Principal

Results of Annual AISNSW Surveys

After analysing our data in 2023, the College Leadership Team (CLT), identified the following areas as those that were prioritised for improvement this year:

1. Further development of NSW Child Safeguarding procedures in line with the Office of the Children’s Guardian. 
    
2. Further integration of wellbeing structures which utilise our counselling, student services and College Nurse. 
    
3. Utilise data to better inform outcomes for overall academic, spiritual and wellbeing of student/s.
    
4. Development and implementation of the College’s Sustainability Action Plan.
    
5. Reviewing and development of the structure of Identity. 
    
6. Implementation of an ecological immersion.
    
7. Review and consolidate our intentional, age appropriate and evidence-based student wellbeing and management programs. 
    
8. Set measurable goals for the growth of students’ academic, spiritual, physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. 
    
9. Put a priority on student voice contributing to decision making processes and collectively influencing school culture.
    
10. Embed a Middle/Senior School approach to wellbeing and pastoral care. 
     
11. Further develop the capacity of all middle leaders to lead learning and develop members of their teams. 
     
12. Develop a systemic approach to differentiation, including use of data and tracking, so every student is known and understood. 
     
13. Develop and consolidate a common language and core principles underpinning our teaching and learning, particularly in writing across the Curriculum.
     
14. Successfully implement the new NESA syllabuses in K-10 English, Mathematics and Languages as well as, 7-10 Computing Technology and 11-12 Enterprise Computing.
     
15. Successfully review and complete NESA curriculum compliance requirements for the renewal of registration and accreditation. 
     
16. Develop a systemic approach to the use of student data and tracking, so every student is known and understood. 
     
17. Review the Curriculum offerings so every boy is engaged and has opportunities to reach his potential.
     
18. Explore opportunities for outside facility hire, including negotiating a new long-term lease for Hudson Park and its Pavilion. 
     
19. Introduction of Science Club as a new Co-curricular activity. 
     
20. Appointing new Heads of Rugby and Football Development and implementing positive recommendations to the programs.
     
21. Effectively implement new syllabus requirements across Stage 3 in the Key Learning Areas of English and Mathematics. 
     
22. Focus on best-practice pedagogy in targeted literacy lessons to provide more meaningful teaching and learning experiences for all students. 
     
23. Further improve Science and Technology programming and the effective implementation of authentic teaching and learning experiences in the Stage 3 STEM lab linked to current units of work.

We have worked so hard to achieve these 23 priorities, and while we can tick most of them off, what we are proudest of is that the changes we have implemented, particularly those regarding Wellbeing Structures, have improved our annual survey results. 

I am including an overview of the results in this newsletter. The questions used a 6-point Likert scale. Any mean result above the middle score of 3 is good and any result over 4 is something to celebrate. The results below are from the stakeholder groups of PARENTS and STUDENTS.

Domain 1: School Environment

Vision and Mission communicate priorities, Collective focus on vision and mission, Common understanding of vision and mission, Behaviour reflects school values, Knowledge and Understanding of Faith supported, Balance between faith and academics, Spiritual growth is fostered, Develop knowledge and understanding of other faiths, Rules are applied fairly, Shared responsibility for upholding rules and norms, Rules are easy to understand, School grounds are clean and tidy, Building and grounds are well maintained, Sense of welcome.

Domain 2: Teaching and Learning

Student interests are known, student academic background is known, Student home background is known, Curriculum is reflected in lesson planning, Student prior knowledge is known, Teachers differentiate their teaching, Teachers use impactful teaching strategies, Variety of assessment strategies are used, Teachers give students feedback, Future focused learning is a priority, General capabilities are taught, Digital technologies are used as tools for learning, Students have opportunities to use technology to learn, Classroom furniture is rearranged to support learning, Variety of different learning spaces, Teachers help learners overcome barriers, Teachers provide interesting learning, Teachers provide challenging learning, Teachers connect learning to the real world.

Domain 3: Student Wellbeing

Students are resilient, Students actively seek help, Students set goals and monitor progress, Students know their strengths and areas for development, Students believe they can succeed, Students feel that they belong at the school, Students have a sense of connection with adults, Students feel accepted and valued, Students feel supported by others, Respect is valued and modelled, Students are supported to resolve conflicts, Student sense of safety outdoors, Students sense of safety in class, Students know how to respond to bullying, The school environment is free from bullying and harassment, Students feel safe engaging with social media, Students use social media responsibly, Fostering intercultural understanding, School values all cultures, Everyone is treated the same.

Domain 5: Community

School uses a range of communication modes, Information is accessible, Communication is clear and concise, Communication is well targeted, Frequency of communication is appropriate, Regular feedback from stakeholders is sought, Reporting methods are varied, Reporting is understandable, Opportunities for teacher/parent interaction, Variety of co-curricular activities, Co-curricular activities are engaging and interesting, Enjoyment of co-curricular activities, Enough sporting opportunities offered, Opportunities for students to engage in community service.

Reputation

Quality of education meets expectations, Preferred school of choice, Pride in child attending this school.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a loyalty metric that gauges how willing a parent is to recommend your school. A score above 0 is considered positive.

In order to develop our 2025 Annual Improvement Plan priorities, we look carefully at the top 10 and bottom 10 areas as ranked by our 1,550 students. They are as follows:

Staff Changes in Term 4 - Staff Announcements

• We welcome back Ms Gillian Daley  after her secondment to the EREA Renewal Team.
   
• It is wonderful to have Mrs Jacinta Young return to our teaching faculty. This term, she will return at 0.4 FTE and work each Thursday and Friday. 
   
• We wish Mr Matthew Herro all the best as he begins his temporary position as Acting Head of TAS while Mr Viney is on Long Service Leave.
   
• We congratulate Mrs Adriana Karanfilovski on the arrival of her baby daughter at the end of last term. 
   
• With Mrs Karanfilovski on Parental Leave, we welcome Mrs Jacinta Moses into the Visual Arts Faculty for the rest of this year.
   
• We congratulate our payroll officer, Ms Iannie Liu on the birth of her baby boy.
   

• We welcome Kyle Wallace, our new Aboriginal Education Worker, who commenced on Tuesday 15 October 2024. We are excited to have Kyle join the College to further our strategic priorities to drive reconciliation in education, with a holistic focus on strengthening relationships, respect, and opportunities in the classroom, both within the College and with the local community. Last term, he met our First Nations students, and he will now work Tuesdays and Thursdays out of the Bangawarra room. Mr Wallace is currently studying to be a secondary teacher, so this position is mutually beneficial for us all as he settles into his future vocation.
   
• Congratulations to Mr George Sacco and Elise, who were married during the vacation break. We wish them a lifetime of health, happiness, and prosperity. 

• Just before the end of last term, a member of our College Leadership Team, Karyn Corcoran resigned from her position of Director of HR, Risk and Governance so that she can make a move interstate to Brisbane, with her family. We wish her family well with this move. She will finish off the year with us and hopefully, can conduct a meaningful handover in such an important portfolio.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero