Tasmania |
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Table Cape Primary School |
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Table Cape Primary is a new school – an amalgamation of two campuses in the Wynyard area. Discovering Democracy, through an emphasis on civics, citizenship and values provided an opportunity to explore what this means for this school community now and into the future.
To start a process among staff, parents, students and the wider community of discussion about values and vision for the future. Specific outcomes include:
Planning
Gathering feedback
Using the feedback – where to next?
To come during 1999
The process in detail
Gathering feedback – What do we value at Table Cape Primary?
Staff
A whole staff (teaching and ancillary) meeting started the discussion about values and vision for the future. After a general introduction about civics and citizenship education and values education, staff were asked to share and record responses to:
What do we value about this school?
How do we demonstrate these values?
How could we ask students about this stuff?
Students All students provided feedback through working with the Project Officer Discovering Democracy and their classroom teacher. Feedback was provided in oral, written and visual formats and the sorts of questions students were asked included:
What do you most like about your school?
What makes TCPS special / different / fun / etc. ?
How would you improve the school for the future?
Do you have any other comments on this?
Parents All parents were surveyed and an invitation to attend a meeting to discuss the values and vision for the school. Workshop questions included:
What do you most value about the school?
How could the school be improved?
Are there any other issues?
The survey gave an opportunity for general comments and asked parents to respond to the following specific statements:
I am valued by this school
The school cares about my children
I have the opportunity to be involved in school activities
I have the opportunity to be involved in school decisions
My child/ren’s unique needs are met by the school
The school is a friendly and welcoming place
Using the feedback – Where to next?
A working group of students, staff and parents was established to collate and analyse the feedback, draft the Vision and Values statement and ‘implement it’. The feedback provided was enormous – and has already proven enormously helpful in achieving the stated outcomes, particularly in the provision of a shared vision and values statement about the school and awareness raising about civics and citizenship education in its widest context. (See the PowerPoint Presentation)
To come during 1999…
Using the Vision and Values statement within the school
Talking with staff, students and parents about it and what it means – through staff meetings, in relation to school planning and curriculum areas; in class with students and through student council, assemblies etc; parents and friends, School Council and newsletters
Feedback for the ASSR (Assisted Schools Self Review Process)
Wider sharing of the process and document with neighbourhood schools, local council and community
A community meeting to ‘launch’ the document and share the discussion of the shared values and vision of the school community with the local community
Further links established with Discovering Democracy materials through classroom use and involvement in curriculum corporation research projects.
Appendices:
Parent Survey
Working group - PowerPoint
Presentation (Please note: This very large
file will take several minutes to download)
Vision and Values Statement (draft)
Table Cape Primary School webpage:
http://www.tased.edu.au/schools/tablegip/
Email:
tablegip@postoffice.tased.edu.au
AFSSSE webpage:
http://www.ash.org.au/teachers/afssse/
Discovering Democracy Project Officer (Tas) webpage:
http://www.ec.tased.edu.au/las/sose/discdempg.htm
Discovering Democracy Project Officer (Tas) email:
Nigel.Brown@central.tased.edu.au
Discovering Democracy website:
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/democracy/
Discovering Democracy email:
civsite@curriculum.edu.au