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Point View School | LEARNING TOGETHER |
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Welcome to the Point View School community. Many of you will already have children at our school so this will be familiar territory while for others this is the start of a new venture as your child starts their educational journey. Some of you may be visiting our school as a member of the community or as an educationalist. We welcome all families and visitors and trust you will sense that this is indeed a special place for students, staff and the school community. I urge you to read through our introductory material so that you have an awareness of the wealth of experience of our staff members and an understanding of the rich opportunities that children are offered while at our school. I moved to Point View School in April 2007 on the retirement of Neil Shroff, the highly respected founding Principal. Prior to that I spent five years as Principal of Bayfield School in Herne Bay, central Auckland. From 1997 to 2001 I was Deputy Principal here at Point View for the first five years after the school opened. What a privilege it has been to come back to this very special learning environment. As you walk around the school you will see students on task in all rooms, teachers engaged with their students, and rooms awash with quality student work and stimulating displays. There is extensive professional development for staff and stimulating professional dialogue amongst the teachers. The students are happy, healthy and keen to learn. There is a wonderful appreciation of the multiple cultures in the school. We have great facilities, in terms of buildings and in terms of teaching resources. We also have the unending support of a highly competent Board of Trustees, an active Family and Friends group and the wider community. In 2007 we reviewed the school vision and planned ahead for the next five years. Our revised charter and new strategic plan will take the school through from 2008 to 2012. With a clear shared vision that reflects our dreams for our children, our nation and our world, we will continue to learn together and we will ensure that Point View School remains a very special place for everyone who is part of the school community.
An Introduction to Point View School Point View School is a Year 1 to Year 6, decile ten school situated in the east Auckland suburb of Howick. The school opened in 1997 and celebrated its tenth anniversary in Term 1, 2007. The school is extremely well resourced, not only in terms of its attractive gardens, gymnasium sized hall, well equipped library and research centre, technology room, performing arts centre and learning centre, but in terms of the wealth of expertise of the staff members and the extremely supportive school community. School Organisation Point View has over 800 students, organised into three teams. The Junior Team has Year 1, 2 students, the Middle Team has Year 3, 4 students, while Years 5 and 6 make up the Senior Team. This structure allows a gradual transition through the school and enables a focus at each level on the academic, social and physical needs of that particular age group. Each team is run by one of the three Deputy Principals who, with the Principal, make up the senior management team. This team is supported by a strong middle management team of leaders with a wide range of roles and responsibilities. There are thirty-four classroom teachers, five specialist teachers and five part-time teachers, supported by seven teacher aides and eight learning assistants. Five people have administrative roles and four work on property. Teachers are also in curriculum teams, which lead curriculum review and development, resource management and professional development, and we have project teams managing specific projects and events, both short and long term. School Planning and Self Review The Point View School Charter encompasses the school vision, aims and objectives, strategic priorities, annual plan and student achievement targets. Self-review procedures are in place and the Board and community are given regular feedback on administrative and curriculum matters including our key focus, student achievement. Point View School has a full portfolio of policies and procedures that underpin all facets of school life and clarify the processes and accountabilities of board and staff members. The school development and self-review processes are supported by an extensive professional development programme. Review outcomes are presented to the Board of Trustees regularly according to review schedules that cover curriculum delivery and administration. The high level of effectiveness of our self review processes was noted in the 2009 ERO report. Curriculum Delivery Point View School’s charter goals prioritise the teaching of literacy, numeracy and information literacy. An enquiry learning model is used at all levels of the school, supported by the full time teacher librarian. Programmes cater for individual student needs and learning styles. Specialist programmes support our children with special needs and our gifted and talented children. There is a high level of expertise on the staff to support a vibrant arts programme, covering music, dance, drama and visual arts. A specialist music teacher works three days a week with classes and with instrumental, vocal and composition groups. Physical education and sports are taught in weekly class skill development lessons, in syndicate sports sessions and in lunchtime coaching sessions. In addition, a sports specialist teaches ball handling skills across all year levels. We hold school sports events in athletics, cross country and swimming and teams participate in all local schools events, with excellent outcomes. Our resource manager runs the computer network, leads student and staff development in ICT (information and communications technology), runs the school intranet and web site, and manages the teaching resources. The school has a wide range of up-to-date ICT equipment across the school, including interactive white boards in all classrooms, and e-learning is a key focus in the school. Evaluation and Reporting to Parents Regular assessment and evaluation is an integral part of the teaching and learning cycle. Students complete a wide range of assessment tasks throughout the year and the resulting data supports analysis of individual achievement levels and progress, and the analysis of aggregated student achievement data across the school. Student achievement outcomes are monitored against national data and, where available, high decile schools data, and student achievement targets are set annually. Such analysis guides both teaching programmes and the allocation of resources. The student management database provides a cumulative record for each child on achievement levels in each curriculum area. This assessment data also supports formal reporting to parents. Individual student work books are sent home regularly to show progress and written reports are issued at the end of the year. We have two formal parent interviews or three-way conferences each year and ongoing informal dialogue with parents. In 2010 our current assessment and reporting practices will be aligned with the new National Standards legislation. We also implement formative assessment practices where clarity of learning intentions and success criteria, and detailed feed-back and feed-forward, ensure quality learning for all students. Performance Management and Professional Development The performance management cycle involves all staff members and covers all stages of employment from recruitment, appointment and induction through to staff exit procedures. It is an ongoing process aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning outcomes for students. It integrates fully with individual and whole staff professional development. In 2010 our major professional development focus is e-learning, as part of a Ministry funded three year project run in collaboration with Willowbank School and Somerville Intermediate. We will also continue to focus on assessment for learning practices and on curriculum development based on the Revised New Zealand Curriculum. Minor professional development focus areas in 2010 are numeracy, enquiry learning, management development and a programme for provisionally registered teachers. Another critical focus is the different learning styles of boys and girls; this development links to current research and to findings from our own boys only class run in 2006 and 2007. Our own e-learning class, first formed in 2009, continues to provide a model for e-learning across the school. The School Community Involvement with the local community is an integral part of Point View School. Parents have high expectations of the school and are very supportive, assisting with classroom programmes and trips. The Family and Friends is an association of parents that makes significant contributions to the school in terms of fundraising, volunteer based initiatives and support for school activities. The Board of Trustees is a governing body that is elected every three years. The current board is a very skilled and supportive group. Board elections will be held in May 2010. A significant part of Point View’s special character is its multi-cultural community. In addition to the 43% of NZ European students, there are students from Korea, Taiwan, China, India, South Africa and the Middle East, as well as Maori, Samoan, Nuiean and Tongan students. This rich cultural diversity is celebrated through dance, music, food, language and festive occasions. At Point View School we encourage full communication and involvement in your child’s learning. It is a happy place for the children and for those of us who work here. The latest Education Review Office (ERO) review took place in 2009. A summary of the report is included in this publication. The full report is available on http://www.ero.govt.nz Since the school's inception in 1997, Point View School has had a very positive ERO reporting history. ERO has reported effective educational leadership, high expectations, collegiality, innovation, a high standard of teaching and cohesive school-wide practices. Achievement analysis has consistently shown that children achieve very well. This review focuses on the effectiveness of strategies for sustaining and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in the school. The review finds that effective strategies have been established for sustaining and embedding high quality practices throughout the school. Increasingly distributive, strategic leadership and a purposefully developed school culture are features of the school. The new principal, appointed since the retirement of the foundation principal in 2007, has maintained a clear focus on high expectations and the school's motto of 'learning together'. Respect, inclusiveness, consistency of practice and a shared sense of purpose are evident, along with frequent celebration of student achievement. School leaders consult with a wide range of stakeholders on an ongoing basis. They continue to engage in both internal and external initiatives to strengthen teaching practices and to enrich programmes for students. A particular focus of current professional development is the use of assessment for the purposes of personalising learning to a greater extent. This development should enable students to have increased ownership of the learning process and to identify more specific, individual next steps for learning. Students at Point View School benefit from a very well resourced environment and a wide range of learning opportunities presented in meaningful and innovative contexts. Informed decisions, targeted support and good use of teachers' particular areas of expertise contribute to a variety of initiatives and interventions to support and enhance learning for students with special abilities and needs. Highly effective professional sharing and support practices contribute to school-wide consistency in expectations, documentation, teaching approaches and well-established classroom routines. Students achieve success in a variety of arenas. Almost all students achieve at or above national expectations in numeracy, reading and written language. In addition to significant academic achievements, students have been successful in local competitions for cultural, sporting, art, technology and music events, as well as national and international tests and competitions. Student achievements and successes are recognised and celebrated at assemblies and in the school's annual Year Book. The school's strategic priorities have been established as a result of wide consultation and a clear vision for student outcomes. Self review and reporting processes are well established. Robust discussion and analysis of assessment data in many curriculum reports assists the board in its decision making. The board has traditionally set overall achievement targets and could now consider providing more challenge for students by setting targets above national expectations for particular groups of students. In addition to the school-specific focus of this review, ERO considered five areas of national interest. The report comments on the fact that M?ori and Pacific students achieve at levels similar to those of their peers and that a considerable amount of valuable work has been done in preparation for implementing the New Zealand Curriculum in 2010. It notes that teachers place a high priority on literacy in Years 1 and 2, and make good use of assessment information to plan and teach reading and writing at this level. The school complies with all aspects of the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students.
Services Available Through The School COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAMMES DENTAL CLINIC ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPPORT GROUP SPECIAL EDUCATION (GSE) LEARNING ASSISTANTS LIFE EDUCATION CARAVAN LLOYD ELSMORE SWIMMING POOL POLICE YOUTH EDUCATION PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE READING SUPPORT RESOURCE TEACHER OF LEARNING AND BEHAVIOUR (RTLB)
Motto, Mission Statement, Core Beliefs Motto Learning Together Point View School Mission Statement Point View School fosters the development of individual potential, a love of learning, and responsible citizenship. Point View School Core Beliefs We believe that the school must provide a safe and secure environment for all students We believe in promoting mutual respect, acceptance and trust between students, staff, parents and the community. We believe that learning is a life-long experience and students will be encouraged to understand learn how they learn. We believe that all programmes should be non sexist and non racist and that individual differences should be acknowledged and celebrated. We believe in a holistic approach to learning where academic, intellectual, aesthetic, physical and social skills are promoted and where success of any kind is celebrated. We believe in meeting students’ individual needs through programmes that support them and challenge them to reach their potential. We believe in setting high expectations for our students in terms of behaviour, attitude to learning and service to others. We believe in promoting individual responsibility, self discipline and independence while engendering a feeling of community, mutual support and school pride. We believe the school curriculum should reflect the community’s priorities while following the New Zealand National Curriculum. We believe that learning should be fun and that humour is an essential ingredient of our school’s environment and philosophy.
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