as compared to 30% of the State In Australian History there were 41% of the students were placed in band 5 and 6 compared to 24% of the state. In the Computing Skills test 77% of our students achieved the highest standard. Table: School Certificate Results 2007 Subject
No. of students
Performance band achievement by a number and or/% Band 3‐6
Band 1‐2
English Literacy
202
202 (100%)
0 (0%)
Mathematics
202
186 (92.1%)
16 (7.9%)
Science
202
199 (98.5%)
3 (1.5%)
Australian History
202
198 (98%)
4 (2%)
Australian Geography
202
202 (100%)
0 (0%)
3.3 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE RESULTS – YEAR 12 2007 St Mary’s students enjoyed outstanding results in the 2007 Higher School Certificate and School Certificate. We are very proud of our students and their achievements and congratulate them on the many academic goals they have achieved for themselves at the end of last year. Average subject marks at the HSC were above the state mean for 37 of our courses, and in some courses were more than 10 marks above the state average. Special mention must go to the HSIE and Science departments for superb results across a range of HSC courses.
HSC ALL ROUNDER ‐ CARLY TODHUNTER A HSC all round is a student who achieves a mark of 90 or above in all of her subjects. Carly achieved wonderful marks for her entire pattern of study, being awarded a Band 6 in every subject.
TOP UAI 99.5 – LAURA GLENN 10 section three ‐ our results | St Mary Star of the Sea College
The UAI is a ranked score calculated by the Universities Admissions Centre for the purposes of qualifying students for admission to university courses. Laura’s extraordinary score of 99.5 means that only 0.5% of students in NSW received a higher score. 33 other students received UAIs of over 90.
2 N D IN NSW ‐ BUSINESS SERVICES ADMINISTRATION – KELLY DONOGHOE Congratulations to Kelly on her wonderful result in the VET course – Business Services, and to her teacher, Mrs Robinson.
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DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVERS LIST 2007 The Board of Studies publishes a list of students who receive marks of 90 or above for a 2 unit subject (Band 6) 45 or above for a 1 unit subject (Band 6) or Band E4 for an extension course. In 2007 we had 113 mentions in this list: one of our highest ever. Table: Higher School Certificate Results 2007 Subject
No of students
Performance band achievement by a number and % Band 3‐6
Band 1‐2 1(1%)
Studies of Religion I
147
140 (99%)
Studies of Religion II
19
19 (100%)
English Standard
92
91 (99%)
English Advanced
89
89 (100%)
Ancient History
34
33 (97%)
1(3%)
Biology
51
50 (98%)
1(2%)
Business Studies
45
45 (100%)
Community & Family Studies Chemistry
19
19 (100%)
24
24 (100%)
Design & Technology
10
9 (90%)
Dance
11
11 (100%)
Drama
14
14 (100%)
Economics
23
23(100%)
1 (7%)
Food Technology
17
17(100%)
Geography
23
23(100%)
Industrial Technology
10
10(100%)
Information Processes & Technology
24
24(100%)
Italian Beginners
9
9(100%)
1 (7%)
Italian Continuers
12
12(100%)
Legal Studies
14
14(100%)
Mathematics General
99
92(93%)
7(7%)
Mathematics
41
41(100%)
Modern History
22
22(100%)
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1(1%)
1(10%)
Subject
No of students
Performance band achievement by a number and % Band 3‐6
Band 1‐2
Music 1
5
5(100%)
Music 2
4
4(100%)
PDHPE
35
35(100%)
Physics
14
14(100%)
Senior Science
16
16(100%)
Society & Culture
42
42(100%)
Visual Arts
17
17 (100%)
Business Services Administration
10
10(100%)
Hospitality
21
21(100%)
Retail
9
9(100%)
Extension Subject
No of students
Performance band achievement by a number and % Band E3‐E4 Band E1‐E2
English Extension 1
11
11 (100%)
English Extension 2
3
2(67%)
1(33%)
Italian Extension
2
2(100%)
Mathematics Extension 1
6
5(83%)
1(17%)
Mathematics Extension 2
2
2(100%)
Music Extension
4
4(100%)
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SECTION FOUR – OUR STAFF 4.1 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING In 2007 we continued the system of college based ICT training called “Big Byte Breakfasts”. The focus of the breakfasts in 2007 however were on harnessing the power of Web 2.0. “Web 2.0” (O’Reilly, 2005) is a term used to describe second generation or improved form of the World Wide Web that emphasises collaboration and sharing of knowledge and content among users. The professional learning focused on using tools such as blogs, wikis, RSS, social networking sites and media sharing applications to create open collaborative knowledge spaces, where students could access other students & knowledge The Board’s new Strategic Plan commenced in 2007 with Staff being one ofthe five areas of strategic priority. The Board wished to affirm and encourage the teachers at the College and support them in their vocation and daily commitment in building positive future our students. To achieve this, the College continues to provide broad and generous professional development opportunities. One of the initiatives commenced in 2007 was the Learning Project. The team for this Learning Project consists of the KLA Leadership Team, comprised of KLA Coordinators and a number of other staff members in leadership roles. It is envisaged that the Project will follow an action learning model, where members of the project team, supported by an Academic Partner will gather and analyse data from students to inform their planning, collaboratively plan units of work for implementation in their own classrooms which respond to the priorities developed by the team, and work with students to evaluate both the unit itself and the teaching and learning which took place.
4.2 STAFF QUALIFICATIONS In 2007, 5 teachers were engaged in post graduate study with sponsorship from the College. Three new scheme teachers received their accreditation at the level of Professional Competence with the NSW Institute of Teachers while two other new scheme teachers continued working towards this accreditation.
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4.3 STAFF ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION RATES In 2007, the 80.1 FTE teaching staff attended on average 95.25% of the teaching year. This represents an average non‐attendance by teacher of 9.16 days. In 2006, the college employed 81.3 FTE teachers. In 2007 this decreased to 80.1 in 2007. That represents an annual retention of 98.52%.
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SECTION FIVE – OUR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY 5.1 COMMUNITY SATISFACTION During 2007, the college commission community satisfaction research, which was mailed to existing St Mary’s families, with 204 replies incorporated into the findings. This accounts for about one quarter of the College’s families. In response to the question “How satisfied are you with the overall educational experience provided to your daughter(s) this year?” the survey found that more than 9 out of 10 parents were satisfied (scores of 3 or more out of 5). Parents of Year 8 students were most satisfied and Year 12 least satisfied. The most important feature, as ranked by parents, was that parents’ concerns were listened to and taken seriously by the College. This was followed by parents desire to receive clear feedback through reports, and that the subjects we offer meet the needs of students. The mean (average) satisfaction scores for all areas of school life were high, with features such as uniform, a sense of welcome and access to technology scoring particularly highly.
EXPECTATION GAPS The research indicated a measure of difference between parent expectations and parent satisfaction. These are used to produce development goals to close these gaps. Some of the expectation gaps were in the following areas: • • •
Curriculum offerings Consistent handling of discipline concerns and parent concerns Reports providing clear feedback
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5.2 STUDENT ATTENDANCE Student attendance is recorded according the requirements of the Education Act. Average attendance has been calculated as follows: Year 7 – 11 Attendance Students School Days Total Student days Year 12 Attendance Students Year 12 School Days Total Yr 12 Student Days Total student days
2006
2007 982 190 186,580
995 194 193,030
181 152 27,512 214,092
172 152 26,144 219,174
6,962 97%
12,081 95%
Days of absence Average attendance
5.3 STUDENT RETENTION TO YEAR 12 2004 – 2006 Year Group Year 10 2005 Year 12 2007 % Retention
Total 211 181 85.8%
18 section five – our students and community | St Mary Star of the Sea College
5.4 POST‐SCHOOL DESTINATIONS – YEAR 12 2007 In the 2007 year 62% of Year 12 students were accepted and are attending a University in 2008. 5.59% are attending TAFE and 2.74% of the students are attending a private college in Wollongong or Sydney. 8.24% are employed in a full time position. This includes students participating in a Traineeship. A percentage of the students are participating in a GAP year have deferred from University and will commence University in 2009. Two of the students from 2007 have been successful in gaining a music scholarship and a basketball scholarship. One student gained a prestigious UNSW Scholarship for academic excellence.
5.5 RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY The college has undertaken a series of activities and initiatives to enhance and promote respect and responsibility: • • • • • •
As a Catholic school, we explicitly teach the values of compassion and justice contained in our Scripture and belief In 2007 we participate in National Safe Schools Week, with guest speakers, classroom resources and items in our newsletter We display the Australian Values poster in student reception We incorporated alcohol and drug education across the curriculum We celebrated Migrant Sunday and Refugee Sunday, marking the occasions with art competitions We conducted a parent satisfaction survey which raised our awareness of addressing discipline and welfare issues consistently. St Mary Star of the Sea College | section five – our students and community 19
SECTION SIX – OUR POLICIES The table below is a summary of the revision status of the major college policies: Policy Enrolment Policy Occupational Health and Safety Policy Student Welfare Policy Child Protection Policy Privacy Policy Grievances and Complaints Policy Homework Policy
Status Current (Ratified 2005) Current (2003)
Revision Date 2009 2006
Current (2006) Current (2002, 2004) Current (2002) Current (Ratified 2005) Current (2007)
2008 2008 2008 2008 2010
6.1 ENROLMENT POLICY PREAMBLE St Mary Star of the Sea College is a Catholic Secondary College for girls in the Good Samaritan Tradition. As a Catholic College we are committed to establishing a community, which is energised by the life and teachings of Christ. St Mary’s aims to be a place where Gospel values are lived and where the Benedictine ideals of: Love of God, Love of Learning, Hospitality, Stewardship and Peace are visible. The College enrolment policy is based on the Good Samaritan philosophy of education and responds to the needs of the children and parents in the Diocese of Wollongong. PRINCIPLES St Mary Star of the Sea College welcomes enrolments of young women from families seeking a Catholic secondary education for them in Years 7‐12. Priority is given to Catholic students but depending upon the resource capacity of the College, we welcome other students who are seeking to be educated according to the ethos and the tradition of the College. Enrolment implies that parents/caregivers give a firm undertaking that they will accept and support the Catholic foundations, values and practices of the College and the importance of regular opportunities to affirm these values and practices in religious education classes, liturgies and College masses. Retreats and Reflection days are compulsory as they play a vital part in the spiritual development of the students. CONDITIONS OF ENROLMENT Enrolment at St Mary Star of the Sea College is based on the following priorities: • Enrolment of siblings of children already attending the College is automatic, upon completion of the enrolment application form • Priority is given to students who are Catholic • Children of other Christian families may be enrolled after the other priorities for access have been considered • Children of non‐Christian families may also be enrolled in keeping with the above principles • Consideration will be made for students who transfer from interstate or from overseas • Students with disabilities will be enrolled along with all other eligible students • Catholic parents should understand that acceptance of their children at the Catholic primary school level does not confer automatic enrolment at St Mary’s
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The Board delegates to the Principal the right to exercise discernment in the acceptance of individual students in the enrolment process.
6.2 WELFARE AND DISCIPLINE Preamble The Welfare Policy is concerned with the effects of College practices on students. The Policy encompasses all that the College does to meet the personal, social, spiritual and learning needs of the students. It creates a safe and caring environment in which students are nurtured as they learn. It also provides opportunities for students to enjoy success and recognition, to encourage self‐discipline among its members, and to derive enjoyment from learning and curricular experiences. The policy also acknowledges that the well being of students, staff, parents and other community members is interrelated. Everyone in the College community has a role in student welfare. The Policy clarifies the responsibilities of the College Executive, Year Coordinators, Subject Coordinators, Homeroom Teachers and those with a specific student support role. Related documents Student Conduct appendix Awards appendix Drug Education appendix Critical Incident appendix. Rationale St Mary Star of the Sea College is founded on the philosophy of the Good Samaritan Sisters under the Rule of St Benedict. The College Welfare Policy draws on the qualities of charity, compassion, acceptance and justice are integral to College life. We believe that the subjects taught, the teacher, the teacher’s faith and the rules and practices of the school day all combine to produce the result which we Catholics consider to be education and that this desirable result cannot be looked for without some combined action” (JB Polding, pastoral letter). To adopt this vision as a way of approaching life requires an acknowledgement of the Gospel truth that we are called to “have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). As a result St Mary Star of the Sea College has a responsibility to develop the whole person. Therefore the framework for the College Welfare Policy considers the context of relationships; relationship with God, relationship with others and relationship with self. Community is at the heart of Christian Education. The community at St Mary’s College integrates faith and culture through prayer, communication, knowledge and service. The College through its Welfare Policy creates an environment where growth is nurtured through Jesus’ command to “love one another”. This is not just a concept to be taught but a reality to be lived.
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Aims The Welfare Policy will develop within the College an empowering atmosphere that facilitates the dignity and personal growth of all members of the community by focusing on three main areas: Students: To provide support structures for student needs that contribute to the long‐term development of the full potential of each student. Parents: To recognise parents as the primary educators of their children and develop the partnership of education between parents and teachers. To facilitate the process of informing and supporting parents throughout the education of their daughter at the College. Staff: To encourage staff to demonstrate a positive attitude and caring approach when interacting with students at all times. Outcomes Community members will: have the opportunity to experience a sense of belonging have the opportunity to express their faith as in the spirit of the Good Samaritan Sisters develop a sense of self, wholeness and self‐esteem promote a safe and healthy environment celebrate cultural diversity be able to make decisions which balance individual rights with community rights be perceptive of the needs of others and active in service be aware of, and able to communicate, own needs become active and self‐directed participants in the learning process develop a self‐reliant, self‐disciplined character see service of others a s positive means of promoting individual and community well‐being promote equity and social justice throughout their community life. Student Conduct and Discipline Policy Underlying assumptions The Student Conduct Policy for St Mary’s College is but one aspect of the overall pastoral care of our students. As such it is informed at all times by the charism of the Good Samaritan Sisters, the Benedictine tradition and the Mission Statement of the College, which has at its heart that the College exists for the good of all its students. This policy is reconciliatory by nature. It recognises individual needs and places any dealings with students in the context of developing the whole person to take her place in the community to which she belongs. Policy The conduct of students at St Mary’s College is based on mutual respect for all in the school community, and the recognition that all have an equal right to a stable and supportive environment in which to learn. All students are accountable for their own actions and are responsible for their behaviour at all times. The Conduct Policy steps are graded but not necessarily sequential. Within the steps there are possible responses for teachers. The choice of the response by the teacher will depend on the severity of the misdemeanour. 22 section six – our policies | St Mary Star of the Sea College
The full text of the policy and procedures, including the scheme of incremental punishments, can be found on the College website and in the student diary. Bullying and Harassment Policy statement St Mary’s College does not tolerate bullying or harassment in any form. All members of the College community are committed to ensuring a safe and caring environment which promotes personal growth and positive self‐esteem for all. Bullying/harassment, in any form, is not acceptable behaviour and will not be tolerated because it infringes the personal rights of another or others. If any member of the community experiences harm due to bullying/harassment, she is encouraged to speak to an appropriate person for support. Under no circumstances is it advised to tolerate bullying or harassment, especially out of fear of the matter getting worse. It is unlikely that bullying/harassment will simply “go away”. There is little chance that bullying/harassment can be dealt with if names are not given to the appropriate persons.
6.3 REPORTING COMPLAINTS AND RESOLVING GRIEVANCES It is implicit within the College Mission Statement that a positive working relationship and partnership between the College and families is the basis of our College community. To this end a process to deal with complaints and grievances is crucial in order to provide a fair and just approach to concerns raised. In an organisation the size of St Mary’s College, complaints or grievances may cover a wide range of issues. Parents and other members of the College community may, from time to time, wish to complain about a College matter. They may, for example, be unhappy with a College policy or with a particular staff member. It is important that such complaints are dealt with sensitively, confidentially and effectively. The matter must be resolved as soon as possible and in a way which treats all parties with dignity and respect. It is important to note that anonymous complaints will not be accepted or acted upon. Procedures The vast majority of concerns which arise from parents and others need never take the form of a formal complaint. The Principal, senior staff and teachers are available to discuss and resolve concerns in more informal ways. If deemed necessary in the professional judgement of the Principal (or another senior staff member), a complaint may be addressed in a more formal manner. It is important that a concern is directed to the correct person. The first point of contact for parents can often be the Receptionist or office staff. These staff members have a responsibility to direct calls to the appropriate member of staff. Calls are noted in order to track the time, source and nature of the call. Issues relating to academic concerns are directed initially to the Subject Teacher and then to the Subject Coordinator. Issues relating to a pastoral or student management issue are relayed to the Homeroom Teacher and then to the Year Coordinator. It is also important to note that the Assistant Principals and the Principal are available and can be contacted if a satisfactory response or resolution is not reached through the above channels.
St Mary Star of the Sea College | section six – our policies 23
Complaints against staff members In the instance where a complaint is made against a staff member, the staff member concerned must be informed of the complaint. Teachers and other staff members are entitled to know the details of the complaint against them, including the name of the person raising the complaint as well as the specific details of the complaint. The staff member concerned must be given the opportunity to respond prior to any action being taken in response to the complaint. Where there is a meeting of the staff member concerned with the Principal, parents, student/s or other staff member in relation to the complaint, the staff member must be told in advance the purpose of the meeting and who will be attending the meeting. The staff member must be given the opportunity to be accompanied by a staff member of their choice. Where action is taken the staff member must be involved. If a matter is not raised with the staff member involved, then the matter cannot be raised at a later date or as part of another incident, as the staff member has not been given a right of reply. If the complaint is not resolved through the conciliation process, the Principal must make a decision based on the substance of the complaint, all relevant information and any relevant policy. Student Grievance/Complaint Where students have a concern or grievance, it is important that they convey it to the appropriate staff member. All academic issues concerning assessment, School Certificate or HSC information should be directed to the Dean of Curriculum. The Dean of Curriculum also deals with appeals which are lodged with the Board of Studies. If the complaint is not resolved, the Principal must seek resolution, as outlined above. In the instance where a student has a pastoral or other concern, they should seek an appointment with their Homeroom Teacher or Year Coordinator to discuss the issue, or where necessary the Dean of Welfare. The Pastoral Counsellor is also available for such discussions. At St Mary Star of the Sea College, in all instances, the focus of effective complaint resolution is conciliation and acknowledging the rights of all concerned.
6.4 HOMEWORK POLICY (2007) Introduction The College Mission states “The College community provides young women with a holistic education characterised by the Benedictine values of: love of God, love of learning, hospitality, stewardship and peace.” It is in the spirit of these values that we acknowledge the importance that all members of the community are engaged in lifelong learning. Rationale The Homework Policy endeavours to support the needs of all students and is a direct link to the learning program at the College. Time given to homework is to be balanced so as to allow students to participate in other activities. Effective homework encourages in students a growing confidence in their capacity to learn and therefore is not set for its own sake. It allows students to practise and consolidate work done in class and to develop the 24 section six – our policies | St Mary Star of the Sea College
key competencies of collecting, analyzing and organizing information. Homework provides an avenue for students to reinforce research skills and to develop skills in time management. It also provides parents with insights into what is being taught in the classroom and the progress of their children. Research indicates that regularly revising new concepts and skills learned in class is far more beneficial than attempting to revise only at the end of units. Principles The policy is based upon the following principles. That homework: has a direct link to the holistic learning program at school is differentiated as learning occurs at different rates and in different ways encourages in students responsibility for their own learning and to further develop in them independent learning occurs best where the student, home and school have a common goal and understanding is balanced across all subject areas is incremental and therefore relative to the age of the students is regular and ongoing is inclusive of all is followed up by subject teachers and consequences will follow our student conduct policy
6.5 POLICY LOCATION AND ACCESS College policies are available on the College website. Our procedures for the development and review of policies are overseen by the Principal under the direction of the Board of Directors. The policies also form part of the staff handbook and the student diary and are used in the induction of new members of staff. The College website is http://www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au This annual report is available in Adobe Acrobat ® format from: http://www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au/documents/annual_report_2007.pdf The policies and College Strategic Plan can be found at http://www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au/policies.htm Email: stmarys@stmarys.nsw.edu.au Telephone: (02) 42 28 6011 Facsimile: (02) 42 29 8555 St Mary Star of the Sea College Locked Bag 42 Wollongong NSW 2500
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SECTION SEVEN – OUR GOALS 7.1 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2007 In 2006 the College set itself a set of goals that spanned the life of the College. The status of these goals are described below: Curriculum – We set targets for number of students achieving Band 6 at the HSC in a range of subjects. These targets were calculated using an average of the percentage of students in these bands from 2002 – 2006 in the HSC across the state. Status: We have made significant gains in the Science area with regard to the Band 6 targets. Likewise, HISE subjects achieved their targets of Band 6 results. Some movement was made across Maths and English, however, this area needs to be ongoing. Creative Arts excelled in achieving HSC Band 6. Laptop Learning – We will launch our laptop learning project with Year 7 in 2007. The integration of ICTs has been built into teaching and learning programs, and is administered using online classrooms and a learning management system called Janison Toolbox. Status: The Year 7 cohort, 2007 were the first to engage in the laptop learning project. Early research results indicate high degrees of parent satisfaction, as well as high levels of student engagement. The early part of the year was spent resolving process and system obstacles. Once solved, the learning component of the project accelerated. This was supported with extensive and focussed professional development. Pastoral Care Review – We planned to implement the findings of the Pastoral Care Review 2006. Status: The systems changes proposed by the review were implemented in 2007. Shared leadership of year groups (Year Leadership Teams), tracking of student learning and welfare using a Quad database and professional development of teachers all progressed with support from the Board of Directors. The position of Academic Care Coordinator was established to oversee the care of Years 10, 11 and 12. Facilities Upgrade – We will complete our $7.5million building renewal program and move into new learning spaces for Science, TAS, Visual Arts, Music and general learning area. Status: The new buildings were opened and blessed by Bishop Peter Ingham on December 1 2007 and were in complete operation prior to the end of the school year.
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7.2 OUR TARGETS FOR 2008 Action research as a model for professional learning – All subject coordinators will be given a time allowance to conduct supervised practitioner research into areas of student learning and curriculum development. Facilities Development – The College Board of Directors have approved the extension of the building program to demolish and rebuild the College library facilities, as well as the provision of a senior study and lounge, and professional suites for counselling and welfare services. Literacy and Numeracy – Using data from the SNAP and ELLA assessments, we will target and provide intensive intervention for students identified as being at risk of falling below state benchmarks. The program will include pre‐ and post‐testing to measure improvement or change over time. Interactive Whiteboards – We will conduct a pilot program of trained teachers using two interactive whiteboards to evaluate their effectiveness in the learning process. World Youth Day involvement – The College will support and become involved in the local and Sydney events surrounding World Youth Day.
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SECITON EIGHT – OUR FINANCES
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