CELEBRATING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES –

LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT

It is important that we focus on the development of the ‘whole child’ and a key aspect of this is their academic achievement. Below you will find the whole of school results from our report cards in semester one 2024 and 2025 for English & Mathematics, where we focus on the percentage of students who have achieved a C standard (this means they are at the expected level of achievement for their current year level) or above and those who achieved either an A or a B in the subjects indicated. At a very simplistic level, generally, around 15% of the population will be below average (below a C standard) in these two subjects for a variety or reasons which might include disability, learning difficulties etc. Therefore, if 85% of the population are on average achieving above a C standard, it is what might be expected as baseline. It also means that our students are largely achieving better than the general population.

We are very pleased with the outcomes during the first semester of 2025, as they relate to what has been taught and learned from the Australian Curriculum (see Teaching & Learning Overviews emailed to you in last week of term 2 for specific details).   

We are always striving to improve each year and lift students through challenging them just enough to keep them in ‘the learning zone’, but not discourage them from continuing their learning journey by making the work beyond their capability. There will be variation in the data across year levels as no two cohorts are the same in terms of capability, however for the larger part, there is continual and steady growth in student academic achievement. Variation in cohorts can be as simple as students coming and going from Milton.

For those students who may fall below the expected achievement level of a C standard, we work very hard with our school ACCESS team (student support for intervention and extension) and the class teacher along with you as parents, our own support staff and any external professional guidance that you might engage, to continue the developmental growth of such students. For some students it will be a case of ‘not quite being there…yet’.

We must keep at the forefront of our minds that not every child (or adult) will achieve an A standard in every subject. We all have our strengths and challenges and are uniquely individual.

The evidence below only forms one part of the story for our students. Individually we see growth at varying rates developmentally for all students. There are many factors which can influence their results, and it is always our goal to take a student from where they’re at in their learning and help them progress further. We want to see them grow to reach their potential over the course of the 7 years they attend our school. Our focus is always about who we want them to be and what they have achieved, upon exiting Milton. Are they embodying the ‘6C’s (Global Competencies) in their life and in their learning- Character, Citizenship, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Critical Thinking. These are the skills that will serve them well as they become productive members of our global society.

DONATION TO THE SCHOOL- NEW SCHOOL SIGN

A wonderful opportunity has been presented to us from Thomas and Rhiannon Coussens from Place Real Estate (also parents in our school and sponsors of book prize each term).

If you list your home for sale with them and it obviously is sold by them, Thomas and Rhiannon will donate their entire commission from the sale to our school, with the view that it will go towards us being able to fund a new electronic sign on Haig Rd.

This is a most generous offer to the school community and if you are considering selling your home, then Thomas and Rhiannon would be pleased to assist. Just contact them on 0426 455 435.

P&C FUNDING- MID YEAR UPDATE

As we are now just past the halfway point in the school year, I wanted to give an update on how the school has progressed with expending the generous funding from the P&C Association.

Each year the P&C provide $100 000 to the school for various initiatives. This year an additional $50 000 was provided to undertake some upgrades to play areas including seating, murals and equipment.

The staff and students are so very appreciative of the fundraising efforts of the P&C and wider school community so that many additional resources and infrastructure can be purchased.

Below are some photos of the P&C funded upgrades and additions, with more to be done up to the end of this year.

There is also provision for additional teacher aide time and part funding for our Art Teacher, Shannon Ravenscroft, who will work with every class for one term over the course of the school year.  If you have had a child already work with Shannon, you will have been invited along with the rest of the school to come and view their work at the Art Show she creates at the end of every term. Absolutely amazing work!

WHERE WILL WE BE IN 2030- IT’S NOT THAT FAR AWAY!

If I could predict the future, I would be a very popular and rich man! There is no certainty about where the future will take us and in particular the lives of our children. It seems like a long way off, but trust me, having two of my own children now 26 & 28 years, it flew by very quickly.

The research below aligns very much with work we are doing across our school with ‘Deep Learning’ as it relates to the 6 C’s- Creativity, Communication, Character, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Citizenship. These are the ‘key drivers’ for how we approach teaching and learning and are well aligned to what the future needs in private enterprise will be and are demanding.

 I have learned of some very interesting statistics that are generated by private enterprise in terms of the skills and abilities they are most concerned about for the future workforce and society. The focus will increase on an increase in dealing with people, problem solving and creative thinking with a reduction in manual tasks. Their skills need to be portable and transferable.

No longer will it be one job for an entire career, more likely it will be some 17 jobs across five different industries over a person’s working life.

The statistics show that the future of work life will be-

100% more time spent solving problems

30% more time learning on the job.

26% more time engaging in self-directed work.

Employer needs have shown an increase by percentage in the following-

Digital Literacy- 212%- this relates to the ability of their employees to interface with digital technology and use it in the most efficient and effective ways for the specific role they undertake in the workplace.

Bi-lingual- 181%- this relates to not just the ability to speak another language, but even more so to negotiate their way through a global society where the understanding of how to interact with other cultures within Australia and beyond is critical. It’s about being able to engage in diverse environments and contexts.

Critical Thinking- 158%- this relates to employees being able to have really well-developed problem solving and teamwork skills.

Creativity- 65%- this relates to employees being able to speak and communicate with others, in the workplace and with those whom they service as clients.

Employers are increasingly turning their focus to skills not scores. What may have once been viewed as ‘soft skills and capabilities’ are now equally weighted with university scores or other forms of external study. There is a clear shift from purely content led to capability/competency driven.

So, what does this really mean for the future of schooling and education in general? If we look to the Gonski Review, there are some key recommendations which align with how we need to be shifting our focus within schools and it should not be new news to our school community, as these are aspects I have spoken about and worked towards enacting for some time now.

Central to the report’s findings and subsequent recommendations is an acknowledgement of several key considerations:

1. the need to change the 19th century “industrial” education model
2. a refocusing on meaningful teacher-led assessment is required, rather than point-in-time tests such as NAPLAN
3. there should be a place for students in designing and leading the learning process

The review focuses on three priority areas and contains 23 recommendations

The three priority areas are to:

1.    deliver at least one-year’s growth in learning for every student, every year
2.    equip every child to be a creative, connected and engaged learner
3.    cultivate an adaptive, innovative and continuously improving education system.

To achieve these priorities, the report recommends that the following are necessary.

1.    Laying foundations for early learning by: promoting high-quality early learning and transition to schools; engaging parents and carers as partners in learning; and ensuring students can be partners in their own learning.
2.    Equipping every student to grow and succeed in a changing world by: introducing new reporting regimes; revising the Australian Curriculum; prioritising the acquisition of foundation skills in literacy and numeracy in the early years; enhancing the acquisition of critical and creative thinking and personal and social capability; strengthening community engagement.
3. Creating, supporting and valuing a profession of expert educators through: providing more professional collaboration, observation, feedback and mentoring; developing an online and on-demand student learning tool for formative assessment and tailored teaching; providing high quality professional learning experiences; developing a national teacher workforce strategy; implementing effective induction programs; creating meaningful career pathways which keep excellent teachers teaching.

In so many ways, we as a school are committed to ensuring we are already moving these priorities forward through our School Strategic Plan. I am heartened to see so much of what is contained in the Gonski Report is already underway within our school. We have always been at the forefront of educational excellence and will continue to push the boundaries in how we approach the education of your children.

SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY

The annual School Opinion Survey has been sent to your email address as of Monday this week.

The key dates for completion are below-

KEY DATES

21 July – 25 July   Invitations emailed to Parents / Caregivers, Students and Staff

28 July                   SOS 2025 - Survey period opens

22 August              SOS 2025 - Survey period closes

We will be sending out some supporting information to you next Monday 28 July.

Kind regards,
Paul Zernike
Principal
pzern1@eq.edu.au