Principal's News
Olivia Quinlan
This week we have received news that Ms Olivia Quinlan has been appointed as the Literacy Consultant in the Southern MACs region.
This is quite an achievement as Olivia was selected from a strong field of candidates to lead literacy development across many Catholic schools for School Leadership Teams, classroom teachers and children. Olivia has definitely achieved the position because of her strong attributes as a teacher and as a leader in all areas of school curriculum.
We know only too well her passion for literacy and her effectiveness as a competent, capable and calm leader. Olivia's lovely manner with children, teachers and parents will now be extended to many Catholic schools in the MACs Southern region. We wish her well knowing that she has left an indelible mark on our St James community.
Olivia arrived at St James in 2017 after a teaching and leadership career at St Therese's Essendon and in London and has invested a great deal to us. Olivia will be dearly missed.
Olivia will commence her new position on Monday 5th September.
This week we will post an advertisement for the Literacy Leader Role for Term 4 inviting applications.
Principal Appointment news
The process for the appointment of the new Principal has begun.
The panel discharged with the responsibility for this appointment is:
As the panel respects the confidentiality of this process, can I please ask that we all understand and respect this as well?
Let us keep the panel in our prayers as they are guided by the Spirit throughout this process.. |
Colour Run
The major event for the year is approaching and we are looking forward to the chance to have some massive fun as a school community. Kate Korber has a thorough informational page in the newsletter that provides detail of the Colour Run. We have been patient in waiting for this colour explosion to occur!
Saturday night - at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club - Let’s get Nautical
This Saturday night will be a wonderful chance for parents to gather and join in the fun of the school fundraiser at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club.
I have just completed reading the program and donations that we have received from 73 generous people and business owners. A huge thank you to Paige Harrington and Belinda Quinn for taking responsibility for this major event. The spirit of support in our school is wonderful to see and I am certain that those attending on Saturday night will have the best night this year. Let’s get nautical!
Katie Zhang
Big News today!
The School Sports Victoria golf tournament was conducted this morning, at Woodlands Golf Course. Katie Zhang, in Year 5, finished in first place and is now through to the next round in November. Well done Katie!
School Review and Executive Summary.
This week the staff received the report from our recent School Review. The review that we have undergone is all part of our ongoing commitment to school improvement. This commitment was guided by all key stakeholders at St James, (teachers, students and the community) MACS Southern region and the Government.
It included this timeline of engagement:
Pre Review: 7 June 2022
Day 1: 9 June 2022
Day 2: 14 June 2022
Dialogue & Engagement: 14 July 2022
The post review work that now commences allows us to reset our school improvement for the next four years.
On Monday afternoon the staff along with the support of Simon Fitzpatrick Regional Educational Consultant Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic schools (MACs)
- Revisited and reviewed the methodology for school improvement.
- Developed an understanding of the report by unpacking strengths and opportunities, recommendations and priorities.
This will all inform the development of the 2023 -2026 School Improvement Plan, and 2023 Action Plan.
I have included in this newsletter the Executive Summary of the report by our external reviewer Kylie Graham.
1. Executive Summary
St James’ School has made significant progress in working towards achieving the recommendations outlined in its previous school review. The school has successfully focused on creating a contemporary learning environment inspired by the Catholic faith and one where priority is given to achieving academic excellence. The religious dimension of the school is shown in prayer, celebration of liturgy and faith-based learning in action. A culture of learning has been fostered with the creation of collaborative learning opportunities and a greater focus given to building the data literacy skills of staff, leading to a more targeted approach to student learning. Community partnerships have been fostered, with students and parents valuing the school’s welcoming and nurturing culture.
The celebration of faith is highly valued at St James’ School. It is an important aspect of school life with regular opportunities for students to celebrate and pray together. There is evidence of ways in which students’ understanding of faith, Scripture and the Catholic tradition have been deepened and connected to real life. While the parish church remains under construction, attempts have been made to include families in liturgy within the school. Referencing Horizons of Hope, within the SchoolImprovement Plan (SIP) 2019-22, a focus was embedding the use of pedagogical practices in the planning, teaching, moderation and assessment of Religious Education (RE). Using a faith-based inquiry approach, the school continues to embed the RE curriculum outcomes. Targeted teacher professional learning could deepen staff knowledge and understanding of the progression of learning in the RE curriculum and assessment against the standards. Current work to create and implement an ‘I can’ statement developmental sequence will support the progression of each student's religious learning journey from Foundation to Year 6.
During the previous school improvement cycle, St James’ School’s learning and teaching focus was to develop an inclusive, dynamic learning environment, where all students were able to achieve success. Regular and formalised opportunities are now in place for staff to come together to plan in collaborative teams, with the school continuing to build the data literacy and fluency capacity of their teachers. Utilising a school wide instructional model could assist in the development of each teacher's skill and efficacy in the provision of differentiated learning opportunities, and capacity for giving and receiving effective feedback. Embedding a school-wide culture of powerful feedback might be considered as an important focus for the next SIP.
The teaching of literacy has been a key focus area in the last improvement cycle, and the school has implemented a sound model of professional development. The effective collection and analysis of data in literacy has resulted in high performing National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results. St James’ School is encouraged to extend this to numeracy data collection and analysis. Regular and structured peer observations, coaching and mentoring could enable staff to formulate robust, evidence informed professional goals to shape their professional practice across all areas of the curriculum.
2019 saw St James’ School conclude their ‘School in the Sky’ building project which saw the creation of contemporary indoor and outdoor learning areas. The recently created learning hub includes areas for withdrawal, collaborative learning and current approaches to pedagogy. Staff could gain further professional learning as to how they can best utilise the newly created learning spaces to enhance contemporary pedagogical practices.
A focus on how leadership can support staff was outlined in the past SIP. Leadership, focus group discussions and MACSSIS 2021 data points to the need for continued opportunities to build and maintain high levels of relational trust within a culture of collaboration. Family data (Communication domain) would suggest that there is ongoing work to be done in the way that the school priorities are shared with the wider community. It is recommended that strategies for building and maintaining enrolment be included in the next strategic plan to promote all that St James’ School has to offer.
Student wellbeing is a strength of the school. St James’ School provides an orderly school
environment in which the students feel secure and safe. The student focus discussion groups have indicated that there is a strong sense of connectedness to school and with their teachers. A whole school approach to student social and emotional learning is being implemented through the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) program. The school has worked to implement fair and respectful behaviour management and support systems and continues to investigate ways to ensure consistency is evident across the school. St James’ School acknowledges that, in the future, there needs to be more emphasis upon student voice and agency, empowering students to become self-regulated, independent, creative and confident learners. Opportunities to strengthen student resilience, voice and agency could be captured and addressed in the development of the future school improvement plan.
Building and sustaining reciprocal family and community partnerships that support, extend and challenge student learning has been an ongoing focus for St James’ School. There are many opportunities created for the community to be involved in school life. Engaging parents in a partnership with the school to support their child’s learning has the potential to increase students confidence in their ability as learners. The school has significant involvement in the community and is encouraged to further pursue partnerships to assist students in developing their sense of social justice in line with Catholic social teachings. Engaging students with additional opportunities for student voice within their local community could contribute to further improving student outcomes. The parents of the students acknowledged that St James’ School is welcoming, supportive, inclusive and provides an environment where their children feel safe and nurtured.
As St James’ School engages in the process of strategic thinking, planning, and development of itsSchool Improvement Plan for the next four years, the reviewer recommends that the school:
• Develops the school community through the strengthening of staff, student and parent
understanding and contribution to the Catholic culture of the school whilst enhancing
partnerships that improve communication and collaboration relating to faith, teaching and
learning.
• Develops shared understandings and consistent practices in teaching and learning that include a whole school instructional model, building the ability of teaching teams to use and analyse data to differentiate practice, and regular opportunities for feedback between students and teachers.
• Increases student voice, agency and leadership by building students’ capacity to engage in decision-making, peer feedback and increasing student responsibilities as leaders.
Faith in our future
Brendan