Warilla High School Annual School Report 2013

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School context Our school at a glance Students

Warilla High School is a thriving and highly successful secondary school located in the Shellharbour Local Government Area. Over the past 5 years enrolments have been maintained in excess of 1100 students. In 2013 we had 1142 students, comprising 629 males and 513 females. The school has a strong, positive reputation in the broader community and hence attracts a high level of “Out of Area” enrolment applications. To reduce the impact of the school becoming too large a tight cap has been placed on non-local placements. We have strong enrolment numbers from our partner primary schools at Shellharbour, Shell Cove, Flinders, Warilla and Barrack Heights. The school operates a full Support Unit with classes to support students with special needs. These classes include IM, IO, ED, Autism and a Multi-categorical class. The majority of our HSC student graduates continue their education either at TAFE, University or other tertiary institutions. Approximately 35% of our students join the workforce or undertake traineeships and apprenticeships.

Staff

In 2013 Warilla High School had an entitlement of 87 teaching staff, all of whom are fully qualified and specialist to their area of teaching. Warilla High School has a growing number of new scheme teachers who compliment the balance of staff who are very experienced. In addition there were 19.5 non-teaching staff including School Administrative Support Staff (SASS), Aboriginal Education Officer and Worker, and School Learning Support Officers (SLSOs).

Significant programs and initiatives

• A proactive Student Representative Council with varied student leadership initiatives.

• The In2Uni Program, including an academic mentoring program, university visits and the opportunity for selected Year 11 students to study a University subject.

• “Shades of Grey” photography artist-in-schools project.

• Harmony Day activities celebrating our nation’s diversity.

• Broad Vocational Education and Training (VET) options for senior students.

• Careers and Education transition programs in both senior and junior years, including subject selection interviews for all Year 10 students.

• The Positive Behaviour for Success (PBS) Program.

• The initiation of the STORM (Study or Response Matrix) program for Stage 6 teachers and students.

• Regular recognition of student achievement and success through Academic Blue Awards Assembly, Formal Gold Merit Assemblies and a Koori Awards Day, along with reward excursions, morning teas and lunches.

• A strong Student Volunteering Program.

• Extension activities for Gifted and Talented students.

• Student Support Officer - student wellbeing programs.

• Youth Worker in Schools Program supported by Shellharbour Council.

• Careers excursions and opportunities including University of Wollongong Discovery Day, International Women’s Day, BlueScope Snapshot on Careers Day, Careers in Sports Day at Homebush, Discover Engineers Day and the Illawarra Careers Expo.

• Anti-bullying, stress management and resilience workshops for students in Years 7 to 12.

• A strong partnership with the St Vincent de Paul Society incorporating student volunteering, workplace learning opportunities, mentoring programs and a Breakfast Club.

• A “Leo Club” affiliated with the Lions community service organisation which undertakes charitable and volunteer work.

• Peer Support Program.

• Peer Mediation Program.

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• Proactive welfare programs including the Red Cross “Save-a-Mate” Drug and Alcohol Education Program and the RYDA Road Safety Program.

• A comprehensive Year 6 into Year 7 transition program.

• A sporting and academic partnership with Warilla Bowling Club.

• A partnership with the Education Faculty at Wollongong University’s “AIME” program to mentor and support the learning of Indigenous students.

• Aboriginal Homework Centre.

• “Men’s Group” Mentoring Program for Aboriginal junior male students.

• Professional Experience Program – student teachers.

• Study Skills Seminars for Years 7 - 12 including a parent session.

• A Car Restoration Program supported by St Vincent De Paul and the community.

• After School Tutoring Program – free of charge.

• Year 11 Personal Development Camp incorporating the “Crossroads” Program.

• Year 12 Student Mentoring Program.

• The Illawarra PCYC Youth Mentoring Program.

• Year 12 Future Directions Conference.

• JET program facilitated by Illawarra Workplace Learning providing career guidance for at risk students.

• Years 7 and 9 School Camps.

• The only school in the Illawarra Region registered in the e-Smart Cyber Safety Program.

• Links to Learning Programs facilitated by Campbell Page and Southern Youth and Family Services.

• St. George Illawarra Dragons Teacher’s Aide Program.

• Students Leadership days/camps.

• Years 11 and 12 Relaxation Workshops.

• “Right Choices” Wollongong Hawks Program.

Principal’s message It is with much pleasure that I present the Annual School Report for 2013. I am sure you will find this document a rich source of information about the school, its 2013 accomplishments and the strategic direction it has set for 2014 and beyond.

2013 has been a year of consolidation and preparation for a series of key initiatives, consistent with our School Plan priorities. This has included an alternate Year 11 program, the Learning Engagement Alternate Program (LEAP), which will see a pilot group of 23 Year 11 students undertake key TVET (TAFE), a school based VET subject, Workplace Health and Safety training, financial literacy and studies in English and Mathematics. Students will also undertake weekly work placement to support their job related learning. This program is cutting edge and I look forward with excitement to its 2014 implementation.

A major thrust of our work in the latter part of 2012 and throughout 2013 has been planning for a new approach to HSC Teaching and Learning. The STORM program represents a very forensic approach to teaching and learning in Stage 6. It is based on validated experience that has seen HSC results improve significantly in those schools that have adopted the practice.

As a result of our 2012 results and experiences, the school instituted significant plans to ensure 2013 built on our successes. Year 12, 2013 saw one third more of our students gaining a Band 6 result (90% or more in a subject) than in 2012. STORM will continue into 2014 and beyond.

The school has worked closely with our primary partners to develop a range of initiatives throughout 2013. Chief among these is the Core Academic Program (CAP) which has seen a series of vigorous assessments conducted to offer placements to students who display an academic aptitude. This group will be exposed to a range of higher order learning initiatives and work closely with University Advisers who will support their work. Indeed these students met their University Adviser before the end of 2013 and prior to beginning high school in 2014!

The school was also the beneficiary of significant Commonwealth Government funding when we were included in the National Partnership in Literacy. This allowed us to deploy a team of literacy leaders across the school to engage in

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focused professional learning. They in turn have worked with staff on a range of pragmatic strategies to improve reading and comprehension skills for Years 7 and 8 students. Bench marking and subsequent assessment against the criteria set in the clusters described in the National Literacy Continuum has seen good improvement. This initiative will continue in 2014.

Throughout 2013, staff worked feverishly to reinvigorate our Positive Behaviour for Success Program (PBS). This has seen a total refinement of our discipline and welfare structures to better align with the positive behaviour the school sees as underpinning effective learning environments. Every teacher in the school was involved in this process during 2013. This has been supported with the introduction of the most comprehensive electronic student tracking and attendance monitoring system in the history of the school.

Under the Government’s Local Schools Local Decisions mantra, discretional funding has been made available to the school under a new Resource Allocation Model (RAM). This has enabled us to re-deploy one of our Deputy Principals to oversee teacher professional learning and accreditation against National Teaching Standard benchmarks. This position will ensure all staff have professional learning plans individualised for their needs and that they will be equipped with the requisite skills to be successful in actualising the school’s stated priorities and of being able to take students beyond what the students felt they are capable of achieving. Indeed, focused and targeted professional development will underpin our efforts in 2014.

The staff and I very much look forward to working with you in 2014 to build on the terrific work outlined in this Annual School Report.

I certify that the information in this report is the result of a rigorous school self-evaluation process and is a balanced and genuine account of the school’s achievements and areas for development.

With my kind regards, John Hambly

P & C message Our Parents & Citizens meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and are attended by a group of very dedicated parents. Regularly we

have guest speakers who give up their valuable time to address our meetings.

Our aim is to provide support and funding to the school to benefit every student attending Warilla High School to help better their education.

We are not a fundraising P&C which means all funds raised are through our canteen and without our hardworking volunteers this would not be possible.

This year Michael Stanizzo, Head Teacher Welfare, and Dian Masters, Head Teacher English, attended our meetings to give us detailed information about the programs running in our school.

$10,000 has also been donated to the English faculty to purchase new texts.

From these texts Michelle Brook, Deputy Principal and English teacher, reports back to our meetings with book reviews and information about what the students are learning from these texts and the different ways the texts can be used in the classroom.

This is proving to be a very valuable resource in the classroom.

The covered seating being erected around our school is being built with money raised through the P&C and being constructed by Michael Groves, Head Teacher Industrial Arts, and his Industrial Arts’ boys and senior Construction students. If you have seen these structures you will agree they look amazing and have been beneficial for the school as a whole.

We are currently looking to fund six more of these undercover seating structures in 2014.

This year the P&C supplied diaries to each child in Year 7 and also to new students into the school throughout the year. Fridge Magnet Calendars were also funded by the P&C. These calendars contained important school dates and were sent to every family in the school.

We would like to thank everyone for their support and involvement in the P&C during 2013 and look forward to your continued interest in 2014.

Jill Boothman P&C President

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Student Representative Council message It was an extremely productive and successful year for the SRC. They represented Warilla High School with pride and engaged in a number of activities within the school and greater community. Many great causes were supported and thousands of dollars were raised for a number of charities. A new and exciting initiative for 2013 was the ‘Vinnies Winter Sleepout’, which involved a number of committed students and staff ‘camping out’ in the hall to promote awareness and fight the issue of homelessness. Students were extremely well behaved and more than grateful of their comfortable beds at home after this eye-opening experience. A number of donations were received and the St Vincent de Paul Society kindly provided a BBQ breakfast to show their appreciation. Education Week was again a huge success, and highlighted the numerous talents and achievements of staff and students within our school. Student works and achievements were showcased at the Parent/Teacher Interview night, and kept on display in the library for the whole school to admire. The SRC also organised and strongly encouraged staff and students to participate in external fundraising events such as the World’s Greatest Shave and the World Vision 40 Hour Famine, raising money to fund Leaukemia research and for those less fortunate than themselves.

‘Pink’ day was very exciting and the mufti-day was embraced by staff and students who showcased a variety of exciting outfits. A generous sum was raised for the McGrath Foundation for Breast Cancer and Breast Care Nurses through the sale of pink baked goods and pink hairspray organised by the SRC. The friendly ‘staff versus student’ Oztag match had to be postponed, however there was a great turn-out later in the term when the teachers maintained their undefeated record against the Year 12 students. Warilla High School was also well represented at the Disabled Surfers Day at Thirroul in November. Students and staff volunteered their time on the weekend to support injured and disabled participants experience a unique, safe and enjoyable surfing event. It was a rewarding experience for all involved. As well as charity work, the SRC were involved in leadership development by organising, attending or assisting in the following:

• SRC Induction Ceremony

• ANZAC and Remembrance Day Ceremonies

• Elevate Young Leader’s Day

• Throsby Leadership Forum

• National Anti-Bullying Day

• National Young Leaders Day

• Formal Assemblies and Presentations

• Year 12 Farewell Graduation

• Climate Clever Energy Saver Poster Competition

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• Clean Up Australia Day

We are very thankful for the number of positive contributions the 2013 SRC have made to our school and the community. We look forward to the opportunity to work in collaboration with students, staff and the wider community again in 2014 to make a positive difference.

SRC Co-ordinators

Justine Berghouse, Grant Neill and Kahli Vojkovic

Student information

It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all students be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

Student enrolment profile

Student numbers at Warilla High School have remained high in 2013. This follows consistent growth in student enrolments over the previous 6 years. Our total enrolment in 2013 was 1142 including 50 Support Unit students.

Student attendance profile

In 2013 overall attendance rates were above State and Regional averages. Improving school attendance rates will be the focus of an ‘Attendance Action Plan’ which will be overseen by Mr Stephen Kershaw, Head Teacher Student Administration, in 2014.

Scho

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Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 7 91.8 91.8 92.5 90.5 93.7

8 90.4 89.5 88.3 87.5 90.7 9 88.6 88.8 87.7 86.0 89.6

10 89.0 89.1 86.9 85.4 88.7 11 88.1 90.8 87.2 86.5 88.5 12 89.3 88.1 87.1 86.8 91.0

Total 94.5 89.3 89.7 88.3 87.1 90.3

Regi

on

7 91.8 91.7 91.5 91.6 92.2 8 89.7 89.5 88.7 89.2 89.6 9 88.4 88.1 87.0 87.2 88.3

10 88.1 87.4 85.9 85.6 86.0 11 89.3 87.9 86.0 86.4 87.4 12 88.2 88.0 87.3 87.9 89.0

Total 89.1 89.2 88.8 87.8 88.0 88.7

Stat

e DE

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7 92.3 92.6 92.5 92.4 93.2

8 90.0 90.5 90.1 90.1 90.9 9 88.8 89.1 88.8 88.7 89.4

10 88.7 88.3 87.1 87.0 87.7 11 89.4 89.1 87.6 87.6 88.3

12 89.4 89.8 89.2 89.3 90.1

Total 89.9 89.7 89.9 89.2 89.1 89.9

Management of non-attendance

Warilla High School places a high value on school attendance. The school has a Head Teacher Administration who co-ordinates the school Attendance Policy with the support of teaching and SASS staff, which reflects the DEC Attendance Policy. From this policy, the school has developed the Warilla High School Attendance Plan in conjunction with the current School Plan. This plan addresses specific attendance objectives. Additional SASS staff members are employed to support the Attendance Plan through a weekly ‘phone home’ program. This program maintains a positive communication with parents regarding unexplained absences, truancy issues as well as any welfare concerns. The program is a highly effective intervention providing weekly feedback to parents regarding attendance issues, and a

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valuable tool in identifying underlying issues relating to non-attendance.

The school utilises a number of other supporting strategies that are identified in the Attendance Plan including whole school awareness of attendance procedures and specific attendance monitoring for identified students. Warilla High School monitors and follows up on sport absences and partial absences during the school day with the use of electronic morning roll marking and period by period electronic marking.

The school values a close working relationship with the Home School Liaison Officer (HSLO) as an added support strategy to assist with non-attendance issues.

Post-school destinations

Data recently released by the University Admission Centre (UAC) indicates that over 50% of our Year 12, 2013 ATAR cohort have taken up offers at Universities across NSW. They have enrolled in subjects including: Arts; Business; Commerce; Accounting and Finance; Public Health Nutrition; Engineering; Digital Media; Nursing; Education; Law and Medical and Health Sciences. The school also hosts up to 30 School Based Traineeships and Apprenticeships (SBATs) This, when combined with those students who have sourced apprenticeships and traineeships privately, along with those engaging in part time employment and TAFE related study, will see the vast majority of our past Year 12 group meaningfully engaged.

Interestingly, we had a number of Year 11 students undertake an undergraduate course in the last January school holidays. All passed the 6 credit point, University of Wollongong (UOW) recognised course, with the highest ranking student from the public and private schools in the program, from Warilla High. The capacity of the school and its departing students to find meaningful employment opportunities and tertiary study patterns in the face of NSW youth unemployment rates of over 16% is encouraging in the extreme.

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or trade training

As you walk into the school grounds it is obvious that VET is alive and well at Warilla High. The covered picnic tables have been recently built by our Construction students. Vocational Education and Training is an integral part of the curriculum

options for students in our senior school. It enables students to learn and experience work placements in settings that are to an Industry Standard in Business Services, Retail, Sports Fitness and Recreation, Hospitality, Metals and Engineering and Construction.

In relation to Board of Studies components, Work Placement was again a valuable opportunity for the students to gain practical experience in the world of work. Most students found the experience beneficial and reports from the host employers again confirmed that our students were well prepared, demonstrating skills and attributes valued by employers. On the optional HSC examinations, some students achieved their highest results from their vocational course.

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalent Vocational educational qualification

In 2013 44% (or 60/136) of Year 12 students were studying a Vocational Education course at Warilla High School. Of this cohort, 73.5% (or 39/53) gained the required competencies to allow them to achieve a Certificate II in their chosen field.

Workforce information It is a requirement that the reporting of information for all staff must be consistent with privacy and personal information policies.

The staffing roster for Warilla High remained reasonably consistent throughout 2013.

New permanent appointments to the teaching staff included Mr Matthew Reid HT Science; Ms Svetlana McNabbe HSIE; Ms Jenna Thistlethwiaite Science and Ms Rhiannon Fotheringham in PDHPE.

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Also, Mr Peter Hales was appointed as HT HSIE.

Workforce composition

Warilla High School has a highly professional staff with 6 new scheme teachers who are in the initial stages of their careers.

Position Number Principal 1 Deputy Principal(s) 2 Head Teachers 13 Classroom Teacher(s) 61 Teacher of Emotional Disabilities 1 Teacher of Mild Intellectual Disabilities 3 Support Teacher Learning Assistance 1 Teacher Librarian 1 Careers Advisor 1 School Counsellor 1 Secondary District Counsellor 1 Home Liaison Officer 1 School Administrative & Support Staff 19.5 Total 106.5

The Australian Education Regulation, 2013 requires schools to report on Aboriginal composition of their workforce.

Warilla High School has 4 Aboriginal staff.

Staff retention

There was moderate staff movement in 2013. Many staff across the region actively request to teach at Warilla High School, and there is no shortage of very high quality casual staff who prioritise looking for employment at our school.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirements for teaching in NSW public schools. Indeed many of our staff have post graduate qualifications including Masters and Doctorates. Some work closely with local universities to ensure their currency in subject specific fields.

Qualifications % of staff Degree or Diploma 85 Postgraduate 15 NSW Institute of Teachers Accreditation 15

Financial summary This summary covers funds for operating costs and does not involve expenditure areas such as permanent salaries, building and major maintenance.

Date of financial summary 30/11/2013

Income $ Balance brought forward 290281.02 Global funds 797642.54 Tied funds 637416.18 School & community sources 386961.83 Interest 15283.05 Trust receipts 83870.97 Canteen 0 Total income 2211455.59 Expenditure Teaching & learning

Key learning areas 212352.46 Excursions 178963.21 Extracurricular dissections 148086.00

Library 18597.45 Training & development 16470.98 Tied funds 592218.83 Casual relief teachers 218335.10 Administration & office 231990.94 School-operated canteen 0 Utilities 107063.97 Maintenance 89375.01 Trust accounts 96046.44 Capital programs 67240.52 Total expenditure 1976740.91 Balance carried forward 234714.68

A full copy of the school’s 2013 financial statement is tabled at the annual general meetings of P&C. Further details concerning the statement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance 2013 Warilla High School has had an exceptional year in many aspects. The positive, enthusiastic culture of the school has not only led to success in many competitions and projects, but also reflects the breadth of opportunities that are offered to our students.

Achievements Arts

The Creative and Performing Arts Faculty offer study in the areas of Visual Arts, Music, Photographic and Digital Media, Visual Design and Dance. Much of this is delivered in curriculum programs within the classroom. Opportunities exist outside the classroom for students to develop skills and promote participation in other learning experiences such

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as art and photography competitions, excursions and involvement in regional groups.

Students are continuing to participate in ever increasing numbers in the subjects offered, with elective classes proving to be popular amongst the students as a part of their study. The expertise imparted by staff is presented in a supportive environment, assisting students to perform and display their talents on stage and in exhibition spaces.

It has been a busy year, with highlights including:

• Mrs Luckman’s Year 11 Visual Arts class participated in Y-Curate, a project offered by Wollongong City Gallery where the students participated in seminars and workshops around curatorial practice. They also investigated the galleries collection of artworks and curated their own exhibition ‘disFigure’.

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• A number of Visual Arts and Photography students participated in the 5th Annual Youth Week Art exhibition held at the Blackbutt Youth Centre organised by Shellharbour Youth Services. The majority of these works were produced during the previous year’s skills week in the Art Studio workshops and a select group of Year 10 Photographic and Digital Media students who explored their local surroundings through digital photographs. A significant proportion of the artworks exhibited were created by Warilla High School students.

• Year 10 Visual Arts investigated the Archibald Prize as part of their studies. They attended the exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW and completed their own Archibald portrait

paintings of staff. Selected paintings were exhibited in Wollongong Central.

• Year 8 Visual Arts students attended a field trip to Killalea where they participated in a series of workshops covering Aboriginal histories, artist’s books, created sculptures using natural materials, watercolour observations of their surroundings.

• In April, four of our Year 12 Music boys, who have created a band entitled ‘Fragile’, represented themselves and Warilla High School at Youth Rock 2013. They had to audition and then were invited to Sutherland Entertainment Centre to perform live.

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• We held a HSC Creative Arts evening on Tuesday 28th August where Year 12 Music students performed and Visual Arts, Visual Design and Photography, Video and Digital Imaging students’ artworks were exhibited. This was a hugely successful night.

• A number of students danced in Southern Stars. The dance troupe students were involved in four intense, long days of rehearsals and performances at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre. Mrs Jade Farrugia our dance/drama teacher also choreographed a section of the performances.

• The Acapella group participated in a workshop in Term 4 with Jan McCarthy and Karen Wilmott from Wollongong Harmony Chorus.

Sport

In 2013 Warilla High School once again achieved outstanding success in a variety of sporting arenas engaging students in both recreational and competitive sport.

Taren King of Year 11 achieved the highest selection possible when she was named in the

U19 Australian Girl’s Football team after gaining representative honours in the South Coast Regional Team, the NSW CHS Team, the NSW All Schools Team and finally the Australian Team. Taren travelled to England in January 2014 with the National Team. Her efforts were acknowledged when she was awarded a South Coast Blue.

Blake Edgar of Year 12 received the Pierre De Coubertin Award, presented by the Australian Olympic Committee, for his outstanding part-icipation in a variety of sports, his level of commitment and

sportsmanship and his ability to demonstrate fair play and respect for others.

Natalie Noronha was awarded the highest accolade in secondary sport receiving a NSW CHS Blue in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the sport of Lawn Bowls. This was earned after winning the CHS State Lawn Bowls Championship as a South Coast representative.

Thomas Riley and Jai Field were members of the South Coast Open Touch team that won the NSWCHS State Touch Championships played at Nelson Bay.

Natalie and Samantha Noronha were State Champions in Triples and Pairs in Lawn Bowls.

Libby O’Brien was awarded the Premier’s Sporting Challenge Medal for outstanding sports-manship, involvement and leadership across a range of sports at Warilla High.

Recreational Sport (Terms 1-4) A wide range of sports were offered to cater for all levels of ability and experience as well as to develop skills in some areas. A Girls’ Sport Group was offered which allowed participants to experience clinics from development officers in the sports of AFL, Touch, Rugby League and Netball. This also gave the girls good preparation for Oz Tag, AFL, League Tag and Touch gala days

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that were offered throughout the year. Other sports offered during Thursday afternoon sport included Beach Boxing, Beach Activities, Court Games, Ten Pin Bowling, Fishing, Fitness, Golf, Mixed Martial Arts and Self-Defence, Indoor Sports, Gymnastics, Paddle Tennis, Minor Games and Walking.

The Year 7 Swimming Program continued for its second year. All students were assessed on their swimming ability and were given instruction on stroke improvement as well as beach skills.

Competition Sport (Terms 2 and 3)

Warilla High fielded teams in all 16 competitions at junior and senior level which saw 11 teams make the finals and 9 of these teams won in the Southern Illawarra Zone Grade Sport Competition. This equals our best result in the history of the competition. Over 190 students participated each week and Warilla were the overall winners, reinforcing the enthusiasm students have for success in this competition.

Congratulations to our premiership teams:

• Junior Girls A Netball • Open Girls Newcomb Ball • Senior Girls Netball • Junior Boys Basketball • Junior Boys A Touch • Junior Boys B Touch • Junior Boys A Football equal first • Junior Boys B Football • Senior Boys Football

Carnivals

2013 was the first time the Swimming Carnival was for all Year 7 students and competitors only. Our Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals were combined and held on the one day. All school carnivals were held in Term 1. The quality of competitors saw Zone, Regional and State representation with many outstanding performances.

Warilla High’s combined results from the Zone Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals as well as our results in the Grade Sport Competition, have contributed to the point score for Overall Champion School for 2013. It has been the 9th time in 10 years that Warilla High School has been awarded Zone Champion School.

These results were achieved through superior performances and the following table lists our position in these competitions:

2013 OVERALL SPORT RESULTS

ZONE SWIMMING 1ST

ZONE CROSS COUNTRY 2ND

ZONE ATHLETICS 1ST

GRADE SPORT 1ST

OVERALL ZONE CHAMPION SCHOOL 1ST

The School Swimming Carnival was held in February. Congratulations to all competitors.

SCHOOL SWIMMING AGE CHAMPIONS 2013

AGE GIRLS BOYS

12 Khadijah Hairuddin Finbar Gittoes

13 Cassidy Graham Jack Lees

14 Nicole Papadimos Lachlan Rye

15 Emerson Leighton Jye Edwards

16 Amber Jones Brody Elliot

17 Cassandra Naydovska Nathan Lomas

Zone and Regional Swimming

Warilla High had 23 representatives at the Zone Swimming Carnival held at Dapto Pool. Of this group 13 individuals and 8 relay teams qualified to represent the Zone at the South Coast Championships. Tyler McEwan, Brody Elliot and Cassandra Naydovska were selected to represent the South Coast at the State Championships held at Homebush in Sydney.

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Cross Country

SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY AGE CHAMPIONS 2013

AGE GIRLS BOYS

12 Rachel Ristovski Not applicable

13 Shayla Szakacs Finlay McPhillips

14 Troy Whittington Erin Dalley

15 Jye Edwards Rachael Holland

16 Lachlan Ahling Tayla Lees

17 Blake Edgar Riana Drake

Warilla High School Cross Country runners enjoyed outstanding success in 2013. A total of 41 runners competed in the Zone Cross Country at Kembla Joggers, Dapto. Of these runners, 22 qualified for South Coast Championships and 11 runners represented the South Coast at the Eastern Creek Course in Sydney. Shenay Edwards (1st), Shayla Szakacs, Harlie Singleton, Taleigha Cook, Finlay McPhillips, Luke Hunter, Trent Clark, Kade Szakacs, Jye Edwards (1st), Troy Whittington and Blake Edgar represented South Coast Region at the NSW CHS Cross Country Championships.

Taleigha Cook gained Silver in the AWD event at Eastern Creek. Taleigha, Year 7, enjoyed success in her first year of competing at high school. Jye Edwards was the outstanding performer throughout - winning at Zone, South Coast and coming first in the 15 Year CHS Championship and fourth in the All Schools. This saw Jye qualify for Nationals in Tasmania where he had a top 20 finish.

Athletics

SCHOOL ATHLETICS AGE CHAMPIONS 2013

AGE GIRLS BOYS

12 Khadijah Hairuddin Justin Check

13 Karlie Zwolsman Jack Clinch

14 Casey-Lee Bedford Tristan McIntosh

15 Kayley Smith Daniel Perez

16 Danielle Thompson Bodean Yerkovich

17 Riana Drake Joshua Fernandez

Warilla High School students dominated the Zone Athletics Meet and were again the champion school. 43 students represented at Zone and outstanding performances were recorded.

Athletics Regional Representatives at NSWCHS State Championships

12 Year Boys – Justin Check – High Jump

13 Year Boys – Luke Hunter

13 Year Girls – Shenay Edwards (800m 1st)

14 Year Girls – Erin Dalley (400m) Casey-Lee Bedford (200m)

15 Year Boys – Jye Edwards – (1st 1500m, 1st 3000m)

17 Year Boys – Cameron Chisholm

SOUTH COAST REPRESENTATIVES

Cassandra Naydovska Swimming

Brody Elliot Swimming

Tyler McEwan Swimming

Joshua Tasevski Football (Soccer)

Jai Field Touch

Thomas Riley Touch

Jordan Field Touch and Netball

Natalie Noronha Lawn Bowls Teams, Singles and Triples

Samantha Noronha Lawn Bowls Teams

Jye Edwards Cross Country and Athletics

Shenay Edwards Cross Country and Athletics

Erin Dalley U15 Touch and Athletics

Casey-Lee Bedford U15 Touch and Athletics

Shayla Szakacs Cross Country

Taleigha Cook Cross Country

Harlie Singleton Cross Country

Finlay McPhillips Cross Country

Trent Clark Cross Country

Luke Hunter Cross Country and Athletics

Troy Whittington Cross Country

Kade Szakacs Cross Country

Blake Edgar Cross Country

Cameron Chisolm Athletics

Justin Check Athletics

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Taren King Football (Soccer)

Shakiah Tungai Football (Soccer)

Cassidy Graham Golf

The following students were awarded Warilla High School Blues

Jye Edwards Shenay Edwards Casey-Lee Bedford

Athletics

Jye Edwards Cross Country

Natalie Noronha Lawn Bowls

Taren King Football

2013 Sportspersons of the Year

Senior Girls: Taren King Senior Boys: Thomas Riley

Junior Girls: Casey-Lee Bedford & Shenay Edwards

Junior Boys Jye Edwards

Academic achievements NAPLAN In the National Assessment Program, the results across the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessments are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10.

The achievement scale represents increasing levels of skills and understandings demonstrated in these assessments.

Year 7: from Band 4 (lowest) to Band 9 (highest for Year 7)

Year 9: from Band 5 (lowest) to Band 10 (highest for Year 9)

The My School website provides detailed information and data for national literacy and numeracy testing (NAPLAN).

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

and enter the school name in the Find a school and select GO to access the school data.

NAPLAN Year 7 - Literacy (including Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation) There were solid performances in several aspects of NAPLAN for our 2013 Year 7 cohort. Our Year 7 student average was similar or equivalent to the Statistically Similar Group average for Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation. Within the Spelling component of Year 7 NAPLAN, 58.3% of girls and 54.2% of boys gained equal to or greater than expected growth.

Writing and Reading are Literacy areas that have been identified as requiring development for our Year 7 2013 cohort. Year 7 boys performed markedly better than Year 7 girls in the area of Reading with 54.8% of boys equal to or better than expected growth compared to 48.9% of girls. The school will continue to work on these areas in 2014 through the cross faculty Literacy Team and a focus on specific text types through a dedicated literacy period for Year 8 2013.

Year 7 NAPLAN Reading

4 5 6 7 8 910 40 56 42 18 45.9 23.5 32.9 24.7 10.6 2.45.9 21.1 31.3 24.7 14.0 3.08.4 22.7 30.4 22.1 12.7 3.7

6.6 17.8 25.9 22.5 17.0 10.2

Average score, 2013

Skill Band Distribution

Number in BandPercentage in BandsSchool Average 2009-2013SSG % in Band 2013

State DEC % in Band 2013

Band

513.6SSG

512.0 534.0School State DEC

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NAPLAN Year 7 - Numeracy

Numeracy results for the Year 7 2013 cohort were mixed. Our Year 7 girls’ growth in Numeracy was concerning with 36.6% of students achieving equal to or greater than expected growth. Year 7 boys’ results in numeracy were stronger with 53.3% of boys achieving equal to or better than expected growth. These results still fall below State averages. In response to this a Numeracy Team will be re-established in 2014 which will develop strategies for Warilla High School and re-instate strong numeracy partnerships with our partner primary schools.

NAPLAN Year 9 - Literacy (including Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation)

Year 9 Literacy results were pleasing in a number of areas in 2013. Year 9 average score results for reading, spelling, writing, grammar and punctuation were significantly above the average score results for Similar School Groups. Further consolidation of these gains will be supported in 2014 through the literacy leaders deployed in

each KLA and a focus on the teaching of reading and comprehension strategies across the school.

NAPLAN Year 9 - Numeracy

Numeracy results for Year 9 were solid within NAPLAN for 2013 with our Year 9 students’ results above Statistically Similar Groups and just below the SEG average. These results placed our Year 9 cohort 1.0 point above Statistically Similar Schools growth and 1.2 points below SEG growth. These results will be further consolidated through an ongoing emphasis on best practice techniques in numeracy teaching emanating from the Mathematics KLA.

Year 7 NAPLAN Spelling

4 5 6 7 8 916 18 44 67 22 79.2 10.3 25.3 38.5 12.6 4.08.6 12.9 28.5 30.5 15.5 4.09.4 13.6 24.1 30.7 17.0 5.2

7.4 9.9 20.2 28.1 21.5 12.8

State DECAverage score, 2013 529.8 530.1 551.9

School SSG

Skill Band Distribution

School Average 2009-2013SSG % in Band 2013

State DEC % in Band 2013

BandNumber in BandPercentage in Bands

Year 7 NAPLAN Writing

Skill Band Distribution4 5 6 7 8 9

26 63 46 26 11 115.0 36.4 26.6 15.0 6.4 0.611.9 31.1 29.9 18.7 7.1 1.214.8 32.3 31.2 14.5 5.9 1.2

12.4 25.3 27.4 18.5 11.5 4.9

Average score, 2013 502.1State DECSSG

482.6School479.7

State DEC % in Band 2013

SSG % in Band 2013

Percentage in BandsNumber in BandBand

School Average 2011-2013

Year 7 NAPLAN Numeracy

4 5 6 7 8 97 45 60 41 14 3

4.1 26.5 35.3 24.1 8.2 1.85.1 25.3 31.8 24.9 9.5 3.4

4.9 27.1 32.5 22.2 10.2 3.14.0 20.6 26.6 21.8 13.2 13.9

School State DECSSG

BandNumber in Band

512.0 540.9507.4

Skill Band Distribution

Average score, 2013

Percentage in BandsSchool Average 2009-2013

SSG % in Band 2013State DEC % in Band 2013

Year 9 NAPLAN Reading

5 6 7 8 9 106 55 62 41 15 4

3.3 30.1 33.9 22.4 8.2 2.27.9 23.0 32.9 25.3 8.8 2.09.0 28.0 30.6 21.5 9.1 1.8

6.9 21.2 27.4 23.5 15.9 5.1

561.7Average score, 2013State DECSSG

574.8555.1School

BandNumber in BandPercentage in Bands

Skill Band Distribution

School Average 2009-2013

State DEC % in Band 2013

SSG % in Band 2013

Year 9 NAPLAN Spelling

5 6 7 8 9 1016 26 63 59 18 58.6 13.9 33.7 31.6 9.6 2.7

10.4 18.7 32.7 25.1 10.9 2.211.1 17.2 32.4 26.6 8.7 4.0

8.3 13.1 27.6 28.6 13.0 9.4

Average score, 2013 563.9SSGSchool State DEC

572.8

Band

584.0

Skill Band Distribution

State DEC % in Band 2013

Number in BandPercentage in BandsSchool Average 2009-2013SSG % in Band 2013

Year 9 NAPLAN Writing

Skill Band Distribution5 6 7 8 9 10

51 60 37 30 7 227.3 32.1 19.8 16.0 3.7 1.131.7 26.9 22.4 14.4 3.3 1.332.9 25.7 19.8 15.6 3.9 2.1

24.9 21.7 20.6 18.7 8.1 6.1

515.5 509.6 534.2State DECSSGSchool

Band

Average score, 2013

State DEC % in Band 2013

Number in BandPercentage in Bands

SSG % in Band 2013School Average 2011-2013

Year 9 NAPLAN Numeracy

5 6 7 8 9 1021 42 60 33 15 13

11.4 22.8 32.6 17.9 8.2 7.16.6 25.1 34.7 21.9 8.3 3.3

15.3 27.4 28.5 17.8 7.2 3.711.0 21.3 25.0 17.3 10.4 15.1

School SSG State DEC

State DEC % in Band 2013

584.4Average score, 2013 562.1 548.2

Skill Band DistributionBandNumber in BandPercentage in BandsSchool Average 2009-2013

SSG % in Band 2013

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Higher School Certificate (HSC)

In the Higher School Certificate, the performance of students is reported in performance bands ranging from Performance Band 1 (lowest) to Performance Band 6 (highest).

Warilla High School offers a broad curriculum and the school encourages students to select a Stage 6 pattern of study that meets their needs and interests. The school based subjects offered are complimented by TVET subjects offered by TAFE and Private Providers. In 2013, Warilla High School offered 31 subjects leading to accreditation for the HSC. The HSC results in 2013 showed some areas of solid performance. Subjects that achieved a school average above the corresponding State DEC average included Aboriginal Studies, Industrial Technology, Legal Studies and Music. These pleasing results were shared across a number of faculties and demonstrate the hard work and professionalism of our staff.

There is a clear and continuing need to strengthen and improve HSC results across the school. A key aspect within this improvement will be the further development and refinement of our Stage 6 students’ extended responses through the STORM program. The STORM program was initiated in 2012 with some staff and students introduced to the program. In 2013, teacher and student STORM workshops and the inclusion of STORM within the teaching and learning programs for HSC students was a central focus for all faculty groups.

The STORM approach was a significant contributing factor to a 1/3rd improvement in our Band 6 (90% or more) results as compared to 2012 baseline data.

In 2014 all staff will continue to be provided with training and students will utilise STORM within each of their senior courses.

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Record of School Achievement (RoSA)

RoSA is a relatively new credential for all students, which began with Year 10 in 2012, to recognise school achievement before receiving the Higher School Certificate (HSC). All students receive grades for courses they complete at the end of Year 10, this system was also extended to capture grades for courses a student completes in Year 11 from 2013. If a student leaves school before receiving a grade in Year 11 or Year 12 courses, their RoSA will record the courses they commenced. In 2013, Year 10 students at Warilla High School were allocated grades for each of their subjects. These grades will be reflected on each student’s RoSA when they complete their secondary schooling.

Other achievements

Significant programs and initiatives Aboriginal education

Warilla High School is committed to improving learning outcomes for all Aboriginal students, including:

• Improve Aboriginal students’ engagement, well-being and educational outcomes.

• Improved rate of completion of the HSC by Aboriginal students.

Our targets in this area include the following:

Target 1:

To increase the number of Aboriginal students achieving at or above National Minimum Standard in NAPLAN writing from 94.2% in Year 7 2011 and 54.6% in Year 9 2011 to:

Year 7 2012: 94.5% Year 9 2012: 58% 2013: 94.8% 2013: 61% 2014: 95% 2014: 64%

Target 2:

To increase attendance rates for Aboriginal students from 85.9% (SEG) in 2011 to:

2012: 86.1% 2013: 86.3% 2014: 86.5%

The Aboriginal Education Committee at Warilla High School is committed to the philosophy that “Aboriginal Education is everyones’ business”. To ensure this, the committee meets regularly to co-ordinate events. It is imperative in Aboriginal Education that all staff ‘’know the culture, know the child and know the learning targets”.

2013 Funding Overview

The Warilla High School Aboriginal Education Budget for 2013 was $9000.

Additionally the Norta Norta Program is a significant external funding source and is designed to provide tuition to selected students.

There are two aspects to the Norta Norta Funding that affect Warilla High School:

• Norta Norta Junior funding is based on NAPLAN results. Warilla High School receives an amount of money based on how many students did not reach the benchmarks in the previous NAPLAN tests. In 2013 the school received $23,161.

• Norta Norta Senior funding is to provide individual tutorial assistance for Aboriginal students in Years 11 and 12. In 2013 the school utilised approximately $13,000 for this initiative.

The maximum allocation for each student is 75 hours in total for the academic year.

This funding is used primarily for the Koori Homework Centre.

Funding was also received from ISER for initiatives including:

Aboriginal Cultural activities $2500

8 Ways of Aboriginal Learning $4368

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Sista Speak $5000

Aboriginal positive initiatives $1500

Personal Learning Plans implementation $1400

2013 Overview in Aboriginal Education

NAPLAN results:

Year 7 Aboriginal students (12) performed about the same as the 2012 WHS Aboriginal student cohort in all tests except Writing. This area will need specific action, together with feeder primary schools, to redress this decline.

Year 9 Aboriginal students (14) performed extremely well across all test areas with all results well above state means for Aboriginal students. An external observer analysed these results and commented that, ‘these outstanding results are particularly worthy of celebration and wide publication. It is a credit to the staff that work so hard to support these students’.

Aboriginal initiatives:

‘No Gap No Excuse’

“The ‘No Gap No Excuse’ initiative is an Aboriginal cultural awareness training package that seeks to provide staff and communities in our region with a starting point to enhance relationships, knowledge and understandings that will develop between school staff, Aboriginal students and communities. Enhanced understandings and strengthened relationships will lead to the improvement of educational, social and economic outcomes for Aboriginal students”. (Regional Director ISER)

• In 2013 all staff at Warilla High School continued their training in the ‘No Gap No Excuse’ initiative. Module 1a and 1b were presented at the Staff Development Day, 27th January. Module 2 was presented at the Staff Development Day, 23rd April.

• 8 Ways of Learning is a new method of teaching.

“This Aboriginal pedagogy framework is expressed as eight interconnected pedagogies involving narrative-driven learning, visualised learning processes, hands-on/reflective techniques, use of symbols/metaphors, land-based learning, indirect/synergistic logic, modelled/scaffolded genre mastery, and connectedness to community”. But these can change in different settings.

The planning for the implementation of the 8 Ways class in Year 7 has continued in 2013. There has been, and continues to be, extensive collaboration and consultation with the AECG and Regional Aboriginal Consultants.

• Personal Learning Plans are being developed for all Koori students. Based on the concept of “Know the Culture, Know the Child, Know the Targets”. The PLPs will help the school to get to know:

- Who are the Koori students and what are their backgrounds?

- Who are their parents and Elders and what are their aspirations for their students?

- What are the students’ strengths and weaknesses in Literacy, Numeracy, attendance patterns, interests and aspirations?

Each Koori student will have their own individual Teacher Mentor who will offer them guidance and support.

• We celebrated NAIDOC Week Assembly with a Welcome to Country, speeches and student performances. One of the highlights of this week was the fantastic interaction between the Warilla High School Koori students and the Koori students from our partner primary schools who participated in these celebrations and the Chopardoo Games.

• The AIME Program (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) is for Koori students in Years 9, 10 and 11. The goals of this program are to increase Year 12 completion rates and to increase University admission rates for AIME students by engagement through creative interactive workshops with Koori role models. Each AIME student works with a volunteer Mentor University student.

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Aboriginal Awards:

• Illawarra and South East Regional Aboriginal Excellence Awards:

- Andrea Daniels received the Regional Award for “Courage, Culture and Commitment”.

- Corey Belsito received the Regional Award for “Student Leadership”.

• Nanga Mai Awards: - Jordan Field for “Outstanding Student

Participation” and - Corey Belsito for “Student Leadership”.

• The ‘VET Student of the Year’ was awarded to Jordan Field. This acknowledged her excellent application in the Djinggi Program, in partnership between Department of Education and Communities and the University of Wollongong. Jordan was judged by an expert external panel and competed against Public, Catholic and Independent schools.

• Corey Belsito was awarded a scholarship for

excellence in a senior Science subject. This scholarship was sponsored by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) and was presented to Corey by RTA representative, Agnes Donovan.

Aboriginal activities and support structures:

• NASCA Camp - Nineteen Aboriginal students in Years 9, 10 and 11 were offered a wonderful experience at the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy in Redfern, where they attended a week long camp looking at their future careers and aspirations.

• A TAFE “taster day” was organised for our Aboriginal students. Thanks to the work of the Careers Advisor the students could see and experience a handful of courses and consider their suitability as future occupations.

• Story Factory excursion – Twenty Years 7, 8 and 9 Aboriginal students experienced a “Literacy” day at the Story Factory in Redfern. They brainstormed, wrote and published some excellent personal magazines.

• SACYA “Alternative Learning Centre” - The Shellharbour Aboriginal Community Youth Association has been the venue to provide an alternative curriculum for some of the Warilla High School senior students who were not experiencing success in the mainstream setting. Their exit pathway was a Certificate 11 in Horticulture.

• Koori Tracks Transition Day for the incoming Year 7 Koori students. Co-ordinated by Warilla High School Aboriginal Education Officer, Sharon Maher, and Teacher, Jane Cobbin, (who also enthralled the students with some wonderful Science experiments).

• Aboriginal Studies class visits to Feeder Primary Schools promoting cultural knowledge.

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• “In Class Tutoring” Program for Koori students, based on the NAPLAN results and utilising Norta Norta funding.

• Year 6 into Year 7 Aboriginal student Orientation Day.

• Aboriginal Awards Day ceremony and luncheon to celebrate the successes of the Koori students and encourage parental and community participation.

• Koori Homework Centre.

• Koori students on the SRC.

• School Based Traineeships for Koori students in Years 11 and 12.

• “Dare To Lead” initiatives.

‘Know the Culture, Know the Child, Know the Targets’

Multicultural education

All aspects of the curriculum at Warilla High School contain appropriate multicultural perspectives. The school has an elected Anti-Racism Contact Officer (ARCO). This person is the first link in support of students and staff experiencing difficulties of a racial nature. Conflict resolution measures such as mediation and counselling are used to resolve issues when they occur. The school is supportive of empowering the Student Representative Council to become a voice for multicultural students.

Transitional Equity Funding

The school did not receive Transitional Equity Funding (TEF) in 2013.

Technology

In 2013, the Technology Committee has continued their work towards ensuring that Warilla High School remains at the cutting edge of technological innovation within education. The driving force behind all of our initiatives remains the Two Year Technology Plan, which is strategically linked to the whole school plan. Allocation of funding and staff training continues to be aimed at achieving our overall school priorities.

We have continued our commitment towards the Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) Program, with a further 3 IWBs installed into rooms A8, D12 and D17 in 2013. This now brings the total number of

IWBs at Warilla High School to 14, with plans to further increase these numbers in 2014.

We have also continued with our on-going improvements to the computer labs throughout the school. As well as installing a class set of Laptops at the back of Room A4, the Computer Room D23 has received a complete refurbishment including 25 new desktop computers.

In 2013 the school also purchased 40 iPads to be used as a trial with students in the Core Academic Program (CAP). If this program is successful we will look to increase the use of iPads throughout the school in 2015 as part of our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program.

The biggest initiative in 2013 has been the rollout of Sentral, our new School Management System. Some of the major features of this system include:

• Web Attend – all rolls will now be marked electronically during roll call each morning. This will ensure that all attendance data is ‘live’.

• PXP - Period by Period roll marking will make up a very important part of administration this year with staff able to view student PXP information through student profiles.

• Welfare - we will no longer be using the RISC system for Welfare. All Negative and Positive behaviour as well as ‘N’ Awards from Years 7 – 12 will now be recorded on our Sentral system.

• Markbook - as a way of centralising Warilla High School's faculty mark books, ‘Sentral mark book’ has been set up in 2013 ready to record all of the assessments tasks completed in 2014. Personal mark books are also available for non-assessment marks (e.g. - spelling test, homework and book marks.)

• Reporting - one of the biggest changes to occur this year is Sentral Reporting. Sentral reports are efficient, user friendly and more effective than SBSR. This process will start by using Sentral Reporting for the Years 7 and 11 progress reports for 2014 and then move onto Half Yearly reports at the end of Term 2 2014.

• Profiles – this module brings all of the data from the other modules together. In Profiles

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teachers are able to view negative and positive activities, ‘N’ awards, reports, attendance, PXP information, Naplan Data and PLPs. It will also provide access to personal information including address, medical information and permission to photograph.

Our Technology Committee members are Mr B Jones, Mr Spooner, Mr Baldwin, Mr Toole, Mr Hambly, Mr Groves, Mr Owen and Ms Fotheringham.

Student Welfare At Warilla High School we aim to prepare all our students for the future and have them strive at all times for personal excellence. We want all of our students to achieve their full potential and learn to live happy, full and satisfying lives. The guiding philosophy of the Student Welfare Team is to provide opportunities for all students to shine and be recognised and rewarded for their efforts and achievements. We see education as a partnership between the school, home and the community.

This creed is reinforced on a daily basis with the following 2013 summary testimony to the impact that the Student Welfare Team of the school is having on the lives of our students.

• Warilla High School’s partnership with the University of Wollongong continued to be enhanced through the In2Uni Program. Some of the features of this program included select classes in Years 7 - 10 taking part in an academic mentoring program. This program is school based and delivered by trained University of Wollongong students. 30 students in Year 11 took part in leadership and transition workshops once a term which focused on essay writing, goal setting and academic advising, exam preparation, careers and preparing for selective entry, time management and research skills. Year 12 English, Mathematics and Chemistry students were offered the opportunity once a week to participate in an intensive tutoring program. Several of our Year 12 students who participated in the In2Uni Program have been offered $1000 scholarships if they accept an offer to study at the University of Wollongong.

• Congratulations to Holly Kane, Tammy Kennedy, Melissa Cleary, Eloise Neto, Leah

Reid, Heather Currey, Emma O’Neill and Ambia Tzaneros who successfully completed a six credit point subject titled ‘Belonging in the Community’ in January at the University of Wollongong. Each student received either a Distinction or High Distinction upon completion of this subject. Over the course of 2 weeks each student was enrolled as a student at the University of Wollongong and took part in lectures, tutorials and master classes. Each of these students will now receive six credit points towards their degree if they enrol into the Bachelor of Arts undergraduate program at the University of Wollongong in 2014.

• The following Year 11 students have been successful in their applications to undertake the ‘Belonging in the Community’ subject in January 2014 at the University of Wollongong: Rebecca Cakarovska, Derek Hely, Tristan Waine, Sean Nolan, Allison Stone, Natasha Spirovski, Taylah Logan, Laura Petkovski, Rianna Drake and Ria Komninos. This is a wonderful opportunity for each of these students and the school is confident that this program will prove to be as successful as it was in 2013.

• 53 Year 9 students took part in the Unique Experience Day at the University of Wollongong. Students engaged in orienteering activities, information sessions, faculty based taster sessions and presentations.

• 298 Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students participated in a study skills seminar which was presented by ‘Enhanced Learning’. This seminar focused on assisting students to unlock the power of their minds in order to improve their study skills and enable greater success at school and in life.

• A parent/student study skills evening was held in July 2013 for Years 7 and 8. Prue Salter from ‘Enhanced Learning’ Educational Services spoke to students and parents/caregivers on how to achieve academic success in high school.

• 292 Years 7 and 8 students participated in Anti-Bullying Workshops conducted by Bamboo Theatre. Each workshop looked at the consequences of our actions and provided strategies to the students on how to deal with issues relating to bullying and

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harassment. The performances were interactive and followed by a discussion about the legalities that surround bullying.

• Warilla High School remains the only school in the Illawarra and South East region that is currently registered as an eSmart school. This is a school where the smart, safe and responsible use of information and communications technology is a cultural norm. A committee has been formed from all areas of the school community and is providing strong and effective organisation to guide implementation of systems, structures and planning to ensure that our school reaches and maintains eSmart status. Bullying and cyber bullying are less likely to thrive in an eSmart accredited school. Our school has been successful in completing the planning stage of our accreditation process. The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, that oversees eSmart has been suitably impressed by our progress and rewarded the school with a scholarship to assist us in our journey to becoming eSmart accredited.

• A comprehensive Peer Support Program for Year 7 continued in 2013. 57 Year 10 students assisted Year 7 in their transition to high school via a number of successful structured workshops throughout the year which included a ‘Bonding Day’, an anti-bullying workshop plus a goal setting seminar. Another 60 Year 9 students participated in a training and development day organised by ‘Rising Generations’ in October 2013 where they were in-serviced on the roles and responsibilities of being a Peer Support Leader. Miss Fotheringham and Mr Freeme, in their roles as Peer Support Co-ordinators, have planned several new initiatives for 2014 in order to utilise the leadership qualities of these students.

• The Peer Mediation Program continued in 2013. One strategy that can address a resolution of conflict in the school environment involves the practice of mediation. Mediation is the process where a neutral third party works with the disputants and together they find a solution to the conflict. During 2013, 9 trained Year 12 Peer Mediators successfully resolved disputes and conflicts which took place within the school environment.

• 150 Gold Merit Certificates were awarded to students at Warilla High School in 2013. This is more than double the amount of students who received an award the previous year. These certificates were presented at the end of each Semester at a Formal Gold Merit Award Assembly where parents and caregivers were invited to celebrate their child’s achievement. A scrumptious morning tea was held after each assembly in the School Library. These assemblies are always extremely well supported.

• In addition the following students received a Platinum Certificate in 2013: Yasemin Ali, Year 12, Montannah Murray, Year 11, Timothy Hamlyn and Courtney Sopher, Year 10, Rachael Holland, Year 9 and Nicole Papadimas, Year 8. This is awarded after a student has received 3 Gold Merit certificates. (Equivalent to 120 class merit certificates).

• 370 Silver Merit Certificates were presented to students in 2013. Each student received a Beach Street voucher with their Silver Certificate.

• Selected Year 11 and 12 students, together with their parents/caregivers, were invited to ‘Outstanding Report’ morning teas at the

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end of each semester where they were presented with a certificate by the Principal, Mr Hambly.

• At the end of each semester selected students from Years 7 -10 were invited to an ‘Outstanding Report’ luncheon and were presented with a certificate.

• Formal assemblies throughout 2013 have seen a countless number of certificates being presented to students as part of a wonderful celebration of student success and achievement in a variety of areas including academic studies, leadership, volunteering, community service, sport, citizenship, creative and performing arts and public speaking.

• At the end of Term 1, 160 Year 7 students, Year 10 Peer Support Leaders and SRC students attended a ‘Good Student/Reward’ Excursion to the Easter Show. Each Year 7 student who attended had to have earned 5 merit certificates by the time of the excursion and not have been issued with a disciplinary ticket. This excursion provided another ideal opportunity for our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders to forge a strong relationship with Year 7.

• 155 Years 7-11 students attended a ‘Good Student’ reward excursion to Luna Park at the end of Term 2. Each student who was invited to attend needed to have earned a Bronze Certificate by the time of the excursion and not have been issued with a disciplinary ticket.

• 125 Year 7 students and Year 10 Peer Support Leaders attended a 3 day camp at The Tops Conference Centre. Qualified instructors engaged our students in a range of activities which included abseiling, challenge ropes and various initiatives.

• Mrs Unicomb, Mrs Farrugia and Mrs Bryant organised student leadership camps for Year 8 and Year 10 targeted at identified students over the course of the year. The students participated in a range of activities and were provided with an ideal setting to enhance their burgeoning leadership attributes.

• In Term 3 every student in the school

attended a motivational workshop titled MAD For Life (Making A Difference For Life). The purpose of this workshop was to assist our students in making conscious decisions about what actions to take in their lives and assisting them in taking control of their own destiny.

• All Year 12 attended a travel safety presentation delivered by Kate Fitzsimons from the Nicole Fitzsimons Foundation. An integral part of the Foundation is raising awareness of travel safety overseas among young Australian tourists. The goal of this presentation is to make sure that whilst students are celebrating ‘schoolies’ they do not lower their safety standards and risk becoming another statistic.

• Years 9 and 10 had the opportunity to attend a mental health workshop facilitated by ‘Mindblanks’. During this interactive workshop the students were shown a worse case mental health scenario from start to finish. The cast of the show replayed certain scenes and took suggestions from the students as to how the conflicts could be better resolved. The aim of this workshop is to increase the number of students seeking help regarding their emotional and social wellbeing.

• Identified Year 11 students were offered the opportunity to take part in the ‘Top Blokes’ Program. The ‘Top Blokes’ Foundation builds

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young men’s social inclusion, emotional and social resilience and seeks to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

• 60 Year 8 girls attended a workshop at the Nan Tien Temple titled ‘Empowering Young Girls in the Illawarra’. The purpose of this workshop was to assist the girls who attended to decode the messages they are exposed to in the media and inspire them to follow their own path to success.

• Throughout the year Kate Munro, our Student Support Officer, in conjunction with the Access Community Group, facilitated ‘Girl Talk’ Programs for students in Years 7-10. These workshops aim to develop self-esteem, resilience and confidence.

• A Careers Coaching Program for Year 12 continued in 2013. This program is co- ordinated by Noelene Fulton who is a qualified Careers Advisor. 83 Years 11 and 12 students were involved in this initiative where they were provided with ‘one on one’ case management. Noelene Fulton assisted these students with a range of things such as resumé writing, goal setting and applications for employment, University and TAFE.

• Our annual Year 12 Future Directions Conference was held once again. This day is organised by Mrs Noelene Fulton and Mr Stanizzo in the hope of providing assistance and direction to our Year 12 students. All Year 12 took part in this conference which involved a wide range of speakers from various industries addressing the students regarding the possibilities available for them in each particular field. There was also a career spotlight panel component to the day. This panel was comprised of successful young local professionals who shared their personal stories with our students.

• The Youth Worker in Schools Program originally developed and piloted in partnership between Warilla High School and Shellharbour City Council is now in its eighth year. Louise Hakkenbrock, Shellharbour City Council Youth Worker, co-ordinated a series of programs and workshops throughout the year which focused on goal setting, motivation, image and identity, health and lifestyle, drugs and alcohol education, sex education and a ‘Girl Savvy’ program. Boys and girls ‘Rock and

Water’ anti-bullying programs were conducted during 2013. This program focused on boys and girls in Years 7 and 8 and was facilitated by several of our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders.

• 55 Year 10 students attended the RYDA Road Safety Education Program, conducted in partnership with the Rotary Club at Croome Road Albion Park. This program is aimed at equipping young people with the knowledge to stay safe on Australian roads. It involved interactive sessions presented by road safety professionals including driving instructors.

• 25 Year 7 students participated in a NSW/ACT School AFL Program. This program was carried out by qualified AFL staff in a safe and friendly environment. Coaches conducted skill sessions, teaching the students skills they can use in AFL and in many other sports. A key component of this program is centred on social skilling and the importance of building relationships with peers.

• 13 Year 10 students participated in the Lake Illawarra PCYC Youth Mentoring Program. During this program each student completed their Certificate I in Volunteering. The students were required to attend an evening session once a fortnight at the PCYC where they co-ordinated activities for primary school students.

• Warilla High School continued to participate in the JET Program (Job Education Training Program) in 2013. Warilla High School independently funds this program in conjunction with Workplace Learning Illawarra. 55 students were involved in this program whose aim is to assist young people make a successful transition through school and from school to work and/or further education and training. A caseworker from Workplace Learning Illawarra provided ‘one on one’ case management for each student when required. Several students gained full time employment as a result of this program and the majority of students participated in work placement during the course of the year.

• Individual Learning Programs were created and modified for each of our Year 7 to Year 12 students who receive funding support. Grant Neill, Support Teacher Learning

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Assistance, conducted an interview with each student, parents/caregivers and relevant staff members. As a result, a comprehensive plan was developed for each student which will continue to be put into practice.

• Our Police School Liaison Officer conducted a number of workshops dealing with issues such as, bullying, cyber bullying, drug and alcohol education, citizenship, life values and making the right choices. This service continues to be an invaluable asset to the staff, students and larger school community.

• A community partnership was consolidated in 2013 with the St George Illawarra Dragons. They provided the school with an accredited Teacher Aide who primarily worked with students who receive funding support in the classroom. The aide also ran a comprehensive sporting program during break times at the school which catered for a range of students from Year 7 to Year 12. This aide also acted as a mentor for several of the boys at school and participated in the ‘Rock and Water’ anti-bullying program run by members of the Welfare team. The aide, who is a member of the Toyota Cup Under 20 team at the Dragons, also assisted the PE faculty in the coaching and training of our various Rugby League teams.

• The Anger Management/Social Skilling Program initiative continued in 2013. This program is facilitated by a former Primary School Principal and targets students from Years 7 - 12 by providing them with strategies to assist them in controlling their anger.

• Two students from the University of Wollongong were again employed by the school in 2013 to assist students in completing assignments and consolidating their school work. This tutoring service was provided free of charge to the students and took place on Tuesday afternoons after school.

• Teacher mentors were assigned to every Year 12 student who requested one for 2013. The teacher mentors provided an extra support mechanism for each student and also assisted our Year 12 students in preparing for the HSC.

• The Equity Team provided excellent support for our students throughout 2013. Numerous referrals, submissions, reviews, meetings and case managements were undertaken and acted on.

• Identified Year 12 students took part in the Extreme Calm Relaxation Program. The program was conducted over a six week period and run by Catherine Wotherspoon who is an accredited counsellor. Extreme Calm is a relaxation program designed to assist senior students to manage stress as they prepare for the Higher School Certificate.

• Several students in Years 9 and 10 successfully graduated from the respective Campbell Page and Southern Youth and Family Services Links to Learning Programs.

• Year 11 participated in a mental health and stress management workshop titled ‘Wired’ presented by Brainstorm Productions. This workshop covered the physiology and causes of stress and depression associated with the pressure of exams, relationships and everyday life.

• Warilla High School’s partnership with the Wollongong Hawks basketball team continued in 2013 with several players presenting the ‘Right Choices’ Program to a number of our students. This program is a personal development and social awareness program which has been developed to assist teenagers as they confront a range of social issues in their everyday life.

• The school continued to work in partnership with the Australian Red Cross in offering all of our Year 9 students the opportunity to

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WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHEN

participate in the ‘Save-a-Mate’ drug and alcohol education program in 2013. Mr Neill facilitated this intensive program which focuses on reducing the harms associated with alcohol and other drug use in Australia through harm minimisation training courses.

“I believe our Welfare structure and student well-being initiatives are equal to or superior to any Public, Independent or Catholic school in NSW.” (J Hambly, Principal)

Positive Behaviour for Success Program

The PBS team is responsible for designing proactive strategies to inculcate positive values and a proactive approach to improving student behaviour and the values system which underpins our work as a public school.

A re-invigorated team was re-established consisting of a representative from each faculty, a Deputy Principal and the Principal, who met once a fortnight. Staff were asked to complete a survey (Benchmarks of Quality) early in Term 2 to give the PBS team some direction and to assist in determining key priority areas. The whole staff undertook a refresher training course at the Staff Development Day Term 3, delivered by the Regional PBS Support Officer and the PBS Team Coordinator. We obtained a coach, Michael Honeysett, who is the Principal at Kiama Public School and has extensive experience and understanding of PBS in both Primary and High Schools.

Sub-committees were established in Term 3 derived for key areas required for the implementation of PBS: Youth Voice, Data, Free & Frequent and Staff Skilling.

Term 4 was an initial trial period for the roll out of PBS. Our focus was on our core value of RESPECT and in particular focused on wearing the correct school or sport uniform.

The Youth Voice committee consulted with the SRC and various other student groups to determine what types of PBS rewards students were interested in. The Data team collected data on locations, types of incidents, time of day,

subject and individual students. This data was fed back regularly to staff via their faculty PBS representative, at staff meetings and at Staff Developments Days. The Free & Frequent committee developed a Free & Frequent ticket for a trial on wearing correct school uniform in Term 4. These positive tickets were issued to students who wore full school uniform and were placed in the boxes to be drawn on Thursday assemblies. Students whose names were drawn received $5 canteen vouchers, $15 Beach Street vouchers and $30 individual choice vouchers. The Staff Skilling team assisted with the development and implementation of the Free & Frequent tickets.

There was a general consensus that this approach was working and students and staff were talking about our focus core value of Respect and students were keen and enthusiastic to earn Free & Frequent slips to place in the draw.

Data was again collected towards the end of Term 4 to determine what focus areas we would use in Term 1, 2014. This extensive analysis of RISC was delivered to staff at one of the Term 4 Staff Development Days. A key area that was identified was that of Knowledge and the need for students to arrive on time, have the required equipment, be ready to learn and submit assignments and assessments. A schedule was developed that would have ‘fortnightly focus’ covering these areas. A new Free & Frequent was developed that incorporates all four of our core values: Respect, Knowledge, Honesty and Environment. These have been called ‘Warilla Winners’ and will be distributed by all staff to reinforce our fortnightly focus.

During Skills Week the Year 8 Leadership group, under the guidance of Mrs Farrugia, started to beautify areas around the school and painted posts and walls in four key colours that have been linked to our four core values.

Professional Experience Program There has been a great demand from various Tertiary Institutions for schools in our region to provide Professional Experience (PEX) placements for pre-service teachers. Once again, our school has been involved in a supportive role. Supervising PEX placements not only benefits the pre-service teachers but also provides professional development for our supervising teachers, their faculties and our school community.

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6 faculties – English, PDHPE, Mathematics, Science, HSIE and CAPA – provided supervising teachers for 28 pre-service teachers from the University of Wollongong during 2013. English, HSIE, PDHPE and Science additionally provided for 7 pre-service teachers from other tertiary institutions.

Our school’s professional, encouraging and supportive attitude when providing time and resources for pre-service teachers is highly appreciated by all education institutions and their students. It was unfortunate that we were unable to provide placement for another 19 PEX placement requests.

This year, supervising staff were also asked to participate in a survey from the Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong, to generate a profile for individual supervising teachers.

As a school community we look forward to providing further support to pre-service teachers in 2014.

Career Education and Counselling Program

In 2013 our Career Education Program was timetabled and delivered by the Careers Adviser to all Year 10 as 1 lesson a fortnight. This program included career investigation using the ‘Myfuture’ and ‘seek2b’ websites, transition to employment and training plans, resume and curriculum vitae development, Higher School Certificate subject selection planning in addition to creating and organising digital resources for studying.

In addition to this all Year 10 and Year 11 students completed Transition Plans and had individual interviews by a number of Careers Advisers who were employed by the school for the day. Year 10 students worked through a Transition Plan that focused on post school career interests and their subject selections for 2014. Year 11 students focused on how best to prepare themselves for their post school study or employment interests.

To support students who have a strong vocational focus and are seeking employment, 22 students from Years 10 and 11 were registered with the Board of Studies and sat the voluntary Literacy and Numeracy Tests to gain experience and valuable tests results to assist in job applications.

LEAP–Learning Engagement Alternative Program

In 2013, Warilla High School began the construction of a new Stage 6 Vocational HSC for

non-ATAR students. The program will officially commence in 2014 but in 2013 we have selected students and organised their timetables which will consist of English Studies, Maths General, Business Services, Work Studies, Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation and a TVET study of their choice. Students will only attend school Monday through to Thursday and they will participate in a work experience program every Friday. To prepare students for their work experience, they participated in a work readiness program during ‘Skills Week’ and have all their work experience paperwork completed for commencement at the start of 2014.

Career Communications

To assist the dissemination of career information across the school, understanding that most information relies on students accessing websites, an Edmodo Career Group was created and managed by the Careers Adviser. Here all career information including TAFE, University and Vocational opportunities along with school events are advertised with files easily accessible and direct links to necessary websites attached. By the end of 2013 we had over 620 Warilla High school students in our Career Group with 10 staff members and 12 parents.

Vocational Education

Once again in 2013 Warilla High was fortunate to be able to offer a wide range of Vocational Courses to enable our students to fast-track the obtaining of Industry Certification and skills for the workforce. Students were involved in Business Services, Retail, Sports Fitness and Coaching, Metals and Engineering, Construction and Hospitality.

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The students were given opportunities to experience and consolidate their learning both at school and during the required work placements. Sports Fitness and Coaching students were involved with our partner primary schools and found that organising the school sports carnivals was the perfect opportunity to gain skills and work with various ages.

We look forward to continuing to offer the widest possible curriculum choices for our students in the years ahead.

Career Events

This year students have had the opportunity to attend a number of career events that cover a range of vocational interests.

• In February our Year 12 ATAR students attended the University of Wollongong Discovery Days and many students and parents followed up from this event attending the specific year group and faculty information nights. This day is a great opportunity for students to experience what a day in the life of a university student is like.

• In addition we had a number of our Year 12 female student leaders attend the International Women’s Day morning tea to listen to success stories of a number of local business women.

• ‘Engineers Australia’ hosted a ‘Discover Engineers Day’ and the University of Wollongong hosted an Engineering Study Day, where 14 students from our Engineering class attended.

• Ten Year 10 and 2 Year 11 students completed the South Coast Hair & Beauty Academy – School Beauty Workshops to gain a view of the beauty industry.

• Recognising that students need to learn about vocations, educational institutions, courses of study and finances once they start employment we had SmartStart come out to our school and deliver a 2 hour workshop on ‘Money Management’ to Year 10.

• The Smith Family supported our school by delivering a Cert I in Financial Literacy to our Year 11 Mathematics General class.

• To support our Indigenous students in their post school investigations six Years 9 and 10 students attended a ‘Taste of TAFE’ day and Andrea Daniels of Year 10 was successful in gaining a place at the University of Sydney Indigenous Summer School. Corey Belsito of Year 12 continued with his Indigenous Australian Engineering Summer School Scholarship and was awarded Early Admission to University of Wollongong through the Woolyungah Centre and the main stream Early Admission Program. In May, five students also attended the University of Technology Ngana Mai Program to investigate different pathways of study on offer at the University. In 2013 Kymberley Perks of Year 11 and Jordan Field of Year 12 both participated in the Djinggi School Based Traineeship Program completing a Cert III in Educational Support and working in a local primary school. Jordan was such an exemplary student that at the Annual School VET awards for the Illawarra South East Region she was award ‘Trainee of the Year’ and overall ‘2013 VET Student of the Year’. Jordan has also been successful in gaining an Indigenous Teachers Scholarship through the Department of Education and

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Communities to study Primary Education in 2014.

• The biggest Career Event of 2013 was the Illawarra Careers Expo where the majority of our Year 10 and Year 12 students attended. This expo provides students with the opportunity to speak to TAFE, Universities, Private Colleges and Training Providers in addition to local employers and service providers. We also took a group of students to the Indigenous Career Expo in Nowra to ignite vocational interest and seek support for our Koori students.

Work Experience

Although Warilla High school does not have a structured work experience program and timetabled week where all students attend, we recognise and promote the value of work experience to students and the opportunity to complete placement is open to students throughout the year except during assessment weeks. In 2013, 13 Year 9 students, 48 Year 10 students, 13 Year 11 students and 12 Year 12 students completed individual work experience. This is in addition to the compulsory work placement for Stage 6 HSC students who are studying a VET course at school or TAFE.

Work Inspirations

In 2014 Warilla High School was selected as a pilot school for the Work Inspirations Program in partnership with The Smith Family and Stockland Shellharbour. The program was designed for Year 10 students to explore ‘All About Me’ and what career opportunities are compatible with their personalities, ‘Behind the Scenes’ showing that Stockland is more than a retail outlet in regards to career opportunities and ‘Careers Happen’ where 20 students spent a day at Stockland with

Senior Executives learning about their jobs. From this program 5 students attended the ‘Big Conversations’ Camp in Sydney where they hosted a breakfast at the IVY Bar for Business Executives from many industries. Students who attended the camp were Brooke Wightman, Amber Dunn, Kyle Williams, Levi Kidd and Adam Taylor-Bush.

TVET

In 2013 a total 52 students from Years 11 and 12 studied a TVET course at either Shellharbour, Wollongong or West Wollongong TAFE in a variety of subjects. These subjects included Children Studies, Information Technology, Marine Operations, Animal Care, Health Services and more. In addition to these, three Stage 5 Year 10 students received special funding to start their HSC TVET studies as accelerated students in the areas of Information Technology, Animal Studies and Computer Aided Drafting.

School Based Traineeships and Apprenticeships (SBAT) In 2013 we had 25 students starting or completing a SBAT in a number of different

Shaye Hanson receiving her 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award at the TVET Human Services Presentation

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industries including Retail (McDonalds, Red Rooster, Subway, Pizza Hut, Gloria Jeans and KFC), Transport and Logistics (Reece Plumbing and BlueScope), Business Services (Shellharbour City Council and the Southern Rivers Catchment Authority), Information Technology, Automotive Vehicle Servicing and Automotive Vehicle Sales, Brick-laying, Veterinary Nursing (Greencross Vets) and Educational Support (Shellharbour and Barrack Heights Primary School). The Certificate III in Educational Support is an Indigenous Program where students complete their teacher support training and have guaranteed entry into tertiary study. SBATs provide students with a great opportunity to combine work, VET study with a Higher School Certificate outcome. A SBAT is a valuable pathway to enhance a student’s education and career pathway.

Volunteering

The importance of the volunteer can never be understated as it is typically the glue that binds a community together. So developing a volunteer ethic in students at Warilla High school is paramount in developing a sense of connectedness and genuinely making the community a better place to live.

During 2013, Volunteering at Warilla High school continued to prosper with more than 60 new students added to the volunteers list and actively seeking opportunities to assist the community.

In 2013 these opportunities included:

• St Vincent de Paul, Winter Appeal Doorknocking in the local area

• Sausage Sizzles at Bunnings Shellharbour • Selling raffle tickets at Woolworths • Packing food parcels for the Denny

Foundation • Assisting the Lions club at ‘Wings over

Illawarra’ • Making regular Nursing home visits

The considerable growth in students wishing to volunteer was only hindered by finding enough opportunities for them to participate in.

In 2014, several other opportunities including training with the Rural Fire Service will also be on offer in addition to the opportunities already available.

Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club operates each Monday and Wednesday morning from the Kitchens at Warilla High School and is a joint initiative between Warilla High School and the St Vincent de Paul Society. Each week community volunteers serve up to 100 breakfasts - consisting of a range of cereals and milk, eggs, sausages, toast and fruit juice - to participating students. Originally set up to provide needy students with a filling breakfast, over the past 12 months the Breakfast Club has become as much a meeting place for students who just want someone to talk to as it is a program to address the physical needs of the student.

In 2014, this program will continue to serve breakfasts with the kind assistance of the community volunteers from the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Car Restoration Program

In 2013 a change in the selection criteria for the Car Restoration Program allowed access to the program by all students in Years 9 to 11. Previously this program was only available to students in Year 11.

This year the process required interested students to provide a resume and sit an interview with the Careers Advisor, the Mechanic overseeing the project, a Vinnies Youth Worker and Mr Berry. Besides affording the opportunity to determine those students best suited for this project, it also allowed the students to experience elements of the world of work - applying for a position, submitting a resume and the interview.

One further change in the program that proved surprisingly beneficial was altering the work period from three groups of 4 students working 1 hour per week to 2 groups of 4 students working 3 hours each alternate week. This provided the continuity necessary for the students to see a job through from start to finish, and in doing so, each

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student developed a far greater range of skills over the allocated time of the project.

In 2013, our car, a white 1990 Toyota Corolla, plate number XVN 866, was completed, registered and sold for $800 and work has begun on our 2nd car, another Toyota which was donated to the program.

Faculty Reports English Throughout 2013 the English Department have been involved in many new and innovative teaching programs. The major focuses have been:

• Reviewing our Stage 6 programs and selecting appropriate pathways for success. Many students have seen the benefits of selecting the non-ATAR English Studies subject which focuses on skills based success after the HSC.

• Selecting innovative and appropriate texts for Stage 6 candidates. We now have two pathways of texts which have been selected using Results Analysis Package (RAP) data, which have been identified as suitable texts due to their text type and accessibility level.

• Year 11 programs are being reviewed with a clear focus on upskilling our candidates in their preliminary year of study. The Area of Study Journey allowed all students to understand how to use a concept and be able to apply these skills to a variety of different text types, and the significance of related material in the study of English.

• New assessment tasks have been designed for Stage 6 to maximise their chances of success for the HSC. Many of these tasks have a

specific STORM focus, resulting in a greater understanding of complex information.

• The new Australian Curriculum implementation for 2014 (Years 7 and 9) and 2015 (Years 8 and 10) continued to be a major focus all year. Staff analysed the syllabus and created new units and scope and sequences for our pattern of study for 2014. This is going to be an ongoing opportunity to look at our units and create new partnerships with our neighbouring high school colleagues.

Throughout 2013 all members of the English staff have been instrumental in writing new units for the Australian Curriculum, and have backward mapped the syllabus to create new assessment tasks and units which reflect the new spirit of the syllabus. At faculty meetings we, as a staff, mapped the text types and associated units to create an excellent new scope and sequence for Years 7-10.

• An extra Staff Development Day was a resounding success for the Australian Curriculum in April 2013. Warilla High School hosted all English Departments from the surrounding 9 high schools in a day devoted to upskilling staff and creating new networks of teachers. Jane Sherlock and Deb McPherson presented a day full of walking through the parameters of the new syllabus and discussing possible text choice for maximum benefit to students and staff. This day allowed everyone to reflect on where they were up to with their own school’s implementation process, and start to look at creating a new scope and sequence that is both challenging and interesting for all concerned. From this meeting a new Head Teacher Network was created and many new ideas have come out of this significant event. During 2013 the Southern Illawarra English Head Teacher Network has met twice a term and has developed a new level of sharing and collegial respect from this new initiative.

• On the second last day of the year the Head Teacher and five English staff members went to Nowra for a Professional Development Day looking at the new Year 12 Prescribed Text List for the 2015-2020 HSC. This day allowed all of us to reflect on the new Prescribed Texts and created a lot of discussion about our new pattern of study for the 2015 HSC.

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• Again a successful Public Speaking Competition for Years 7 and 8 was held, showcasing the increasing talents of our Stage 4 candidates.

• In the HSC our results have displayed a significant improvement since the introduction of STORM as a means of organising information in a structured manner. Maddison Silk and Aleida Moulton produced some excellent HSC results and our Standard results were significantly improved with fewer band 2 and 1 results. Most candidates have commented on their improved understanding of detailed information using this method, and also using this method to write in a detailed and methodical manner in extended responses.

• 2014 is going to be an extremely busy year for the English Faculty with a new syllabus to implement and a HSC Prescribed Text List change for 2015. We will be writing new units for the whole year for 7-10 and 11-12. These new challenges will allow all of us to look at the RAP package and SMART data to select a pattern of study that is both interesting and appealing to all.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, 2013 heralded a number of challenges, some old and some new, for the students of Warilla High. The continuance of NAPLAN for Years 7 and 9, the first year of the new General Mathematics for Year 11, and the Higher School Certificate for Year 12, were the highlights. These were combined with the regular assessments that all the students do throughout the year. A number of students excelled, and the honor of being the top ranked student in each year was again hard fought.

In the Year 7 assessments, Shenay Edwards fought off a strong challenge from Dylan Tickle to take out the top spot, very closely followed by Jarod Falconer and Tyson Wood. The students, as a whole, also performed reasonably well in the NAPLAN testing, but probably didn’t demonstrate the level of growth expected since their Year 5 testing. This will again be one of the targets for the Mathematics faculty to work at improving before their final NAPLAN testing in Year 9 2015.

In Year 8, Rebecca Farrell finished first, followed by Vincent Vo and Sophie Ryan, who were first

and second respectively at the end of Year 7 2012.

Jessica Naumovski proudly topped Year 9 Mathematics, closely followed by Elise Wilkinson, Rachael Holland and Brianna Luque. Year 9 again performed very well in the Numeracy aspect of the NAPLAN testing, with the expected growth being more apparent than that seen in Year 7.

In Year 10, first place once again went to Joshua Devall, who has continued his dominance each year since he began in Year 7. He was closely followed by fellow high achievers Melissa Hale, Brooke Wightman and Ashleigh Fahey. The rankings were based on three major assessments conducted at regular intervals throughout the year as 2013 was the first year that students did not sit for the School Certificate.

In Year 11 there was a female dominance that has been apparent for a few years. Continuing this theme, in the Year 11 Preliminary Mathematics Course, Cassandra Nikodijevic, Michele Hamlyn and Stephanie Vowles took out the first 3 places in the Advanced Course, and in the Extension 1 Course we had Stephanie Vowles and Michelle Hamlyn leading the way, followed by Matt Bright in third place. In the Year 11 General Course, Allison Stone, Sabrina Velasco and Christie Chapman were the top three students.

The Year 12 Higher School Certificate Course, saw a number of standout performers. In the General Mathematics Course, which ran for the last time, Mitchell Edwards (95), Aleida Moulton (93) and Melissa Cleary (90) excelled, achieving the highest honor of a Band 6. These students were closely followed by Joshua Bray, Mitchell Eades, Kasey Coomber, Bradley Garcia, Joshua Thompson, Jacob Topham-Butler and Kyden Leddy who achieved a Band 5 result. In the 2 Unit Mathematics Course, Maddison Silk (89) topped the course, followed by Kyla Hakkenbrock (82) and Corey Belsito (82). All three students scored a Band 5, which is the second highest level, with Maddison missing a Band 6 by one mark. In Extension 1 Mathematics, Maddison again scored the highest mark, both in the assessments and the examination, closely followed by Kyla. Both girls were awarded an E3 band, the second highest possible in what is considered to be one of the more difficult subjects to undertake. All students are to be congratulated on their effort and their results in 2013. As a faculty we wish

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them the best of success in their future endeavours.

The year ahead brings its own challenges with the new Higher School Certificate General 1 and General 2 Courses, to be examined for the very first time in 2014. In addition, the new Australian Curriculum is being implemented for our Years 7 and 9 classes, with some major changes taking place from what has been taught in the past. Major planning continues for the new Australian Curriculum for 2015 in Years 8 and 10. This is an exciting innovation in education where all schools Australia wide will study the same material. We look forward to the challenge and hope as a faculty we can combine with our students to produce the results, of which the whole Warilla High School community can be proud.

Science

2013 was a year of significant development and change for the Science faculty. After thirty-five years teaching at Warilla High School, Head Teacher Barry Anderson retired, to be replaced by Matt Reid in 2014. The Science faculty and Warilla High School staff have valued the leadership of Mr Anderson and thank him for his support and commitment to public education throughout his time at Warilla High School.

Students of Warilla High School have had an enjoyable 2013, from excellent HSC results to exciting excursions. 119 Year 12 students successfully completed the HSC in Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Physics and Senior Science. We are very proud of the excellent results and wish the 2013 Year 12 students the best of luck as many continue their education into university. A stirring challenge now extends to the 2014 Year 12 cohort to extend on this result.

A strong Warilla High School representation also participated in the UNSW ICAS Science Competition. The Science faculty is proud to congratulate all participants, and our four Year 12 and nine Year 9 students who achieved Credit Awards.

Years 11 and 12 were engaged in their learning of the HSC course with excursions to the Museum of Human Disease, Minnamurra River Ecosystem, Killalea State Park and the Lake Illawarra Marine Ecosystems.

Students in the Support Unit attend mainstream Science lessons and they enjoy the many

challenges and experiences in the world of scence. Below students display their skills in dissecting an eye.

The faculty has been hard at work preparing energetic new programs and assessments to address the new Australian Curriculum for Years 7 to 9, with the new Year 10 course being introduced in 2015. This process was a mammoth task, requiring judicious use of Teacher professional Learning (TPL) funds. Extensive collaboration with local high schools has ensured a high degree of commonality across the Shellharbour area. We are pleased with the new developments and eagerly anticipate further improvements with ongoing refinement.

Faculty members have also individually undertaken professional development to extend their current understanding and ability to implement technology in the classroom. Mr Glen Smart participated in HSC marking in Senior Science, supporting his efforts to improve HSC performances. Mr John Berry has developed the LEAP program for senior students, providing an alternative pathway for students specifically wishing to gain employment or TAFE qualifications. Miss Kelly Avnell worked as a regional consultant in developing HSC Biology Programming, Assessment and Curriculum Training for ISER schools. Mr Peter Purkiss and Mr Glen Smart hosted Science Enrichment Days for Years 5 and 6 students, designed as challenging and engaging activities to promote Warilla High School as a world class education facility as an option for higher education. Mrs Jane Cobbin has continued her role as Aboriginal Education

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coordinator, leading the staff at Warilla High School in the ‘No Gap, No Excuse’ Cultural Enrichment Program and the piloting of the ‘8 Ways’ Quality Teaching Cultural Pedagogy. Warilla High School also farewelled Mr Tim Orange, who will begin a permanent position at Nowra High School in 2014.

With the support of Steve Galbraith, as an educational consultant, the Science faculty underwent an evaluation process and has identified key areas that will be reviewed throughout 2014. An implementation team, under the leadership of Mr Reid, will follow the recommendations of the evaluation and undertake a revision of teaching programs and assessments in collaboration with faculty staff. We hope this will help them further extend student achievement in Science subjects into the future. This process will have a focus on Literacy strategies incorporating the 7 Ways of Learning, supported by Mr Smart as the faculty literacy consultant. The Science faculty looks forward to the outcomes of the review process, which should see the best programs and assessments in the Illawarra area offered at Warilla High School.

HSIE

2013 has been a year of consolidation and forward planning for the Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) faculty. Mr Peter Hales assumed the Head Teacher HSIE role in May 2013.

The focus of this year was to implement the recommendations of the evaluation of the HSIE faculty which was undertaken from 22-24 October 2012. The focus of the evaluation was to identify areas of strength and areas for development regarding:

1. Management and organisation of the HSIE faculty

2. Leadership of the HSIE faculty

3. Staff morale of the HSIE faculty

As a result of the evaluation a 12 month faculty plan was developed to identify faculty priorities, list strategies to achieve the priorities and set a timeline. Priorities for the faculty plan include the structure of the faculty (that is, the systems and practices that drive the faculty), including programming, registration and assessment and records-keeping.

To this end a centralised data base containing all programs currently taught at Warilla High School by the HSIE faculty has been established, a registration system and the updating of assessment procedures in line with Warilla High School policy has also been implemented. Additionally a digital file of student work samples has been established to reflect RoSA grading, and in 2013 the faculty used Motorised Markbook for recording assessment marks across all stages.

Other priorities include a commitment to teaching and learning that encompasses quality teaching that draws on best practices and that such practices are to be regularly evaluated using the TARS process.

In line with school policy all members of the HSIE faculty teaching a Stage 6 course have undergone training and are using STORM within their classrooms. The teachers have modified the STORM model to fit the variety of curriculum offered in HSIE while maintaining the metalanguage and integrity of the whole school approach. The value of STORM has been recognised by the faculty and has been incorporated into programming for Stages 4 and 5 for 2014.

HSC results were also scrutinised by Stage 6 teachers using the Board of Studies Results Analysis Package (RAP). This has resulted in changes to HSC topics for some HSIE subjects and the reassessment of the programmed content and focus of assessment in others. This critical evaluation of teaching methods and content is essential if the faculty is to ensure all students reach their potential in the HSC.

2013 HSC results saw three students score a Band 6 (>90%) in a HSIE subject. Two of these were achieved in Legal Studies and one in Retail Services. It is encouraging that 52% of students sitting for HSC examinations in HSIE subjects in 2013 scored marks either in Band 4 (>70%) or above. With analysis of these results by staff, it is envisaged that further steps will be taken to improve student performance in the 2014 HSC.

HSIE teachers have also undertaken a major commitment to adopt the recommendations and teaching strategies that have arisen from the school’s involvement in the Improving Literacy Numeracy National Partnership (ILNNP). Under the training and guidance of the faculty literacy leader, Kathy Boyle, lessons and materials on a range of topics including Vikings, the Vietnam

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War and World Heritage Sites have been developed and team taught with impressive improvement in the students’ ability to write extended response answers by using the STORM strategy of DEAL.

Planning for the implementation of the NSW syllabus for the Australian curriculum in History in 2014 has been a priority for the faculty in 2013. An Australian Curriculum Team, comprised of Peter Hales, Mark Regan and Ben Spooner, has initiated and attended ISER Curriculum Leader Training. As a result the faculty was in a position to take a leading role in the Curriculum Networks Illawarra (CNI) for History.

The CNI now meets twice each school term and is attended by the Head Teachers and interested classroom teachers of the nine Southern Illawarra schools. Warilla High School hosted the second of these meetings. The meetings have had a focus on sharing programming and resources for the implementation of the new syllabus.

Through the CNI all faculty members contributed their time and expertise to the inaugural Staff Development Day held on 30 April 2013 that brought together nine local high schools to plan for the implementation of the new syllabus in 2014. Mark Regan and Ben Spooner further attended a CNI programming day which, by using the Board of Studies program builder, allowed for the sharing of programs, assessments and resources for the new syllabus.

Warilla High School has focused its efforts on the development of assessment for the Australian Curriculum. We have programmed the explicit literacy teaching strategies needed by all students to successfully complete all assessment tasks. These tasks, using information from SMART data, are tailored to allow students to practise the skills necessary to confidently complete Naplan and are designed to allow for teachers to accurately assess a student’s literacy needs by addressing the best fit markers from the NSW Literacy Continuum.

The faculty is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to implement the new programs and assessment for Year 7 and Year 9 History in 2014. As a direct response to the positive feel that has been associated with the implementation of the new syllabus in History, planning has also been initiated in faculty meetings to redevelop Stage 4 and 5 Geography programs and assessment to complement the new developments in History.

The faculty also sees the need to attract students to the Stage 5 electives offered in HSIE. These electives are considered necessary to explicitly teach the skills needed by students to consistently achieve Band 6 results in HSC courses.

Additionally and underpinning the faculty plan was a focused and proactive Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) program. In 2013 this plan concentrated on the new Australian curriculum and the ILNNP, however members of the faculty have been involved in training and development that reflects the wide range of the HSIE curriculum. Staff members have attended training in the areas of Aboriginal Studies, Legal Studies, Modern History, Retail VET and Society and Culture.

Barry Jones has undertaken training and gained experience in the role of Head Teacher Administration and both he and Ben Spooner have been instrumental in setting up and training staff involved in the school’s move towards using the Sentral computer programs for Administration and Welfare in 2013-14.

Other members of the HSIE staff have contributed to the whole school by taking on various responsibilities. Tom Raftery successfully guided Year 12 as their Year Adviser in 2013 and contributed as a member of the school’s Equity Team. Elle Fitzgerald has also assisted as Year 7 Year Adviser. Other faculty members have coached sporting teams, been members of the Technology, Positive Behaviour for Success (PBS) and Finance committees and have volunteered their services as student mentors and at the Koori Homework Centre.

This year has also seen the development of a closer relationship between the school and the

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Warilla RSL Sub-branch. Year 9 student, Ryleigh Kelly, was the recipient of the RSL’s inaugural ‘Sands of Gallipoli’ writing competition and both Ryleigh and Melissa Hale of Year 10 entered the Simpson Memorial Scholarships. This relationship saw Warilla High students being the first from the local area to visit, as guests of the RSL, the Kokoda Memorial at Concord.

The faculty also ran a number of excursions to aid learning. These included Stage 6 Society and Culture visit to the State Library to view a collection of the best Personal Interest Projects (PIP) before they commence the task of developing their own. Others included Year 9 visit to Nowra Zoo and a number of specific lecture days held at Sydney University. Michael Lothian organised a HSIE Literacy based ‘Viking Day’. The students were keen to experience ‘life as a Viking’.

Home Economics

It was another busy twelve months in the Home Economics Department with students and staff experiencing many new and exciting opportunities.

Our Year 12 students once again had strong results in their final examination. A number of the Textiles students worked with diligence on their major projects and found that their results were indicative of that work.

Once again, it has been very encouraging to hear from various students who have gained employment from skills developed in our courses and those who say they use their knowledge from study here in their further educational

opportunities. We are always happy to have the students remain in contact with us and find that the teachers often have ex-students, years later, able to remember some of the valuable life skills they have gained in our subjects.

Our Year 11 students in Hospitality used their skills in late third term to cater for the Year 12 Graduation Luncheon. This is a valuable, real life, opportunity for them to see what is involved in this line of work. Some of the students, due to the portrayal on TV of the chefs at work, are entering our course with more knowledge and skills than previously found. This has enabled these students to quickly grasp the basics and some are finding they can add even further to their skills. One of the Hospitality students had gained casual employment with a leading restaurant prior to commencing her study and is able to explain the practical application of the skills learnt - ensuring that we are able to keep our tasks as current as possible.

Hospitality student, Michelle Li. competing at

the Illawarra Senior College against 5 students from other regional schools

Additionally in Year 11 there are a small number of students who, due to interest, are completing a course called Exploring Early Childhood. Although not examinable at the HSC level, the topics covered have proved to be interesting and relevant to many aspects of child development. At least one of the students plans to remain in this field after school and will have a head start on her future course work and career.

We were fortunate again in 2013 to have two classes in both Community and Family Studies

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(CAFS) and Hospitality. Both of these courses offered valuable opportunities for the students to gain real life skills and knowledge. The CAFS students individually fulfilled their course requirements to complete an Independent Research Project on a topic of their own choice. This proves to be useful in many areas of life and further study.

Year 12 Community and Family Studies

Stage 5 courses (Years 9 and 10) continued to be exceptionally popular with students undertaking Textiles, Child Studies and Food Technology. The teachers were reviewing and changing parts of the programs and learning opportunities to engage the students more fully in their learning and ensure that the relevance to the student was always a major focus. Many of the students commented positively about the practical activities which they were offered. In Textiles the students particularly enjoyed both a deconstruction/reconstruction process and then utilised skills gained in their own free choice activity for Term 4.

Stage 4 students continued to work in various Technology units including Food, Built Environment, and Textiles. Additionally we had students involved in ‘Taster Electives’ of Food at Your Fingertips, Foods Around the World, Textiles and Design and Child Care, where they experienced the start of study in that field. All students found the work engaging and challenging.

In Skills Week we introduced two new activities, Cupcake Mania and Barrel of Biscuits. These activities proved to be as popular as the Gingerbread House activity has been. Home Economics teachers find that this time, although very busy, is a fun time to work with other staff and students and enjoy less formal yet productive opportunities.

One fundraising activity was held to continue the development of the Sprouts Café which is our simulated work environment for the Hospitality students. Sweet Potato Spudnuts (doughnuts) were available for student purchase. These fund raising activities, as well as the previously donated funds from Year 12 in 2012, will eventually be utilised to develop a properly enclosed café building, at an appropriate industry standard, for the students to use. We have on hand for this area a commercial refrigerator, cash register, ice machine and many other pieces of equipment which have been purchased from fundraising opportunities.

Keep your eyes on the Home Economics faculty as the improvements and changes continue in the near future.

Industrial Arts

The 2013 school year proved to be another very productive twelve months for the Industrial Arts faculty at Warilla High School.

Stage 6 HSC students again, experienced strong results in all courses offered in Industrial Arts. Industrial Technology Timber students performed above state average in both the practical and examination components of the course.

Similarly, VET Construction students performed strongly in the optional HSC exam with several students achieving Band 5 results. These solid results can be attributed to factors including high student engagement, quality teaching practices and programmed support strategies to ensure students succeed.

Stage 5 courses ran at capacity in 2013 with maximum class sizes indicating a strong interest in the ‘manual arts’ discipline with three Timber Technology classes and two Metal Technology classes operating. It is anticipated that a strong senior course representation will continue to flourish at Warilla High School.

Stage 4 courses enjoyed being re-modelled with programs reflecting the need for student support with Literacy initiatives across all KLAs. Revised Years 7 and 8 students’ workbooks were developed by the faculty to strengthen and bolster identified student deficiencies in Literacy.

The Industrial Arts faculty will receive a much needed and greatly appreciated Trade Skills Centre in late 2014. This will see a full make over and complete refurbishment to Metalwork Room

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B6 and also the remodelling of the COLA (covered outdoor learning area) to facilitate materials storage and handling.

The Trade Skills Centre is valued at approximately $975,000. The facility will support the training of students in an attempt to supply a recognised labour skills shortage in the Metal Trade Industry.

2013 saw continued improvements to all workshop facilities with workbench tops replaced, workshop floor plans re-modelled and new equipment purchased to replace ‘tired and worn’ machinery and tools.

The Industrial Arts faculty’s continued commitment to improving the students environment/seating conditions was again evident with the construction of a further 4 outdoor picnic shelter/structures placed at the front of the school. These facilities form part of the Stage 6 VET Construction course and have alleviated student congestion in the quadrangle by opening up a ‘Senior Area’ at the front of the school.

I would like to thank the P&C for their ongoing support of this vision. This joint venture has seen a total of 8 shelters constructed and installed at

Warilla High School with a further 12 shelters planned for this area in the coming years.

An evaluation of the Industrial Arts faculty was undertaken from 28-30 October, Term 4 of 2013, to identify areas of strength and areas of development.

Staff Professional Learning was a priority in the Industrial Arts faculty throughout 2013. Mr Groves (Head Teacher), Mr Kershaw and Mr Cartwright were successful in being employed by the BOS to mark Stage 6 Industrial Technology Major Projects across the state. This two week secondment provides vital professional insight into best practise around teaching and learning in this HSC subject.

Mr Kershaw successfully completed a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Studies via the University of Newcastle. The course ran over a twelve month period and Mr Kershaw received a ‘Distinction Grade’ result on the completion of this course. As a result, the students at Warilla High School now have access to a broader curriculum choice in the Senior School.

All Industrial Arts faculty staff were involved throughout the year in participating in professional training in areas including No Gap No Excuses, Sentral, STORM, Smart Data Analysis and Emergency Care, to name but a few.

The Industrial Arts faculty organised numerous excursions for students to support Teaching and Learning across a range of courses. Some of these included Mr Kershaw’s Stage 5 Graphics Technology class visiting Kiama Courthouse to deepen students’ appreciation and understanding of Architectural Drawing modules.

Mr Groves organised and toured Leussink Engineering at Unanderra with Year 11 Metals and Engineering students, which has developed into a Trade Training Partnership with Warilla High School through Work Placement commitments for our students.

Industrial Technology Timber and Metal students were taken to UTJ (Unanderra Timber & Joinery) for a structured ‘Industry Study Tour’ of this facility.

Mr Kershaw’s Year 11 Engineering Studies students enjoyed a visit to Wollongong University for an Engineering Discovery Day and also to Lake Illawarra High School to participate in workshops presented by ‘Engineers Australia’. Such

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excursions further enhance and consolidate course work covered in class and offer valuable insight into post school employment opportunities.

Support Unit

2013 has been a challenging and dynamic one for the Support Unit. It has brought a number of opportunities for both teachers and students. A significant structural change to our Moderate Disability class enabled a large number of mainstream staff to work with our students across a number of Key Learning Areas. The benefits from the program were wide ranging including mainstream staff having the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in teaching students with complex needs and conversely, students having the opportunity of being exposed to a variety of teaching styles. As a result, our students have had the opportunity to forge positive relationships with a wide variety of staff and achieve some very positive learning outcomes.

2013 saw an increase in the number of Support students accessing School VET and TAFE VET courses as part of their Stage 6 pattern of study. This, combined with extensive work experience opportunities with local business and industry, has increased vocational opportunities for our students resulting in some of our leavers gaining apprenticeships and fulltime employment as well as going on to further study. Added to this, the Support Unit has forged strong links with outside service providers including Essential Personnel, Flametree, Greenacres and Illawarra Vocational Services to provide and develop additional employment skills and opportunities for our students.

This year also saw a large number of Support Unit students accessing mainstream electives across a number of areas including Woodwork, Metalwork, Food Technology and Visual Arts. This has ensured that the talents of individual students are recognised and fostered.

In the area of Literacy, the Support Unit is an integral part of Warilla High School’s participation in the National Partnerships Literacy Initiative. This has provided additional resourcing, enabling students to access additional support in the area of Literacy, and in particular, reading, writing and sentence structure. This has been enhanced by the Support Unit’s participation in the Vinnie’s

Volunteers Tutoring Program where our students have the opportunity to work in a 1:1 situation to develop reading skills. The program has been highly successful and will continue in 2014.

Our bi-annual snow camp was held this year and again was highly successful. It gives the students the opportunity to become independent and develop positive social interaction skills with both peers and staff. It also provides them with an opportunity to have access to experiences that may sometimes ordinarily be out of reach. For many students, it is the highlight of their time at Warilla High School.

Other highlights of the year have included Warilla High School hosting the Illawarra Support Units’ FUTSAL soccer day, two Support Staff members joining the Illawarra Special Education Network steering committee and one of our students, Kathleen Thomas, winning a major Art prize in the Illawarra Disabilities Expo Art competition.

Head Teacher Teaching and Learning

The position of Head Teacher Teaching and Learning was introduced to support the implementation of the school plan. Support measures include:

1. Streamlining of the Professional Learning targets and funds to support the school plan. This has streamlined the process to apply for Professional Learning funds to ensure staff aligned professional learning opportunities to the school plan and targets. As a result more staff have engaged in ‘in-house’ professional development activities including program development and writing, particularly to support the New Australian Curriculum.

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2. Support the implementation of STORM. In 2013 Year 11 were introduced to the concept of STORM in Term 1. This was supported through classroom delivery and further complemented with 3 workshops held in Term 4. STORM became integral in TARS and EARS reviews for staff.

3. Mr Smart, Science faculty, has been instrumental in the co-ordination of Warilla High School’s first Core Academic Class to begin in 2014. The inaugural class has been selected from a rigorous academic and examination process.

National Partnership Grant

In Term 2 the school was placed on the ILNNP. This grant is funded until the end of 2014 and is to allow Warilla High School to focus on Reading and Comprehension Strategies for use in the classroom. The role of Head Teacher Teaching and Learning was to plan and implement strategies to support this grant. Intense training was undertaken by one staff member from each faculty to familiarise themselves with the Literacy Continuum and the Super 7 comprehension strategies. The role of the Faculty Literacy Leaders has been to facilitate this understanding in each of the KLAs and to integrate the Super 7 comprehension strategies throughout all programs and units of work – this process will continue throughout 2014. All Years 7 and 8 teachers collaborated to plot students on the Literacy Continuum. With the ILNNP, Warilla High School has developed an academic partnership with 2 Professors from UOW. Professor Brian Cambourne and Professor Gary Killar worked with the Faculty Literacy Leaders in an Action Learning Project to develop a deeper understanding of Comprehension and Reading.

National partnerships and significant Commonwealth initiatives

Following a situational analysis including extensive review of data, the school nominated the following outcomes for the ILNNP at Warilla High School in 2013-2014:

1. Improvement in literacy results for targeted

Year 7 and Year 8 student group:

- Decrease students in the ‘well below expectation’ from 63% (Year 7) to 30% and from 92% (Year 7 ATSI) to 30%.

- Decrease students in the ‘well below expectation’ from 55% (Year 8) to 30% and from 69% (Year 8 ATSI) to 30%

2. All staff will be engaged with professional

learning regarding the literacy continuum. 3. All staff will be engaged in professional

learning in quality teaching and learning for improved reading and comprehension.

Effectiveness of programs and strategies to improve the literacy outcomes of targeted students

In Term 2 2013 Literacy Leaders were nominated for each KLA. These Literacy Leaders undertook immediate training and development in the areas of the Super 7 Reading and Comprehension Strategies. This information was then relayed to faculties through the Literacy Leaders via faculty literacy meetings, staff development days and other faculty based communication.

The target group selected for the Warilla High School ILNNP was all Year 7 and Year 8 students. Initial information gathered on student progress within the continuum was promising. Teacher professional sharing and plotting of students identified almost all Year 7 and Year 8 students making gains along the Reading and Comprehension aspect of the Literacy continuum between April and November 2013.

Effectiveness of programs and strategies to impact on the quality of teachers’ professional learning programs and improve the quality of whole school teaching practices and student outcomes across the school

During 2013 all Year 7 and Year 8 teachers were engaged in professional learning regarding the Literacy Continuum. This included multiple shared sessions where students in Year 7 and Year 8 were plotted on the Literacy Continuum. Staff feedback rated this as a highly useful and beneficial strategy.

The school also engaged the support of Professors Cambourne and Killar from the University of Wollongong (UOW) to lead an Action Learning Project aimed at developing staff knowledge, understanding and expertise in the areas of reading and comprehension.

During 2014 further strategies will be implemented to reach the ILNNP outcomes including the engagement of a Literacy Project

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Officer to run school based workshops for all staff on the Super 7 Strategies, the development of 2014 Faculty Literacy Plans and the continuation of the Action Learning Project throughout 2014.

School planning and program evaluation 2012—2014 School evaluation processes NSW public schools conduct evaluation to support the effective implementation of the school plan. In 2013 our school carried out evaluations of the Mathematics, Science and Industrial Arts Faculties.

The evaluation team, led by former School Improvement Officer Mr Steve Galbraith, utilised the same methodology for each evaluation. This consisted of:

• Individual interviews with faculty teachers. • Interviews with the Principal and two Deputy

Principals. • Interviews with approximately 50 students

from Years 7, 8, 10 and 11 through focus group discussions.

• Observations by team members of several lessons.

• An analysis of written responses to a range of survey questions put to faculty teachers through a survey.

• An examination of resources and facilities of the faculty.

After the three day evaluation a series of recommendations were made for implementation in each faculty across 2013/14.

These recommendations included the following:

Mathematics

1. The development and implementation of a faculty based program that supports the up-skilling of members of the faculty to ensure the delivery of high level teaching in senior Mathematics courses.

2. The identification of leadership and organisational tasks that can be delegated across the faculty to improve leadership capacity.

3. A review of the current faculty Teacher Professional Learning plan to ensure that it will best meet faculty and individual teacher learning requirements, especially given the

imperative of the introduction of the Australian Curriculum.

Science

1. A review of current teaching programs, registration and assessments practices to ensure Board of Studies requirements are being met and that HSC monitoring reflects consistency and best practice.

2. Embed STORM into Stage 6 teaching and develop individualised Teacher Professional Learning plans.

3. All members of the faculty engage in practical sessions related to improved understanding of student data packages including SMART and RAP.

Industrial Arts

1. Implement a faculty plan that reflects key elements of quality teaching practice to be used in every IA classroom and supports improved organisation and administration within the faculty.

2. Develop a clearly defined ‘roles and responsibilities’ statement to ensure all members of the faculty play a part in the daily operation of the KLA.

3. Ensure that all faculty professional learning, including the introduction of the Australian Curriculum, technology usage and training in the use of student performance data reflects these priorities.

The current practice of utilising staff from beyond the school to lead review and evaluation teams to critically reflect on school and individual KLA performance will continue to be a feature of our accountability and improvement cycle, moving into 2014 and beyond.

School planning 2012—2014: progress in 2013 School planning has centred on the analysis of data to inform our school directions. These directions are evident in the school plan document and processes. During 2013 progress was made on school targets across a range of areas.

School priority 1

Literacy and Numeracy

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Outcomes from 2012–2014

Improved Literacy and Numeracy outcomes for all students

2013 Targets to achieve this outcome include:

• To increase the number of students in Years 7 and 9 achieving at or above National Minimum Standard in NAPLAN writing from:

Year 7 – 87.8% in 2012 to 90% in 2013

Year 9 – 68.4% in 2012 to 70% in 2013

• To increase the number of Aboriginal students achieving at or above National Minimum Standard in NAPLAN writing from:

Year 7 – 53.4% in 2012 to 60% in 2013

Year 9 – 36.4% in 2012 to 50% in 2013

• To increase the number of students in Years 7 and 9 achieving at or above National Minimum Standard in NAPLAN numeracy from:

Year 7 – 93.3% in 2012 to 94% in 2013

Year 9 – 94.8% in 2012 to 95% in 2013

Evidence of progress that has been made toward these targets includes:

• Year 9 students achieving at or above NMS in NAPLAN writing increased from 68.4% to 72.7%.

• Year 9 Aboriginal students achieving at or above NMS in NAPLAN writing increased from 50% to 70%.

• Year 7 students achieving at or above NMS in NAPLAN numeracy increased from 93.8% to 95.9%.

This progress occurred with the assistance of:

• The development of an effective Literacy Team, with cross faculty representation, to drive Literacy initiatives within the school as a key element.

• An increased access to and use of NAPLAN and SMART data to inform teaching and learning.

• The review of curriculum and teaching and learning programs to increase the use of literacy tasks and the opportunities for literacy development. This has included the inclusion of the Super Seven Reading and Comprehension Strategies in Teaching and Learning programs in 2013 and the

development of a designated Literacy Period for each Year 8 class per fortnight in 2014.

Improvement continues to be required in the following areas within this target:

• Continued concern for students below national minimum standard for writing in Year 7.

• Continued concern for Year 9 students below national minimum standards for Numeracy.

• A substantial improvement is required in the area of growth for Aboriginal students in writing for Year 7.

Strategies to support the achievement of these outcomes in 2014 include:

• A dedicated Literacy Period for Year 8 2014 that will include a focus on writing.

• The re-formation of a Numeracy Team at Warilla High School to investigate and plan strategies for improved Numeracy.

• Continuation of Homework Centre for Indigenous students with staff available to assist with Literacy tasks.

School priority 2

Engagement and Attainment

Outcomes from 2012–2014

Increased student attendance rates leading to increased engagement and attainment for students.

2013 Targets to achieve this outcome include:

• To increase attendance rates from 87.1% in 2012 to 88% in 2013.

• To increase retention rates from 63.4% in 2012 to 65% in 2013.

• To train all Stage 6 teachers in STORM program.

Evidence of progress that has been made toward these targets includes:

• An outstanding increase in student attendance to 90.3% in 2013.

• Retention rates increased to 63.7% in 2013.

• A team of staff attended Regional Workshops on improving attendance and the development of an Attendance Action Plan.

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• The Development of LEAP (Learning and Engagement Alternative Program) throughout 2013 for implementation in 2014. This program will provide a distinct pathway for students wishing to follow a vocational HSC pattern of study. Attendance of these students showed improvement while completing Year 10, once accepted into the LEAP program.

• Promotion of HSC VET, SBATs and TVET options was extremely successful and beneficial in 2013 with 20 students taking up SBATs and 113 students taking up TVET courses for 2014.

Improvement continues to be required in the following areas within this target:

• Maintenance of outstanding improvement in attendance.

• Improved tracking of student post school options.

• A consistent and concerted approach to the delivery of STORM in the senior school.

Strategies to support the achievement of these outcomes in 2014 include:

• Develop and implement a School Attendance Action Plan.

• Identify, support and develop communication links with senior students.

• Further implement STORM program across Stage 6 including the provision of training for new Stage 6 staff.

Professional learning The Department of Education and Communities (DEC) provided funds as a tied grant for Professional Learning in 2013. Allocation of these funds was based on the Warilla High School Plan 2012 - 2014. Professional Learning funds were allocated in line with DEC priorities, including Syllabus Implementation, Literacy and Numeracy, Quality Teaching, Welfare and Equity, Leadership and Career Development and the use of ICT for Teaching and Learning.

A total of $71906.96 was spent on professional learning in 2013. Major professional learning expenditure occurred in the following areas:

DEC priority areas Name of Area $ amount expended Beginning Teachers 1653.46 Use of ICT for Teaching and Learning 1597.00 Quality Teaching 16969.68 Literacy and Numeracy 2080.76 Syllabus Implementation 22693.25 Leadership and Career Development 19078.22 Welfare and Equity 7496.14 Funded Activities 338.45

Parent/caregiver, student and teacher satisfaction In 2013, the school sought the opinions of parents, students and teachers about the school.

Their responses are presented below.

The School Parents and Citizens group is regularly briefed on the operation of the school by the principal with several members of the executive attending meetings throughout the course of the year to give updates on the implementation of key School Plan recommendations. On each occasion the P&C has endorsed the processes and practices described at these briefings.

Likewise, the school runs a number of information sessions for parents and students including a Year 7 Transition Workshop, HSC Information Evening, Gold Award Assemblies and Parent Morning Teas. Additionally, the school maintains a strong profile in the Community of Schools Group and regularly provides updates and explanations of key strategies used in the high school pertaining to student well-being, quality teaching practice and curriculum development.

In response to parent requests, the school held an Open Evening/Expo in 2013 which showcased lessons and gave all parents the opportunity to visit the school, meet staff and observe classrooms.

2013 also saw the school involved in a NSW pilot called “Tell Them From Me”. This saw students and parents given the opportunity to comment on a range of areas of the schools operation and their corresponding level of satisfaction. More information about this comprehensive feedback can be obtained through application to the principal.

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About this report In preparing this report, the self-evaluation committee has gathered information from evaluations conducted during the year and analyzed other information about the school's practices and student learning outcomes. The self-evaluation committee and school planning committee have determined targets for the school's future development.

John Hambly Principal

Jennifer Raison Deputy Principal

Michelle Brook Deputy Principal

Cindy Souter Senior Administrative Manager

Jill Boothman P&C President

Editing, layout and printing: Kerri Condon School Administrative Officer

School contact information

Warilla High School

Keross Avenue Barrack Heights NSW 2528

Ph: 02 4296 3055

Fax: 02 4297 2817

Email: warilla-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Web: www.warillahs.nsw.edu.au

School Code: 8418

Parents can find more information about Annual School Reports, how to interpret information in the report and have the opportunity to provide feedback about the report at:

https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/high-performance/annual-school-reports