From our College Principal
Annual Implementation Plan Progress (AIP)
We have made some great progress with the goals of the AIP, all of this detail is available at the Administration Building. If you would like to see what we are working on as a college, please make a time to meet with me, I would like to share with you our progress for 2018.
Performance & Development (P&D)
We are working through the mid-cycle review process of the P&D cycle, by mid Term we will have completed this. All employees of the college have a plan with clearly identified goals that link back to the AIP. This process ensures the alignment of teacher practice to the overall college goals explained as part of the presentation.
Strategic Plan
The college will enter the review phase of our Strategic Plan next year, a massive job. I am ensuring we keep a comprehensive account of the work we’ve done and we should have a really clear idea of where we need to go as a college. Part of the process is to engage parents and students which I am really looking forward to having that opportunity.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
This has been a growing concern of mine over the past couple of years and we have begun the process of working with families and teachers to improve what is currently on offer. The final product will be a combination of parent opinion and what is actually achievable for teachers to deliver on. A Survey was sent out to all families giving them the opportunity to have a say about the format.
Malkara (Gallipoli)
We have put a brochure together for the Malkara concept based on information we currently have. I have been in contact with the Turkish contact Aysel Ozcan, who has explained that a meeting has been held with the Principal of the school, teachers and in her words ‘some important people’. Aysel has been creating exchanges with schools in Australia for about twelve years. She explained that the school was built by a very nice businessman and it is given to the government. The founder of the school wants students to have vision and help the poor but also to have a broader understanding of the world they live in. I met with the RSL and we are keen to get the students to Yarrawonga on ANZAC Day to potentially play a part in ceremonies.
Bastow Institute – Education Leadership
The Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership plays a key role in implementing the Victorian Government’s Education State agenda. We work towards realising core policy objectives – to build the capacity of educational leaders and to identify and develop high quality leaders for the future.
Page Content
Bastow offers innovative, evidence-based and highly relevant leadership professional learning and events for education and early childhood professionals. I have a meeting scheduled with the Director of Bastow and the Goulburn Area Executive Director in Yarrawonga in August to discuss the possibility of providing courses in Yarrawonga for Northern Victorian Principals. I have already had some preliminary discussions with both positions mentioned above. I will explain more at the meeting.
Innovation Weeks
There have been a number of great innovations occurring across the college with teams of teachers forming from ideas that attract like-minded people or the innovations have been an area of need. Technology has been a consistent theme with Google Classroom, Google Docs and Ozbots prominent among the innovations during Term 2. Teachers have will finish the designing phase of their innovations at the end of Week 4 and begin implementing for the rest of the term. Next year I would like to provide some funding support for innovations across the college.
Bastow Presentation on Professional Practice Release (PPR)
I was invited to present at Bastow on behalf of the college and how we have structured our Professional Practice Release program. There were a large number of Principals at the evening and it was great to be able to talk about what we do in Yarrawonga and the success we are experiencing with the program.
Attitudes to School Survey
The college has received the results of the 2018 survey, the results are very encouraging and demonstrate clear growth across all areas. Our work is to continue identifying areas of weakness through the survey and apply resources to those areas to improve our program for the students. If any parents would like to see a copy of the Attitudes to School Survey I would be more than happy to take you through it.
Future of Capital Works
Next stages have been costed by Kneeler Design for Year 7&8 Classrooms (Stage 2) and Year 9-12 Campus on Gilmore Street site (Stage 3) – $15,000,000.00. Now we have to work to help Melbourne understand that we are a very important project that is definitely worthy of funding.
The Workshop Shed is completed and almost has all equipment/materials/resources moved in.
Before the summer months we will have the following additions to the Gilmore Street site finished;
- A new Basketball Court and Roof Structure ready for the summer months on the 5-8 Campus.
- The Playground from Tom Street re-installed at P-4
- Shade sails over all Playgrounds at P-4
- The Hayshed removed and re-built at the 5-8 Campus
Progress with Sacred Heart College – VCE Subject Provision
Principal of Sacred Heart College has altered timetable to come into line with the college (5 x 60 minute sessions per day) and we continue to discuss options into the future. Phil Brown (Director of Country Education Partnership) is now involved in the process as a facilitator of these discussions with the college, Sacred Heart Primary School and Sacred Heart College. We aren’t rushing into anything but into the future the partnership could really enhance VCE subject provision for young people in our town.
Classroom/Peer Observations
The college is about to begin holding classroom observations for all teachers where they will go into one another’s classroom and provide feedback. There are areas of the college where this is quite simple (P-4) because of the way classrooms are structured, others aren’t so simple and we are working on options for the different areas. Teachers learning from one another has a demonstrated high impact on the improvement of teaching and student learning outcomes.
Student Voice
One of the areas of weakness (as pointed out in the presentation) is our student voice. Students don’t always feel as if they have the best opportunities to have a say in their learning. This can be difficult with a prescribed curriculum by our department, however we are beginning some work to try to increase student voice in their learning. We have developed a college Junior School Council that is meeting on Friday and we will be going through the ATOSS presentation. The area that I will be asking for support from the group in is the area of student voice. There are representatives from each Campus that have the opportunity to be a part of a college wide team of students. Information from Junior School Council will be fed back to School Council through Jackson and Dylan.
Workshop Shed
The Workshop Shed is up and running and they are all very happy in their new home. It is fantastic to have so many volunteers at our college that all work to make a difference in the lives of our children, providing the program a space really values that contribution.
Caravan Raffle
Our second Caravan Raffle will begin on the 4th September this year and will be drawn just before the Easter holidays in 2019. This year we intend to sell a lot more tickets on-line through an improved system. We would also appreciate support from parents available to sell the tickets at different venues around the town.
