pinnacle college annual report 2015...take home laptop program: in its third year, the laptop...

PINNACLE COLLEGE ANNUAL REPORT

2015

JUNE 1, 2016 PINNACLE COLLEGE

10 Anderson Street, Elizabeth East, 5112 SA

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PINNACLE COLLEGE ANNUAL REPORT 2015 |

Pinnacle College History

Pinnacle College (formerly known as Burc College) is a non-denominational private school

offering a comprehensive curriculum. As a co-educational school, the College caters for Primary

and Secondary School students of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds at two campuses:

– Gilles Plains (Reception –Year 6)

– Elizabeth (Reception – Year 12)

2005 is the year when Pinnacle College was established in Gilles Plains, a small sized school with

limited facilities and staff. Beyond the expectations being a young and new school, Pinnacle

College expanded so quickly, that the governing body had to buy a land in Elizabeth East in

2009. In the same way Pinnacle College Elizabeth Campus started as a very small sized campus

in 2010 and every year doubled the number of its students and facilities. Since its foundation,

Pinnacle College has added an additional year level to the curriculum to cater for its developing

students.

Apart from the physical growth, the college also has exhibited a big growth and success in

academic areas such sports, Premiers Reading Challenge, Australian Mathematics Competition,

International Competitions and Assessments for schools (ICAS), South Australian Wrestling

Championship and South Australian Primary Schools Sports Association Tournaments.

It is our belief that children can only reach their full potential when they love their schools and

when they feel they are loved. That is why we have determined that one of the distinctive

factors of Pinnacle College is to have a happy and caring environment.

Pinnacle College was established by McYess Foundation for concerned parents who

desire a high standard of education for their children in a caring, disciplined environment,

where multicultural values and principles are actively supported and nurtured. The first

campus, located at 52-56 Wandana Avenue, Gilles Plains, was first opened on the 27th of

January, 2005. Due to continued growth, a new campus was opened in January 2010, located at

10 Anderson Street, Elizabeth East.

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Multicultural Youth Education Support Services

McYESS (Multicultural Youth Education Support Services) was established on the 18th of December,

1995 as a non-profit organisation to provide education, accommodation and counselling services for

young people in Australia. McYess promotes cultural events and facilitates lectures and other social

activities, while organising and participating in world humanitarian aid programs. One of its chief aims is

to guide and encourage young people in increasing their self-esteem and confidence in order to

establish a firm standing in society.

Our Mission

Pinnacle College strives to establish and maintain a safe and nurturing environment, so that every

student may reach their full potential and achieve a high level of academic excellence determined

by state and federal standards.

Our Vision

When you enter Pinnacle College you will see a friendly greeting. Our level of pride is displayed

by our teachers and staff. Apart from a high standard of education at our well maintained

campuses, we aim to develop responsibility in our students, alongside appreciating and valuing

different cultures, possessing positive behaviour and a high ethical conscience. We also guide

them to accept and learn from the consequences of their choices and actions they have made.

Studying in a diverse multicultural community, students have the opportunity to widen their view

of the world, this enables students to help each other and be productive both now and in the

future.

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Philosophy

Pinnacle College is a place where all students can learn – the only variable can be the time. We

have obligations to teach every learner and expect all students to learn. We believe in fostering a

nurturing environment in which each child feels special and grows in self-esteem. Pinnacle College

is a school where diversity is strength and students are expected to understand, tolerate and

respect differences. We value close ties among children, staff, parents, and the community and

believe in strong parent participation for their children’s education. Pinnacle College is a school

devoted to the development of the student’s, intellectual, social, emotional and physical capacities

in an atmosphere of equal opportunity. We create an environment for children to allow them to be

themselves and to develop their full potential in the way and at the pace appropriate to them.

The following assumptions are basic to the philosophy

at Pinnacle College:

– ‘knowing’ is a process, not a product;

– the curriculum should contain different learning experiences;

– the curriculum must be adapted to the child’s development level.

On-going successes will encourage the development of a positive self-image, which will in turn

allow the child to risk and accept failures without retreating from the learning setting. It

encourages an awareness of what each child knows and what he/she needs to know in order to

accomplish and achieve further. This requires teachers who emphasize the successes a child

achieves and necessitates a positive approach to learning.

Identifying Learning Styles

Each person has his/her own learning style. Some children learn best through visual input while

other children learn best through auditory or tactile input. Most children learn using a combination

of these modes. It is the school’s responsibility to identify the best learning mode in the individual

child and teach to that mode while developing the weaker or less used modes. Each child has

his/her own developmental growth pattern. As a result each child has different:

– rates of learning; – levels of competencies;

– readiness to address new learning; – social and emotional development.

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Differentiated instruction calls upon the teacher’s creativity to assess and modify the program to

meet the child’s individual needs. The teacher’s responsibility is to constantly keep in mind that it is

his/her role to modify the goals set for the child, the time set for completion and the materials used

for instruction. Differentiated instruction does not necessarily mean individual instruction.

Differentiation works on the understanding that there are learning experiences that lend

themselves to whole group instruction. There are times that a whole group of children who have

common needs come together for instruction. It is understood that when a child has a specific need

then instruction will be one to one.

The Student as an Equal Participant in the School Community

The school community is comprised of teachers, students and parents. All have specific rights

and responsibilities. In particular, students are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.

They have a right to expect careful and proper planning on the part of those responsible for

their education.

Social Development

The school operates on the premise that students can control their behaviour when reasonable

limits are set. The school uses the principle of logical consequences as its approach to

maintaining controls within the classroom and school as a whole. The basic assumption is that

the child is aware of the consequences for inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour and that

these consequences are a logical extension of his/her behaviour. When a particular behaviour is

of an on-going nature the staff is utilised in a counselling situation. Should the behaviour

continue, the parents may be involved and if necessary, support services will be requested.

Summary

Education at Pinnacle College goes beyond the curriculum, as changes and developments in

curriculum alone do not guarantee social, emotional or academic growth. It is the interaction

between children peers and adults, and their relationships with parents and teachers that is the

basis for excellent education. At Pinnacle College these relationships are nurturing, supporting

and caring and the result is an excellent education for every child.

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Values Added Curriculum: With the introduction of The Effective Lesson Design professional development

with consultants from AISSA, teachers used the principles that underpin an effective lesson to write the

learning intentions and success criteria for literacy and numeracy. These intentions were also recorded

in all termly planners and weekly lesson plans.

The establishment of Professional Learning Communities resulted in more discussion and collaboration

between the two campuses with regards to curriculum and programs.

PASTORAL CARE: Our Pastoral Care Program (PCP) is concerned with the emotional, academic and

moral well-being of the students and is an integral part of the school culture. Each class, year 5 and up, is

assigned a Pastoral Care Teacher (PCT) who works collaboratively and in unison with the college’s staff,

parents and students to provide individual care and support in all areas of child and adolescent

development.

SPORTS: Sporting activities have been an important part of our curricular and extra-curricular

program. Our primary students actively participated in South Australian Primary Schools Amateur Sports

Association (SAPSASA) organisations and tournaments. Our secondary students successfully competed in

Secondary School Sport SA (SSSSA) tournaments and attended sports carnivals.

MATHEMATICS CLUBS: In our school, talented mathematics students have the opportunity to

join our Mathematics Team to experience new challenges for themselves. This year we have split the

cohort into the junior and senior Mathematics teams of Pinnacle College. Teachers organised extra classes

which are held during school days and after school to prepare these young minds for nationally and

internationally recognised tests such as ICAS of The University of New South Wales (International

Competitions and Assessment for Schools) and the AMC (Australian Mathematics Competition).

YEAR 12 SUPPORT CLASSES: As a part of our schooling philosophy we are determined to

satisfy our students’ needs adequately. Therefore this year we organised many extra class sessions -

before the school year started, during school holidays, and on weekends - in order to assist our year 12

students reach their potential in the final stage of their secondary education. As a result of these

invaluable efforts with our first graduates we achieved 100% university admission.

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TAKE HOME LAPTOP PROGRAM: In its third year, the laptop program has proven its

benefits to our learning environment significantly. Through these electronic devices, students and

teachers have incorporated the ‘technology anywhere and anytime’ concept have enhanced the quality

of education. The laptops, which enable students to explore their subjects to learn different points of view

and improve their understanding, also helped students to learn at their own pace.

HOMEWORK PROGRAMS: At our school doing homework on a daily basis has always been

considered the students’ responsibility to consolidate their learning. In addition to that approach, this

year we have also managed to produce our own homework booklets. This has allowed parents to follow

up on their children’s homework tasks easily and assisted us to become better organised in setting up a

sound homework routine across all year levels.

DIGITAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY PROGRAMS: We place significant importance

to digital teaching resources as they assist our teachers in the individualisation of learning. Therefore, at

our school, our teachers have the opportunity to utilise various online tools while delivering the

curriculum. Reading Eggs which we use for foundation students’ literacy skills, Literacy Planet which is a

wonderful interactive literacy website for Year 1 to Year 10 students, and Mathletics which we have been

using for a long time in the school to improve our students numeracy standards, have all been a great

success this year.

Extracurricular Programs: In an attempt to expose our students to external

competition and working in teams, we entered 2 competitions

Wakkakirri-National Story Sharing Art Festival:

Our first attempt at the competition resulted in the school winning 5 performance awards. They are the:

1. Creative use of the signature item

2. Storytelling

3. Group acting

4. Overall costume design

Tournament of the Minds:

Students took part in the problem solving programme for primary students. In the Mathematics and

Engineering category, our Year 5-6 students won Honours.

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Literacy & Numeracy Benchmark - The NAPLAN results saw an increase e in the overall results for Year 3 and 5 at the

campus. Teachers employed the 7 steps to writing success and specifically taught

comprehension skills using the Daily 5 and CAFÉ strategies.

- Percentages of Students Achieving National Minimum Standards at NAPLAN 2015

- More detailed information about NAPLAN performance may be obtained from the “My School”

website

Student Attendance Campus by campus data:

Elizabeth East (Primary) 93.45%

Elizabeth East (Secondary) 91.55%

Gilles Plain (Primary) 93.60%

Our students’

average attendance

rate for 2015 was

92.89%

Year 3

Component

2012 2013 2014 2015 2012 2013 2014 2015 2012 2013 2014 2015

Reading 373.8 390.5 396.1 426.3 3 4 4 5 95 100 98 100

Writing 393.8 405.5 404.5 458.3 4 4 4 5 95 100 100 100

Spelling 409.8 426.1 417.7 461.8 4 5 4 5 91 97 93 100

G & P 394.5 398.5 408 485.9 4 4 4 6 91 94 98 100

Numeracy 374.9 383.1 372.2 415.3 4 4 3 4 100 100 95 100

Mean Score Mean Scores as Proficiency Bands % of Students who achieved the NMS

Year 5

Component

2012 2013 2014 2015 2012 2013 2014 2015 2012 2013 2014 2015

Reading 436.9 489.7 457.8 453 5 6 5 5 80 100 97 95

Writing 454 494.8 470.5 489.6 5 6 5 6 95 100 93 100

Spelling 482.9 508.6 498.9 511.1 6 6 6 6 100 100 97 100

G & P 470.2 498.3 480.4 493.1 5 6 6 6 85 96 93 100

Numeracy 454.1 503.7 465.2 479.2 5 6 5 6 100 100 90 100

Mean Score Mean Scores as Proficiency Bands % of Students who achieved the NMS

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Campus Breakdown

Non-attendance Process: Parents/guardians can phone, email or text to let the College

know that the student will not be attending. At 10.15am, all parents/guardians of students with

unexplained absence are sent an SMS. If there is no response by 12 noon, the parent/guardian

is contacted.

Staff Attendance:

Elizabeth Campus: %98

Gilles Plains Campus: %96

Staff Retention:

Total Teacher 42

Left in 2015 10

Annual Retention 76%

Elizabeth East (Primary)

Reception 91.75% Grade 1 93.36% Grade 2 94.21% Grade 3 94.53% Grade 4 92.14% Grade 5 94.49% Grade 6 92.22%

Elizabeth East (Secondary)

Grade 7 89.99% Grade 8 92.79% Grade 9 87.28% Grade 10 90.58% Grade 11 91.63% Grade 12 90.75%

Gilles Plains (Primary)

Reception 88.54% Grade 1 90.95% Grade 2 95.15% Grade 3 95.53% Grade 4 92.66% Grade 5 94.47% Grade 6 96.63%

Pinnacle College staff

attendance rate for 2015 is

97%

Pinnacle College staff

retention rate for 2015 is 76%

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PD Expenses:

Teacher Qualifications

Professional Development No. of Teachers Ratio PD Expenses Average

Elizabeth Campus 24.5 69.01% 47,394 1,934.45

Gilles Plains Campus 11.0 30.99% 23,206 2,109.64

35.5 100.00% 70,600

Total Teachers 42 100%

Special Authority 4 10%

Diploma 5 12%

Bachelor 23 55%

Bachelor Honours 2 5%

Master 7 17%

PhD 1 2%

42

Diploma

12%

Bachelor

55% Master

17%

SATT %10

Bachelor

& Honours

5%

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ATAR Scores The comparison of 2015 Burc College graduates ATAR scores to State scores is graphed below:

TERTIARY ENROLMENTS

Summary table of tertiary enrolments of PINNACLE College students for 2015 is given below:

PINNACLE COLLEGE 2015

University Offers

TAFE Offers

Work Force

No Offers

Other

Elizabeth Campus Graduates

5 1 0 1 0

Elizabeth Campus Graduates (%)

71.14% 14.29% 0.00% 14.29% 0.00%

43%

29% 29%

14%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

60+ 70+ 80+ 90+

ATAR Score Comparison Table

Burc State

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Satisfaction Surveys

Student Satisfaction:

Students identified the following as the top perceived strengths of the school.

My teachers know and accept me.

I am encouraged to try my best at my school.

I understand my school's expectations for student behaviour.

The school provides me with high quality teachers.

My teachers help me to understand the mistakes I make.

My teachers regularly correct my work.

My teachers are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach.

My teachers teach in a variety of ways.

I am comfortable with talking with my teachers.

My teachers explain things clearly.

I have respect for my teachers.

I am happy about pastoral care activities and chaplaincy services.

Parent Satisfaction:

Parents identified the following as the top perceived strengths of the school.

Parents are kept informed of the academic performance of their child relative to the

performance of others.

Students from different backgrounds and cultures are treated equally at this school.

Students are happy to go to this school.

This school is a safe place in which to learn.

There are excellent opportunities for contact with teachers at this school.

School staff are approachable when parents want to talk about their children.

Parents are made to feel welcome to visit this school.

The school uses a broad range of communication types to keep parents informed.

Overall, I am very satisfied with my decision to send my child/ren to this school.

I am happy to recommend the school to other parents.

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Staff Satisfaction:

Staff identified the following as the top perceived strengths of the school.

This school is a safe place for students to learn.

Students from different backgrounds and cultures are treated equally at this school.

Students have positive relationships with staff.

Parents are kept well informed about the learning programs undertaken by students.

There is open communication between staff and parents at this school.

Staff respond to parents' concerns or queries in a timely manner.

The school expects high standards of teaching.

Administrators, teachers and other staff treat each other with respect.

I am proud to work at this school.

I am happy to recommend the school to people.

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Financial Information Please find below financial summaries of the Pinnacle College's revenue and expenditure items

presented in Graphical formats.

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