A significant focus last week at the College was the visit for the National School Improvement Tool. We were fortunate to have a very experienced team of facilitators – Boyd Jorgensen, Graeme Hall , Niall Coburn and Peter Henry - appointed to conduct the process for ATC. I warmly thank these individuals for their time and expertise in supporting our College. I also thank the 85% of teachers, students, parents and support staff who gave of their time to participate in the process.
The Tool does not describe everything that effective schools do, but focuses on those practices that are most directly related to school-wide improvements, and thus outcomes for students. In this sense, the Tool can be thought of as a core element of more comprehensive school improvement programs, frameworks and initiatives. The ultimate goal of school improvement is to improve outcomes for students, including levels of achievement and their wellbeing.
The Tool consists of nine inter-related ‘domains’. A key feature of the Tool is the set of performance levels, ‘Low’, ‘Medium’, ‘High’ and ‘Outstanding’. These levels enable schools to make judgements about where they are on their improvement journeys, to set goals and design strategies for improvement, and to monitor and demonstrate school improvement over time.
The early feedback to the College has identified ATC as being “High” across each of the nine domains. This is an excellent confirmation as to where the College is, particularly so early in our journey. To be regarded as “Outstanding”, schools need to have processes established with long term embedment. This is very difficult to achieve for young schools such as ATC, so we are very pleased to be acknowledged in the “High” category.
The NSIT also has provided a series of affirmations and recommendations which I shared at Staff Briefing this morning. The College will now use these, along with previous reports and data, to help formulate our new strategic Plan from the commencement of 2024.
Community
Thank you to all the families who attended the ATC P&F Kick Off Cocktails held on Saturday evening. It was wonderful to see many new faces celebrating the amazing community we have fostered here at ATC. Thank you to Jane Rowan for coordinating this event and the ATC P&F for their support.
I also wish to thank our sponsors of the raffle for the evening - Kenmore Village Florist, Kenmore Shoe Fashions, Haemen Mendis Jewleers, Skin Care by Chantelle, Red Rhuburb Hampers and the Prain family. Our partnership with families is a key component of the ATC community. I look forward to our community gathering for year level, whole College events and smaller gatherings throughout the year. Remember the journey through ATC is important for our caregivers as well as our young people.
Queensland Debating Union (QDU)
The QDU Executive has looked at the 2023 registrations and the 2022 overall results of schools and made the decision to ask Ambrose Treacy College to participate in the QDU Senior A competition in 2023. This is an excellent outcome. Being invited to Senior A debating means we are among the top 16 schools in Queensland in terms of debating culture. It was felt by the QDU Executive that ATC was in a great position to champion debating at our school in this way with entry at the highest level of debating in the state of Queensland.
I am incredibly pleased with this outcome, and I thank our staff over the recent years for their dedication, expertise and generosity. We have had students from across the academic spectrum involved in our debating teams, and teachers who have utilised positive relationships and affirmation to enable our teams to punch above their weight. I was proud to be photographed with Killian Reboul, Patrick Muller, Matthew Perissinotto and Jack Sutherland today.
Australian Law Reform Commission Consultation
The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) is encouraging Catholic school communities to become involved in the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) consultation on faith-based schooling as part of its consideration of changes to anti-discrimination laws.
There are 1,759 Catholic schools across Australia educating 794,000, or one in five, Australian students and employing over 104,000 staff. The proposed changes could affect the ability of Catholic schools to operate and teach in accordance with the Catholic ethos.
The Australian Law Reform Commission is seeking feedback on faith-based schooling as part of its consideration of changes to anti-discrimination laws which currently provide some exemptions for faith-based schools. The ALRC is asking for feedback via submissions or the online survey by 24 February 2023. To find out more, please CLICK HERE.
NAPLAN Update
As our Years 5, 7 and 9 students approach the 2023 NAPLAN tests, significant changes have been announced regarding NAPLAN. The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) says changes to NAPLAN, announced this week by Education Ministers, are designed to provide a clearer picture of student learning progress and put data into the hands of teachers and parents sooner.
NAPLAN questions are directly linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. As such, the best preparation students can do for NAPLAN is to learn what they do in the classroom every day. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.
Changes made for 2023 include:-
All students in Australia will now take the test online for this first time this year.
New results will occur from this year and cannot be compared to previous years.
A new proficiency standard with 4 levels of achievement will replace the previous 10-band structure and the old national minimum standard set in 2008 - Exceeding; Strong; Developing and Needs additional support.
The descriptors for each category will make it clear to parents and caregivers what your child’s literacy and numeracy skills are at the time of NAPLAN testing, and support discussions with staff at ATC on your child’s progress.
The new proficiency standards include a baseline benchmark to identify students who need additional support
For national reporting, 2023 will mark the start of a new time series, now that all students are online and the tests are being held in March instead of May. Results from 2023 on will not be directly compared with results from 2008 to 2022.
The changes are intended to make better use of the online adaptive tests to deliver better information for parents, carers and teachers.
Camp Week
Week 6 Term One is an enormous week of activities for students, parents, and staff as we enjoy Camp Week for all Years 4 to 10 students, plus Claddagh Retreat for our Year 12s. Thank you to Ms Tammy Sleeth and all the various coordinators of our program. This undertaking is not possible without the extraordinary generosity, expertise and care of our staff and I thank them for this on your behalf. Further, I thank their partners, families, and children for their gift of them for some extra time on these programs. Again, this huge week would not be possible without the support of our staff families. Finally, thank you to our parents and caregivers for your support of your son, communication with us and trust in us as we facilitate what will be a great experience next week.
Three reminders for camp –
When the particular year group is not scheduled to be on camp, normal lessons will operate back here at school. There will also be NAPLAN Practice sessions for Years 5, 7 and 9.
Specific permission forms for activities, such as surfing on the Year 9 Luther Heights camp and the Year 12 Rural Farm Stay horse riding permission must be completed and returned before departure day.
Year 10 Science Camp iFly online waiver needs to be completed.
The College policy is that students who may require to be taken to a medical centre/hospital for treatment will be sent home to maximise recovery. Parents will be required to meet and transport their child if this rare situation arises.
Reminder for parents and caregivers to update their child’s swimming ability and Medicare information in Parent Lounge, as we cannot allow students to participate in any water/swimming activity without their swimming ability recorded.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Christian calendar. Lent is a period of reflection or renewal, and it signifies that we are approximately 40 days from Easter Sunday. It is marked by the colour purple in the Catholic Church. Lent is a time when we focus on three things as Catholics: Sacrifice (fasting), donating to charity and prayer.
Its origins are found in the Bible, when Jesus himself retreated to the desert to think about his actions on Earth, and what he saw in the people of the time. Jesus used this quiet meditation as a way of considering his future actions, thoughts and decisions. He even resisted the temptations of Satan to use his power and influence for evil. Many times in our lives, we are called to think deeply about our actions and how we can improve. Reflection is a wonderful gift.
To mark this significant event in the Church calendar, all students and staff will participate in Ash Wednesday liturgies this Wednesday. We aim for each our young people to be the best versions of themselves. Lent is a period when hopefully we all can reflect on who we are and how we do things.
