Principal's Report

This year has been like no other. Not since the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919 have we had to manage a health crisis like this. Throughout the year our entire school community has demonstrated strength, resilience and optimism in spades. I am sure you have had “down” days but you have fought through that and reached the end of a year you will never forget. They say it is not how many times you get knocked down, but that you continue to get up is what is most important. You have all kept getting up, day after day and we should all be so proud of ourselves and each other that we have got though this together.

As a school we have still managed to achieve so much this year. This is validated via a review of our 2020 AIP (Annual Implementation Plan) and in turn informs our 2021 AIP.

Every school goes through this same annual process and we had our formal review meeting with the Education Department this week. We were able to demonstrate in 2020:

• Excellent student attendance throughout the remote learning period;
• All planned assessment and reporting expectations were completed;
• Continued student learning growth and academic progression;
• All planned wellbeing supports were provided along with a significant increase in additional wellbeing programs and opportunities for students to engage in through the remote learning period;
• Use of Microsoft Teams and ensuring all students had access to a computer device which provided the platform for classes to run each day, assemblies and events, meetings etc;
• Huge upskilling for all staff and students in the use of ICT applications;
• Staff professional learning continued weekly through the whole year via our Westall Institute of Teaching.

The Education Department were very impressed with what we were able to achieve through the COVID situation this year.

For 2021, all schools will have a focus on 3 areas to support the transition from COVID to “Normal”.

For Learning Catch Up and Extension, we have the MYLNS (Middle Years Literacy Numeracy Support) and the new Tutor program that will help students catching up and we have High Ability and Extension opportunities such as Aim High that will become a priority next year.

The Happy, Active and Healthy Kids area will be supported via staff and student professional learning sessions, continuing our new and improved wellbeing programs from 2020 and further supports and weekly check ins for any students identified at risk.

Connected schools is the third focus area and for Westall in 2021, this will involve our school leaders further developing skills in the use of data and assessment to improve student outcomes as part of the Education Department’s Professional Learning Communities initiative. In a more visible and perhaps exciting project, we will also be proceeding with the development of our new outdoor basketball courts to include roofing, grandstand, sound and lighting. This will make this area of the school much more usable and attractive for a range of purposes.

I look forward to a positive finish for 2020 and a very exciting 2021 for Westall.

Mr Tristan Lanarus

Principal