Principals Message

Dear parents and carers,

Thank you to those of you who found some time to do the recent School Satisfaction Survey.

135 parents completed the survey (35% completion rate which is considered good). Parents were asked to express their satisfaction in response to a number of statements. Their responses were scored as follows:-

Strongly Agree 4

Agree 3

Neither Agree nor Disagree 2

Disagree 1

Strongly Disagree 0

The average score for each statement is colour coded for quick reference.

Examples of the comments provided are:

One thing that I particularly like about our school is...

Communication is great and the staff is friendly and welcoming.
St Xavier’s is a beautiful school very excellent and works well with families.
Living Well Learning Well award concept vs academic awards.
The very well organised drop off and pick up routines.
The staff. They are friendly and approachable.
The school has a lovely community feel.
The facilities are great and my rather shy child has fitted in well to school life.
Its small size.
My children have been supported by staff at the school beyond expectation during times when they have been emotionally struggling.
Events that school invites families to.
Happy teachers = happy students.
Living well learning well saying. Also I love the uniform, kids always look nice and tidy.
Teachers are always welcoming.
The feeling of it.
My children love going to school, have great friends and feel supported by their teachers to continue their learning.
Pride in presentation and the initial lit program.
Nice big classrooms but also can section off into smaller groups.
Willingness to adapt and open to new ideas. Innovation.
A positive feel with staff.
The school values social and emotional wellbeing along side the teaching and learning.
Following student-led conferences our children's strengths & weaknesses were highlighted & productive home activities were provided to support our children.
Assembly and shared space learning environment.
No issue is ever to big to not be solved or worked towards to achieve.
Open conversations, and a strong focus on education.
Open communication about my child’s learning.
The support provided by most of the School staff to my children during very difficult and challenging times at home.

If I could improve ONE thing at our school it would it be...

Students to participate in the parish mass on Sundays.
Student led conferences - these are good but also have an opportunity during this time for parents to talk to teachers alone without having to make a special appointment.
Maybe reporting of all academic data the school collects. However, I did find the breakdown of the grades in the reports this year gave a better understanding of my children’s academic progress.
Communication and helping children on the spectrum more.
No family mass or service school families and parish families hardly get together.
Increasing the gluten free/coeliac safe options in the canteen. The increased cost of these items would not be a barrier to parents ordering them as we are already used to paying high prices for gluten free foods.
As a new family to Gunnedah it would be great to have more opportunities to connect with other families.
A little more transparency regarding outcomes from matters raised about the children.
Face to face information sessions on little things. How to use the school apps. How to engage our child in school additional activities etc. .

We are looking at any themes that appear in the comments to see if we can refine any of our practices. The School Advisory Council members are studying the data as well to see if they can provide ideas or support in their role.

I appreciate the positivity of your comments and feedback. We are on the same team and your children are our priority!

Kind regards,

Jen