St Canice's Primary School, KatoombaPO Box 200, Katoomba 2780Principal: Mr Mark GeerligsPhone: 4782 1260 Fax: 4782 4016Email: StCanices@parra.catholic.edu.auhttp://www.stcaniceskatoomba.catholic.edu.au

Introduction

About the Annual School ReportSt Canice's Primary School is registered by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority,NESA, as a member of the Catholic system of schools in the Diocese of Parramatta.

The Annual School Report provides parents and the wider school community with fair, accurateand objective information about various aspects of school performance and development. TheReport describes achievement of school development priorities in 2016 and gives informationabout the 2017 priorities.

This Report is a legislative requirement under the Schools Assistance Act, 2008 and the EducationAmendment Act 2004.

The information in this Report is complemented by the school website where other schoolpublications and newsletters can be viewed or obtained from the school.

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Key Messages

PrincipalI am proud to present to you the 2016 Annual School Report for St Canice's Primary School,Katoomba.

Our school provides Christ-centred education for all our students. This education develops thespiritual, academic, emotional, social and physical potential of all our children. Our philosophy isbest described by the St Canice's Primary School's belief statement which follows.

We believe students learn best when:They are in an environment that nurtures the formation of gospel values throughout theschool community and where each individual is affirmed as unique.�They are immersed in learning that is meaningful, dynamic and challenges eachindividual.�They are immersed in a learning culture that encourages risk taking and embraces theopportunity to explore the ever-changing world in a just, happy and safe environment.They interact and work cooperatively, and are encouraged to share ideas, clarify theirunderstanding and reflect on their learning.

Our motto, Growth Through Love and Learning, centres us on the needs of the whole child withthe realisation that we only achieve our potential when we allow ourselves to be loved by Godand the community that surrounds us.

ParentThe parents at St Canice's Primary School are very active within the school, assisting in variousways inside and outside the classroom, as well as conducting fund raising activities. Parents areparticularly concerned with improving the outdoor facilities as well as helping the schoolresource itself better to meet the needs of the children. Parents are invited to be involved in thedecision making process on policy and other school matters.

StudentThere is a great atmosphere at St Canice's Primary School. The school is a very special place rightat the top of the mountains. The students are actively involved in many outreaching programs.The Mini Vinnies is always very successful, not only raising a significant amount of money for theKatoomba St Vincent de Paul branch, but in also allowing students the opportunity to helpothers in need. A sleep out, bubble day, chalk day, cake sale and a colouring in competition wereall organised and supported by the student body. The older students were also involved insinging at Easter and Christmas time for the residents at the Bodington Aged Care facility atWentworth Falls.

All Stage 3 students are encouraged to be leaders throughout the school but especially with theKindergarten and Year 1 students each year as they are their 'buddies'.

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Who we are

History of the schoolSt Canice's Primary School was established in 1901 by the Sisters of Charity and has been at itscurrent site since 1940, serving the educational needs of the children of the Upper BlueMountains. More than 100 years later, the Sisters of Charity are still active in the life of theschool even though the school has a lay principal.

Location/drawing areaThe school is located in Katoomba in the Upper Blue Mountains. The student population isdrawn from families residing in the communities of Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, MedlowBath, Blacheath and Mt Victoria.

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Workforce Composition

Category Numberof Staff

Number of teachers who hold teaching qualification from a higher educationinstitution within Australia or as recognised within the National Office of OverseasSkills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) guidelines

16

Number of teachers who have a bachelor degree from a higher education institutionwithin Australia or within AEI-NOOSR guidelines but lacking formal teacherqualifications

0

Number of teachers accreditated to teach Religious Education 14

Number of teachers currently undertaking accreditation to teach Religious Education 0

Number of non-teaching staff (includes teachers' aides) 7

Percentage of teachers who are indigenous 0

The average teacher attendance for 2016 95

Percentage of 2016 teaching staff who were retained from 2015 100

Catholic Identity and Religious Education

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Catholic Identity and Religious Education

Prayer, Liturgical Life and Faith ExperiencesThere was a rich variety of prayer opportunities within the school including staff prayer eachTuesday afternoon, prayer at assemblies and whole-school prayer for the community onFriday mornings led by various staff, and students. Students from Years 2 to 6 attended theparish masses at least twice each term and parents were always invited to participate. Specialfeast days were celebrated with mass or school based liturgies, which included liturgicalmovements, creative presentations of Scripture and individual student responses. The secondrite of reconciliation was offered to students each week. The school had a prayer scope andsequence from Kindergarten to Year 6 and there was a wide range of class prayer opportunitieswhich served to focus and personalise prayer at St Canice's Primary School.

The faith experience of the school was shown particularly through our whole-school prayer eachFriday. The parish Sacramental program, liturgies and special feast days, served to develop thefaith experience of our community further. Weekly attendance at Friday parish mass allowed usto share our faith with the wider parish community. The Year of Mercy and visit of the MercyCross provided an opportunity to engage with parishioners and the wider community around thetheme of Reconciliation.

Social JusticeSocial justice was a focus within all key learning areas of the curriculum. Stage 3 students wereinvolved in supporting social justice within the school, through an active Mini Vinnies whichsupported our local chapter. Caritas and Children's Mission fundraising appeals were alsosupported. Visual displays, based on the current themes and focus, were featured in the schoolopen area and foyer. We actively sought to be involved in school, parish and wider communityand social justice initiatives, such as the St Vincent de Paul's Winter Sleep out and Sock it toPoverty. Stage 3 students visited and entertained residents at a local nursing home for Easterand Christmas. Families donated children’s toys and food items to the local St Vincent de PaulChapter’s Christmas appeal.

School home and parish partnershipsThe size of the parish and the wider geographical area from which we draw our students, makesthe link between these groups a challenge.

Our parent liaison provided a personal link between home and school through home visits,family support, craft workshops and discussion groups. Parents, carers and grandparents wereinvited to class and whole-school events and had a strong presence at our Friday morning prayerassemblies. The parish Sacramental program was supported by the school providing the venueand access to additional resources.

Parents assisted in the classroom, library, on excursions and in creating exciting displays linkedwith class units. Parents were also involved in the 'greening' of the school playground. ParentBody meetings were held regularly and parents were encouraged to attend these.

Religious EducationThe formal Religious Education program consisted of comprehensive units of study andfollowed Sharing Our Story. Appropriate units of work supported the parish Sacramentalprogram. Teachers programmed units according to student needs. Religious Education outcomesand key concepts were a focus for student assessment. The Religious Education coordinatorworked directly with all teaching staff to ensure that they were supported in all areas of this KeyLearning Area (KLA). The data from Year 4 and Year 6 Religious Literacy Assessment (RLA)provided direction for our 2016 formation goal with a focus on improving knowledge andunderstanding of the Sacraments.

Our pastoral care encompassed student wellbeing, behaviour management and communicationwith the home. Our home school liaison staff teacher visited the homes and conducted activitiesfor parents at school. A buddy system operated between Stage 3 and Kindergarten and Year 1children at the school with weekly classroom visits focusing on establishing and maintainingquality relationships between the children.

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Professional Learning of staff in Religious EducationRelated to our formation goal there was a professional focus on understanding SacramentalTheology and skilling teachers in ways of developing children's ability to understand theSacramental life of the church. This was achieved through a staff development day, regular inputat staff meetings and professional reading.

All staff participated in a spirituality day with the theme of 'Journeying with St Paul’, providingstaff with an opportunity to deepen their own personal faith in a quiet, prayerful atmosphere.

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Learning and Teaching

National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)Students in Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9 across Australia participated in National AssessmentProgram – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in May 2016. The purpose of this test is to provideinformation to parents and teachers about the achievements of students in aspects of Literacyand Numeracy. The test provides a measure of the student’s performance against establishedstandards and against other students in Australia. Each year the results are analysed by theschool to inform teaching and learning with a view to improving student performance.

The Commonwealth Government sets minimum acceptable standards for literacy, numeracy,reading, writing, grammar, punctuation and spelling at particular ages. These are referred to asnational minimum standards. Student performance in NAPLAN in our school is compared tothese standards. The percentages of students achieving at or above these national minimumstandards, and the percentages of students in the top three bands are reported in the tablebelow.

NAPLAN RESULTS 2016

% of students at or abovenational minimum

standard

% of students in top threebands

School Australia School Australia

Year3

Grammar and Punctuation 100 96 88 74

Literacy 96 96 88 74

Reading 100 95 92 71

Writing 96 96 81 80

Spelling 100 94 81 70

Numeracy 96 96 69 63

NAPLAN RESULTS 2016

% of students at or abovenational minimum

standard

% of students in top threebands

School Australia School Australia

Year5

Grammar and Punctuation 94 94 72 62

Literacy 100 93 61 57

Reading 100 93 72 62

Writing 100 93 39 48

Spelling 94 93 44 58

Numeracy 100 95 44 57

The 2016 data showed that all students in Year 3 were at, or above, the national minimumstandard in reading, spelling and grammar and punctuation. All students in Year 5 were at, orabove, the national minimum standard in reading, Literacy, writing and Numeracy. Year 3 wereequal to the national minimum standard in Literacy, writing and Numeracy. Year 5 were equal toSt Canice's Primary School, Katoomba Page 7

equal to the national minimum standard in Literacy, writing and Numeracy. Year 5 were equal tothe national minimum standard in grammar and punctuation and above by 1% in spelling. Manystudents in Year 3 were in the top three bands for all areas: Literacy, reading, writing, spelling,Numeracy and grammar and punctuation. Many students in Year 5 were in the top three bandsfor Literacy, reading and grammar and punctuation

Eighty eight percent of children in Year 3 obtained the top three bands in writing, while only 39%obtained the same in Year 5.

The school literacy goal has been focused on writing during 2016 with a particular focus ongrammar and punctuation. The school performance was above the Australia wide result in thisarea for both Year 3 and Year 5. The area for development is in writing for both Year 3 and Year5, particularly spelling. The school literacy goal for 2017 will focus on this area.

School curriculumOur school curriculum offered a wide range of learning experiences, designed to meet thelearning needs of the students. Religious Education was taught with an emphasis on theSacraments in each unit. Religious Education data was also displayed on the data wall with a gridshowing each child’s achievements in the area of Sacramental knowledge. We continued to havea strong focus on literacy and numeracy with all grades doing 100 minutes of English and 60minutes of Mathematics per day. The use of standardised tests helped track each student andwas displayed in our whole-school data wall, along with reading levels, and writing samples. Thisdata tracked each student’s progress and informed the teaching and learning. Any students withadditional needs were set up with individual learning plans. In Mathematics, the classes followedthe Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU) pattern of lessons. Our school also developeda Problem Solving Continuum and collected data from all students in terms 3 and 4 to trackproblem solving skills, as this was our numeracy goal.

Students participated in excursions such as Calmsley Hill City Farm, Canberra camp, exhibitionsand local area visits, including cleaning up our school totem ‘The Three Sisters’. We also had anumber of incursions including Musica Viva. Italian continued to be a language focus with eachclass spending 45 minutes a week with a specialist teacher learning basic language and culture.

A specialist teacher supported our Creative Arts program for music. As well as class lessons, thestudents had the opportunity to be involved in the school choir, ukulele group and the UpperBlue Mountains Music Festival Choir. A St Canice's Primary School string ensemble was continuedfor students in Years 3 and 4, with a 40 minute lesson each Wednesday.

We also housed a Sculptures at School (SAS) initiative.

Initiatives to promote respect and responsibilityThe continuation of giving RESPECT awards is in keeping with one of our school beliefs:‘Respecting yourself and others'.

One RESPECT award per class was given out during Friday whole-school prayer assembly. Theseawards, along with an explanation of the reason these children received the award, contributedto a more respectful environment both in the classroom and playground.

Our approach to student management and student affirmations led to students taking moreresponsibility for their decisions and demonstrating a calmer and more respectful manner whendealing with behavioural issues.

The school counsellor worked with specific children (individually and in small groups) and theirfamilies, focusing on the development of social skills, respect and self-esteem.

The Year 4 and Stage 3 teachers implemented the Friendly Schools Plus program, PreventingAnxiety and Victimisation through education (PAVe), in the form of a 'Personal Development' unitand found that this program, developed by Macquarie University, had an overall positive impacton the behaviour of the students.

At the beginning of each term (and in some cases on a weekly basis) the class teacher asked thestudents to set a learning goal. Along with self-assessment and teacher conferencing, thisstrategy created an environment where the children took greater responsibility for their own

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strategy created an environment where the children took greater responsibility for their ownlearning.

Professional LearningIn 2016 professional development for staff took place in the following areas:

Mathematics assessmentnumeracy - problem solving strategies and activitiesattendance at a Mathematics K-8 conference by many staffpreparation for the new Geography and History syllabuses, including developing a schoolscope and sequenceEnglish - marking writing samples according to school writing clusters and developing aschool editing checklistReligious Education - inservicing on the deeper meaning of the Sacraments and how toincorporate into learning experiencestechnology - continuation of training in the use of Google Docs and how this can be usedfor programming across Stagescontinued use of the electronic rolltraining in the use of social mediatraining in the use of the Primary Timetabling Application (PTA) timetabling system

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School Improvement

Annual school prioritiesPriority 1 For all students to improve their knowledge and understanding of the

Sacraments to be measured by a 5% growth in the Religious LiteracyAssessment (RLA) results and improvement in school-basedassessments

Reason for priority 1 The majority of the children were not involved in the Sacramental lifeof the church. The 2015 RLA data showed our Year 4 students were 11%below the diocesan average in Sacraments.

Steps taken to achievepriority 1

These included:students to learn about each of the seven Sacraments including:

form, matter, symbols, meaning how the grace of the Sacraments is lived out in theirlives

teachers to learn the background and context of theSacramental focus used in class.the school to develop a continuum of learning relating to theSacraments in each unit of work.

Status of priority 1 Ongoing

Priority 2 For all students to develop as competent writers, demonstratingspecific gains along the school based continuum by the end of the year

Reason for priority 2 NAPLAN results, 2015, and anecdotal teacher records from worksamples showed that this was our area of need.

Steps taken to achievepriority 2

These included students:learning the components of writing, focusing on grammar,spelling, language cohesion, editing and publishingwriting each dayapplying the skills of editing and publishingself-assessing their work, according to the learning intention, co-constructed success criteria and exemplar texts, and child speakcontinuum which was in the classroom

Teachers used the school-based grammar and punctuation scope andsequence in programs.

Status of priority 2 Ongoing

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Priority 3 For all students Kindergarten to Year 6 (K-6) to improve their problemsolving skills in Mathematics with individual growth on the school-based continuum by the end of the year

Reason for priority 3 NAPLAN item analysis indicated a vulnerability with students inproblem solving.

Steps taken to achievepriority 3

Steps included students: working mathematically to explore problems (reasoning,communicating, problem solving, understanding and fluency)developing a variety of problem solving strategies to enablethem to obtain answers to mathematical situationsusing the language of problem solving to explain theirmathematical thinking and strategies during reflection timesengaged in rich tasks

Focus for the staff was on the development of a school-based problemsolving continuum.

Status of priority 3 Ongoing

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Projected school prioritiesPriority 1 For all students to improve their knowledge and understanding of the

Sacraments to be measured by continued growth in the RLA results andimprovement in school based assessments

Reason for Priority 1 The majority of the children are not involved in the Sacramental life ofthe church and it is important to continue the gains made in 2016. It isalso important to assist students to understand the connectionbetween Sacraments and their Scriptural basis.

Steps to be taken toachieve Priority 1

Students will learn about each of the seven Sacraments:form, matter, symbols, meaningScriptural basis for each Sacramenthow the grace of the Sacraments is lived out in their lives

Priority 2 For all students to develop as competent writers demonstrating specificgains along the school-based continuum by the end of the year

Reason for Priority 2 NAPLAN results in 2016, and anecdotal teacher records from worksamples, showed that this was our area of need, especially in the areaof spelling.

Steps to be taken toachieve Priority 2

Students willlearn the components of writing focusing on spellingwrite each dayself assess their work according to the learning intention,success criteria and exemplar/mentor texts, and child speakcontinuumuse editing tool kit for grammar, punctuation and spelling

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Priority 3 For all students to improve their problem solving skills in Mathematicswith continued growth on the school-based continuum by the end ofthe year

Reason for Priority 3 NAPLAN item analysis indicates a vulnerability in problem solving andwe aimed to continue the gains made in 2016.

Steps to be taken toachieve Priority 3

Students will be:working mathematically to explore problemscontinuing to develop a variety of problem solving strategies toenable them to obtain answers to mathematical situationsusing the language of problem solving displayed in classroomsto explain their mathematical thinking and strategies duringreflection timesengaging in rich tasksidentifying problem solving strategies across Key Learning Areas(KLAs) experiencing environmental/real life opportunities - whole-school stimulus task

Community Satisfaction

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Community Satisfaction

Parent satisfactionDuring 2016 the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta engaged Insight SRC to conduct theQuality Catholic Schooling (QCS) survey to provide feedback from parents, students and staffabout our school. This survey will be conducted annually.

The survey indicated that the parents were very satisfied with the stimulating learningenvironment for their child and the high teacher morale. They were also satisfied with theamount of extra-curricular opportunities available for their children.

The survey also indicated that parents felt that the staff were very approachable.

Student satisfactionThe students indicated through the survey results, that what was being taught in the classroom,was very meaningful and stimulating. They had improved in their confidence to learn. Thestudents felt safe at school and very connected with the school. The students also had a strongmotivation to learn.

Teacher satisfactionThe survey indicated that morale was very high at the school and the staff were happy to be atschool. There was a strong connectedness with the learning at the school. Staff felt very engagedwith their work and there was a high level of team work.

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Student Profile

Enrolment PolicySt Canice's Primary School follows the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) EnrolmentPolicy and Procedures. This document can be obtained from the school office or can be accessedon the CEDP website http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/policy-central

Current and previous years' student enrolmentYear Boys Girls Total

2014 72 87 159

2015 77 69 146

2016 83 60 143

A smaller number of enrolments from Kindergarten occurred in 2016. A number of families havemoved out of the area in other grades.

Student attendance ratesThe table below shows the percentage of student attendance by Year level and school average.

Kindergarten 92

Year 1 94

Year 2 95

Year 3 93

Year 4 90

Year 5 92

Year 6 92

School Average 90

Characteristics of the student bodyThe table below shows the number of students in each of the categories listed.

Language background other than English (LBOTE) 28

Students with disablities (SWD) 11

Indigenous 12

Managing Student Non-attendanceRegular attendance at school is essential if students are to maximise their potential. Schools inpartnership with parents and guardians, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance ofstudents. The compulsory schooling age is 6-17. Parents and guardians are legally responsible forthe regular attendance of their children, explaining the absences of their children in writingwithin several days to the school, and taking measures to resolve attendance issues involvingtheir children. School staff as part of their duty of care, monitor part or whole day absences.

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They maintain accurate records of students' attendance, follow up unexplained absencesthrough written and verbal communication, implement programs and practices to addressattendance issues when they arise, and provide clear information to students and parentsregarding attendance requirements and the consequences of unsatisfactory attendance. Theprincipal or their delegate, may grant permission for late arrival or early departure from school,leave or exemption from attendance only in individual cases, on written request from parentsand guardians.

The principal/delegate will undertake all reasonable measures to contact parents promptly if anunexplained absence occurs. If truancy is suspected, the principal will contact theparents/guardians to ascertain the reason for the absence. If a satisfactory response is notreceived, the matter will be referred to the relevant staff at the Catholic Education Office,Diocese of Parramatta who will follow up unexplained absences as per legislative requirements.

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Student wellbeing

Student welfare, discipline and anti-bullying policies and pastoral careWe have a common approach to behaviour management in the classroom and on theplayground. This has proven to be successful as shown in the Quality Catholic Schools surveyconducted earlier in the year.

Classroom and playground behaviour management plans were based on an agreed format thatincluded listening, movement, safety and responsibility. There were agreed levels ofconsequences for acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Students were encouraged to takeresponsibility for their own learning and behaviour. Explicit teaching of social skills wasconducted within the classrooms, including the use of the Friendly Schools Plus - PreventingAnxiety and Victimisation through education (PAVe) program for Years 4.

The students remained confident in the behaviour management procedures as they saw thatmatters were dealt with promptly and fairly, where feedback was given to all students involvedin the incident requiring intervention. The students had a clear understanding of the proceduresin place and the consequences, and they knew when to seek help.

A school counsellor was available for the children to address school-based behaviours andissues. All counselling took place after careful consideration and negotiation between theparents/carers and staff.

Parents were also aware of the Pastoral Care and Behaviour Management policy andthe Peace policy (anti-bullying). The full text of both policies is available in hard copy from theschool office and/or on the school's website. The Student Management and Pastoral Care policiesreflect current practice. Changes in these policies take place in response to any developing needwithin the community.

These policies were reviewed by all staff last year.

Complaints and grievances policyThe school has formal written protocols in place to address complaints and grievances. Theseprotocols are in line with the Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) ComplaintsHandling policy. A copy of the school policy is available from the school office or is available onthe CEDP website http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/policy-central.

There were no changes to the policy during 2016.

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Section Eleven: Financial Statement

Income Expenditure

Commonwealth (68.4%)Capital (0%)State (20.4%)Fees (11%)Other (0.2%)

Capital (3.2%)Salary (76.7%)Non-Salary (20.1%)

RECURRENT and CAPITAL INCOME

Commonwealth Recurrent Grants1 $1,712,227

Government Capital Grants 2 $0

State Recurrent Grants 3 $509,658

Fees and Private Income 4 $275,825

Other Capital Income 5 $6,091

Total Income $2,503,801

RECURRENT and CAPITAL EXPENDITURE

Capital Expenditure 6 $77,238

Salaries and Related Expenses 7 $1,861,774

Non-Salary Expenses 8 $488,677

Total Expenditure $2,427,689

1. Commonwealth relates to Commonwealth Recurrent Grants including per capita fundingand special purpose grants.

2. Capital relates to Government Capital Grants.3. State relates to State Recurrent Grants including per capita funding, interest subsidy and

special purpose grants.4. Fees relates to diocesan and school based fees, excursions and other private income from

parents.5. Other refers to Other Capital Income including drawdowns from the Diocesan School

Building Fund to fund Capital Expenditure.6. Capital refers to Capital Expenditure including School Buildings, Furniture and Equipment.7. Salaries refers to the total of all Salaries, allowances and related expenses such as

superannuation, workers compensation and leave.8. Non-Salary refers to all other Non-Salary Recurrent Expenses.

11%

20.4%

68.4%

■■■■■

20.1%

76.7%

■■■

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