The Lantern 

Deputy Principal's Report

End of Term 3 - Thanks for the support

With the end of the term approaching, the enormity of what has taken place in the history of the College cannot be understated.  Through an incredibly sad turn of events that led to the announcement that the College will be closing at the end of 2020 and subsequent turmoil has been, to put it mildly, very unsettling for the community.  It has tested all of us, parents, teachers and students, and caused much angst.  The uncertainty of both the short and long term impacts of such a decision has weighed heavily on many.

 

In spite of this, and certainly in the last couple of weeks, some normality has returned.  On many occasions throughout the year, I have commented on the strength of community that exists at PCW. Throughout the turmoil of the past weeks, thankfully community is one element of the school that has not left us.  The support from families and students has been heart-warming and, despite the sadness, certainly a fond memory of my short time at the school.  I wanted to extend my thanks to all families and particularly the girls of PCW for their support for staff and one-another over the past six weeks; it is from this community that our resilience grows, allowing us to not only meet challenges but rise above them.  I am confident that we will be able to honour the legacy of PCW with dignity for the remainder of 2019 and onwards to the end of 2020.  We look forward to creating some memorable moments for individuals and the broader community alike.

NAPLAN Results 2019

NAPLAN results for 2020 were released last week.  They were of particular note for us here at PCW, as they presented some data on the impact of the Middle Years Program on comparable academic outcomes.  In brief, NAPLAN assesses five areas:

  1. Writing
  2. Reading
  3. Spelling
  4. Grammar & Punctuation
  5. Numeracy

In summary, here are some of the positive findings from Year 9, the best reflection of the education provided at PCW:

  • All students were above the minimum standard in two areas of assessment; 
  • Grammar & Punctuation and Numeracy
  • The school experienced well above state and national levels of growth in Reading and Spelling
  • Growth in Writing and Grammar & Punctuation was at state and national levels
  • Above expected levels of high growth for Reading and Spelling
  • Above expected levels of high and medium growth for Writing

The importance of this positive data cannot be dismissed; it reflects the positive elements of the school’s learning programs that are having a distinct impact.  Other areas that need improving are: growth in numeracy, differentiating for the higher ability students, and also ensuring that all students meet minimum standards (even though there were only a small number).  These results sharpen our focus, allowing us to continue to do what works, and alter those that aren’t working as well as we would like.

 

Brenden Mair

Deputy Principal