From the Principal Team
Welcome back to Term 2. We look forward to continuing our work with students, parents and staff as we provide a vast array of learning opportunities and a supportive environment to ensure all our learners have the best opportunity to experience success at Shepparton High School.
Thank you to all the parents/carers for taking the opportunity to attend the parent /teacher interviews at the end of last term. We have received lots of positive feedback from both staff and parents regarding the quality of conversations and the importance of communication between home and school. If parents did not have the opportunity to speak with individual teachers, I encourage you to contact your son/daughter’s Teacher Advisor or Year Level Team Leader to arrange for some feedback on your child’s progress/performance in Term 1.
During the last week of term one, the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals (of which I am a member), was involved in conducting a symposium on “What Next for Victorian School Funding”. Itbrought together over 170 of Victoria’s educators, parents, the not for profit sector, public servants and politicians. The event examined the state of equity in Victorian schools and the capability of our school funding model to provide an excellent education for all students.
Deputy Premier and Education Minister the Hon James Merlino MP addressed the forum to outline his ambitions for the 'education state', announcing:
· In 2016 School budgets will include a line item which specifies how much funding has been allocated as a result of the Gonski deal between the state and federal governments
· A full account of how Gonski deal funding has been spent to date
· Funding to Victorian schools will be raised to bring them closer to the national average
I welcome these commitments and look forward to seeing the detail in the coming state budget. I also want to see the Minister increase needs based funding and update the funding model to increase the equity component. At the symposium there was robust questioning concerning the recent legislation linking the non-government school funding envelope to government school funding. Many believe this undermines the core Gonski principle of sector blind needs based funding.
A report was presented comparing two groups of schools, one serving students from less advantaged families and the other more advantaged families. The report found that school-level education inequality rose in Victoria between 2010 and 2013, a change driven by shifting enrolment patterns. The report also highlighted the societal cost when students exit early from the school system. The report demonstrated that public schools have a significantly higher proportion (29%) of students in the lowest SES quartile, while this is 15% in Catholic schools and 8% in Independent schools. The report indicates that over the period since the Gonski Report was delivered in 2011, government funding (Victorian plus Federal) to government schools increased by
2.7% which is less than inflation. In the same period, government funding to non-government schools increased by 7.5% per annum, almost three times higher and well above inflation. Whatever the rationale for the disparity may have been, any substantive link to need or disadvantage seems to be missing.
REPORTING
During this week teachers have been completing Student Performance Average (SPA) reports for students in Years 7-12. We encourage students and parents to study the results in each category for each subject and consider how well they have gone over the past 6 weeks and how they might be able to improve as the semester progresses. The SPA report encourages this discussion not just between parents and students but also between students and their teachers. These reports will be mailed out by the end of next week.
TRANSITION – 2016 Year 7 Students
Our Transition team led by Kimberley Tempest, Robyn Hough and Lisa Rowe are planning our information evening and school tours for prospective Year 7 students and their parents. The transition booklet is currently being distributed in primary schools. Our Parent information night will be held here at Shepparton HS on Monday May 18th at 7.00pm. If you have any questions regarding transition, please have no hesitation in contacting a member of the transition team or myself. Parents will the opportunity to have tours of the school and be shown the extracurricular and core curricular activities undertaken at Shepparton High School and other state secondary schools on Tuesday May 26th and Wednesday May 27th at 9.15am and 11.15am.
NAPLAN TESTING
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests for Years, 7 and 9 students will be held on Tuesday 12th May , Wednesday 13th May and Thursday 14th May 2015. The results of the tests provide diagnostic information for parents and teachers about a child’s performance in Literacy and Numeracy. This information can be used to support teaching and learning programs and improve student achievement. Later in the year, parents will receive their child’s personal report. The report will describe the child’s particular skills in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. The report will also show how each child performed in relation to national minimum standards. If a student needs special consideration or has been learning English for less than a year a student can be exempted from the tests. Please contact Ms Oliver if you require an exemption form. For more information about the tests, please visit the VCAA website at <www.vcaa.vic.edu.au> or the NAPLAN website at www.naplan.edu.au
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Just prior to the end of Term 1, we held our AGM for the new school council. Ms.Simone Gale has been re-elected as President and we look forward to continuing implementing many exciting initiatives to benefit our students throughout the next year. School Council members are:
Parents – Simone Gale (President), Gary Lomer, Kelly McPherson, Mandy Stevenson
DEECD – Phil Squire, Debbie Oliver Kimberley Tempest, Amy Henriksen, Cam Reid, Julie Natalizio, Rohan Lelliott
Community – Fee Saulima, Resa Naseri, Jim O’Connor
STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE
Parents are reminded the Department of Education does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents and guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including transport costs. We recommend you seek assistance with this matter from your insurance broker or find a suitable personal accident insurer.
WINTER UNIFORM
With the onset of cold weather lately, it is an appropriate time to remind parents and students to prepare their winter uniform. As well as the traditional navy SHS waterproof jacket and grey school jumper, we have introduced a new SHS polo fleece jacket which can be purchased from the uniform shops. Hoodie windcheaters are not part of the school uniform and should not be worn to school.
We want the students to be warm in the approaching winter months so we urge you to plan early and have these items ready for wear.
3 STORY BUILDING WORKS
As you will have noticed works on the 3 story building commenced late last year on the installation of a lift. There has been an unfortunate hold-up on the building works to install the new lift. The company supplying the lift has encountered financial problems and has gone into receivership. The Facilities arm of the Education Department have sourced another supplier from overseas but it will take 5 months before the lift is constructed and delivered. These circumstances are obviously out of our control. It is also not the fault of the local building company conducting the installation works so we have been asked to be patient. It now looks like this job is going to continue throughout most of 2015 before it is finished. My apologies on behalf of the builders and the Education Department for this inconvenience.
Phil Squire Debbie Oliver Kimberley Tempest
Principal Asst Principal Asst Principal