Georgetown State School (0178)
/ Postal address / PO Box 1 Georgetown QLD 4871
Phone / (07) 4062 1139
Fax / (07) 4062 1280
Email /
Webpages / Additional reporting information pertaining to Queensland state schools is located on the My Schoolwebsite and the Department’s Right to Information site.
Contact Person / Mrs Melissa Wieland
Principal’s foreword
Introduction
Welcome to our annual report for GeorgetownStateSchool. I hope it gives you a sound insight into the educational offerings andachievements of our little school over the last year.Georgetown is small in size, but big in heart and soul. Our students, staff and community take pride in our school and are happyto show off all the wonderful achievements we have made. We are continually committed to growing the number of studentsenrolled at our school.We aim to ensure our local community trusts our school in the delivery of quality education to theirchildren.
English, Mathematics, Science and ICT’s are our curriculum priorities and students work in a variety of settings and on a range of tasks to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. I welcome our whole community to our school and encourage questions andinterest in the curriculum. We respect the contributionsfrom all agencies and groups in fostering the growth of our children in our community.Our open door policy allows parents and community members into our classrooms and is a useful tool for effective communication betweenthese groups.
We at Georgetown State School work hard to overcome the issues of isolation and remoteness from a large metropolitan or capitalcity and work with a variety of agencies to ensure that our students are achieving the best educational outcomes available to them.
Please join us as we review the year that was and celebrate the successes of our students, staff and community.
School progress towards its goals in 2010
Our priorities for 2010 were to improve literacy and comprehension outcomes for all students and this was achieved by purchasing resources to complement our classroom programs, staff training in literacy pedagogy, detailed explicit teaching lessons, learning support and set individual targets for each student.Analysis of school wide data has shown improved student outcomes in reading, writing and numeracy and this has been achieved through explicit teaching lessons and focussed pedagogy.
Staff and community have been engaged in conversations about the school’s key explicit agenda and all members are working towards one clear goal to improve the reading and comprehension outcomes of the students.
Future outlook
Moving towards 2011, we are committed to continuing the reading and comprehension focus for all of our students and this will be our key explicit improvement agenda for the year. We aim to do this byReviewing all forms of school data to identify areas that require additional support and extension for high performing areas of the curriculum.
Purchasing resources as required and demonstrating best use of physical and human resources.
Involvement of all staff in professional development opportunities that relate to reading and comprehension outcomes.
Raising awareness of the school’s goal and encouraging parents to share this focus.
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Our school at a glanceSchool Profile
Coeducational or single sex: Coeducational
Year levels offered: Prep - Seven
Total student enrolments for this school:
Total Enrolment / Girls / Boys / Enrolment Continuity (Feb 2010 – Nov 2010)38 / 22 / 16 / 93%
Characteristics of the student body:
GeorgetownStateSchool offers two multi age classrooms Prep to Year Three and Year Four to Year Seven. Currently the gender trend favours girl enrolments and all students are from an Anglo saxan background. There are currently no indigenous students enrolled at Georgetown SS.The majority of students enrolled are from two parent families with many of the families involved in the beef grazing industry. The other main employer of our families is the local Etheridge Shire Council with the fathers working a nine day shift away from the home unit.
Nine students reside at the Local Georgetown Student Hostel due to the distances their homes are from the school. Students travel to the Hostel on a Monday morning and return home after school Friday. The Hostel is operated by the local Council and is managed by two House Parents. Some students travel for three hours to attend school.
The student population is extremely stable with very few transient enrolments. The majority of students will leave the area upon completion of Year Seven to attend boarding schools for their secondary schooling.
No students with special needs were enrolled in 2010 and additional support was provided on a one to one basis to those students identified as requiring learning support.
Class sizes – Proportion of school classes achieving class size targets in 2010
Phase / Average Class Size / Percentage of classes in the schoolOn or under target / Under Target / On Target / Over Target
Prep – Year 3 / 20 / 100% / 100% / 0% / 0%
Year 4 – Year 10 / 20 / 100% / 100% / 0% / 0%
Year 11 – Year 12
All Classes / 20 / 100% / 100% / 0% / 0%
School Disciplinary Absences
Disciplinary Absences / Count of Incidents
Short Suspensions - 1 to 5 days / 0
Long Suspensions - 6 to 20 days / 0
Exclusions / 0
Cancellations of Enrolment / 0
Curriculum offerings
Our distinctive curriculum offerings
Ability based groupings for literacy and numeracy, including guided reading programs.Relevant and intensive learning programs.
With the assistance of PCAP, curriculum underpinned by the “You Can Do It!” program.
HRE lessons are offered to the upper school with students working on body awareness, protective behaviours, reproduction etc. The lowerclassroom focuses on a simpler version and concentrates on learning protective behaviours. These lessons are run in conjunctionwith the Savannah District Health Nurse.
Instrumental music is also offered via the Cairns School of Distance Education to support students with an interest and desire tolearn a concert band instrument. Currently the students work collaboratively with schools from across the Gulf to access thisprogram which is co shared by these schools and CSDE. An instrumental music teacher based in Cairns provides weekly lessonsvia the telephone and visits on a term basis. Music camps yearly help strengthen the band focus and allow the students tointeract and work together.
Extra curricula activities
Active After School Care – offered to all year levels three times a week.Sport Training for upcoming carnivals – training coordinated and operated by local parents and interested community members.
How Information and Communication Technologies are used to assist learning
There is a computer to student ratio of 1 to 3. Information Computers and Technology (ICT) items are used to assist studentlearning in a range of ways that can include:Researching using tools such as Encarta and World Wide Web
Producing presentations using software such as Powerpoint
Producing posters and projects using software such as Word and Publisher
Mathematical, literacy and other educational software E.g. EDAlive
Interaction and communication with other groups via Elluminate.
ICT’s are used to develop student literacy through the use of literacy software, film and image reading and creation and studentinitiated projects to document learning and research.
Social climate
Being a small school in a semi-remote community, the school’s social climate is one of close knit friendship and family values. Allstudents know they are a valued member of the school and broader community and attitudes reflect this. Our school is able to provide a personal education for each individual and students are all aware that our actions affect each and every member of theschool community. With this in mind, students develop caring relationships and older students often take responsibility for assistingyounger students in both the social and academic aspects of learning.Our school has worked tirelessly to present and offer a warm and caring environment through the integration of such programs as“You Can Do It” and the HRE program with the Savannah District Health Nurse. The local Savannah District Health Nurse visits the school regularly to conduct HRE lessons. Our school is also supported by the Priority CountryArea Program in which the students are assisted with projects and activities that are not easily accessible to students in remote andrural areas.
Reverend John Anderssen from the Travelling Tabernacle Ministries visits the school every six weeks to providereligious education lessons to our students. Pastor Michal Rafferty also volunteers with Christian religious education and after school Youth Group. Volunteer parents assist the school with particular interests and requirements for example ball roomdancing.
The school opinion survey data from 2008 clearly indicates that parents on agree that their child is happy to go to school atGeorgetown, that it is a safe and caring environment and that there is satisfaction with the level of school discipline and good studentbehaviour
Parent, student and teacher satisfaction with the school
Staff morale is very high and the majority of staff are satisfied with their access to professional development opportunities. Parents and care givers believe that the school offers their child a good education and are satisfied with the learning opportunities on offer at Georgetown State School.Performance measure / Result 2010
Percentage of parents/caregivers satisfied that their child is getting a good education at school / 63%
Percentage of students satisfied that they are getting a good education at school / 42%
Percentage of parents/caregivers satisfied with their child’s school / 75%
Percentage of school workforce satisfied with access to professional development opportunities that relate to school and systemic initiatives / 75%
Percentage of staff members satisfied with morale in the school / 100%
Involving parents in their child’s education.
GeorgetownStateSchool has a strong Parents and Citizens Association (P&C). Members of the P&C influence the direction of theschool and the members are aware that the school is theirs as much as it is their child’s.Parents are encouraged to become involved in the education of their child through undertaking voluntary work at the school such ashelping in the classroom, providing services in the tuckshop and participating in the P&C, attending extra-curricular activities such as sports days and joining in on the broad range of community events which are offered by the school such as Showcases andopen days.A newsletter is provided to parents and community members and this often suggests ways that parents can be involvedin their child’s education. We have an open door policy for parents and encourage parents into our classrooms.
We plan specifically for events wherever possible to coincide with when parents from isolated properties are likely to be visiting thetownship. Parents are encouraged to access the school’s webpage on a regular basis where information, calendars, forms and reports are located.
Reducing the school’s environmental footprint
Throughout 2010, Georgetown SS strived to reduce the school’s carbon footprint. This was achieved by the installation of an underground watering system which limits the reliance on town water to irrigate. The school also uses solar power to reduce the use of electricity which is identified in the amount of KwH we are using.Students are encouraged to reuse and recycle and food scraps are used for feeding animals and compost.
Another installed water tank is used to collect rain water to use for toilet flushing as a means of reducing the use of town water.
Year / Total / Electricity / Sewerage / Waste / Water / Gas / Other / Electricity
KwH / WaterKL / GasMJ
2010 / $10,592 / $7,246 / $0 / $0 / $363 / $0 / $2,983 / 37,439 / 959 / 0
2009 / $9,907 / $6,904 / $0 / $0 / $1,676 / $0 / $1,327 / 40,996 / 0 / 0
% change 2009 - 2010 / 7% / 5% / N/A / N/A / -78% / N/A / 125% / -9% / N/A / N/A
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Our staff profileStaff composition, including Indigenous Staff
Workforce Composition / Teaching Staff / Non-teaching Staff / Indigenous StaffHeadcounts / 3 / 3 / 0
Full-time equivalents / 3 / 2 / 0
Qualifications of all teachers.
Expenditure on and teacher participation in professional development.
The total funds expended on teacher professional development in 2010 was $4226.The major professional development initiatives are as follows:Beginner Teacher Training, Reading Comprehension, Curriculum Planning, BEMIR training.
The involvement of the teaching staff in professional development activities during 2010 was 100%.
Average staff attendance
For permanent and temporary staff and school leaders, the staff attendance rate was 98% in 2010.Proportion of staff retained from the previous school year.
From the end of the previous school year, 100% of staff were retained by the school for the entire 2010 school year./ 2010 School Annual Report
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Performance of our studentsKey student outcomes
Attendance
Student attendance - 2010
The average attendance rate for the whole school as a percentage in 2010 was 92%.Student attendance for each year level
Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3 / Year 4 / Year 5 / Year 6 / Year 7 / Year 8 / Year 9 / Year 10 / Year 11 / Year 1291% / 93% / 90% / 92% / 92% / 90% / 93%
Description of how non-attendance is managed by the school
Non-attendance is managed in state schools in line with the DET policies, SMS-PR-029: Managing Student Absences and SMS-PR-036: Roll Marking in State Schools, which outline processes for managing and recording student attendance and absenteeism.Parents are encouraged to ensure that their child attends school every day and this message is highlighted in newsletters, P&C meetings and school documents.
A review of student absences is included in the school’s annual action plan which tracks the daily absences of every child. The annual action plan is presented at P&C meetings on a regular basis. Staff also access this plan on a daily basis and this is used to identify areas where non-attendance may be an issue for a student. .
Achievement – Years 3, 5, 7, and 9
National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results – our reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy results for the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Our reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy results for the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are available via the MySchool website at
To access our NAPLAN results, click on the MySchool link above. You will then be taken to the My School website with the following ‘Find a school’ text box.
Where it says ‘Search by school name’, type in the name of the school whose NAPLAN results you wish to view, and select <GO>.
Read and follow the instructions on the next screen; you will be asked to accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before being able to access NAPLAN data.
If you are unable to access the internet, please contact the school for apaper copy of our school’s NAPLAN results.
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