Bimbadeen Heights Principal Blog

There has been much written and spoken about education in recent weeks with children going back to school and politicians encouraging debate about effective schools and comparisons between so-called ‘like’ schools.  If you have taken the time to look at the My School website you will see that it does not tell us anything that we don’t already know and have not already informed our community about.  Much more extensive Student Achievement results, parent, student and staff opinion survey results, attendance and financial details are published every year in our school Annual Report and have been in Victorian Government Schools for many years.  The My School website is limited to simply NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy) results of Year 3 & 5 students for the past two years.  It also shows that Bimbadeen Heights comes out as being in the ‘middle of the road’ with the exception of writing results.  This is not a surprise to us and confirms what we found in our School Review last year.  It is also the reason we have identified Writing as a goal and have written this into our 2010 – 2013 Strategic Plan.  It is also important to keep in mind that the data provided on the My School site talks about large groups, not individuals.  It is still the case that the best way to find out how your child is going at school is to read the student assessment portfolios each term and student reports distributed at the end of each semester, and to talk to teachers at Parent-Teacher Interview Evenings and whenever you have questions or concerns about your child’s progress.

My opinion on this website is that it underestimates the capacity of parents to make decisions about schools based on the right things.  I don’t think that Julia Gillard has the same trust in parents, or in schools, that I have.  My experience is that parents judge a primary school on a lot more than just the NAPLAN results of children in Year 3 & 5.  Bimbadeen parents know what a good school looks like and are also good at working with us to make our school even better.  I also believe that the site is lacking crucial information such as Finances spent on education in each sector.  At present the available information is very limited e.g. basic Naplan test results. This only provides one snapshot of student learning and no context.  In comparison the Victorian School Performance Summary is an alternative and richer way of evaluating and comparing school performance.  This has been available on the web since last December at www.vrqa.vic.gov.au and provides much richer information and adjusts for the nature of the students’ intake.

I, along with many of my principal colleagues are concerned about the potential misuse of the simplistic data on the  My School site.  Overseas experience has shown us that deep student learning has not improved by publicising basic measures.  Our students deserve the best education system from our federal government – not one that shames and blames.

I would draw your attention to an excellent ‘opinion’ article published today in ‘The Age’ on this topic; http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/my-school-fails-the-test-20100207-nkpw.html

If you are interested in this topic it is well worth the read.  I would welcome any comments about this topic.

Our ‘laser-like’ focus this year is on the improvement of children’s writing.  To this end we dedicated one of the three pupil-free-days in January to professional development on the topic of Effective Writing in the Primary Classroom with international literacy consultant, Lisa Keskinen.  Lisa presented the work of Professor Donald Graves, who has identified the Seven Conditions for Effective Writing to flourish.  They are: Time (adequate time to write and adequate time to listen), Choice (children need to write about what they know or what they are interested in), Response (children share what they write with a variety of audiences), Demonstration (teachers write with their students to explicitly show them how to negotiate the journey from the beginning of an idea to the final copy), Expectation (set high standards for each writer), Room Structure (have predictable conditions and procedures in the room), and Evaluation (children talk about their work and are able to know how it is going).

Already some excellent peices of writing have been produced, not only by chidlren, but by staff members as well.  Mr Ray Legione, our Art teacher, wrote a great story that he shared with all the school at assembly last week.  Expect to see some high quality writing happening around the school this year.

I am a bit embarrassed that I have not added to this blog since last November however there is no better time to re-start than the beginning of the new school year.  We have had one of the smoothest starts to a school year that I can remember.  I believe that this has been due to the work put in by teachers last year in careful development the 2010 classes, writing and mailing out a letter to each child during January, the support and encouragement provided by parents and the persistence and getting along values put into practice by the children.  There will be challenges ahead this year however we have given everyone the best possible chance for success by having such a successful start.

I am looking forward to ‘blogging’ more this year and receiving your comments as we continue to make Bimbadeen Heights PS the very best it can be.

Making plans for the 2010 school year is a process of determining what the resources are that we expect to have available and then allocating them to best suit the teaching and learning needs of the children.

The school leadership, in consultation with the staff, has been developing the 2010 staffing structure for quite some time, and is very confident that it meets the teaching and learning needs of the children of Bimbadeen Heights.

You will notice that there are some minor staffing changes; however we have ensured that there is at least one staff member remaining in each year level and a range of outstanding experienced teachers and outstanding younger teachers at each level of the school.  Two of our teachers are taking leave in 2010, Mrs Vivien Humble, our teacher-librarian, and Ms Hayley Coats, currently in Year 4.  Mrs Stacy Brookes will also be leaving to start a family very early in 2010.  Miss Kate Buzaglo has requested a move back into a classroom.  There is also a vacancy created by the conclusion of Miss Jessica Ferroni’s short-term teacher contract.  Mrs Jacqui Duncan’s short-term teacher contract will also conclude at the end the year.  (Mrs Duncan has been sharing a class with Mrs Bree King since August.)  We acknowledge the challenges of working on short term contracts and appreciate the contribution that Miss Ferroni and Mrs Duncan make to the children of Bimbadeen despite the uncertainty of tenure.  Miss Katie Glaser will be returning to Bimbadeen after a year’s absence.  Mrs Tania Maniscalchi is also returning from family leave part-time and will be sharing a class with Mrs Bree King.  The Music teacher role will be taken on by Ms Kim Russell, a very experienced and capable teacher who has done a lot of work here this year and who we are confident will provide a high quality music program for our students in 2010.  We have also provided for additional support in the year levels where the class sizes are expected to be the largest, around 25 children.

I am very pleased with this structure that ensures all teams are well balanced and in the best position to provide teaching and learning success for all children at Bimbadeen Heights next year.

If you have been around the school recently you may have noticed some unshaven, scruffy looking faces on the male staff members.  This is not a lowering of standards at Bimbadeen but the raising of important men’s health issues by supporting Movember.  The following is an extract from the Movember Foundation’s website:

Movember aims to change the face of men’s health and alter the way of thinking about men’s health by putting a fun twist on this very serious issue. By using the moustache as a catalyst we want to bring about change and give men the opportunity and confidence to talk about their health with friends and family.

Movember has an interest in all issues relating to men’s health but currently concentrates its efforts in Australia on raising awareness and funds for The Prostate Cancer Foundation and beyondblue: the national depression initiative.

We are not only raising the profile of men’s health by putting up with uncomfortable unshaven faces and partners who are keeping their distance, we are also aiming to raise money.  If you would like to donate please visit the Movember website and click on the Donate tab.    The name of our team is ‘The Bimba Blokes’.  You will notice that at this stage we haven’t done much more than raise the profile of Movember rather than raise much money so your support will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you Ross Barnes for setting this up and for encouraging our involvement and support of a very worthwhile cause.

It was great to be a part of the Bimbadeen Heights Trivia Night on Saturday night. The organising group led by School Council President Lynne Brodie, is to be commended for their work. The quizmaster, George Apeitos, was brilliant and kept the evening moving along with good humour and good trivia. I was fortunate to sit with the young teachers who knew every movie and every song!

It is a privilege to be entrusted with the children of this community and it was also a privilege to enjoy a social night out with their parents and other community members.

We don’t have the financial report yet but if we measure the success by the number of people there, the enjoyment and laughter, being part of a great school community and the volunteers that put it together, it was a huge success.

Congratulations to all the winners and a huge thank you to all the businesses who donated so many wonderful prizes.

My experience has shown me that if there is one topic that generates anxiety for families it is the discussions around what class their child will be in next year.  Some parents have the school structure all planned out in their own minds, which teacher will be teaching which class, how many classes there will be at each year level, who is leaving, who is returning, and so on.  A lot of unnecessary time is wasted however, worrying about things that are out of their control and may not eventuate.   Parents of course are just wanting the best for their children and want to make sure their child is happy at school.  This is normal and the way it should be.  Unfortunately though, some of the anxiety of parents is passed on to the children and this makes the transition to a new year level even more challenging for them.

It is also in the best interests of the principal and the staff to have children who are happy at school as we know that these children do better at school.  This is why we invest a great deal of time to ensure that the school structure and the placement of children in classes with the best combination of friends and teacher is as good as we can do.  I wish it was easy however, as there can often be conflicting needs and requests.  Sometimes it may not be until much later in the year that we have an accurate idea of the full staff profile from whom to choose.  Rest assured that we do give this plenty of time as these decisions are amongst the most important ones we make.

Last week in the school newsletter I invited parents to have input into this process at Bimbadeen Heights and I encourage you to read that and take advantage of this if you think there are issues we may not be aware of.  I then encourage you to trust that we will do the very best we can and ask that you work with us to support your child with positive messages to help them cope with the transition to a new year level, a new teacher and new friends.  It is a major focus of our work this term.

What do you think?  I would like this blog to be interactive so feel free to post a comment.

The term break seems a distant memory now as we are now fully into teaching and learning at Bimbadeen Heights.  The Year 5’s are at Swan Hill for their school camp this week with a history focus.  It was delightful to feel the excitement in the air and the see the joy on the faces of the children as they prepared to board the  buses yesterday morning.  There was also the odd tear here and there  in the eyes of parents who were fare-wellingtheir children for four days which was also lovely to see.  They all arrived safely and reports this morning from the staff after the first night away were all positive.  During the camp they will participate in an underground mine tour in Bendigo, spend time at the Pioneer Settlement in Swan Hill that includes Aboriginal cultural studies, as well as a Sound and Light show in the evening and take a cruise on a paddle steamer on the Murray River.

They are due to arrive back at school, tired yet with broader minds, between 4:30 and 5:00 on Friday afternoon.

It was a very busy final week of term, the highlight of which was the Year 5/6 Production.  It was impressive to see how the Bimbadeen team of staff and many parents worked so hard to put the showcase of talented and excited children on stage.  It was a wonderful coming together of happy and excited children, proud and appreciative parents and relieved teachers!  Well done Bimbadeen Heights!

The end of the ‘winter term’ always comes with an increased number of tired children as well who do not always make the best decisions or judgement calls.  This means that the adults in our school community must ‘lift our game’ in order to deal with the challenges the children present in the most appropriate and positive manner.  Generally large amounts of patience and understanding are what’s needed.

It’s certainly been a busy third term and the final term is shaping up to be just as busy if not busier.  The big news in the final week of term was the confirmation that work will start on our new building project during fourth term.  Whilst this will bring significant disruption and organisational challenges for us as well as change the face of our school with classrooms being relocated, it will be very exciting to see new development happening here.

I trust that everyone has a safe and enjoyable term break.  Make the most of the change of routines to do special things with your children.  They will be grown up and left home before you know it and everyone reports that the ‘Primary School years’ are amongst the most enjoyable and special times spent with their children.

As for me, I’ll be doing things with the family, reading and relaxing and hoping for a Saints Premiership!  See you on Monday October 5.

I spent a couple of hours at the full dress rehearsal of our annual Year 5/6 school production at Karralyka Theatre in Ringwood today.  The cast and crew did two full ‘run-throughs’, the second being performed in front of our excited and enthusiastic Prep children.  When they returned to school they gave the performance very positive reviews!

I never cease to be impressed and amazed at how children excel when they put on make-up, a costume and stand on stage in the blaze of stage lighting.  Today was no exception.  To see the smiles and joy on their faces as they left the stage was simply wonderful and cannot be replicated in any other way. 

Huge credit must go to Kate Buzaglo and her team who have pulled all this together.  They have auditioned, rehearsed, encouraged, supported, found roles for children who so desperately needed to be in the spot-light, and patiently coerced children, (sometimes in a dramatic, performing arts type of way!),  to perform to their very best.  I am very proud of every one involved, children, teachers and the parents who have helped out in so many ways, not the least being, supporting and encouraging their children. 

Well done Bimbadeen and “Chookas!” to all cast and crew for the shows on Tuesday and Wednesday night this week.