About the Annual School Report
St Joseph’s Charlestownis registered by the Board of Studies as a member of the Catholic system in the Dioceses of Maitland- Newcastle.
The Annual School Report provides parents and the wider community with fair, accurate and objective information about various aspects of school performance and development. The Report describes achievement of school development priorities in 2014 and gives information about 2014 priorities.
ThisReportisalegislativerequirementundertheSchools Assistance Act, 2008.
TheinformationinthisReportiscomplementedbytheschoolwebsitewhereotherschool publicationsandnewsletterscanbeviewedorobtainedfromtheschool.
Messages from Key School Bodies
Principal
2014 was a very rewarding year for St Joseph’s. We continued to promote the highest teaching and learning standards with a special focus on the teaching of literacy.Funding via the SAP project enabled us to provide a Leading Teacher to drive the teaching of literacy throughout the school. Professional development undertaken complemented this focus throughout the year.
In 2013 we reached twelve classes which demonstrated not only growth, but more importantly the confidence and support of our local community. This number of classes was maintained in 2014. During 2014 we hosted our inaugural Information Evening and this was well attended. We wished to raise awareness of our school in the community. The increase in enrolments was an indicator of our success.
In this report you will see the highlights of our year and the many and varied activities undertaken by the school. Parent Education opportunities was a goal we worked towards in 2014 as we introduced speakers and sessions on a variety of topics. We will continue this trend in coming years.
This report will provide a snapshot of life at St Joseph’s Charlestown.
Parent Body
Sustained success in any school is based on strong executive leadership, creative and professional teachers and support staff and a proactive and constructive parent body. At St Joseph’s Charlestown the Parents and Friends association is focussed on adding value to the school by allocating funds raised towards resources and assets that improve educational outcomes and the school’s reputation both now and into the future. In 2014 the P. and F. allocated $35,020 towards landscaping, security doors, representative school blazers, entry fees to Tournament of the Minds, book vouchers as well as financial support for families in need of a little help. The bulk of these funds are raised from the school canteen, clothing pool and fund raising activities throughout the year.
Student Body
The School Councillors have worked effectively with the Principal, staff and students to help with the organisation of many assemblies, tabloid sports days,represented the school at The Catholic School’s Week Mass and the ANZAC Service at Adamstown RSL, Father’s Day breakfast, Charity Fundraisers and more.
As usual, we enjoyed helping and assisting our Kindergarten buddies this year. At the beginning of the year, they needed a lot of assistance, but as the year progressed, they moved on to be with the friends that they had made. They will always remember us and we will remember them as our “little friends”. Our school camp this year was held at Morisset Outdoor Education Centre. Even though the weather was not very inspiring, the various activities were great team-building exercises. We enjoyed many outdoor activities such as canoeing, giant swing, rock climbing, high ropes etc. during the day and fun activities at night.
The school community supports us by providing equipment, computers, incursions, attending our Swimming Carnivals, Sports Carnivals and Catholic Schools Week, to name a few. We will fondly remember the St. Joseph’s community – a wonderful place where we have been given a lot of pastoral care and encouraged to succeed.
We hope that the new school leaders for 2015, have the same wonderful opportunities that we had!
Who We Are
History of the School
St Joseph’s Primary school was founded by the Sisters of St Joseph in 1927. The school was initially located in Milson St Charlestown, adjacent to the parish church and the Josephite convent however as the Charlestown area grew and developed it was necessary to relocate to accommodate growing enrolments. In 1975 the new school, situated in a natural bushland setting was officially opened. St Joseph’s is proud of its Josephite heritage and continues to espouse the charism of the Josephite order.
Location/Setting
St Joseph’s PS is located in Charlestown in Shelton St, on the eastern side of the highway. We are part of the LAKES Region of catholic schools. We are a feeder school for St Mary’s High School Gateshead.
Characteristics of the Student Body
The table below shows the number of students in each of the categories listed.
LBOTE* / SWD* / Indigenous18 / 20 / 10
*LanguageBackgroundsOtherThanEnglish (LBOTE)StudentswithDisabilities (SWD)
Religious Dimension and Culture of School Life
Catholic Identity
We atSt. Joseph’s take great pride in promoting and celebrating our Catholic identity. Our school Mission Statement is: “We celebrate, we hope, we pray in a nurturing environment of love, learning and service. We model the evangelising mission of the Church by welcoming all and living the Gospel values through our motto: “TRUTH IN CHRIST.” These values are reflected in our school policies and practices and our relationships with each other and our community. We continue to build from the philosophies of the school’s founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph and their charism,“to be one with God, among ourselves and with all others”. We regularly celebrate together through prayer, liturgy and assemblies demonstrating our deep commitment to our Catholic faith. We acknowledge and celebrate the Awabakal people at all our assemblies and liturgies as the traditional owners of the land on which the school is built.
Our school mural at the entry to the school, displays the symbols of our faith and welcoming community. Our school crest embraces the traditions of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lochinvar who have worked in the Charlestown area since 1927. The Waterfall reminds us of the Flaggy Creek waterfall above Glenrock Lagoon, a beauty spot of the local natural environment. The 'M' symbolises the Charlestown Parish of St Mary Immaculate to which this school belongs and the Poppet Head recalls the mining history of the Charlestown area. The school’s office foyer, the staffroom and classrooms have dedicated prayer spaces highlighting events in the liturgical calendar. Catholic symbols and images can be seen in all areas of the school. Each learning space displays a colourful cross from El Salvador, each depicting the qualities and the joy of Jesus.
The School as part of Parish and Diocesan Life
St Joseph’s Primary School, as part of MacKillop Parish collaborates with the Parish Priest a regular visitor to our school, and the various Parish groups such as the Parish Pastoral Council, St. Vincent de Paul Conference and Sacramental teams through meetings, liturgies and celebrations.
Throughout 2014 we celebrated as a parish community on numerous occasions: Opening of the School Year Mass / St. Joseph’s Day/ Catholic Schools Week / Confirmation and First Eucharist and the End of Year Mass acknowledging our Year Six graduates. Classes were invited to attend the weekly Wednesday morning Mass during Term 3.This is a great opportunity for the children to become more familiar with the Mass and to celebrate Eucharist together.
Our Staff and school representatives attended a range of Diocesan celebrations such as the Called to Serve Mass, Catholic Schools Week Mass and the Special Needs Mass.
Teaching of Religion
St. Joseph’s Primary School implements the Diocesan K-12 Religion syllabus and the accompanying Resource Units for the teaching of Religion. We also use the Sydney Archdiocese “To Know Worship and Love”resources as appropriate to assist with differentiation in composite classes. Each class has a structured 30 minute lesson each day, which develops knowledge and understanding of the traditions of the Catholic community: its story, its experiences and its teachings. Professional development is ongoing with the Religious Education Coordinator purchasing new resources, disseminating relevant information at staff meetings and assisting teachers to develop meaningful celebrations and units of work. The school is very supportive of the Parish-based Sacramental Program and its implementation. The Religious Education Coordinator liaises regularly with the Parish Priest and the Sacramental Convenors.
In 2014, Year 5 and 6 continued to implement the teaching of the Stage 3 Diocesan Trial Units, developing contemporary teaching and learning strategies and assessment in the area of Religion. These provided a variety of valuable and significant learning experiences with the teachers reporting positively on these and the supporting resources. Staff also participated in Professional Development in Term 1 with Dr. Brendan Hyde(ACU) presenting ‘Children’s Spirituality and Religious Education’. In Term 3 all staff met with Mr. Mark Spencer,Education Officer (Primary RE & Spirituality Services),reviewing and updating staff on the roll out of the new MN RE Syllabus.
40 Year 6 students participated in the Diocesan Religious Literacy Test with 2 High Distinction, 7 Distinctions, 17 Credits and 14 Participation Certificates being awarded.
Retreats and Faith Development Programs
Formal and informal practices form part of the faith dimension of our school. Every Monday morning our staff comes together to pray as we begin the school week. The daily prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours,are used. As a staff we use the resource WE PRAY AS ONE- Daily Liturgical Prayer. It provides us with an opportunity to pray as a Church community of Charlestown, through gesture, posture and action. It is specifically written for schools and parents of Australia and New Zealand and is designed to reflect the Church and natural seasons of the Southern Hemisphere.
The Parish Sacramental Program is facilitated by the Parish Sacramental Team and supported by the REC, parents and teachers. Class teachers have attended evenings and parish masses in preparation for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist. The REC has facilitated a Sacramental group for each of the Sacraments throughout the year, offering classes after school for parents and children’s faith formation.
The Staff are offered various professional development opportunities through the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese and further study is promoted in the area of Religious Education and Theology as part of Faith formation and accreditation policies. The Principal, AP, REC and PC each attended their respective Diocesan retreats throughout the year.
In Term 2 the students attended a music and faith workshop with Australian Singer Songwriter, Andrew Chinn. These were faith filled and interactive workshops culminating in a whole school concert in which the parents, parish and wider community were invited to attend. The students, teachers and parents were extremely positive about this experience.
Values and initiatives to promote respect and responsibility
Respect and Responsibility underpin all policies at St. Joseph’s School. Day to day these principles are reinforced by the staff and are evident in the children’s behaviour, and the way they care for each other. Assemblies and liturgical celebrations are marked with real appreciation and a sense of occasion. Our students are always ready to raise funds when others in local and international communities need help. In 2014the Mini Vinnies group continued to operate with 45 students from Year 5 and 6 being commissioned at the St. Joseph’s Day Liturgy. Youth Coordinator Michell Kott presented the students with their badge and students pledged commitment to the group and it’s mission. This group met on a regular basis throughout the year to pray for the needs of others and to focus on social justice issues, truly embodying the message of Saint Mary MacKillop to “never see a need without doing something about it”. A variety of fundraisers were organised throughout the year with contributions made to Caritas’ Project Compassion, Catholic Mission, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Harry’s House and the school’s Advent Giving Tree. The school community is extremely supportive of all events and continues to show a true spirit of generosity and concern for others.
The school’s KidsMatter framework and the Bounce Back resilience and wellbeing program enhances and supports the teaching of Core Values through explicit instruction across all KLA’s.
Policies
Enrolment Policy
St Joseph’s follows the guidelines provided by the Catholic Schools Office Enrolment Policy 2013.This Enrolment Policy has been devised in order to accommodate the needs of families seeking a Catholic education. It aims to set direction for school procedures and practices for enrolling students into Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools within the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and to establish a common, consistent approach in enrolment practices and assist the system of Catholic schools toprovide schooling, where possible, for all Catholic children who seek enrolment, cater for the individual needs of each child equitably within the constraints of the availableteaching and material resources and to encourage parents enrolling their children in Catholic schools to give support to parish and school life, especially in education in faith.
Copies of the Policy are available from the school, or from the Catholic Schools Office website. Parents concerned about school fees should ensure they make contact with the school. Diocesan provisions (including standard discounts for those with a Health Card) exist to help in this area, and the Principal can also exercise discretion where genuine need exists.
Student Welfare
Student Welfare is a high priority at St Joseph’s.
Currently, the Student Welfare Policy is incorporated into the following policies: Pastoral Care Policy, Anti Bullying Policy, Child Protection Policy, Behaviour Policy, Special Needs Policy. Student Welfare concerns are given due process, procedural fairness and treated pastorally and confidentially with the specific needs of the child and family as the fundamental focus. Copies of these policies can be found on the School intranet, under “policies.”
Our ‘KidsMatter’ and ‘BounceBack’ programs continue to promote wellbeing and resilience. The completion of a wall mural depicting children as the focus, is a welcoming sign as students, parents and visitors enter the school each day. It is colourful, bright and lively, depicting the values that we aspire to. The incursions for 2014 included “The Cyber Bully”, “Snake Tails” (Aboriginality), “Shake, Rhubarb and Roll” (healthy eating) and “Street Sense”. These incursions supported our PD/Health teaching programs for Terms 1 to 4. The St. Joseph’s Weekly Newsletter contains advice to parents on how to support each other as a family and the names of support agencies they can use if needed. The KidsMatter program promotes mental health strategies for families and the BounceBack Program is a classroom resource that teaches students strategies for social-emotional learning that underpin well-being and resilience.
Discipline
Discipline procedures and processes are set out in the Pastoral Care Policy. A consistent approach to discipline is essential in providing a caring and productive learning environment. We believe that making mistakes and wrong choices are all part of a child’s development. It is important that when such mistakes are made children receive the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in a positive way. We reinforce the major principles of our Pastoral Care policy that identify the promotion of courtesy, safety, kindness honesty, consideration and responsibility. When children fail to own and address unacceptable behaviour, parents are formally notified. As we encourage children to understand the range of consequences that certain actions create, those children whose behaviour may need modifying are required to consider a number of ‘Restorative Justice” questions.
Parents are able to access the policy via our intranet or asking for a copy at the school office.
Anti-Bullying Policy
Catholic schools have the responsibility to promote cultures of trust, cooperation and respect in the lived experience of the Catholic Christian setting. Bullying in a school mitigates such a culture and inhibits the development of positive relational outcomes for the common good of students, teachers and caregivers.St Joseph’s Anti-BullyingPolicy is reviewed regularly and is available on the school website.
To monitor any incidences of bullying all children are surveyed anonymously each term in week 6 via a survey about bullying. This provides us with valuable data upon which to act. Our Anti Bullying policy is actively implemented by all staff.
Complaints and Grievances
The school has formal written protocols in place to address complaints and grievances. These protocols are in line with the Complaints and Grievances Resolution Policy(2013), developed to provide a consistent approach for all Diocesan schools. This policy aims to address the concerns of Parents / Carers and the wider community. These concerns may includechildren’s learning, behaviour and welfare, School organisation and management, student health and safety issues.
A copy of this policy and the informative parent brochure is available from the school office, school website or is available on the Catholic Schools Office website.The policy and associated support material was updated in 2013. St Joseph’s school community fully implements this CSO policy.
Student Achievements
Academic Achievements
The State Action Plan continued in 2014 contributing resources to our school to enhance student outcomes and teacher’s professional development. We have continued to employ a leading teacher to facilitate small group learning in literacy and numeracy throughout the grades. Teachers have become more familiar with identifying their students on the literacy and numeracy continuum and utilising the ELK2 site allowing them to recognise individual needs of each student’s learning. The MiniLit program, targeting young readers who require extra assistance, also continued and the progress of all students have been very successful.