Community Council

The results from the Annual School Survey conducted from 3-16 June 2022 have now been received and were considered by the Community Council at our Term 3 Open Meeting. The survey is conducted in two parts: one provides an opportunity for students in Years 4-6 to reply, the other is for parents and carers. The survey is an important tool for the School and the Community Council to understand the experience of children and families at Sacred Heart. We want to know what we do well and any areas which need a more focused effort. The survey also provides an opportunity to benchmark, through a region mean, those experiences with other primary schools in the Canberra and Goulburn archdiocese.

Community Council was very pleased to see that 52 students participated in the 2022 survey and that overall the results were positive. Some of the best results were in the areas of ‘Students feel classroom instruction is well-organised, with a clear purpose, and with immediate feedback that helps them learn’ and ‘Students feel teachers are responsible to their needs and encourage independence with a democratic approach’. The Council has asked the School to investigate two areas where the results were low, especially in comparison to the region mean. The first of these was that girls extracurricular activities (outside of sport) was lower than we would have anticipated. The second of these was that boys response to the measurement of ‘Students do homework for their classes with a positive attitude and in a timely manner’. The school has agreed to explore these results with the Year 4-6 students to understand more about their experiences in these two areas.

In the parents and carers survey, Community Council was pleased to note that the school scored above the region mean in all measures, with the highest results being in the categories of ‘Parents feel welcome’, ‘Inclusive school’ and ‘Safety at school’. However, the Council was careful to draw definitive conclusions from this part of the survey due to the extremely low response rate. The Council has identified a need for a greater promotion of the survey in future years and clearer communication with the parents and carers about what the survey measures and how the school uses the information it receives. Promotion will be easier now that Catholic Education has settled that early June will be the consistent survey period moving forward. However, before we get to June 2023, the Community Council has asked the school to do a handful of one off polls on particular questions from the survey so we can understand how parents feel now. The first of these will be on the question of whether ‘Parent activities are scheduled at times when I can attend’. Look out for the poll through Compass shortly!

If you have any questions about the Survey, or the work of Community Council more broadly, please email front office who will put you in touch with a Council member.

Thank you

Jacqueline Hrast

Deputy Chair, SHPS Community Council

Private Piano Tuition

Places have now become available.

Those parents who are wanting their child/children to have piano lessons, can contact the teachers directly on the following contact numbers;

• Mrs Hildegarde Mendoza Phone: 0417 580 975
• Mrs Pam Cox Phone: 0418 442 203
• Mr Craig Mewett Phone: 0409 151 887 / 6278 7382