Annual report 2020
A Message from the Principal
Dear Parents, Carers and School Community Members,
The 2020 school year was certainly one which was remarkable and caused us to stop and think about many procedures and practices. The major instigator of this was the Covid-19 pandemic which had a significant impact on our students, staff and community. Whilst it was a devastating time world-wide, it allowed us to pause and rethink the way that we did things and become innovative to ensure that our students still had a variety of opportunities offered to them.
A significant omission from this report is the annual NAPLAN data as the national testing regime did not occur. Therefore, as a school, we have had to rely on a number of other sources to measure and demonstrate our academic achievement.
A positive highlight of the 2020 school year, was our triannual Public School Review. Two Directors of Education reviewed our school at the end of Term 3. The final report was exceptionally positive and reaffirmed to us that our focus and direction for 2020-2023 is aligned with Departmental expectation. It also demonstrated the capacity and capability of our students and staff and the commitment of our community to our school. The report is available to you all on the www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolsonline under the Reports tab. I hope that you find this report to be useful and informative and look forward to continuing to work with you all as we steer towards a new and exciting future.
Kind regards
Cathy de Thierry Principal
Calista Primary School 2020
Calista Primary School is an Independent Public School that offers a Kindergarten to Year 6 education to 513 students. The school is situated in the City of Kwinana in a lovely bush setting close to the town centre and adjacent to modern shopping and Recquatic Centres. Our purpose is to celebrate the journey of learning by preparing students for their future through a caring, nurturing learning culture, where all students have the opportunity to achieve personal and academic success. This is underpinned by the values of Safety, Aspiration, Inclusion and Life-Long Learning.
The school has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere with strong support from parents and a very dedicated staff. All staff welcome parents and believe that strong relationships between the school and community are extremely important. Survey data indicates that there is a high degree of satisfaction with the school, and there is a strong desire for enrolment from families out of the local intake area. Calista Primary school has formed strong links within the wider Kwinana community. In partnership with NGALA we manage the Child and Parent Centre that works with families with children from 0 to 8 years.
Our School operates a number of specialist programs including Physical Education, Visual and Performing Arts and Chinese Language (Mandarin). Literacy and Numeracy are a priority at Calista PS and we follow an explicit teaching model to improve achievement in these areas. Over recent years we have seen gains in student achievement and our students on average are achieving better than like schools and similar to all Australian Schools. Student social, emotional, physical and learning needs are catered for and children feel safe, valued and supported by the school community. Behavioural guidelines are fair, consistent and established using a whole school approach. High attendance is encouraged and absences are followed up.
Business Plan 2020 - 2023
The Business Plan serves to provide the strategic direction and purpose to our operational plans, programs and activities from Semester 2 2020 until Semester 1 2023. The cycle is such that it provides us with a window of time for future planning. It also serves to drive the future direction of accountability processes by outlining established targets and the milestones that will allow us to determine our achievement over time. These provide a level of aspiration for the future goals for the school.
If you wish to view the business plan, click here.
To read our full annual report please find it here.