2014 ANNUAL REPORT
2014 ANNUAL REPORT 021906AR2014
Context
School Name: The Islamic Schools of Victoria (Werribee College) trading as Al‐Taqwa College
School’s Address: 201 Sayers Road Truganina, Victoria 3029 Ph: 03 9269 5000 Fax: 03 9269 5070 www.al‐taqwa.vic.edu.au
School Number: 1906 RTO Number: 22149 CRICOS Number: 01923D
Region: Western Suburb
Year levels offered: Foundation to Year 12 (co‐educational)
Principal: Omar Hallak
The school meets prescribed minimum standards for registration as set down by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) in accordance with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.
All teachers meet the registration requirements of the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
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Mission Statement
Al‐Taqwa College aims to produce good reflective self‐directed learners who have problem‐solving skills and critical thinking abilities. It aims to be a place where the individuality of each person is recognised and where that recognition is reflected in the College’s curriculum diversity and flexibility, diverse teaching strategies and student centered processes. The College aims to create a school environment that instills in students love and obedience to Allah (SWT) in accordance with the saying s and deeds of the Prophet Mohammad (saw) and enables them to benefit from the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Vision
Al‐Taqwa College will provide education opportunities to students in a caring, safe and healthy environment, which promotes quality education and Islamic values and beliefs. Students are nurtured to be lifelong learners and encouraged to be proud Australian Muslim citizens of tomorrow.
Faith Education
As Islamic School our objectives are: To promote moral values and to preserve the Islamic ethos of the School To educate students to become responsible citizens who see it as their religious duty to make a positive contribution to society To develop students’ knowledge understanding of Islam
The Religious education program includes Islamic studies and Quranic recitation. The Islamic studies curriculum provides ample opportunities for students to explore their faith and apply Islamic way of life in their young lives. Islamic studies also include the character education in their daily activities such as being compassionate, honest, truthfulness, tolerance and forgiveness.
Daily Zuhr salah (prayer) is an important aspect of the school’s religious life. Students and staff gather in the Masjid collective prayer in the afternoon with personal moments of supplication and reflection. The congregational prayer of Friday afternoon led by the Imam is a highlight of the week as students, parents and the community look forward to the inspiring words of our Imam.
The Social Climate of the School
Established in 1986, Al‐Taqwa College, an independent school aims to provide high quality education for students from Foundation to Year 12. We are proud for our all‐round excellence which integrates Islamic subjects in our curriculum as well as caring for the welfare of our students.
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SCHOOL BOARD REPORT Board members for 2014‐2015: Name Name Omar Hallak Sameh Aghbash Mohammad Muyeen Zemri Jeka Hussam Hallak Tommy Nguyen Rahany Osman Andrew Metcalfe Theresa Sgambaro Margaret Purcell Roshan Ali
The Board has established the following committees: Executive/SMT Committee Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee Building and Grounds Committee Governance Committee
Meetings are held by the College Board most months of the year to review plans and budgets established by College management. The day to day management of the College remains in the hand of the Principal and his staff.
This year the expenses have increased by 9%. The main expense, as generally the case in any school, is staff costs comprises 65% of the total expenses. This is slightly up from last year by approximately 3% due to the appointment of additional teachers due to the increase in number of students and key management staff.
It is essential that the College embarks on new capital development so as to meet the demands of anticipated enrolment growth. The master plan has been reviewed to continue to find best solutions for the teaching environment and facilities.
The College and the Board has also approved a budget to facilitate and enhance a better curriculum delivery. It has engaged a Curriculum Organiser company to provide Al‐Taqwa teachers with the tools they require to deliver an exciting new curriculum. It will provide target assessment tasks and delivering the Australian Curriculum in the highest standard in the most efficient way. This system will be implemented in 2015.
The College has identified a building and refurbishment program for both campuses and intends to implement this program over the next few years. The capital development will include classrooms, a sporting complex, specialist teaching facilities such as laboratories and art spaces, resource areas (including library), staff working space, amenities and physical education facilities etc. The total outlay for the provision of these facilities is estimated to be approximately $9.5 million over the period of 2015‐ 2017. We believe that the College will continue to grow and prosper in the coming years due to many factors, increasing enrolments, growth of the Wyndham area, strong management and leadership.
We would like to thank the Board members who dedicated their services and commitment to this community, and of course Omar Hallak who has contributed so much not only as Chairman of the Board but also the College Principal. Finally we thank all Al‐Taqwa community for their contribution to the College.
Mohamed Muyeen Deputy Chairman
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PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
At the start of 2014, we rolled out the first Hybrid Tablet program for Year 9 and 10 students to e‐Learning. The cost approximately $160,000 ‐ around 300 devices for students and Secondary teachers. In 2015, the College will be rolling out the program for 2 more year levels (Year 8 and 9). Hopefully we will continue with Year 7 and 8 supply in 2016. We also rolled out another class set of IPADs for the primary school. All the classrooms are equipped with the latest Interactive whiteboards, data projectors, AV system, computers and also WiFi coverage.
In this year we moved our School Management System to Synergetic. We now have a fully integrated System that includes modules for enrolments/students, curriculum, welfare, medical, attendances, assessments, staff, donations, fundraising and events as well as a comprehensive financial management system including general ledger, debtors, creditors, assets, deposits, point of sale (POS), payroll and parent portal. Secondary teachers can now do a roll call, assess their students from their laptops/tablets anywhere within the school grounds. Parents have also benefitted from this system as they can now access the parent portal. This allows parents to view their children’s attendance, assessment reports, incident reports, message/notes from teachers and also make appointments for Parent/Teacher interviews. The College also has its own App which is available for Apple and Android phones. The app will strengthen the communication link between homes and school.
We spent considerable time developing the skills of the staff in the use of technology to maximize quality teaching. We have prepared our secondary students to move to e‐books for the 2015 education year. With the e‐books, students will be able to access their studying materials from their tablets whether they are at school or at home and less costly for parents in terms of buying text books.
Our teaching staff are committed to providing quality teaching and learning programs. This is evident in their commitment to professional development, program planning including the New Australian curriculum implementation. I wish to acknowledge the exceptional and generous commitment of some of our teachers who are also working with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) on VCE examination panels as assessors and NAPLAN markers. Below are just some of the contributions our teachers have made this year.
VCAA examinations 2014 • Ms Nisryn Barakat ‐ Assessor (Maths Methods) • Ms Marwa Houli – Assessor (Further Maths) • Ms Winny George – Assessor (Further Maths) • Ms Wafa Tebeileh ‐ Assessor (Text & Traditions) • Ms Liling Yang – Assessor (Visual Communication) • Ms Shanthi Balakumar – Assessor (Accounting) • Ms Geetha Nair – Assessor (Global Politics)
NAPLAN 2014 • Ms Noorun Nisa A Wahid ‐ Marker
We had successful audit for RTO in August 2014 to provide accredited courses and registration is valid to 2018. The training facility is at Olive Branch Campus offering the Certificate II in Horticulture. Currently all enrolments are from Al‐Taqwa College. The RTO plans to offer the Certificate II in Horticulture to all
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schools in western area and offer the qualification as a VCAL qualification and work with the Local Learning and Employment Network to promote the course and to administer the enrolment process for students from neighbouring schools.
The College had an overseas study tour group program from Indonesia. In February we had our sister school in Jakarta with a group of Year 7 and 8 student. We also hosted a number of visiting teachers and students in October and November from Indonesia – SMP Islam Al‐Iklhas, Padang (Sumatra) and SMP Al‐ Azhar, Makassar (Sulawesi). The delegation included Principals, teachers and students to exchange ideas of learning and teaching.
Students from SMP Al‐Ikhlas school, Padang Sumatra
Al‐Taqwa Sentul students & teacher Sentul on excursion
Delegates from SMP Al‐Azhar, Makassar with Principal and staff of Al‐Taqwa
In the following pages we highlights the achievements of the college and an audited financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the relevant legislation.
On behalf of the management team, I would like to acknowledge the continued support and commitment of the school community, parents and staff who contributed in so many ways to the College. I also sincerely thank the members of the School Board for the support that they have given me as we work in partnership to improve the College, to retain and nurture the value which is a vital part of the culture of the College.
Omar Hallak
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ENROLMENT AND ATTENDANCE
Enrolment Summary of Student Movement from February to December 2014. Year 2014 Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Foundation 184 188 185 186 Grade 1 180 182 178 180 Grade 2 156 159 159 158 Grade 3 160 162 159 159 Grade 4 142 144 141 142 Grade 5 137 135 137 135 Grade 6 118 117 119 119 Year 7 126 125 128 128 Year 8 130 128 128 128 Year 9 110 106 105 105 Year 10 100 99 102 102 Year 11 85 84 84 84 Year 12 75 75 75 75 TOTAL 1703 1704 1700 1701
Attendance Teachers mark their class rolls electronically using a facility within the Synergetic Database with the absence reason noted. Primary teachers mark the class Roll at 8.50am and afternoon attendance at 2.30pm. Senior school attendance is recorded digitally and it will give information regarding attendance /non‐attendance at every lesson. When a class teacher is absent, relief staff complete a hard copy of attendance and submit it to the respective Junior and Senior School Admin office for electronic recording. There are also Synergetic Arrival and Departure terminals – allowing automate sign in and out for late arrival and early dismissal by students. Any unexplained absence is followed up by a telephone call to parents/guardians by Junior and Senior Admin Office. The College work in partnership with parents and guardians to assist students where attendance becomes an issue that affects learning.
Student attendance by Year level for the 2014 school year was as follows: Year 2014 Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Foundation 94.58 94.77 96.83 94.47 Grade 1 95.36 97.17 96.18 94.24 Grade 2 94.38 96.08 96.48 95.21 Grade 3 93.27 97.75 98.74 95.51 Grade 4 94.56 97.38 97.34 97.20 Grade 5 94.73 97.62 97.77 94.49 Grade 6 94.40 96.23 98.83 96.85 Year 7 91.93 95.71 93.43 91.93 Year 8 92.85 93.19 91.88 90.06 Year 9 95.02 92.40 90.72 90.30 Year 10 90.43 93.56 88.92 90.01 Year 11 93.06 93.12 90.65 83.24 Year 12 92.84 90.04 88.95 94.48 Overall % Total 93.65 95.00 94.36 92.92
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LEARNING AND TEACHING
The school continued its improvement of student learning through effective pedagogical practices. We plan for optimum learning conditions to create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. The teaching and learning is based on the Australian Curriculum in Victoria Education Learning Standards.
During 2014, Leadership Team worked collaboratively to lead meeting that focused on: Literacy & Numeracy Resources Literacy Targeted Programs Interpreting School Data VCAL Quality Assurance Language in Classroom
Professional Learning meetings were provided to support teachers in developing whole school and year level curriculum and program plans for cohorts of students that reflect a strong understanding of the AusVELS.
Primary Literacy Students are supported to learn, listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect critically on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts. Teachers expose students to many literary texts such as narratives, poetry, prose, plays, film and multi‐modal texts. A range of assessments are built into the units and used to continually monitor and move children along in their skills development. It is our aim to encourage all students to develop a passion for literacy.
Numeracy Numeracy is a compulsory component of our curriculum, and to make numeracy fun and relevant to our students, the primary numeracy department arranged for the World of Maths Road show to visit our College. The World of Maths Road show was an ideal opportunity for students to see how maths is applied to real life situations. This year the Numeracy department took the initiative to provide opportunities for parents to develop an understanding of mathematics in schools today and to learn about strategies and ideas on how to help them support their young mathematicians at home. This highly engaging workshop was presented by Rob Vingerhoets, a specialist mathematics consultant, who is involved in Professional Development Programs in schools across Australia and Asia.
ICT We have implemented the most exciting online tools such as Scootle digital objects, Scootle learning paths, Purplemash, Study ladder, Edmodo to promote eLearning with web2 technologies along with our previous Robotics and ‘WeDo ICT activities’. All these tools enabled students to access the activities set by their teachers online from anywhere and anytime. All foundation students were engaged in the educational activities which were designed to improve their mouse handling, drawing, literacy and numeracy skills. Lower primary students participated in many activities that were integrated in to the curriculum by using word processing, animation, 2Graph, 2Create a Story, 2Publish, 2Count, Fitzroy Readers programs and internet safety. Our upper primary students participated in the activities related to file management, word processing, animations, electronic communication, internet safety, electronic presentations, digital stories and spreadsheets that were integrated into the curriculum. The Robotics and Lego Education activities, enabled the upper primary students to discover science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a fun, engaging, and hands‐on way.
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Arabic, Quran and Religion This year, the students were exposed to a range of experiences and opportunities to enrich their knowledge in Arabic, Religion and Quran. The language teaching program is based on the Australian curriculum and our teachers are consistently trained by attending internal and external professional development sessions. The school offered extra Arabic classes twice a week from 3:20‐ 4:15pm to support the students with their homework and to extend their Arabic language skills. We were fortunate this year to have a teacher aide in our Department aides offer the newly enrolled students an intensive course to develop the basic reading skills and to be able to join the main stream in a short period of time.
Health & Physical Education Al‐Taqwa is a member of School Sport Victoria (SSV). Through SSV we had the opportunity to take part in activities within the Truganina district. Our Grade 6 students took part in Interschool Sports. Interschool sport is an integral part of the PE curriculum for Grade 6 students. This competition provides students with an opportunity to play sport for fun, learn the rules of different sports, recognised the importance of officials in sport, work with others’ to achieve a goal, understand and participate in fair‐play.
Secondary English The English Department, worked towards developing our students’ skills in critical thinking, character education and striking the right balance. The texts taught and activities conducted were carefully chosen to ensure that the school’s ethos and values are at the forefront.
Food Technology The Food Technology Department has worked towards this maxim ‘learning by doing’. In all the activities planned throughout the year, be it the VCE classroom or afterschool classes for teachers, every participant was given the opportunity to learn by doing and having hands on approach to the task. The focus of Junior’s food has been ‘Health and Nutrition’, which has opened many eyes to the importance of a well‐balanced diet and impact on health. Senior food looked at the more subtle but important aspects of ethics and technology in the food industry. In either case, the theory component of the subject enabled students to develop a greater understanding of ingredients, their key properties and how they are produced. They also reflected on how the production methods impact on society and our environment.
Health and Physical Education Our students showed a fantastic display of sportsmanship, respect, responsibility, pride and leadership during the inter school tournaments which is something we hope to inculcate among our students through sports. Hockey was introduced for the first time for girls as part of their PE lessons. The H&PE Department also started an inter house tennis tournament for the first time. We also had a golf clinic run by our students’ father during the H&PE Week in Term 4.
Mathematics The Mathematics Program in Secondary incorporated many co‐curricular activities in addition to the general curriculum with the objective of making lessons more hands on and tailored to all student needs. Cambridge HOT maths, an ICT program, was again used both in the classroom and at home making maths more engaging. It contained curriculum‐based teaching, learning and assessment resources that catered for all ability levels from those who struggle to advanced, and allowed students to work at their own pace. On the VCE level, we continued to offer all Maths units with enrolments continuing to increase. This year, the year 10 students were streamed to help prepare them for VCE Mathematics next year. The mainstream program was tailored to prepare students for General Mathematics in year 11 and the advanced to prepare them for Advanced General and/or Mathematical Methods.
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Humanities The Humanities Department continued to develop their teaching strategies to improve our students’ learning in History, Geography, Civics & Citizenship, Economics, Accounting, Business Management, Legal Studies, International Politics and VCE History.
ICT At secondary it was a very productive and a successful year for the IT Department. It has grown extensively as we taught elective junior IT classes as well as four VCE classes this year. As ICT is integrated into all teaching and learning areas, our hard working teachers prepared our students to learn all the required skills such as animation, develop the websites, blogs wikis and databases.
Islamic Values New programs were added to our curriculum to enrich our students’ Islamic knowledge and etiquette. We had many programs and competitions running, including: a quiz on general Islamic knowledge, poetry competition, poster competition, powerpoint competition and an Eid card competition. The Islamic Week Assembly was run by the students.
Science Our team of dedicated teachers continuously strive to make Science learning a rewarding and inspiring experience for every student at the College and aims to bring out the best in every student. Many incursions and excursions were organised for difference levels to add depth into the understanding of the various key learning areas. The VCE Biology students were involved in various enriching and educational experiences some of which include ecology studies at Queenscliff, marine habitats at Melbourne Aquarium and Cell Biology at Ecolinc in Bacchus Marsh. The Psychology students had a day at the Melbourne Museum studying the brain and nervous system. The VCE Chemistry students went to Latrobe University to conduct experiments on the properties of water. The VCE Physics students were also involved in some interesting experiments on motion and Newton’s Law. All students enjoyed and learnt a great deal from these activities.
Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning Applied learning is an approach that emphasises the relevance of what is being learnt to the ‘real world’ outside the classroom. This focus on a real‐life application will often require a shift from a traditional focus on discrete curriculum areas, as students focus on learning and applying the skills and knowledge they need to solve a problem, implement a project or participate in the workforce. The strands that ensure all the above skills are personal development skills, work related skills, numeracy and literacy. The excellent VCAL team of teachers facilitates the holistic development and grooming of our students.
VCE/VET Sport & Recreation 2014 marked a significant step forward for VCE programs at Al‐Taqwa, launching the VET Sport and Recreation course for the very first time ended with Year 11 students obtaining a level 3 certificate qualification. The certificate goes hand in hand with VCE studies, which in turn contributes to units towards a successful completion of VCE in Year 12. The aim is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to achieve competencies and confidence to work in sport and outdoor recreation.
Textiles and Design This year, we introduced a new subject called ‘Textiles and Design’. The College purchased new sewing machines and overlockers for the Year 7‐10 girls. Students are learning to understand and know the parts of a sewing machine. They have learnt how to sew lines and make stitches using different techniques. Besides the practical sessions, students had theory about different topics such as: natural and synthetic fibres, the use and design of logos, labelling textile products, how to care for different fabrics types, design
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types, design elements and principles, formal and casual dress, old and new fashions, corporate apparel and product costing. This subject may lead to further study into fashion design, merchandising and textile material design.
Horticulture Olive Brach Campus opened its doors for Year 7 to 10 students who take up Horticulture as an elective subject, giving them an introductory overview of the Certificate II in Horticulture program which they can enroll as their VCE/VET.
Woodwork Woodwork is also offered as another elective subject for Year 7 to 10 students who use the workshop facilities in Olive Branch to design and build various models and projects which expose students to hands‐ on practical experience on using tools and equipment within the field.
Careers and Work Education Careers centre aim to assist students to explore their own values and skills, know where to find appropriate information for career ideas and develop personal career plan. Individual career counselling with student to discuss post‐secondary options. This enables the students to select VCE subjects based on their interest for tertiary courses. Students were assisted with university admissions, scholarships and alternative entry schemes. Advertise important and valuable websites for course selection and employment, e.g. VTAC and Jobsearch. Displayed, distributed publications from universities and TAFE. Organised Guest Speaker for career talks and students attendance to Career Expos. Facilitates Careers information sessions for parents and students to provide with up‐to‐date information about career transition. Tax File Number (TFN) applications and Work Experience applications and monitoring. Fortnightly Careers Newsletter were published regarding career and post compulsory education pathways to prepare them for life beyond.
Extra‐Curricular Activities
The school has increased the number of extra‐curricular activities it offers the students over the years. Through these extended learning experiences, students foster and develop a sense of achievement and pride of their school and of themselves as yours Australian Muslims. The activities in 2014 range from:
Junior & Senior School Level Animal Land – Different Farm Animal Fdn Road Safe Rules Fdn Athletics Clinic Fdn Hajj Practice Day Fdn ‐ 4 Healthy Eating Fdn ‐ 6 World Maths Fdn ‐ 6 Literacy Learning Activities Fdn ‐ 6 Ripponlea Estate – Now & Then Gr 1 Excursion to Islamic Museum Gr 5 Wyndham Athletics Yr 7 ‐ 12 Western Region Athletics Yr 7 ‐ 12 Interschool ‐ Tennis, Netball, Basketball, Volleyball, X‐Country, AFL, Cricket, Yr 7 ‐ 12 Hockey, Soccer, Futsal, Football Australia Tapestry Workshop ‐ Textile & Designs Yr 8 ‐ 9 Sovereign Hill – Humanities Experience Yr 9
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Werribee Zoo – Recovery Grasslands Yr 9 Williamstown High school – Debating Yr 9 ‐ 12 Ceres Brunswick – Urban Agriculture & Landscape Yr 9 ‐ 10 Werribee Racecourse – VCE Expo Yr 10 Karma from Youth Now Yr 10 Driver Licence Yr 10 Achieving Driver Licence Yr 10 Queenscliff – Adaptation to Rocky Shores Yr 10 ‐ 11 Melbourne Aquarium – SAC Yr 10 ‐ 11 University Course Guide Yr 10 ‐ 11 Homeless Visit Yr10 ‐ 12 Sports – VCE VET Sport & Recreation Yr 11 Werribee Gorge Park – Creative Thinking Yr 11 Albert Park – Grand Prix Yr 11 Mathematics Workshop Yr 11 NGV – The Ian Potter Centre Yr 11 Immigration Museum – English Expo Yr 11 IKEA – VCAL (Y11) Yr 11 Scienceworks – Power Electricity Yr 11 LaTrobe University – SAC Extended Investigation Experiment Yr 11 Wyndham Council – Tour & Meeting Yr 11 Etihad Tour & Ice House – Assessment Task Yr 11 Cape Schanck Hiking – Advance Hiking Yr 11 Tonimbuk Trail Rides – Develop Leadership Yr 11 YMCA Derrimut Health – Health & Fitness Yr 11 Camp Coorong Gr 5/6 & Y 11 Scientist in School Program Yr 11 VET Sport Yr 11 Supportive Friends Workshop Yr 11 Thermomix Demonstration Yr 11 Decision Making Yr 11 Ecolinc Bacchus Marsh – Biology, Chemistry Yr 11 ‐ 12 Melbourne Museum – Outcome Unit 1 & 3, VCE Assessors, Design a Forum Yr 11 ‐ 12 Galvin Park Soccer Competition Yr 11 ‐ 12 Supreme Court – Criminal Law Yr 11 ‐ 12 Luna Parks – Study Mechanics Yr 12 Caulfield Race Course – VCE Information Yr 12 Heathdale Christian College – Public Speaking Yr 12 Toyota Plant Altona– Business Management Yr 12 VUT – VTAC Process Yr 12 Life of Galileo Yr 12 Subject Selection Expo Yr 12 VCE/VCAL Information Night Yr 12 Text & Traditions ‐ Prepare for End of Year Exam Yr 12 Anaphylaxis Information Fdn ‐ Yr 12 Quran Competition Gr 1 – Yr 12
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Below highlights of some of the activities:
Excursion to Islamic Museum Toyota Plant visits ‐ Business Management Students Quran Competition
Thermomix Demonstration Year 11 – Tonimbuk Trail Rides
World Maths activities ‐ Foundation
Junior students camping trip – Camp Coorong Fete Day
Parents/community activities were also organised for 2014:
Activities Fete Day Parent Information Days Class Volunteers Canteen Volunteers Anaphylaxis Workshop Workshop on Nurturing Healthy Eating Workshop
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VALUE ADDED PROGRAMS
Special Needs The Special needs program at Al Taqwa has flourished once again in 2014 and is gaining strength and momentum with every passing year. Parents have been really proud of the achievements and support given to students. The department comprises of teachers, professional educational consultants, integration aides and parents. We work together as partners and equal shareholders in order to maximise the students learning process. Students are identified and a support team is set up to facilitate their learning. The success of the department can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of the staff involved, parental partnership and support from administration. Success of students has also been noted in the PAT standardised scores as well as Naplan.
Student Statistics for 2014 In 2014 we supported 55 students‐46 primary and 9 secondary. These students were observed and assessed due to difficulties in learning, communication, social, behavioural and concentration aspects. 44 of these students have a speech and language delay and 11 of these students have an intellectual disability. Even though we have students who are diagnosed with AUSTISM and do not get funding, we provide support to these students. We also have a secondary student who has a vision impairment and we have applied for special recommendations for her learning in her VCE.
Independent Schools of Victoria Funding and Budget ‐ New notional funding allocation for 2014 confirmed by ISV is $36,713.73. Budget is used for: Speech therapy, Resources, Psychologist services, Integration aides and Professional workshops.
Speech Therapy Support Students received speech therapy assistance on a fortnightly basis by the Speech Pathologists. Each student receives a summary sheet at every session which is submitted to the teacher and then to the parents. Students have benefited from this program as they are assisted in improving their reading, writing and speaking skills. Positive feedback is always received from parents and teachers.
Integration aide support We have 2 integration aides who worked full time on a timetabled basis one on one with the students. They modify and withdraw students from the classroom and also set up an individual plan for the students. The individual plan is discussed with the parents who also assist in achieving the goals. Goals are short term and modified to suit the needs of the child.
Specialized agencies We liaised with the following agencies: Psychologists, royal children’s coordinator and staff, guide dogs Victoria, ophthalmologists, vision Australia education officer, epilepsy foundation, orthoptist and pediatrician.
Staff Development As more students with a variety of disabilities enter our school, it is necessary to provide appropriate and job embedded staff development. This is done on an ongoing basis, regular meetings, handouts to assist with strategies, behavior management and workshops are held.
Parent support Parental meetings to discuss individual educational goals are conducted. Parents are given online support, home programs and strategies. Regular meetings are held to advice and guide parents. Telephone discussions are held regularly to keep parents abreast of issues, concerns and developments. A communication book is used to liaise with parents about their child’s progress.
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Student Welfare Student Wellbeing Department in Primary School took on board a range of initiatives and programs aimed at maintaining a safe school environment, improving student self‐esteem, educating students about the matter of safe cyber use and encouraging them to create positive relationships with one another. The school implemented the Better Buddies Framework, between the Grade 3 and Foundation students. The buddies got together once a week and worked on different activities that reinforced the School Wide Behaviour Matrix. Better Buddies is an initiative of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and it enabled younger children to feel safe and cared for while older children feel valued and respected.
Improving student awareness of different forms of bullying was also a focus this year. Lower primary students had the opportunity to watch the ‘My Friends and I’ performance and with their teachers support, completed a program inspired by the show. On the other hand, middle and upper primary students were transported to another world with the ‘Saving Lil & Archie’ performance. The incursion aimed at making students more aware of the risks and dangers they may face when on line as well as how to be safe internet users.
Lunchtime was also full of teacher and student initiated clubs; from origami and craft to Minecraft on the iPad, boardgames and beading. Students independently organised most of the activities and showed their true teacher skills by guiding their school friends through the steps of their lunch time club. The results were great as the lunch time activities created an important platform for students to take ownership of their work and bond together.
Pastoral Care Program The Pastoral Care Program was introduced for the first time in the Secondary Department. Pastoral Care sessions in alternate weeks included sessions which focused on creating social awareness and educating our students on certain issues such as Human Rights, Reconciliation, Multiple Scleroses, Drug Action Week and Diabetes Week. To create an awareness on Cyber Bullying, Ms Tracy Duhig – a Police Youth Liaison Officer had been invited to present to our students from Year 7 to 12 on safety use of internet, the do’s and don’ts of social median and precautions which sharing personal data on the internet. With an increase in the number of students hasty to get behind the wheel, it is imperative to educate them to be safe drivers and update them on the Graduated Licensing System, two programs – ‘Keys Please’ presented by Jaye Strachan and ‘Fit2Drive’ by Gavin MacDonald were organised for VCE students.
The highlight of this year was the unique experience and real world learning about an important community issue ‐ Homelessness. A group of secondary boys were chosen to visit the city and got firsthand experience of what it’s like for homeless people to sleep rough. The students who participated took away a genuine empathy for some of the most disadvantaged people in our community. Thank you to Steve Haylock from Melbourne City Mission, who was an integral part of this city visit.
We also focused on certain themes crucial to our Muslim teenagers’ upbringing, such as: gratitude, modesty, why life is so hard, kindness towards one’s parents, manners, good conduct and the etiquette of speech in Islam. Other topics discussed were gossiping, backbiting, bullying, and how Islam is against cruelty and extremism.
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ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Naplan The following data provides our academic achievement for Year 3, 5, 7 & 9 student performance against National Benchmarks for NAPLAN Tests.
Literacy ‐ Literacy Language Conventions includes Reading Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation. Numeracy – Numeracy incorporates Number and Data, Patterns and Algebra, Measurement Space and Geometry. Reporting on Year 7 & 9 student performance against National Benchmarks for NAPLAN Tests 2010 – 2014
The table below represents the group summary report of Year 7 & 9 students for the years 2010 – 2014 National Assessment Program achieving at minimum standards– Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).
YEAR 7 YEAR 9 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 AREA
90 98 97 98 96 86 97 88 97 91 READING
99 98 96 96 94 97 95 88 92 88 WRITING
97 98 99 96 95 96 93 93 98 97 SPELLING
PUNCTUATION 87 93 99 88 92 91 92 95 87 92 & GRAMMAR 97 95 98 100 98 94 100 98 91 97 NUMERACY
Figure 1 Shows the percentage of students attaining At &Above National Minimum Standards during NAPLAN 2010‐2014 YEAR 7 – NAPLAN FIVE‐YEAR TREND DATA REPORT (2010 to 2014)
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 7 2010‐2014
There is an improvement observed in the performance and the gap between the State and National level has narrowed in 2014. To further improve skills we have incorporated more practice (NAPLAN style) in the Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum. Since we have the students only for 1 Term in Year 7 it is recommended that Year 6 teachers evaluate the Year 5 results and identify the areas that need improvement and continue practising in Year 6.
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 7 Reading 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 546 540 542 541 ‐
State 554 546 549 548 551
School 506 510 523 519 525
No. of students at 93 100 106 127 123 the school
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 7 Writing 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 534 529 518 517 ‐
State 541 534 527 525 519
School 528 537 523 511 505
No. of students at 92 99 106 126 124 the school
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Year Trend Data Report – Year 7 Spelling 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 545 538 543 549 ‐
State 547 540 545 551 548
School 563 557 566 549 549
No. of students at 92 99 106 126 124 the school
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 7 Punctuation and Grammar 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 535 532 546 535 ‐
State 541 540 552 540 544
School 513 504 543 525 526
No. of students at 92 99 106 126 124 the school
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 7 Numeracy 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 548 545 538 542 ‐
State 556 553 546 548 551
School 523 517 523 524 526
No. of students at 93 99 106 128 122 the school
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 9 Reading 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 574 580 575 580 ‐
State 583 587 584 586 587
School 555 562 547 554 566
No. of students at 73 71 84 96 106 the school
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 9 Writing 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 568 566 554 554 ‐
State 580 582 568 564 560
School 582 596 560 555 566
No. of students at 69 73 83 96 106 the school
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 9 Spelling 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 579 581 577 583 ‐
State 582 586 579 583 585
School 603 592 588 591 599
No. of students at 69 73 83 96 106 the school
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 9 Punctuation and Grammar 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 579 572 573 573 ‐
State 587 580 580 579 581
School 577 592 588 591 574
No. of students at 69 73 83 96 106 the school
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 9 Numeracy 2010‐2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
National 585 583 584 584 ‐
State 595 593 594 592 595
School 567 557 566 548 585
No. of students at 72 72 82 96 106 the school
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Our Overall School Improvement Plan
Literacy and Numeracy For 2015, the Secondary School has identified Writing and Grammar as our main areas of concern in English Geometry in Numeracy.
To enhance and consolidate skills we have incorporated more Practice Exercises and have changed our text to one that caters to our students’ needs and adheres to the Australian Curriculum. We are focusing on the weaker areas to expand knowledge in key areas. In addition, we would like to recommend a wider reading programme that caters to differentiation learning. When comparing the growth between Year 7 and Year 9 we observe a marked improvement in the Year 9 result. Hence we need to work on a whole school approach, where in the Year 6 curriculum incorporates NAPLAN style practice to consolidate skills. After making a study of the results teachers are giving additional practise in weaker areas.
Teachers need to develop and implement strategies that will lead to improved learning outcomes for students in the targeted areas as well as their overall performance.
______
The table below represents the group summary report of Year 3 & 5 students for the years 2011 – 2014 National Assessment Program achieving at minimum standards– Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).
YEAR 3 YEAR 5 AREA 2011 2012 2013 2014 2011 2012 2013 2014
READING 100 95 100 97 95 96 100 97 WRITING 100 99 100 99 100 100 98 97 SPELLING 99 99 98 99 100 99 99 100 PUNCTUATION 99 98 100 100 98 94 99 96 & GRAMMAR NUMERACY 100 98 98 99 96 98 97 96
Figure 1 Shows the percentage of students attaining At & Above National Minimum Standards during NAPLAN 2011‐2014
Results for the 2014 NAPLAN tests is fairly consistent with the previous three years (2011‐2013), with the majority of our students in both Year 3 and 5 being “at” and “above” the National Minimum Standards for all test areas although there is minimal decrease in some areas as compared to last year cohort performance.
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YEAR 3 – NAPLAN FIVE‐YEAR TREND DATA REPORT (2010 to 2014)
The Five‐Year Trend data shown below based on Year 3 performance from 2010 to 2014 shows an overall positive trend that sees the school improving its performance and closing the gap when compared to state performance. However, the exception is Spelling, Writing and Grammar & Punctuation which showed a trend of performing at and above the national and state level. In Reading and Numeracy, the school continues to show an upward trend which indicates an improvement in performance this year.
Bear in mind too that this upward trend is achieved in spite of the increase in student population over the years.
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 3 Reading 2014
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 3 Writing 2014
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 3 Spelling 2014
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 3 Punctuation & Grammar 2014
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 3 Numeracy 2014
YEAR 5 – NAPLAN FIVE‐YEAR TREND DATA REPORT (2010 to 2014)
The Five‐Year Trend data shown below, based on Year 5 performance from 2010 to 2014, shows a negative trend in all areas. However, in Spelling, the school continues to perform better than the state and national level, although it is showing a downward trend as well. In Reading, the school is seeing a decrease in this year cohort performance. We need to review current practices and continue to aim to perform above national level. In Writing, there is a downward trend not only for our school but also with the state result from 2011 to 2014.
In Numeracy, the result has shown a downward trend since 2012, although the slide is very slight.
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 5 Reading 2014
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 5 Writing 2014
Five-Year Trend Data Report – Year 5 Spelling 2014
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Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 5 Punctuation & Grammar 2014
Five‐Year Trend Data Report – Year 5 Numeracy 2014
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Our Overall School Improvement Plan
For 2015, the primary school has continued to identify Reading, Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar as strategic areas for improvement for Literacy. This is to ensure we maintain the momentum of our upward trend for reading and to stop the slide in our performance in our 2 traditionally strong areas of Spelling and Grammar & Punctuation.
In writing, although our school’s 2014 results (Year 3 & 5) had shown a slide, this is a nationwide phenomenon. The drop in our school’s writing result can partly be explained by the fact that due to the change in the NAPLAN Writing format where students could be tested in both the narrative or persuasive genre (where previously they already know the genre they will be tested on) has resulted in the possibility of confusion among students which had affected their writing performance.
Part of our strategy in improving our identified areas of concern in 2015 are: Reviewing and aligning of our Grades 2‐5 Scope and Sequence and unit planners to ensure sufficient coverage of genres in reading and writing that will ensure student readiness to face the range of genres and the variety of text‐types they will encounter in NAPLAN Ensuring the Grade 2 & 3 and Grade 4 & 5 syllabus dovetail into one another to ensure proper induction and development of students in skills required for NAPLAN Using NAPLAN reading & writing materials to develop student reading and writing skills for the Term 1 Grade 3 & 5 Unit Planners to ensure student exposure and Practice with NAPLAN materials Developing student examination skills in Term 2 (Grade 3 & 5) to ensure they are familiar amd comfortable with the NAPLAN Assessments format Monitoring students’ performance in a more systematic and regular basis. In Numeracy, there will be a strong focus on enhancing problem‐solving skills as the key area for improvement based on analysis of students’ performance. Reviewing Mathematics syllabus coverage in Grades 2‐5 and pitching of lessons to ensure they meet the NAPLAN standards and requirements The school will continue to build the professional capacity of teachers to be able to develop and implement strategies that will lead to improved learning outcomes for students in the targeted areas as well as their overall performance.
Other School Assessments
Multiple sources of data from other assessments informing students’ performance are used to confirm and complement NAPLAN. These sources currently include: PAT‐R, PAT‐SPG, PAT‐M, PM running records, teacher judgments about student learning based on student work, informal tests e.g. topical tests, student daily performance, AusVELS progression points, teacher observation of students performing tasks; writing moderation and student assessment of their own learning.
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YEAR 12 OUTCOMES
Proportion of Year 10 students retained to Year 12 (2014) from Year 10 (2012)
Of the 84 students who were in Year 10 in 2012, four went to do VCAL courses a new program introduction at the College giving students more flexibility for an alternative after Year 11 into a choice of pathways. In Year 11 in 2013, five students left school for other career path. There were 75 students doing VCE in 2014.
The pie chart below correlates to post‐school destination for year 12 in 2014. The majority approximately 60% have gone to University, roughly 27% have gone to TAFE, 5% have gone to a private institute and the other 8% has been broken down to another pie chart consisting of full time employment, part time employment, Gap year and unemployment.
Post‐ School Destination 2014
27.00% 5.00% University 4.00% Tafe
8.00% 1.00% Private 2.00% FT employment 60.00% 1.00% PT employment
GAP
Unemployed
We can see from the chart that 87% of the population in year 12 ended up at tertiary level and the remaining have considered other options.
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4.5 Engineering 4 3.5 Law 3 Nursing 2.5 2 Education 1.5 Accounting 1 0.5 Health 0 Science
Figure 1 ‐ Courses per Universities
In this graph, it is distinctive that a large portion of students have chosen in the fields of Health Science, Engineering and Education, followed by business. Many of these students have chosen science subjects at VCE and would have liked to pursue careers in Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Physiotherapy but as these courses require high ATARs the students have decided to take health science and engineering as career pathways, eventually transferring to their desired career. Arts/Law was not an option chosen by many students, only one student chose Arts. This could conclude that more subject promotion of Art/Humanities subject should be promoted at school. Maybe, even increasing Art/Humanities subject at school and assisting students who are struggling with English skills such as reading and writing as to many of students, English is a second language.
4.5
4 Dental Tech
3.5 Education Accounting 3 Building 2.5 Nursing 2 Design 1.5 Legal Practice 1 Music 0.5 Business
0 Lab Tech RMIT VU Swinburne The Gordon
Figure 2 ‐ Courses per TAFE
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A high rate of students who have chosen TAFE, have picked RMIT, VU and Swinburne. This concludes that they will most likely transfer to the following Universities. A high number have chosen the Education field, followed by legal practice and building.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 Male 3 Female 2 1 0
Figure 3 ‐ Male and Female at Universities
It seems in this graph that females outnumber males into going to University. Many of the male students in this year level would have liked to pursue maybe VCAL or an apprenticeship as an alternative to VCE. Many of the females have gone to VU for Education at the Footscray campus, followed by an even number going to RMIT for Engineering and La trobe for Health science. The male students have gone to La trobe and Deakin for Business and Health science.
10 9 8 7 6 5 Male 4 Female 3 2 1 0 RMIT VU Swinburne The Gordon
Figure 4 ‐ Male and Female at tafe
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In this graph the females have outnumbered the males in going to TAFE with many choosing VU Tafe for Educational studies. In the hope, they transfer to VU University to pursue a bachelor of Education. The next preference is RMIT in the field of legal practice. The males have chosen Swinburne in Accounting, Lab technology and Justice.
Other
Male Female
The students who preferred to take a GAP year or go straight into employment has been even between females and males for 2014. Two students have taken a GAP year, while the remaining have resumed employment.
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ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Tennis Tournament ‐ Monday 3 March, Al‐Taqwa College took part in the Wyndham Tennis Tournament held at Saltwater Reserve, Point Cook. There were 10 students chosen, Fazeela Cassim 9, Munir Seeid 9, Talal El houli 9, Ali El houli 9, Mahmoud El houli 9, Khaled Ali Bakhit 9, Iftu Mohamed 10, Zeina El houli 10, Sarah El kurdi 10 and Shayma Chandab 10. With very little training and preparation, our boys and girls did us proud. The Girls finished the day in second position and the boys in third.
Football ‐Al‐Taqwa College student, Bader Ismail(6C) has played football with Newport Power for the past two years. Playing various positions of Centre Half Back, Centre Half Forward and Ruck, he was among 300 players competing for the prestigious award of Best and Fairest. Bader started playing football in Grade 2 with Auskick, but after a long absence from the game, returned to play for the Power. This year, he was awarded Best and Fairest. Well done to Bader for an amazing effort.
Bader Ismail also came 2nd in the Shot Putt event. He made it through to the School Sport Victoria State Track and Field Championships! This event took place on Monday 27 October and achieved 4th place. There was only a .10 distance between 3rd and 4th place. This ranks him 4th for the state.
VCAA’s Plain English Speaking Award (PESA) ‐ Ubah Mohamad of Year 12 was the runner‐up of the Western Region. In addition, we participated in the WYNSPEAK competition and Siddick Mohammad of Year 11 entered the final round. The DAV Inter‐School Debate Competition is a competition our school keenly contests in and this year we had a record number of 28 participants. Many of our students won Best Speaker and some were given very encouraging feedback from the adjucators.
Art Exhibition The International Society for Education through Art (InSEA), A UNESCO partner organisation, hosted its 34th World Congress in July 2014. Over 500 delegates from 60 countries around the world came to celebrate achievement through art and we are proud that a collection of our students’ artworks were selected for the exhibition. This exhibition was organised by The Independent Schools of Victoria. The artworks will also be exhibited in The Independent Schools Victoria Art Exhibition of 2015. We thank the Wasimah Faruq, Sarah El Kurdi, Lejla Secic and Samie Balla for their artworks.
‘Sorrow of the Tree’ by: Abstract by: Sarah El Kurdi Wasimah Faruq Lejla Secic Samie Balla
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What’s Cooking 2014 ‐ The cooking competition for students was open to secondary students from Year 7‐11. We had an overwhelming response with 44 students eager to take on the challenge. The students were divided into 2 groups the Seniors and Juniors who had to compete in a
qualifyin g round where they were required to prepare a dish of their choice featuring either a fruit or vegetables as the hero of their dish. The variety and the quality of food that the young chefs produced in an hour was amazing and the judges had a very difficult time to pick out the 9 best dishes for the Final round. For the final round, students had to prepare an entree and a main course of their choice featuring one common element in both dishes. The judges said they found it hard to believe that such young students had such advanced skills and talent. Winning the title of What’s Cooking Champion of 2014 ‐ Khadijah El Masry, Year 10
(Senior group) and Amina Fazlic, Year 7 (Junior group).
Teachers’ Masterclass ‐ This year the Food Technology department decided that besides the usual meetings, corrections, preparation and planning we would also make time to build the spirit of camaraderie and learn new skills every fortnight. Every class was a learning experience to several excited teachers who had turned into eager students for the hour. Any teacher who had a special recipe to share came into the Home economics room and taught the rest of the class how to prepare that particular dish. The teachers developed skills in a variety of foods that ranged from Aloo Paratha (Indian flatbread stuffed with potato) to Mo’Aijanat Bi Gibnah ( Arabic Cheese Pie).
Debates ‐ The primary school won the debating competition during September againt Point Cook College. The topic was: School Uniforms Should be Compulsory and our school debaters Aaliyahm Armin, Shafi and Samy were the affirmative team. The debaters had strong arguments and it was obvious that they worked hard researching the topic. Aaliyah came up the first best speaker and Samy came second best speaker.
Golf ‐ Mahnoor Sohail came sixth in the Victorian State Golf Tournament so only missed out on State by one place. We also had golf clinic run by one of our student’s
father during our H&PE Week in Term 4
Soccer ‐ the year 7 soccer game against Hoppers Crossing Secondary College and thus crowned as the Wyndham district champions. The year 11/12 boys also beat Tarneit senior with a score of 1‐0 to become the Wyndham district champions for their category.
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Footy ‐ The year 7/8 boys showed true dedication and team spirit in the Bachar Houli Cup. Our captain, Mohamed Chandab led through example marshalling both the attack and defense. Robbie Jawad tackled two boys from another school twice his size. In fact everyone played above and beyond their potential during the preliminary rounds where we beat Minaret College with a score of 83 to 25 and Mt Hira College with a score of 63 to 11. Our school then proceeded to beat AIA in the Bachar Houli Cup finals with a score of 35 to 12.
Wyndham District Athletics meet (Secondary) ‐ During this meet, Yassin Nur came in first in the 400m, 800m and 1500m races while Shaikh Ali Mukhtadir was first in the discus. The year 8 boys comprising of Yasin Nur, Jawad Jawad, Ammar and Omar Cancar who did us proud by winning the 4 x 100m relay for the 14 year old group. Meanwhlie Ibrahim Khudruj also won a third place ribbon in the 1500m race. Leija Secic won the 200m race in the 16 year old group while Fatima Hassan won the 800m category and Latifa Hamze the 200m category respectively.
Western Metropolitan Athletics ‐ Yassin Nur of Year 8 came second in the Western Metropolitan Athletics for the 800m. Our Year 8 boys won the Wyndham District 4X100m and qualified for the Western Metropolitan Athletics. Year 10 student Leijla Secic won the 200m Wyndham District and qualified for the Western Metropolitan Athletics.
Wyndham Division Athletics Finals (Primary) – Our students from Grade 4 to 6 represented Truganina District on 17 September at the Werribee VUT Athletic Tracks. The following students made it through to the Regional Finals which took place on Tuesday 14 October : Sagal Habib (6C) and Zeynudin Yonis (5E).
Fundraising Drive ‐ The Junior SRCs for the second year have chosen to support their favourite charity, The Royal Children’s Hospital as part of their fundraising drive. The group together with their teacher went to the hospital to hand the donation and met some of the patients at the hospital. We applaud the effort of our students for this fundraising drive.
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Incursion – The Grade 2 had an incursion on designing a toy car on Wednesday, 15 October. The program engaged our students to explore technology, and how it has changed over several generations. Students investigated and identified the impact of technology in their lives. During the incursion students designed a toy car that moved, using a variety of sustainable materials. The identified ways that humans manage and protect the Earth’s resources. It was and an utterly enjoyable opportunity for our students to have a hand‐on experience in a memorable way.
Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Award This was a successful year for Lejla Secic of year 10. She was Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholarship recipient of 2014. This scholarship is presented to Year 10 students undertaking VCE studies. She gets to participate in the Kwong Lee Dow scholarship program at the University of Melbourne during her final year of school in 2016. This is an academic enrichment program that supports high‐achievement. She was also the recipient of The ADF Long Tan Leadership & Teamwork Awards.
VCE Tree Planting Day The tree planting ceremony has been a College’s tradition for some time for our VCE students’ final day. It was held on Wednesday 22 October where we enjoyed mingling with students, parents and teachers with a nice morning tea.
Graduation Dinner & Presentation Night ‐ On Wednesday 26 November the Year 12 Graduation Dinner was held at the Grand Star Reception Centre, Altona North to celebrate the end of their education journey. This was an enjoyable night where 75 Year 12 students were formally recognised. Cr Heather Marcus delivered a most aspiring speech as well as our ex‐student of the 2011 graduating class, Miss Lina Abdi. Moving speeches were made by Sarah Hallak and Ubah Mohamed on behalf of the Class of 2014.
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Achievements awards were also presented on the night. The following were the recipients:
The Pierre de Coubertin Award ‐ Samra Hot (Year 12) The ADF Long Tan Leadership & Teamwork Awards – Hodan Ali (Year 12) and Lejla Secic (Yr 10) VCAA Plain English Speaking Award – Kaltun Abdi and Ubah Mohamed (Year 12 students) Caltex Best All Rounder Award – Mohammed M Seeid (Year 12) Julia Gillard Award – Sarah Haddara (Year 12)
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ACCOUNTABILITY
Staff Composition Position Number Principal 1 Head of Secondary 1 Head of Primary 1 Special Needs Coordinator 1 Primary Teachers 69 Secondary Teachers 55 School Counselling Department 3 Non‐Teaching & Support Staff 48 Indigenous Teaching Staff 0 Total 179
Teacher Qualifications The following qualifications indicate the proportion of permanent teaching staff holding particular academic qualifications:
Qualifications % of Staff Doctorate 1 Masters 18 Bachelor Degree 73 Graduate Diploma 5 Diploma/Certificate 3
Staff Attendance Number of Staff Number of School Days Total Days of Staff Average Staff Absences Attendance Rate 179 200 1635 95.4%
Proportion of teaching staff retained from 2013 Number of permanent teaching Number of these retained in % of Retention Rate staff at the end of 2013 2014 113 113 100%
From the end of 2013 100% of teaching staff were retained for the 2014 school year.
Professional Development Staff at Al‐Taqwa College participated in extensive professional development. The training occurred as an in‐house training after hours and out of school hours training at other locations. Throughout the year a number of professional learning meetings were provided to support teachers in developing whole school curriculum and program plans that reflect a strong understanding of the AusVELS including the new Australian Curriculum subjects English, Mathematics, Science and History. Planning sessions also included support for teachers in understanding and implementing the changes in the marking scheme that accompanied the introduction of the AusVELS. Members of the Leadership Team worked collaboratively to lead meetings that focused on data analysis, planning literary overview, Reading Comprehension strategies, Writing Moderation and Spelling.
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Below list of Professional Developments provided to support staff and teachers:
Date Staff in Course PD Provider Attendance Jan 3 Food Safety Handler Level 1 Gordon Leith 10 Assessment & UBD Planning Andrea Trunkenbrodt Feb 1 2014 VCE Physics STAV 2 Mentor Support Program VIT 1 VCE Health & Hum Development Access Education 1 VCE Literature VATE 1 VCE English VATE 1 TPS Levy Prisms 1 VCE IT VET VITTA 1 VASS New Users VCAA 69 Leading Professional Learning Dr Eid – Al‐Taqwa 10 Self Esteem Safiye Aytekin – Al‐Taqwa 18 Mandatory Reporting Safiye Aytekin – Al‐Taqwa Mar 1 Professional Learning for Library Educational Services Aust 2 Mentor Support Program VIT 1 New Business Program ISV 2 School resilience Forum Riskex 1 Assessments & Reporting Synergetic 1 Studio Arts Program Art Education Victoria 2 Responding to Self Harm ADAVIC 1 Registration Seminar VIT 1 A Change of Heart VCAA 1 Analysing VCE Schools Results VCAA 69 Literacy H of Primary – Al‐Taqwa 69 Literacy & Numeracy Resources Kathy Riddle – McMillan 69 Writing Moderation Exercise H of Faculty – Al‐Taqwa Apr 2 Mentor Support Program VIT 2 Literacy Program Brit Gow 69 Leadership Principal – Al‐Taqwa 16 Special Needs Sp Needs Coordinator – Al‐Taqwa May 8 Mentor Support Program VIT 2 VCAL Quality Assurance VUT 2 Collegial Network Seminar Curriculum Organiser 1 Melbourne Education Conference Oxford 1 Curriculum Reporting Package Educ. Research Solutions 1 Classroom Observation Critical Agenda 1 School Debt Collection OPS Global 1 Cricket & Football Coaching School Sport Victoria 1 Network Meeting ISV 1 Behaviour Management Ivanhoe Prof. Learn 1 Training for Exam Conduct VCAA 179 Islamic Sciences Al‐Taqwa College 10 Literature & IS Unit Planners Penny Bentley – ICT
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10 Literacy Targeted Programs Brit Gow & Penny Bentley Jun 2 2014 PRT Seminar VIT 3 Economics & Business Cambridge 1 Hostility to Hissy Fits Ivanhoe Prof. Learn 1 Implementing Aust Curriculum ISV 69 Anaphylaxis Management Policy School Nurses – Al‐Taqwa 8 ICT Technology Implementation Penny Bentley – ICT 69 Class Observation Dr Eid – Al‐Taqwa Jul 10 Manage Conflict thru Negotiation Conflict Resolution Training 69 Incursion/Excursion/Camp policy Marketing – Al‐Taqwa 20 Setting quality homework tasks Andrea Trunkenbrodt Aug 1 New Business Program ISV 1 VCE Literature Exam Critical Agenda 1 National Assessment VCAA 1 Executive Forum ISV 1 Leading Continuity of Early Learn Bastow Institute 1 The Perfect Fit Scholastic 1 Effectively Managing Critical Agenda 1 TAE Certificate IV Inspire Education 1 ISV Training ISV 19 Writing Workshops/Creativity Beth Cregan Sep 2 Quality Assurance VCAA 1 Safe Minds DEECD 1 Leading Continuity of Early Learn Bastow Institute 9 Talking Difference Jan Molloy – Immi. Museum Oct 1 Mentor Support Program VIT 1 Language in the Classroom ISV 1 The Art of Teaching Marzano Institute 3 Peer Supervision Ilim College 1 Leading Continuity of Early Learn Bastow Institute 69 Managing Diabetes School Nursing ‐ Al‐Taqwa 69 Safe Manual Handling OHS – Al‐Taqwa 69 School Traffic Duties OHS – Al‐Taqwa 10 Leaders Workshop Curriculum Organiser Consultant 2 Class Observation & Feedback Andrea Trunkenbrodt Nov 4 Interpreting School Data VCAA 1 National Assessment VCAA 1 National Conference 2014 Achper 1 Measuring the Environment MAV 1 Leading Continuity of Early Learn Bastow Institute 1 Strategy Action ISV 69 Curriculum Planning Curriculum Organiser Consultant 69 Progression Points Briefing H of Primary Dec 69 Curriculum Organiser Curriculum Organiser Consultant
The total expenditure on staff professional development was $11,578.00. The involvement of the teaching staff in professional development activities during 2014 was 100%.
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HEALTH AND WELLBEINGS The OH&S Committee continued to help to provide a healthy and safe environment for all members of Al‐ Taqwa College.
The committee has encouraged all members at Al‐Taqwa to be actively involved in reporting issues, meeting regularly and continually reviewing OHS plans and policies to make sure they meet current expectations and guidelines. The Committee organised risk assessment on all extracurricular activities, sporting facilities and camps used by the College. Ensure compliance to Work Health and Safety by hazard identification and workplace accident/injury prevention. Safety is everybody’s responsibility.
An improved traffic flow controls within and outside the school grounds were initiated and has been working quite well.
At the College we also have a number of students who are allergic to various foods and substances including but not limited to: nuts, eggs, sesame seeds, grass, insects and dairy. The College has taken extreme measures to ensure the safety of our students who are at risk of Anaphylaxis.
The following steps were taken:
• Education of Staff and Students • Posters in and around the College • Anaphylaxis Emergency Kits placed around the College • Parent Education Sessions • Management Plan Completion
Asthma All students with asthma must have an up‐to‐date written asthma management plan, consistent with Asthma Victoria’s requirements, completed by their doctor or pediatrician. Asthmas plans will be attached to the student’s records for reference. All students must have their own ventolin inhaler and spacer. If this is not provided by parents, the College will purchase these items on their behalf and add this amount to their fees.
All other medical condition of our students are governed by similar policies.
The College Nurse created a medical supplies check list to ensure the school has the necessary medical supplies available. The checklist also includes the dates when staff medical kits and student Epipens need updating. Updating of student medical information regularly, documenting treatment and preparing first aid packs for excursions.
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MAINTENANCE The following works has taken place during the year: 12 new portable classrooms erected to accommodate the growing number of students in the Primary school. New canteen for the Primary area. Playground and outdoor area audit and maintenance Drink tap audit and maintenance Termly and annually maintenance plan of school buildings – air conditioner unit servicing, fire equipment maintenance, electrical testing and tagging, pest control treatment, inspection of ceilings, floors, plumbing, internal painting, steam cleaning of carpets and regular inspections of gutters and down pipes. All these jobs were done by professional tradesperson.
The maintenance of the facilities is about providing a safe environment for students and staff and creating a physical environment that is conducive to learning.
SATISFACTION SURVEY Satisfaction surveyed of senior students, parents and staff reported a positive satisfaction of all groups in all of the following areas surveyed: Learning and teaching of religion Curriculum, Learning and teaching Student wellbeing and Pastoral care
Lower level of satisfaction was indicated in these areas by parents: • Lack notice of events given working parents unable to attend. • A lot of teachers only focus on a child's weaknesses, not strengths. • Got school report and be informed that the child needs to improve in some areas – not consistent with what has been said during the year that the child is achieving well.
Lower level of satisfaction was indicated in these areas by students: Making subjects more interactive and hands on making the school work interesting Needed more help in Science, Sose and Maths
Lower level of satisfaction was indicated in these areas by some teachers: Student compliance with school rules challenging students to maximize learning outcomes
The survey gave the college a clear direction when planning for future programs and services for students. Parent communication improvement goal to be met through an e‐mail as well as additional phone calls and the use of SMS.
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FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
The financial statements for 2014 comply with the corporations Act 2001 and reflect a true and fair view of the financial position and performance of the college. The following information relates to Al‐Taqwa College financial performance for year ended 31st December 2014.
Statement of Profit or Loss and other Comprehensive Income FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014
2014 2013 $ $
Revenue 24,080,505 20,538,669
Salaries and employee benefits expense (14,061,421) (13,261,521) Property expenses (1,717,206) (1,563,716) Student and teaching expenses (1,584,763) (950,084) Bus expenses (469,045) (558,897) Insurance expenses (445,885) (422,457) Depreciation and amortisation (1,193,854) (1,037,365) Borrowing costs (532,340) (625,724) Bad and doubtful debts (144,300) (54,214) Donation (4,695) (2,104) Other expenses (1,528,278) (1,709,958) (21,681,787) (20,186,040) Operating gain before income tax 2,398,718 352,629 Income tax expense ‐ ‐ Net operating gain for the year 2,398,718 352,629
Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax ‐ ‐ Total comprehensive income for the year 2,398,719 352,629
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Statement of Financial Position AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2014
2014 2013 $ $ CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents 4,706,113 2,539,662 Trade and other receivables 797,862 437,302 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 5,503,975 2,976,964
NON‐CURRENT ASSETS
Property, plant and equipment 17,953,850 17,468,977 TOTAL NON‐CURRENT ASSETS 17,953,850 17,468,977 TOTAL ASSETS 23,457,825 20,445,941
CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables 2,901,357 2,426,946 Interest‐bearing liabilities 7,459,923 7,823,106 Provisions 1,769,300 1,627,221 TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 12,130,580 11,877,273
NON‐CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables 187,650 ‐ Interest‐bearing liabilities 468,326 152,595 Provisions 510,111 653,633 TOTAL NON‐CURRENT LIABILITIES 1,166,087 806,228 TOTAL LIABILITIES 13,296,667 12,683,501 NET ASSETS 10,161,158 7,762,440
ACCUMULATED FUNDS Accumulated funds 10,161,158 7,762,440 TOTAL ACCUMULATED FUNDS 10,161,158 7,762,440
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Statement of Changes in Equity FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014
Accumulated Funds $
Balance at 31 December 2013 8,008,657
Adjustment on correction of error (Note 2) (598,846) As a 1 January 2013 restated 7,409,811
Net operating gain for the year 352,629 Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax ‐ Total comprehensive income for the next year 352,629 Balance at 31 December 2013 7,762,440
Balance at 1 January 2014 7,762,440
Net operating gain for the year 2,398,718 Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax ‐ Total comprehensive income for the year 2,398,718 Balance at 31 December 2014 10,161,158
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Statement of Cash Flows FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 2014 2013 $ $ CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Receipt of school fees, levies and other income 4,743,710 4,383,903 Grants received 19,181,369 16,054,447 Interest received 5,019 3,703 Payments to suppliers and employees (19,511,036) (18,026,324) Interest paid (526,331) (618,090) Net cash provided by operating activities 3,892,731 1,797,639
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Payments for property, plant and equipment (860,958) (2,319,651)
Net cash used in investing activities (860,958) (2,319,651)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Repayment of loans ‐ Islamic Trust Fund (100) (280,098) Proceeds from loans 157,045 281,232 Repayment of loans (285,169) (288,294) Repayment of hire purchase and lease contracts (247,097) (66,888) Repayment of secured borrowings (490,001) ‐ Proceeds from secured borrowings ‐ 1,796,278
Net cash (used in) / financing activities (865,322) 1,442,230
Net increase in cash held 2,166,451 920,218 Cash at beginning of year 2,539,662 1,619,444
Cash at end of year 4,706,113 2,539,662
2014 ANNUAL REPORT 021906AR2014
BOARD DECLARATION In the opinion of the Members of the Board of the Islamic Schools of Victoria (Werribee College) Inc. trading as Al‐Taqwa College:
the financial statements comply with the Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements and the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2013; the financial statements give a true and fair view of Association’s financial position as at 31 December 2014 and of its performance and cash flows for the year ended on that date; and there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Association will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable.
This statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the Board and is signed for and on behalf of the Members of the Board by Omar Hallak, Chairman and Mohammed Muyeen, Deputy Chairman.
FUTURE FOCUS 2015 Innovations in Learning Programs with greater emphasis on value‐add and creative use of technology to push boundaries in learning Greater customisation and differentiation of learning programs to cater to individual students’ interest and development needs. Cultivating partnerships with students, alumni, parents , local communities and government agencies to strategically increase school’s resources and increase student opportunities for real world learning Building positive school culture and promoting a positive school image through effective and creative communication with school stakeholders to increase sense of belonging, loyalty and pride in the school.
Student Engagement Increase avenues for student involvement in daily school life, learning programs and school improvement process through student consultation and creating a strong student voice in the form of student feedback and suggestions More focused students’ engagement program to enhance student leadership capability & capacity and to promote independence in students through cultivation of self‐management skills e.g. cultivation of positive hobbies, managing relationships and coping with conflict. Expanding and strengthening learning programs for high achievers and gifted & talented students to help them achieve their full potential.
Staff Engagement Enhancement of staff engagement through a variety of staff welfare programs, staff bonding events and professional development to build sense of loyalty , belonging and pride in the school Support high quality, innovative teaching, assessment and reporting practice among teachers Ensuring sound workforce planning to address career development and professional growth of teachers especially in grooming new talents and future leaders to ensure continued growth of the school
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ICT Upgrade Integration of Information Technology such as IPADS and Hybrids tablets across the curriculum to enhance students’ learning. Continued upgrading of the school ICT infrastructure to support school’s ICT for learning plans
Strategic Plan Review and upgrade our strategic plan to stay abreast of latest development in Education and to ensure school for excellence.
The School Strategic Plan is currently being revisited by the School Board. The school has come a long way in achieving the key areas identified in the strategic plan such as staff development, student‐ centred programs and processes and building teachers capacity to improve our teaching and learning.
Our School Strategic Plan is due for a review by the Strategic Leadership Team as the current Strategic Plan will expire at the end of 2015.
ABOUT THIS REPORT The self‐evaluation committee has worked collaboratively and gathered information across the board for 2014 Annual Report.
The committees comprised of the School Board members, Principal and executives.
2014 ANNUAL REPORT 021906AR2014