Deutsche Schule Melbourne
Annual Report 2018
Photography by Markus Weber Photography. Design by Sophie Campbell. b Deutsche Schule Melbourne
CONTENTS Principal’s message
4
Deutsche Schule Melbourne Mission
5
The DSM way
6
Learning at DSM
7
Our students
10
Parent satisfaction
12
Our teaching team
13
Board members
14
Our financials
15
Contact us
16
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Principal’s message The end of another year gives pause to reflect on our journey – 11 years from when our school opened its doors. From a beginning of only 14 students and one class, to a school of 114 students, it’s remarkable how far we have come. Such growth reflects a burgeoning recognition of our work and purpose: to foster a true love of learning and to empower each student to reach their unique potential.
Our progress is also an acknowledgment of our unified and close-knit community of all nationalities. A place where everyone is welcome. During this past year, we launched our Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) and planned our highly anticipated
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classroom space for our Foundation Year and Year 1 students. With no intention of resting on our laurels, we also supported flourishing student numbers by investing heavily in a range of areas. These include acquiring new space, increasing our teacher and class numbers, purchasing more iPads and enhancing our administration and security systems. Looking to 2019, we strive to build on this incredible growth. Our plans involve fitting out our new classrooms, installing more energy efficient equipment and dedicating a permanent place to our library. We will also focus on enhancing our
OSHC, curricula and existing spaces – and advancing our secondary school project. As always, I thank our community for making DSM what it is today; a small school with big potential, big plans and big heart. With its integrated curriculum and cohesive community, it’s truly a dynamic place to work. Looking around at the company we keep here at DSM – our students, their families and our teaching team – I’m reminded of all the wonderful things we can achieve when we work together. Bernice Ressel Principal
Deutsche Schule Melbourne Mission Deutsche Schule Melbourne (DSM) was established in 2008 with a bold mission: to inspire, nurture and challenge our students to achieve their unique potential – leading them to become confident citizens of the world.
INSPIRE We inspire lifelong learning by empowering students to lead their own learning journey. We inspire our students by offering learning experiences encompassing the heart, head and hands. We inspire our students to express themselves creatively and think critically about a world without borders.
NURTURE We nurture the whole child in our vibrant German, Australian and multicultural community. We nurture mutual respect, understanding and caring for the individual. We nurture inclusive classrooms in which everyone feels pride and belonging.
CHALLENGE We challenge our students to embrace diverse perspectives through bilingualism, and by exposing them to an immersion program run by native speakers. We challenge our students academically by teaching to the Victorian and German Curricula. We challenge our community to live sustainability by reducing its footprint and taking care of precious resources.
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The DSM way At DSM, we focus on helping our students thrive academically, socially and emotionally by instilling self-guided, lifelong learning. Through our bilingual curriculum, we also encourage children to connect with different languages and cultures – which is essential to the development of any successful global citizen. At DSM, we focus on helping our students thrive academically, socially and emotionally by instilling selfguided, lifelong learning. Through our bilingual curriculum, we also encourage children to connect with different languages and cultures – which is essential to the development of any successful global citizen.
A focus on holistic development Using proven strategies and resources, our teachers prepare students to achieve their learning goals from an early age, both independently and collaboratively. They also equip children with skills to form meaningful relationships, empathise with others and resolve conflicts effectively. Woven throughout our core academic disciplines, DSM creates learning experiences that encompass our
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students’ hearts, heads and hands. In these moments, children can reflect on their ideas, opinions and beliefs as they develop within our increasingly complex world.
Helping our students grow We ensure one-on-one time with students to discuss their individual goals and challenges. It’s how we make every learning experience as engaging and enriching as possible. Transcending the traditional role of teachers, our team members are also mentors and coaches who help children lead their own learning journeys. Today, DSM is proud to have a stable foundation for our students’ growth; one that’s underpinned by support from our families, teachers and wider community.
Building the foundations for tomorrow We are now working towards our next goal: a secondary school that leads to the Mixed Language International Baccalaureate (Gemischtsprachiges International Baccalaureate or GIB), delivered in German and English. For now however, we are introducing our students to the specific methodologies they need to complete this diploma. A noteworthy example is integrating more inquirybased learning into classes and fostering critical thinking strategies and creativity. These skills will be instrumental to helping our students achieve their individual potentials and participate confidently in a global community.
Learning at DSM DSM is a proud German-Australian primary school that delivers a superior bilingual education to children of all cultures. Driven by our qualified and compassionate teaching team, DSM gives every student a supportive environment to learn and flourish. Cultivating a love of learning
Language and literacy at DSM
We aim to equip our students to become independent, lifelong learners.
DSM strives to develop students into adaptable and capable individuals who can function in different cultural environments. Our bilingual immersion strategy is integral to achieving this goal.
Our Foundation Year students regularly participate in learning stations that blend varied hands-on activities to understand a concept. We also tailor our teaching to each student’s skills and stage of cognitive development, no matter which year they are in. In Years 5 and 6, children even develop their own weekly learning plan. Promoting self-guided learning, these plans cover current tasks, learning goals and challenges they aim to overcome.
From Foundation Year to Year 6, we focus on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). This involves running classes in both German and English – and teaching the cultural values of each country.
Our one-teacher-one-language approach ensures that each language is modelled by native speakers, minimising confusion and creating more opportunities for practise. At DSM, children typically learn passive word skills (listening and reading) before acquiring active word skills (speaking and writing).
Learning to read in German and English With the benefit of an additional primary school year in Australia (i.e. Foundation Year), students have the chance to complete the first half of the German Year 1 curriculum at this level. Children also have more time to explore sounds and letters, and focus on the content of the Victorian Curriculum. For both languages, children begin by developing their listening skills so they can acquire correct pronunciation. German
English
Students learn sounds and the letters that produce them. We use a sound chart to help children recognise start, middle and end sounds in words. For every letter, there are also spelling words (Lernwörter) which are composed of sounds the children already know.
To understand different spelling patterns, students separate words into distinct units of sounds known as phonemes (similar to syllables). They start with the most common sound and work toward alternative pronunciations – as well as two and three-letter phonemes known as diagraphs and trigraphs.
After establishing their phonic knowledge, they learn spelling patterns by breaking words down into syllables.
In English, students gradually incorporate sight words (commonly used words that children memorise by sight) into their reading texts.
Other tactics we use to support the children in their reading include: • Songs which teach them routine and vocabulary in both languages • Pictures to help them visualise the text • Encouraging children from English-speaking backgrounds to ask complex questions in English first – which the teacher will repeat in German and vice versa
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Learning to write in German and English We focus strongly on spelling with German as a phonetic language and English as a non-phonetic language. When students learn the sounds of letters, they’re gradually taught the shapes and strokes as well. As a proud bilingual school, our students learn to write in a variety of ways, including: • Kinesthetics: Children walk letters out, form them with kinetic sand and mould them with modelling clay • Storytelling: Students write weekend stories in both languages by using sounds they hear in words
Learning to speak and understand both languages At DSM, we encourage our students to learn by doing. In the early years, we use a lot of gestures, facial expressions and repetition. As students advance, we support their speaking and understanding through visual
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prompts and ‘scaffolding’. (Scaffolding is a supportive framework that lets students feel comfortable taking the next step in their learning. Teachers gradually release responsibility so ‘the expert fades from the learning situation as the novice masters the necessary skills within meaningful activities’ (Callison, 2001, p2).) To expand their vocabulary, we encourage students to create word fields around specific topics.
French at DSM French is a compulsory foreign language subject at DSM (LOTE). This means we teach French through specific classes instead of integrating it throughout our curriculum, like we do for German and English. In this subject, our teachers: • Consistently speak French in class, unless they’re clarifying difficult terms or topics • Facilitate students’ understanding through gestures, pictures and demonstrations (repeated modelling)
• Introduce vocabulary that’s important to classroom interactions at the beginning of the subject (allowing students to participate in class using French – and fully immersing them in the learning experience) • Introduce topics that are relevant to students to create more speaking opportunities with peers • Embrace group and interactive learning through games that reinforce vocabulary and grammar
Mathematics at DSM At DSM, we merge the Victorian and German Mathematics curricula: • In the early years, the curricula are taught exclusively in the German language • From Year 3 onwards, one Mathematics lesson a week is taught in English and follows the Victorian curriculum. This helps students understand and develop their Mathematics terminology. • Every other lesson is taught in German and incorporates both curricula Because the German curriculum is more advanced than the Victorian curriculum, so is our level of
Mathematics. Many of our alumni have said that the advanced Mathematics education they received at DSM helped them excel in their early high school years. However, we understand that every child learns in different ways and at varied paces. That’s why we offer group and individual plans for students who need extra support. The contrast between Mathematics in Germany and Australia is more prominent in higher year levels. These differences include: • Students learn to think more abstractly in German Mathematics, allowing them to develop mathematical concepts
• In the German curriculum, students are taught various mathematical strategies to solve a single problem • The Victorian curriculum introduces topics earlier, however the German curriculum covers them more comprehensively • The Victorian curriculum extends numbers earlier, but the German curriculum concentrates on algorithms before extensions • The Australian curriculum has a stronger focus on modelling and probability, while the German curriculum emphasises arithmetic and algebra
How we support and extend our students We give every student the tools, strategies and resources they need to succeed.
Support teachers to help the classroom teacher enhance class structures and plans Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Notes
Flexible timetables to accommodate varied learning needs and speeds
A dedicated professional who offers tailored support for students with individual learning needs
A German or English Support Program for children who require additional language learning support
Extension groups for high achievers
Individual tutoring and support with our interns
Reading parents who read in their mother tongue to children without German or Englishspeaking parents
Weekly learning plans to encourage students in higher year levels to learn independently
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Our students By creating a nurturing and supportive environment, DSM helps students realise their unique potential. Inspired by them, we always strive to create a world of greater study opportunities.
OUR STUDENT COMPOSITION IN 2018
114 Swiss: 4%
students
across 7 year levels, Foundation to Grade 6
21
15
languages
ethnic backgrounds
Other: 4%
Austrian: 3% English Bilingual Australian / German: 36%
Nationalities Australian: 41%
German: 13%
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Language spoken at home
German
Academic performance With a curriculum that satisfies the highest standards in both the Australian and German education systems, DSM has a record of academic excellence. The National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) determines important educational outcomes for Year 3 and 5 students. Although it doesn’t cover the overall academic success of our students, our NAPLAN results certainly demonstrate that we meet national standards, year on year.
Year 3 comparative results
Year 5 comparative results
2016 (%) 2017 (%)
2018 (%)
2016 (%) 2017 (%)
2018 (%)
Reading Above At Below
88 100 100 15 0 0 0 0 0
Reading Above At Below
* 100 100 * 0 0 * 0 0
Writing Above At Below
100 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0
Writing Above At Below
* 100 100 * 0 0 * 0 0
Spelling Above At Below
100 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0
Grammar & Punctuation Above At Below
* 88 100 * 0 0 * 13 0
Grammar & Punctuation Above At Below
100 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0
Numeracy Above At Below
* 100 100 * 0 0 * 0 0
Numeracy Above At Below
Participating students
* 8 5
100 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 0
Language Background Other Than English (LOBTE) students
* 5 5
Participating students
8 9 18
Language Background Other Than English (LOBTE) students
3 6 16
*There are no results listed for 2016 because there were insufficient student numbers to meet the NAPLAN minimum of five students.
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Parent satisfaction We welcome constructive feedback from parents on all areas of our school so we can create the best learning environment possible – and preserve our enviable community spirit. We listened. We acted. In our 2017 report, we highlighted requests for before and after school care. We now have a successful program underway, with sessions regularly booked out.
From planning to approvals and implementation, the result provides a fine example of the effort and focus that are invested into the priorities of our community.
What parents value most about DSM Our 2018 survey of 95 parents revealed high levels of satisfaction with how the school is run and children are taught. Results were strongest across our three most important categories:
Children’s happiness to come to school each day
The quality of our bilingual education
The sense of belonging to an inclusive community
New areas of focus Although there was no significant dissatisfaction, we have addressed two areas based on parents’ comments:
1. Modes of communication
2. Increased security
Having addressed the frequency of our communication, this year we have directed efforts towards determining the best channels for sharing different types of information.
Ensuring the safety of our students and the security of our school is a priority for DSM.
Important and urgent matters will now be sent via email. Meanwhile, Seesaw will be reserved for social content and image-based communication. We will also provide quarterly updates for key school initiatives such as our secondary school planning, solar power installation and new classrooms. In the end however, whatever the channel, whatever the topic, our goal is always the same: to achieve an effective and efficient flow of information between parents and school.
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Based on recommendations from our 2018 security and risk review, we have installed CCTV cameras
to monitor and record the external entrances and grounds. Our Board also continually consults with the experts who conduct our reviews to ensure all our policies, procedures and plans protect our community to the highest standard.
Our teaching team At the cornerstone of our school is our highly qualified teaching team. With an extraordinary commitment to education, our teachers inspire, nurture and challenge our students to give them the best possible start in life. A positive learning environment All our teachers hold a master’s degree in primary and/or secondary education – and are bilingual in German and English. Our tried and tested ‘one-teacher-one-language’ immersion model provides a solid base for bilingual education. DSM cultivates an open and positive learning environment. In addition to our class teachers, we also employ a number of support and specialist teachers. This includes an individual
needs teacher, who contributes significantly to the high standard of our lessons.
Staff satisfaction and stability
$33,057 to boost the skills and knowledge of our team. Our teachers participated in internal professional development days as well as international activities.
Staff morale and retention continue to be of the highest level. After another year of little movement, DSM farewelled one staff member at the end of their contract – and welcomed four new team members.
In 2018, DSM once again achieved a high teacher attendance rate of 98.87%. This rate incorporates full-time and part-time attendance as a percentage of the staff member’s total committed time.
We focused heavily on professional development this year, investing
Positions and qualifications Leadership team Bernice Ressel (Principal)
Teaches Music and Religion Subject Coordinator: Music
Christina Remshardt (Deputy Principal)
Runs the Therapy Dog Program – with our German Shepherd Kaya; Subject Coordinator: DSD (German Language Certificate), GAL (German as Additional Language) and DaF (German as Foreign Language)
Team composition Full time
8
Part time
6
Casual relief teachers
3
Instrumental instructor
1
No Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander staff
Classroom teachers Lidija Tkalcec / Teaches Foundation Year: Quokkas Tina Lascewski Subject Coordinator: Resiliency
Specialist teachers Alanna King
Tanja Matthias
Jonathon Goodwin Subject Coordinator: ESL
Teaches Foundation Year: Penguins Library Coordinator
Leon Gabler Teaches Year 1 Subject Coordinator: IT & Mathematics Mandana Vogt
Teaches Year 2 Subject Coordinator: German
Annette Zuehlke
Teaches Year 3 DSD Teacher
Lars Nonn
Teaches Year 4 Special Needs Support
Mary Gallivan
Teaches Year 5/6 Year 6 Coordinator Subject Coordinator: Sports
Subject Coordinator: French, English & Integrated Studies
Pia Demasi
Subject Coordinator: Arts
Jasmine Chan
Subject Coordinator: English
Total teaching staff 14 Qualifications Master degrees 8 Bachelor degrees 5 Casual relief teachers Anna Macvean Casual Relief Teacher Doris Issleib Casual Relief Teacher Andrea Nunn Casual Relief Teacher
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Board members Florian Dehne (Chair)
Paul Southwick
Eleanor Williams
Volker Ankenbrand
Co-founder DSM, Strategy Director, SEEK
Journalist, Chartered Accountant, Pilot
Assistant Director (Centre for Evaluation & Research) Department Health & Human Services (Vic)
Technical Consultant, Church of St. Christophorus
Paul Monkus
Bernd Kalinna
Penny Fairbank
Julia Farley
Senior Strategy Analyst, SEEK
Master of Teaching (Secondary); Doctor of Science (PhD)
Science Engagement & Philanthropy Manager, University of Melbourne
Consultant Market Entry at German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce
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Our financials For year ended 31 December 2018
Revenues
2017 2018
Fees, charges & parent contributions
1,332,364
1,582,225
Other private income
169,673
169,385
Gov grants – Australian
610,136
677,251
Gov grants – Victorian
57,413
67,827
Gov grants – German
149,414
340,532
Private capital income
19,080
17,433
2,338,080
2,854,653
Total income Expenses Salaries & employment expenses
1,154,564
1,121,178
Office & administrative expenses
272,447
405,082
Building & caretaking
288,770
234,330
Interest
–
Depreciation & amortisation Total Expenses Operating Surplus
–
147,587
132,507
1,863,368
2,293,097
474,712
561,556
34,248
181,511
222,051
11,990
1,034
9,165
257,333
202,666
Capital Acquisitions Furniture & Equipment
Leasehold Improvement Library
Total Capital Acquisitions
Funded by:
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CONTACT US Please call or visit us at any time. Deutsche Schule Melbourne 96 Barkly Street North Fitzroy VIC 3068 Australia +61 3 9489 9364 info@dsm.org.au dsm.org.au
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