On behalf of the students and staff of Austinmer Public School, I would like to make the following submissions for financial assistance in the 2008 school year.

The following programs and proposals are of enormous benefit to our students and the programs will go ahead, but with extra financial support from the P & C we can ensure that the good work we do is done even better!

 

Submission 1 ~ Presentation Day
We request financial support for our Presentation Day.
On this day all Kindergarten students receive a book, book plate and certificates. In the other years, selected students are rewarded for their academic, sporting and cultural achievements.
The P & C has made a traditional contribution to the expenses of the day and I am requesting a $1000 contribution for this 2007 Presentation day.

 

Submission 2 ~ Positive Behaviour, Interventions & Support and Best Start Programs.
We request financial support for the Positive Behaviour, Interventions & Support and Best Start Programs.
Beginning in 2008, Austinmer Public School will be embarking on an ambitious program to implement the Positive Behaviour, Interventions and Support program. The crux of the program has the school involved in action research on behaviour concerns. From this data we are able to work on provides positive role models and experiences, which provide support for all students and establishes guidelines and scaffolding for students at risk both emotionally and academically.

 

The program is a five-year program and does have significant input from parents and students, as well as staff. Your input helps create a standard agreed and valued set of principles that drive the direction of all the educational, social and cultural activities in the school.

 

Part of the school’s commitment to the program requires that we provide coaches who are trained to not only support the implementation of the program in our school, but also in our sister schools that we are partnered to.
In providing two coaches we are informed that we will need to commit a minimum of $14000 for their training (this does not include the provision of relief time at approximately $280 a day with a minimum of 14 days training for each coach). There is also significant staff development time being allocated to the program.
In the Best Start program the focus will be our Kindergarten students of 2008. The foundation areas to be assessed are those identified by comprehensive evidence and research as critical for the early development of literacy and numeracy.

 

The assessment will build on the strong practices of teachers who already undertake purposeful, systematic and ongoing monitoring of student learning in the early years.

 

Best Start will complement but not replace current assessments by school and community health professionals on health or behaviour concerns identified by either teachers or parents.
I request that the P & C provide a commitment of supporting of both of these programs to the tune of $14000.

 

Submission 3 ~ Literacy Support
Over a number of years, we have had children supported by the provision of extra 1 to 1 tuition, in Literacy Support, with the end result being that they are supported and have shown significant improvements in their literacy progress.

 

We would like to continue this program throughout 2008.
The programs would run as they have in the past. Students identified through BST and school collected data would be targeted to reach agreed standards with one to one tuition. As they reach a satisfactory level, they would be weaned off their intensive support and new students would take their place.
I request that the P & C provide a commitment of supporting this programs to the tune of $20000.

 

In Summary. Each of these programs will make an enormous difference to the learning experiences of every child here at Austinmer Public School. Because each program is so important, we will ensure that they are implemented next year, however, without financial support from the P & C, we will need to severely curtail expenditure in many of the other learning programs that are currently in place.

 

I hope that you will be able to support these initiatives.

Yours Sincerely,

Paul Petersen
Principal
24th October 2007