Dear Parents & Carers

Welcome to 2018! A big welcome to all new parents and carers to our school. We are so pleased to have so many of you have become part of our community, a community ‘Founded on Faith, Focused on Learning.’

Education Vision 2018

Our educational vision for 2018 builds on the work we have been doing to put learning first. The vision comes from feedback from students, staff, parents and carers.

Our vision is a faith filled Catholic Professional Learning Community, founded on faith & focused on learning, working collaboratively to enhance the learning for all, resulting in students who are creative, confident and informed people ready to make a real difference in our world. We believe that everyone can learn, not always at the same time or in the same way, and we strive to create learning opportunities for all.

A Catholic Professional Learning Community has a number of key focus points all taking place in a Catholic context. These include:

1. Focus on Learning;

2. Culture of Collaboration;

3. Results Orientation.

Our main goals in 2018 are designed to continue to improve in these key areas. The goals for 2018 are:

Faith Formation

To ensure Catholic Core Principles & Values are understood and embedded in learning programs.

To increase the involvement of students in parish life and engage in Year of Youth.

Learning

To work towards the development of guaranteed & viable curriculum.
To ensure differentiation underpins teaching & learning.
To guarantee engaging & effective learning environments.

Collaboration

To ensure pastoral academic care is a focus for the whole school community.

To develop effective Professional Learning Teams.

To develop leadership to align with the Professional Learning Community framework.

The Research

In particular, we are working closely with Dr Lyn Sharratt and Dr Kate O’Brien to improve learning for students. Lyn’s work with Michael Fullan, put forward 14 parameters to increase all students’ achievement -

Shared Beliefs and Understandings (adapted from Hill & Crevola 1999)
Each student can achieve high standard, given the right time and the right support.
Each teacher can teach to high standards, given the right assistance.
High expectations and early and ongoing intervention are essential
Teachers and administrators need to be able to articulate what they do and why they teach the way they do.
Embedded Literacy/Instructional Coaches
Daily, Sustained Focus on Literacy Instruction
Principal Leadership
Early and Ongoing Intervention
Case Management Approach: (a) Data Walls (b) Case by Case Meetings
Professional Learning at School Staff Meetings
In-School Grade/ Subject Meetings
Centralized Resources
Commitment of District and School Budgets for Literacy Learning and Resources
Action Research/ Collaborative Inquiry
Parental and Community Involvement
Cross-Curricular Connections
Shared Responsibility and Accountability

(Source: Sharratt and Fullan (2005, 2006, 2009)

In particular at O’Connor we have adopted a school wide focus on Learning Intentions and Success Criteria as well as the concept of Learning Walks. To work with staff and students to embed evidenced-based practices to improve student learning, the Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Armidale, has supported a Leader of Pedagogy at our school. The Leader of Pedagogy (LOP) is a 2 pt position on the leadership team. The work of the LOP is focused on capacity building. The LOP at O’Connor is Mrs Eli Simpson.

Pastoral Academic Care (PAC)

School based Pastoral Academic Care at O’Connor refers to the care of the whole person. It is based upon the belief in the dignity of the person. Research (Jacqueline Van Velsen, CEO WISA Wellbeing in Schools Australia) indicates that students with high levels of wellbeing are more likely to achieve high academically and complete school, have better health, and have greater participation in the workforce. Wellbeing is everyone’s business.

O’Connor’s Pastoral Academic Care program is based on this evidence that learning and wellbeing are inextricably linked. Our PAC Program includes coaching, learning conversations and goal setting. The PAC teachers play a very important role in monitoring and building wellbeing. The Student Diary is based on a strengths based approach. It emphasises the strengths that people have and how they build their strengths in other areas. The key elements of the student diary are: Positive Engagement; Meaning and Purpose; Skills and Achievement; Relationship and Optimism; Strengths and Emotions; and Exercise and Health. These are the key elements needed to strive, thrive and flourish.

The focus for the week will be included in the newsletter and have information for Parents and Carers to help them promote positive wellbeing both for your son/daughter but also yourself.

PAC Focus

Pastoral Academic Care (PAC) Focus -

Each week, we have a different PAC focus. This comes from our PAC Diary and this resource is from Learning Curve. This week’s focus is

Wellbeing Element: Relationships and Optimism

Character Strength: Love

Wellbeing Fitness Challenge: Others Matter

Wellbeing Reflection Activity: Family and Friends Advantage http://learningcurve.com.au)

Parent Wellbeing: The shadow side of a strength is when you underuse, misuse or overuse it. For three of your strengths describe a time you used them on the shadow side.

When students enjoy honest and caring relationships with their families and friends, they are:

happy in themselves and able to look for the good in things they are doing

in a position to make the most of teamwork

socially connected and have a sense of belonging

Well-functioning families and friendship groups look for what they are doing well. A great exercise is to do the free Character Strengths Survey at www.viacharacter.org Then each person will know their signature and top supporting strengths. Conversations can then be about how they can use their strengths together to achieve what they set out to do. Doing this creates growth mindsets.

Receiving and accepting feedback from family and friends on how they are travelling enables students self-assess and then set process self-expectations for themselves. They need regular developmental, non-judgmental feedback.

The adolescent brain is a turbulent place, with the good decision making-centre, the pre-frontal cortex, not completely wired up: As such, while they can create emotions just like adults, they don’t yet have the capabilities to consistently control them. This often leads to any feedback to be seen as criticism.

“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” Charles Dickens

Leaders Cross and Dux 2017 Ceremony

On Friday 2nd February, we held a beautiful Leaders Cross Ceremony. The Leaders for 2018 announced the theme for 2018 ‘Oh the places you’ll go’ (thanks Dr Seuss).

The Dux for 2017 HSC Class was also announced. I have included part of my speech from the ceremony that includes many of the highlights from the HSC Class of 2017:

The HSC class of 2017 achieved excellent results showing learning growth across their years of schooling. In 2017 89% of all courses achieved results in the top 2 bands an increase of 17% across the school. This demonstrates the diverse talents of the students who completed school last year.

The HSC Class of 2017 displayed self discipline and determination and their teachers worked hard to help them achieve their individual learning goals . I would like to congratulate the students, the teaching staff and all staff who worked with commitment to achieve the best learning outcomes for all. Here are some of the highlights from the year:

Tess Brown - major work for Textiles and Design was chosen for TexStyle Exhibition.

Georgia Cullen - major work for Textiles and Design was chosen for TexStyle and Shape Exhibitions.

Overall there were 62 band 5 and 6s (or equivalent) results including

Georgia Mackson Band 6 - Advanced English

Lauren Boundy - Band 6 - Hospitality

Tess Browne - Band 6 - Textiles and Design.

Georgia Cullen - Band 6 - Textiles and Design.

Grace Murray - Band 6 - Hospitality

Emily Turkovic - Band 6 - PDHPE

Erin Smith - Band 6 - Agriculture and Primary Industries

Thomas Frazier ATAR 92.4 Band 6 - Music 1 National Band 6 Extension 2 Maths E3 Maths Ext 1.

And It is with great pleasure that I announce the Dux for 2017 - Our school captain from 2017 Harry Lye. Harry attained an ATAR of 92.5. He achieved Band 6 results in Mathematics Ext 1 and 2. He achieved Band 5 results in Physics, Chem, English Standard and Studies of Religion 1.

Throughout the HSC Harry showed a determination to learn and made the most of the learning opportunities presented. He was proactive in his learning, always asking questions and seeking to more fully understand difficult concepts. Not only did he achieve outstanding academic results, he also immersed himself fully in the life of the College.

He was the 2017 school captain, he had a major role in the school musical (and has a role in high School Musical) and was active in the sports arena in particular hockey.

Harry is an outstanding young person who shows maturity of thought and qualities that will continue to flourish in whatever Harry sets his mind to in the future. I congratulate Harry Lye and the HSC class of 2017.

O’Connor truly is founded on faith and focused on learning and if you follow that motto -

‘Oh the places you’ll go.’

What new learning will you undertake this week?

Regina Menz

Careers

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