NAZARETH CATHOLIC COLLEGE- A FAMILY CENTRED COLLEGE

1. NAZARETH CATHOLIC COLLEGE- A FAMILY CENTRED COLLEGE

2. CONTEXT • Nazareth Catholic Community, located in Findon and Flinders Park, is a community of families, growing in faith and vitality, through a range of services. • It is a community in which people undertake their human and faith journeys. • It is a place of well-being for all. • At the heart of the community is a school, and at the heart of the school is each family. • The Community seeks to build relationships with families and to liberate and empower them for their outreach to each other and to the community.

3. Our History – and our future • Nazareth Catholic Community embraces the traditions of four pre-existing schools (Siena College, Our Lady of the Manger, Cardinia School and Mater Christi School) and has developed its own sense of identity and community. • Its future will be guided by the concept of a “family/church” partnership. • Integral to the Nazareth Catholic Community’s ethos is the building upon and recognition of the dedicated work of generations of parish members and the charisms of each school in building the four communities.

4. 2007 • Nazareth Catholic Community and therefore Nazareth Catholic College, as an overall project came into existence in 2007. While physically, the three school sites did not change immediately they became part of the community. • The four schools in the project are named “Nazareth Catholic College” but began to be called by their individual locations e.g. Nazareth Catholic College, Seaton (formerly Mater Christi School) • Siena College became a co educational secondary school and provisions were made for the introduction of boys at Year 8. • The uniform for Nazareth Catholic College was introduced for Year 8 and Reception students and will be phased in over a number of years for students at other year levels.

5. 2008 • 2008 heralds the beginning of the 8-12 Campus at the newly built, state of the art facilities at 1 Hartley Road, Flinders Park. • The site map is indicative of the plans for the Early Childhood Centre – Year 7 Campus at the Findon site.

6. Findon site plans

7. Also on the Findon site will be a gathering of services to support families of young children, e.g. counselling, speech therapy, Early Childhood services, playgroups, parent café, etc. • A new church called ‘Our Lady of the Manger Church’ and multi-purpose space complete the design of the site. • Renovations have commenced at the Findon Campus in preparation for the amalgamation of the three primary schools at that site.

8. Playgroup

11. ENROLMENTS Year PrimarySecondaryTOTAL • 2007 684 631 1315 • 2008 708 738 1446 • 2009 714 844 1558 • 2010 630 890 1520 • 2011 714 940 1654

12. Quality Learning Philosophy • During 2007 staff began to explore the philosophy of Quality Learning. Quality Learning applies Deming's philosophy and methods to the improvement of student learning. Quality Learning tools provide a practical 'how to' guide to improving the quality of learning. Key Principles • Learn new ways to strengthen and build relationships between learner and teacher • Create an educational environment where learners are responsible for their own learning • Apply tools and strategies to deliver improvement in the classroom and school system more broadly • Build systems that enable learners to make choices and give them experience in self-evaluation • Examine case histories that illustrate the successes and pitfalls associated with implementing quality improvement methods

14. Grandfriends Day

15. Student Led Classes

24. Leadership structures • Leadership of Nazareth Catholic Community is cross disciplinary and collaborative. • The College forms the largest component of the community, but each team has equal importance and does not operate without reference to the others. • New ways of working together are evolving and constantly being refined to ensure the quality of the services we offer to the community and more effective ways of engaging members of the local and church community. • Members of the leadership teams operate within their ‘local’ environment but also as an integral part of the whole. • A jigsaw is a good way of describing the ‘essentiality’ of each piece to make the community whole and true to the vision.

27. The College leadership team • 2 x R-12 Co-Principals (One with experience in the secondary context and one with experience in the primary context) • 2 x R-12 Deputy Principals (secondary and primary specialities) • Various leadership positions for Curriculum, Band leadership, house leadership, year level and subject specific leadership, well being leadership. • Some areas have been earmarked for 2008 to work across the whole R-12 school to ensure common vision and goals and a sequentiality of learning for students. • Each person in senior leadership has taken on the leadership of one portfolio to develop an R-12 perspective within that area. • The nominated cross campus portfolios are: • Catholic Culture Team • Inclusive Education • Physical Education/Health • Student Well Being • Curriculum Co-ordination • ICT coordination • OHSW

28. Community Facilities • The school is designed for highly collaborative, inclusive, interactive and student centred teaching and learning, therefore:- • The physical environment : • is aesthetically pleasing • Constructed to allow times of quiet and reflection • Imbued with sacred spaces inside and outside • Is constructed to enable an ICT rich environment • has flexible and adaptable spaces for multi use activities • is ecologically sustainable • is safe and welcoming • has spaces to encourage teachers to work in cross disciplinary teams • is designed to give students access to teachers

35. Why? • Shared Vision Statement for Community/College • Shared values to be articulated in the Vision • Involving all stakeholders • Vision is foundational to relationships, policies, processes and practices. • Vision is prominently displayed and constantly articulated

38. What? • all ESO/teaching staff for a full day to discuss/record, using QL Tools, our shared understandings of: • Purpose • Vision of Excellence • Values • Behaviours • Graduate Profile • Worked for two days with students, R-12, across the 4 campuses • Students assisted with the process of recording and data collection • Evening sessions with combined groups of parents, Community ConnectionsCommittee and Board members and parish and Church members • Data Collection from 3 days of input analysed/summarized • Facilitators and LeadershipTeam discuss findings • Summary Sheets established for each area of discussion • Summary sheets displayed in each campus foyer fro further feedback via multi-voting tool • Summary sheets presented to Community Board for further feedback • Co-Principals then analysed Summary Sheet findings and articulated these findings into the final Vision Statement • Vision Statement presented to staff and committees and to Community Board for ratification • Co-Principals used data to develop Mission Statement to accompany each section of the Vision Statement

40. Shared Direction Setting

45. Who ? • 6-8month process • Teaching and ESO staff, families, students, community members, parishioners, parish associates, priests, Dean, members of Church Teams, Community Connections, Community Board • Leadership team and Visioning team essential to process • External facilitators – assisted with organization and process, no hidden agenda

46. Group Task In the context of your own school, choose one aspect to identify in terms of the underpinning values: • Purpose • Vision of Excellence • Values • Behaviours which exhibit Values • Desired Graduate Profile

47. FORCE FIELD ANALYSIS • Write the topic to be studied at the top • Draw one line down the center and another across the top • Title the left column “Driving Forces” and the right column “Preventing Forces” • Set a time limit to work on each side, usually five to ten minutes. Allow each member to participate equally • As each member of a team contributes an idea, all members write the idea on their own sheet or the recorder writes it on the whiteboard. • When the Force Field is finished, discuss the results. It is advantageous to prioritize and remove preventing forces rather than focus on drivers.

48. Challenges and Strengths • What are the Challenges and Strengths in your own community? • Articulate, for yourself, how you can address one of the challenges on your return to school.

49. Challenges • In the midst of change… • Communication processes • Interpretation of information • Inclusion of all • Establishing shared/agreed values • Time to manage the process (3 days…etc) • Release time for key staff/ funding • Funding for external facilitators • System changes • Need to keep the Vision alive – needs to be connected to processes and structures and relationships • Doing things in new ways, without adding extra layers to workloads etc • Constant reminders and visibility of the Vision • Needs leadership depth

50. Celebrations • Support of Leadership Teams • Capturing staff, student, parent, community voices • Willingness of stakeholders to be involved • Visible indicators of a lived Vision: • Leadership Structures • NCC Community Flow Chart • Newsletters and other forms of communication • Evaluation processes • Structure of Parent Evenings, Learning Conversations with staff/student/parent/ social gatherings for families • Community Connections Committee • Wellbeing Policy • R-12 Band Meetings • R-12 staff meetings • Shared Professional Learning