ITALIAN BILINGUAL SCHOOL ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORT 2023

ITALIAN BILINGUAL SCHOOL

ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORT

2023

SCHOOL CONTACT DETAILS

30-32 See Street, Meadowbank 2114

[email protected].edu.au

https://www.coasit.org.au/services/italian-bilingual-school/

Phone: (02) 98072272

Fax: (02) 98078020

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

CONTENTS

About This Report

Message from Key School Bodies

4 - 5

School Features

5 - 7

School Curriculum

7 - 12

Educational Achievements and Performance in Tests

13 - 16

Communication

Student Welfare

School Improvements

Sport

Other Activities

19 - 21

Professional Learning and Teacher Standards

Teacher Attendance and Retention

Student Attendance

School Policies

24 - 30

Parent, Teacher and Student Satisfaction

Financial Statement

32 - 33

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT

ACER

Australian Council for Educational Research

ASISSA

All Suburbs Independent Schools Sports

CLI-IBS

Competenza Linguistica Lingua Italiana - Italian Bilingual School

CIS

Combined Independent Schools

CILS

Certificazione di Lingua Italiana per Stranieri – University for Foreigners Siena

ICAS

International Competitions and Assessment for Schools

NAPLAN

National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy

NESA

NSW Educational Standards Authority

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

ABOUT THIS REPORT

The Italian Bilingual School is registered by the Board of Studies (NSW) and managed by

Italian Association of Assistance, Sydney (“Co.As.It.”) the ‘approved authority’ for the

Registration System formed under Section 39 of the NSW Education Act 1990.

The Annual Report to the School Community for this year provides the school community

with fair, reliable and objective information about school performance measures and

policies, as determined by the Minister for Education.

The Report also outlines information about initiatives and developments of major interest

and importance to the school community during the year.

Accordingly, the Report demonstrates accountability to regulatory bodies, the school

community and the Co.As.It. Board of Directors.

This Report complements and is supplementary to school newsletters and other regular

communications. The Report will be available on the school’s website by 5 July 2023

following its submission to the NESA.

Further information about the school or this Report may be obtained by contacting the school

on 9807 2272 or by visiting the website at https://www.coasit.org.au/services/italian-

bilingual-school/

Ms. Sara Villella

EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL

DATE: 30/06/2023

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

MESSAGE FROM KEY SCHOOL BODIES

President of Co.As.It. – Mr Lorenzo Fazzini

2022 was both a challenging and a remarkable year at the Italian Bilingual School. We started

the year with caution but also with renewed optimism, hoping that the challenges of the

Pandemic were behind us. The reality was that certain restrictions remained, and while classes

were operating face-to-face, school life continued to be affected by illness, staff shortages, and

ever-changing limitations on school sites. Incredibly, we had to wait until September to be able

to welcome parents on site, and even then, it was in limited numbers.

The Board of Co.As.It. worked hard to ensure that the school remained operational under the

guidelines of NSW Health and Education authorities but it is the school’s leadership team, the

teachers and support staff that I commend for quickly responding to changes and devising

plans to ensure student learning continued to thrive despite the difficult circumstances. I

appreciate the additional strain that this placed on our staff and I thank them for their enormous

efforts in ensuring the Italian Bilingual School continued to deliver the best education possible

to our students.

I acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the Italian Bilingual School in 2022. Due to COVID, we

decided to postpone celebrations until a time the whole community, including its founding

members, could come together once again. I would like to acknowledge the dedication and

foresight that it has taken to get the School to where it is today. I thank all supporters of the

School, in paid and voluntary capacities, over its 20-year history.

Executive Principal’s Message – Ms Sara Villella

2022 will be remembered as the year we almost achieved normality at school after years of

restrictions, the year we took small but significant steps towards reconnecting our school

community. It was surreal to be able to have children at school, but not parents, and it was not

until September that we were able to welcome everyone back on site. What did we learn from

this experience? First, and foremost, that our children love coming to school to learn and play

with their friends. Secondly, that with guidance, our children can be quite flexible in adapting

to new situations. The most important lesson from 2022, however, was that our children are

stronger that we believe.

There were many highlights in 2022, but one was particularly special for the teachers and I;

the Italian Bilingual School Concert in December. Whilst we appreciated the power of

technology in keeping us connected during lockdowns, there is nothing that could ever replace

the emotion of seeing families and teachers come together to hear our children joyfully dancing

and singing their hearts out. The laughter of children on stage on a Sunday afternoon will

remain with me forever.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

IBS Parents and Friends

In late 2022, a new P&F committee was elected at an AGM after a few years of inactivity

due to COVID 19 restrictions. We are delighted to confirm that we now have a very active P

& F committee.

The IBS P & F are very dynamic participants in the school community and run successful

events such as the annual Parents Welcome BBQ, an end of year dinner, gatherings for

families, art auctions, and other fund-raising events. Our P & F is an essential part of the

school organisation as it allows parents to become involved in the school on a social level

thereby nurturing a strong sense of community.

SCHOOL FEATURES

The Italian Bilingual School is an independent, non-denominational and co-educational

school located in Meadowbank.

The school caters for students in Preschool and Years K-6 and has a current enrolment of

105 students. Our Preps (Pre-Kindergarten) program brings the number of students currently

enrolled to 137. Despite the hardships imposed by the Pandemic in the recent years, the

Italian Bilingual School is again starting to experience a steady growth in enrolments because

of a strong educational program and a nurturing environment. This is especially evident in

the consistently strong numbers in the early years as well as the rollover of students from

Preps into Kindergarten. Furthermore, we receive and accept enrolments throughout the

year especially in the Preps program.

The school employs 17 staff; the Executive Principal, the Principal, 10 teachers (5 part-time),

and 5 non-teaching staff that are employed in a range of capacities including office

administration, teacher aides and canteen.

Students 2022

Preps Students

K-6 Students

105

Total 137

students

Staff

Executive

Full-time teaching staff

Part-time teaching staff

Non-teaching staff

Total 17 staff

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

The Italian Bilingual School’s vision is Excellence through Bilingualism (Il bilinguismo per

eccellere). At IBS, the NSW Curriculum is delivered in two languages based on the principle

of “one teacher, one language”. This allows the school to provide a program of study which

values both languages and targets the needs of all students. The development of bilingualism

is fostered to strengthen the intellectual, analytical and reflective capabilities of students.

In research done by the Harvard School Graduate School of Education, Luk writes in an

edition of the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Child Development: As bilingual children toggle

between two languages, they use cognitive resources beyond those required for simple

language acquisition. Recent research has shown that bilingual children outperform

monolingual children on tasks that tap into executive function — skills having to do with

attention control, reasoning, and flexible problem solving. Their strength in those tasks likely

results from coping with and overcoming the demand of managing two languages. In a

bilingual environment, children learn to recognize meaningful speech sounds that belong to

two different languages but share similar concepts.

As many of the IBS students are not background speakers of Italian, the school encourages

families to maintain their first language at home, thus fostering students that are developing

multilingualism and many ways of viewing the world.

The Italian Bilingual School encourages children from all cultural backgrounds to discover

the inter-connectedness of languages and cultures, and develop intercultural capability. Our

bilingual curriculum enables students to develop strong literacy skills as they acquire the

ability and the knowledge required for communicating confidently and effectively in two

languages.

Through our bilingual model, students gain additional social, cultural, historical and

geographical knowledge that goes beyond the classroom. The Italian Bilingual School

empowers students through the added benefits of a broader education by offering a

curriculum that is consistently of the highest standard and that deepens understanding of

cultural diversity.

The Italian Bilingual School offers students a unique educational opportunity to achieve

excellence. “Language use is the most intense, sustained and integrative experience in which

humans engage.” (Ellen Bialystok) If experience can shape brain structure and cognitive

ability, then a bilingual education is a prime candidate for developing this. We believe that

functioning in two languages increases the experience-related effects of language and

develops abilities that go beyond the language process. To this end, we have a sister school

program and students in Stage 3 are encouraged to participate in a 3-week exchange

program that is held biannually.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Emphasis is also placed on developing strong mathematical skills to be used across all

learning areas. This is done especially through problem solving in both languages and in

applying maths to Technology and Science.

Other programs include music, dance, additional sports skills, and Chess Club. We

participate in a range of inter-school activities such as debating and sporting activities such

as the ASISSA Sport Carnivals. Students who qualify represent the school at the CIS Sport

Carnivals. To further extend the students’ experience of physical activity, IBS has applied for

and received funding to introduce a range of sport skills such ad Badminton, Table Tennis,

Volley Ball, Tennis and Lacrosse. These additional activities have been embraced with great

enthusiasm as students discover sports that they are unfamiliar with.

The Italian Bilingual School also provides a Canteen that offers nutritious healthy food

including popular Italian menus especially on mensa days.

SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND IMPORTANT INITIATIVES IN 2022

The curriculum at the Italian Bilingual School is delivered in two languages. We have a “one

teacher, one language” policy which means that the teacher of English delivers the curriculum

in English and the teacher of Italian delivers the curriculum in Italian. Teachers plan

collaboratively for each Stage and across Stages ensuring that the outcomes and the content

of the curriculum are sequential and delivered as required by NESA.

Emphasis is placed on the development and implementation of a vertical curriculum,

ensuring program continuity, differentiated learning and monitoring of student progress. With

the implementation of the new curriculum, teaching and learning experiences focus on

developing student skills through activities in which students play an active role in the learning

process, and providing timely and effective feedback. There is also a strong emphasis on

developing problem solving skills in both Italian and English. In 2023, the IBS teaching staff

will focus on developing a whole-school approach to Maths through working with the AIS on

the Numeracy Project.

Assessment rubrics are used as a tool to measure and enhance learning. Rubrics address

outcomes and identify the criteria for assessment for learning, assessment as learning, and

assessment of learning. Tasks are given a numerical value to facilitate reporting

requirements based on a 1 to 5 scale.

COMPASS and SEL - Well-being in the classroom

In 2022, IBS teachers and staff saw the development and implementation of the COMPASS

Whole-school Wellbeing project with the AIS and the flow-on effect it has had in the classrooms

and school community. The focus of this project was wellbeing for the whole school

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

community. We had a special interest in discovering how the practices we learnt affected

classroom management and consequently teacher and student wellbeing.

Research shows that children and young people’s learning is influenced by a range of social

and emotional factors. Children and young people with social and emotional learning skills

have better academic outcomes, as well as improved physical health and a better quality of

life.

How well individuals do in their learning community is affected by things such as how:

• confident they feel about their abilities

• effectively they’re able to manage their own behaviour

• well they can concentrate and organise themselves

• effectively they can solve problems

• positively they can get on with educators and their peers

• effectively they consider others’ needs

• well they can understand and accept responsibilities.

Therefore, SEL and success within the learning community go hand in hand. Social and

emotional learning is about developing the ability to care for others, make responsible decisions,

establish positive relationships, and handle challenging situations.

These skills are also essential for developing resilience and the personal attributes that

promote wellness, prevent illness and support recovery.

To introduce these notions across the school, teachers have implemented a systematic,

cognitive-behavioural approach used to teach students how to regulate feelings, energy and

sensory needs in order to meet the demands of the situation around us and be successful

socially. This helps to meet the demand of specific situations around us and helps us to be

successful socially.

Seven Steps to Writing Success Program

The Seven Steps to Writing Success program was created by Australian author and

teacher, Jen McVeity in 2004. At our school, The Seven Steps to Writing Success is a school-

wide program that was introduced to facilitate the writing process in all subject areas. It is a

method of teaching writing that is used and valued throughout the school as it is a framework

for writing that enables collaboration, creates a common language, and inspires passionate

teaching. The program enables teachers to inspire student writing and rapidly improve their

narrative skills through writing and communication exercises. The concepts taught can be

applied to any language and to all forms of writing including narrative, persuasive and

informative texts. There is strong evidence that the Seven Steps to Writing Success is an

effective way to develop strong writing skills. This is particularly noted in the NAPLAN results

that are and indicator of development in the basic skills areas.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Littlescribe

If the Seven Steps to Writing Success provides the strategies and structure for successful

writing, the Littlescribe Mini-writing Festival provides the platform and audience for students’

writing. The Italian Bilingual School has participated in the Littlescribe Author activities for a

number of years. These are always well received, with students engaging online with their

favourite authors and illustrators to understand what really goes on behind the scenes when

writing a book. It is also an opportunity to interact with other schools that are participating and

glean valuable knowledge from questions posed by others as well as our own.

In 2022, IBS took the concept of bookmaking a step further. With the support of the Littlescribe

team, each class, including Preps, prepared individual books or collaborative books that were

then printed. These were given to students as part of the end of year celebrations. A set of

books was purchased for the library and parents were also able to purchase their child’s work

to give to family and friends.

We were honoured when we received a request from the Littlescribe team to use the book

created by students in Year 3/4 as an example of excellence. The book, entitled “Un campo

giochi ricco di foglie” was created using collage and was written in both Italian and English.

Littlescribe use the book to promote writing in schools and to demonstrate what can be

achieved.

This year, students from Preps to Year 6 created books, either as a whole class or individually,

to create anthologies that were given to each family. A copy of these books will also be kept

in our school library for everyone to enjoy.

The book can be viewed here:

https://app.littlescribe.com/#/viewer/9f73f5d3-fe1c-4c47-a5c4-

e37ebfa8c4da

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Soundwaves synthetic phonics

The introduction of Sound Waves Spelling has been a very important initiative at IBS as it is a

program developed by teachers for Australian schools. It follows a logical and thorough scope

and sequence K-6 for the sequential development of spelling, word study and reading skills.

The program is organised around the 43 phonemes (sounds) of Australian English and the

graphemes (a letter or letter combination) used to represent them in written language.

Instruction builds from Foundation to Year 6, starting with simple phoneme–grapheme

relationships before exploring more complex relationships, morphology and etymology. Sound

Waves Spelling goes beyond phonics to include other essential knowledge students need to

read and spell. As the years progress, a significant portion of teaching is dedicated to word

study, including morphology (prefixes, suffixes and Greek and Latin roots), etymology (word

origins) and language concepts like homophones and homographs.

STE(A)M Program

The acronym STEAM groups the following subjects together: Science, Technology,

Engineering, Art and Mathematics. The objective of STEAM programs is to develop skills by

integrating subjects and exploring links between technical-scientific disciplines and the

humanities. The principles underpinning our schools STE(A)M program are:

• to provide exceptional learning experiences for future-ready students,

• to encourage creativity in problem solving,

• to develop interpersonal and communication skills through collaboration, while fostering a

sense of belonging and self-worth,

• to encourage curiosity because education should drive the impulse to learn and empathy

because our students become aware of how their actions impact on others.

Our STE(A)M program is based on the belief that by fostering the love of learning, we are also

creating lifelong learners. This was particularly evident in the work done by our Year 2 students

who created arcade games as part of the Science curriculum. The students were asked to

design arcade machines with moving parts that could be enjoyed by fellow students. They

were also required to prepare rules and allocate roles for the Arcade Day. Year 2 designed

Table Air Hockey, Claw Machines, Packman Machines and other activities that demonstrated

not only creativity but also understanding of design and production, working scientifically, and

thinking skills.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Visible learning Project

Italian Bilingual School teachers work collaboratively to ensure that learning and teaching

objectives are achieved. The movement of learners from one level to another is carefully

monitored. As part of the Visual learning Project, lessons follow a specific order and are shared

between teachers. In the planning stage, teachers place emphasis on the learner’s prior

knowledge and skills identified from previous learning activities. These form the basis for the

creation of new learning pathways. In the delivery of lessons, the rapport between teacher and

learner is crucial to the learning process: the teacher is both activator and evaluator and

encourages dialogue with the learner through questions and interactions aimed at identifying

difficulties, misconceptions and other indicators of the learner’s level. In the learning stage,

the focus shifts to practice (for example repetition and actual exercises “I do, We Do, You

Do”). In this stage, errors are seen as an opportunity to identify the gaps in learning and,

through the feedback that follows, an opportunity to work towards improvement and success.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Pedagogical Framework - Explicit teaching

At the Italian Bilingual School, we believe that explicit learning and teaching guides students

through the learning process. We have worked with officers from the AIS to further develop

our understanding of how best to implement this in our teaching and learning programs and in

our everyday classroom strategies.

Explicit teaching at the Italian Bilingual School is student oriented. Children are given clear

statements about the purpose for learning and are provided with clear expectations about what

students need to know and do.

The following key strategies are used:

WALT (We Are Learning To) is the learning intension and makes the learning, concept or skill

clear to the students.

WILF (What I’m Looking For) is referred to the success criteria. This communicates to the

students what they are expected to produce or demonstrate.

TIB (This Is Because) clearly describes the purpose of the learning. It helps to make

connections to other skills or understandings or articulate the application of the concept.

PRESCHOOL

IBS has continued to review its Preschool program to ensure careful planning and targeted

learning. Educators have worked with families, community organisations and the AIS to

enhance children’s wellbeing and development.

Student progress is monitored regularly and communication with families is a key factor. This

ensures that we are able to provide the developmental experiences that each child needs

whilst developing strong ties with families.

Regular meetings between the Preps staff and the Principal, has ensured that the specific

needs of our youngest members are being met and are viewed regularly to ensure progress.

Prep students are an essential part of the IBS school community. They participate in music

lessons, sport activities, and assemblies. Prep students are also involved in the IBS end of

year concert and throughout the year work closely with their Year 5 buddies.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE IN TESTS

International Competitions and Assessment for Schools (ICAS)

ICAS is a comprehensive skill-based educational assessment that is administered

independently and is based on academic competencies with an added competitive element.

The philosophy behind ICAS is to encourage students to attain greater academic success.

The tests are designed by expert academics based on the Australian curriculum. In 2022,

students from Year 2 to Year 6 participated in ICAS achieving Distinctions in Science, Spelling,

English and Maths.

Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera (CILS)

CILS is an Italian Language Certification is a proficiency examination and an official

recognition of the attained level of linguistic competence of Italian as a foreign language.

Students in Year 6 participated for the first time in the CILS exams for level B1 of the European

Language Framework with outstanding results. Results for IBS students ranged from 78% to

95% accuracy in all the skills areas tested.

Level B1 can be taken by all those who study Italian, work and study in contact with Italian

organisations, wish to obtain long residence permits, or want their Italian skills to be measured.

CILS exams put forward tasks that are related to real life situations. The tests assess the

candidate's ability to use language in different contexts measuring skills in listening, reading

comprehension, written and oral production, and language structures.

CLI-IBS Language Test

The Italian Bilingual School has created an Italian test similar to standardised tests such as

NAPLAN. Teachers plan regular screening activities to evaluate progress towards learning

objectives. IBS is the first Bilingual school in Australia to use such a testing system, making

the school a leader in bilingual education at a national level.

The CLI-IBS test documents the research conducted and data collated by the school’s Italian

teachers. The objective of this research in action is to understand student needs and improve

methodology in teaching Italian.

The Italian language competency test is a diagnostic tool created and trialled by the teachers

to conduct activities in L2 (Italian as a Second language) which aim to develop linguistic

competency, including knowledge of grammar and syntax.

The grammar tasks provide teachers with an opportunity to observe and identify what they

can do in language and the areas they need to develop.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

The CLI-IBS test is a diagnostic tool which:

 assesses the Italian language levels of learners in Year 3 and Year 5;

 records progress in L2 (Italian as a second language);

 monitors progress towards the attainment of pre-defined objectives;

 identifies standards of learning;

 demonstrates the level of language competency to parents of learners at a given point

on the learning continuum.

NAPLAN

The NAPLAN tests provide an indication of student competency in the key areas of learning

that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. The tests cover skills in

reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. Each of the NAPLAN

assessment scales describes the development of student achievement from Year 3 through

to Year 9 along a ten-band scale. By locating all student results on a single scale that

describes their performance and skills, the NAPLAN scales provide significant information

about the performance of students.

The IBS NAPLAN results for 2022 were most encouraging. Students in Year 3 and Year 5

received outstanding results in all areas tested achieving scores well above the National and

State average. Students in Year 3 scored mostly in Band 6 while students in Year 5 scored

mostly in Band 7.

The graphs included in this segment provide a set of NAPLAN results from the base year to the

current year and comparisons of the current against previous and base years.

The Better Education school ranking has placed the Italian Bilingual School in the 3

percentile and 49

in the State. This is a wonderful achievement for a small school and we

are very proud of our students’ achievements. There is evidence of improvement in all subject

areas and the level of student confidence is high.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Year 3 were especially strong in Reading, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation. However, the

Numeracy results were particularly pleasing with results well above expectations. These results

reflect the impact of the newly implemented Soundwaves program and Numeracy teaching

strategies.

The Year 5 cohort sat the NAPLAN for the first time, as the test was suspended in 2020 due to

the COVID 19 restriction. To this end, we have no comparative data to previous performance

for this cohort. However, Year 5 students performed well above the national average in all

areas.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

COMMUNICATION

The Italian Bilingual School encourages parent involvement in the education of children to

ensure educational success and regularly communicates with parents through a range of

forums. At the start of the year, parents receive a calendar that includes Term dates and

events for each term. A monthly newsletter that contains information about events and

learning as well as a “Term at a Glance” calendar keeps parent informed about any changes

that may have taken place in our school calendar. We also send regular emails and use the

SchoolStream App to communicate important information.

Parents are able to access work and activities done in their child’s class via Google

Classroom, for older students, and the SeeSaw App, for younger students. Google

Classroom has proven to be a very useful tool for holding class meetings with the parents as

well. Furthermore, a special Google Classroom page has been created that is available to

all parents from Preps to Year 6. Here, parents can access photos of events held at the

school and see the results of sporting events.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

The School organises a number of initiatives to involve parents in school life. An important

example is the Information Evening organised at the start of the school year. The Information

Evening provides parents with an overview of the school’s programs, and focuses on

providing insights into learning and advice on supporting children at home.

Outside of parent/teacher interviews and throughout the year, parents can request a meeting

with teachers to discuss their child’s progress, needs and all relevant information that can

inform our teaching practices. Liaising with families is a priority at the Italian Bilingual School.

The P & F work to raise funds, but more importantly, to strengthen the sense of community

through a series of events such as the Welcome BBQ. The collaboration between the School

and the P & F (Parents and Friends Association) demonstrates the strength of the School’s

rapport with parents.

STUDENT WELFARE AND LEADERSHIP

Further to the development and implementation of the COMPASS Whole-school Wellbeing

project with the AIS and the flow-on effect it has had in the classrooms and school community,

the Italian Bilingual School believes in the importance of developing leadership skills in all

students, especially our seniors. All our Year 6 students attended the GRIP Conference at the

start of the school year, gaining an insight into what is expected from a School Leader. Each

Term, students from Kindergarten to Year 5 elect a peer to represent their class at the Student

Representative Council (SRC). This gives a greater number of students the possibility of

developing important leadership qualities and provides all students with a voice in what

happens in school. The Year 6 students work as mentors for the younger students and they

support them in carrying out their duties. The SRC meets regularly and in 2022 implemented

a range of wonderful initiatives for the school.

Students also participated in a Peer Support Program that focused on the importance of

wellbeing; a topic that reflects our whole-school approach to student welfare. Year 6 students

planned and taught mini lessons to the junior school students and organised a number of

initiatives around the school to reinforce the concepts of taking care of one-another. The Mini

Lessons initiative has now become a Year 6 tradition that develops leadership qualities and

has a very positive impact on student behaviour.

The school also offers a Buddies program to the Preps and Kindergarten pupils. Year Five

and Six students follow the progress of their younger friends throughout the course of the

year. The program has been active for many years and aims to help younger students settle

into the school environment. The Buddies meet regularly during the year and participate in

various activities together.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Following a safety review in December 2022, the summer was spent making improvements

to the school grounds. On the Bowden Street side of the school, the decking was replaced

in the BBQ area and new concrete was laid. A ramp was installed to make the deck safer

and steps were put in to provide access to the garden. Handrails were also installed around

the canteen. A new fence was also installed near the canteen to replace the one that had

fallen and a lovely garden was created just outside the new classroom which replaced the

former library space. Garden beds around the school were re-landscaped with plants and

flowers. Repairs were also made to the playground equipment as part of the works in

January. Safer ramp access was created onto MacPherson lane from the playground and a

lighting upgrade was completed across the whole school with the installation of LED

daylights. Defibrillators were also installed on each site.

Mamma Lena and Dino Gustin Innovation Centre

The most stimulating learning space in the School is undoubtedly the Mamma Lena and Dino

Gustin Innovation Centre. The range of the technology provided by the centre allows learners

to work on a number of projects producing written, spoken, audio-visual and digital work.

Learners have been able to use diverse approaches to develop global understanding; through

interviews of persons of note, the Centre is a space for cultural exchange between the school

and the community at large.

We have also continued to build our Resource Centre with the purchase of sets of class

novels in both Italian and English. These class sets are used for novel studies in both

languages.

SPORT

IBS students take great pride in representing the school at different sporting events. In 2022,

IBS took part in numerous sports competitions: swimming, cross country running and track

and field events. Students also represented the School at the All Suburbs Independent

Schools Sport Association (ASISSA); with some students progressing to the competitions of

the Combined Independent Schools.

IBS students were encouraged to further develop their sporting skills through the application

of funds for a Sporting Schools initiative. In 2022, we were able to provide students with access

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

to the Sporting Schools specialists for three terms. They developed skills in Basketball and

Lacrosse and students were introduced to Orienteering. Each of the sessions were taken by

a skilled coach with the support of a Sporting Schools Grant. Equipment was also purchased

which allows the teachers to further encourage the development of these skills in the students.

OTHER ACTIVITIES THROUGH THE YEAR

Throughout 2022, the Italian Bilingual School provided a number of extra-curricular activities

to engage students in learning beyond the classroom. These included:

 The Premier’s Reading Challenge

 Book Week

 Creative writing lessons with authors through Littlescribe

 Debating

 Science Week

 Carnevale

 A “Buddies” program and Peer Support

 Opera Australia

 Musica Viva

 IBS Has Got Talent

 Chess

 Canberra Camp for Years 4, 5 and 6

Music, Performance and the End of Year Concert

Students at IBS thoroughly enjoy music and performing. As the lockdown requirements eased,

we were able to have students become involved in the things they love. Year 5 delighted the

school community with a wonderful re-enactment and filming of the Samuri Kid, a novel that

they studied in class. Students wrote the scripts, prepared the costumes and filmed the

presentation, developing wonderful skills in the process.

Year 6 prepared a play in Italian and one in English to present to the school. Both of these were

the result of study done in class. The English performance was a version of Shakespeare’s A

Midsummer Night’s Dream, while the Italian performance was Il Cestino Dimenticato based on

work done in science and the importance of recycling.

Parents were especially delighted when it was announced that, after several years of absence,

the End of Year Concert would be held in December. As always, the concert had a theme and

this year it was Pieces of us: Coming Together. Students created costumes, sang as a choir

and individually, and danced to the delight of parents. We are grateful to Rosebank College for

allowing us to use their premises and provide us with technical support.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Debating

While it has not been possible in the past few years to attend interschool debating

tournaments, IBS students have continued to work on their public speaking and debating skills

by organising tournaments internally. Regularly, students work on persuasive text and develop

strong speaking skills within the classroom context. They choose topics and present in front

of other classes with different staff members and fellow-students acting as judges and time-

keepers. This allows students to develop skills in developing both affirmative and negative

arguments and more importantly, by being a judge, they learn to think critically about the

presentation of their arguments.

Student initiatives

Year 6 students organised a Sports Fun Day for the whole school. The students set up activity

stations and children rotated through the activities which included ball skills, balancing skills,

water activities and much more. Year 6 is to be commended on their organisation of the day

as the whole school was involved in the Fun Day and students took turns at rotating through

the activities avoiding the mingling of cohorts.

Our senior leaders also raised $654 for the Smith Family through the organisation of a cake

stall that was well organised and ran for several days.

Year 5 students also offered various clubs in preparation for their leadership elections. The

activities included a Dance Club, a Book Club, a Soccer Club, and an Art Club. The clubs

started during lunchtimes but had to be stopped because of the COVID-19 lockdown.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Nonni Day or Grandparents’ Day

The Multicultural Grandparents Day was held early in the year and was a great success.

Students worked within their Stage levels to do activities with the grandparents who were able

to attend. Grandparents joined students in storytelling, interviews, creating craft activities,

playing cards, and dancing.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is an important initiative aimed at increasing students’

desire to read during their school years. Students challenge themselves, as this is not a

competition against others. The challenge is to read as many books as possible during the

allocated time. Like every other year, students at the school participated with great

enthusiasm. All students received a certificate of participation and a number of students

received a gold and platinum medal for participating four years in a row.

Sister School Exchange Program

The Italian Bilingual School runs a biannual exchange program with a sister school in Italy.

The exchange was not possible in 2022 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, we are

looking forward to hosting Italian students from the Convitto Nazionale, Paolo Diacono,

Cividale del Friuli, in 2023 so that they can experience some elements of the Australian life-

style and enjoy using English.

Next year, students from the Italian Bilingual School, accompanied by members of staff,

parents and siblings, will again travel to Italy during the Term 3 break. Students will attend

school at the Istituto Comprensivo Nitti in Rome followed by a longer stay at our long-standing sister

school the Convitto Nazionale, Paolo Diacono. Students will be placed in regular classes and

participate in all aspects of school life in Italy. They will also be given the opportunity to visit

historical and cultural areas in the Region.

The biannual exchange is an important part of our curriculum and is especially tailored to

students in Stage 3. It provides students with a very important experience that helps to

consolidate their learning and give them the impetus to continue the development of a second

language. These life-long learning skills are highly valued by the school and the whole school

community.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND TEACHER STANDARDS

Professional learning

All teachers participate in professional development throughout the year. Courses such as

Providing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and the Cyber Awareness and Security Training

were attended by all staff members. These activities are designed to develop the skills and

understandings of staff and to improve student outcomes. Professional development can

take many forms including whole school staff days, subject specific in-services, meetings

and conferences.

The major focus for 2022 was the COMPASS Whole-school Wellbeing Program with staff

participating in a vast range workshops offered by the AIS to address student wellbeing and

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

Course

Attended

10 Staff Development Days

HLTAID009- Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (all staff)

NAPLAN Readiness Platform Online Training

Littlescribe Workshop

COMPASS 2021 and 2022 schools sharing symposium

Understanding whole-school wellbeing online learning module

Effective practices for whole-school wellbeing webinar (PM).

The basics of social and emotional learning (SEL) webinar (PM)

Leading Staff Wellbeing Seminar

Circles for social and emotional learning (SEL) webinar (PM)

A whole-school approach to respectful relationships

Circles for Student Wellbeing

A practical approach to K-6 social and emotional learning (SEL). Building on

the basics webinar (PM)

K-10 Road Safety Education Resource exploration webinar (PM)

Restorative practices in schools for beginners webinar (PM)

Supporting student voice to enhance student wellbeing webinar (PM)

Collaborating to support a whole-school approach to online safety education

webinar (PM)

Supporting children’s friendship skills in primary school webinar

Evidence-based mindfulness: theory and practice for K-12 schools webinar (PM)

AISNSW K-12 Wellbeing Conference, Spring into Wellbeing

Parental engagement and road safety education K6 webinar (PM).

Whole-school mental health education: PDHPE and Wellbeing, better together.

Aggression in Autism Webinar

Risk assessment and management in schools: Child protection and mental health

NSW reportable conduct and allegation against employees

Introduction to the Child Safe Standards (all staff)

Implementation of the Child Safe Standards - understanding Schools Legal

Obligations

Learning Support: Developing a Multi-tiered System of support

Partner – Be You Beyond Blue

Assist – Be You Beyond Blue

Recognise – Be You Beyond Blue

Respond – Be You Beyond Blue

Positive Classroom Management

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Afternoon Staff Meetings were held once a week in 2022. These were aimed at providing

Professional Development in the areas mentioned above and other areas of focus such as

Child Protection, development of a Scope and Sequence for PDHPE and Resilience

Training. The teachers shared their expertise with the rest of the staff, creating a strong

learning community.

Teacher Standards

The following table sets out the number of teachers on the school staff who fall into each of the three

categories determined by NESA:

Teacher Qualifications Primary

Number of

Teachers

1. Those having formal qualifications from a recognised higher education

institution or equivalent.

2. Those having graduate qualifications but not a formal teaching qualification

from a recognised higher education institution or equivalent.

3. Those not having qualifications described in 1 or 2 above but having relevant

successful teaching experience or appropriate relevant knowledge.

TEACHER ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION

Despite the continuing effects of the Pandemic in 2022, especially during the first six months

of the year, saw the average teacher attendance remain relatively high with only 5%

absences due to illness.

One teacher took six months maternity leave and a total of 17 days of long service leave

were taken. The teacher retention rate was 92%.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

The average student attendance rate for the school during 2022 was 92.5%. This is a pleasing

result given that we were still under strict regulations for COVID 19. As a preventative

measure, IBS requested that students remain home if they had cold or flu symptoms.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

SCHOOL POLICIES

Attendance Policy Procedures

All attendances are recorded as an ‘absence only’ method in a class roll on a daily basis

and in PC Schools Data Base. Where extended absences have occurred or no explanation

note is provided, teachers will ask for an explanation note from the parents within three days

of the absence. If none is provided, the absence is marked as unexplained.

Procedure

 Each individual class teacher has access to PC Schools data base for an electronic roll.

 Class rolls are marked using the exception method.

 A note from the student’s parents or caregiver is required for every absence or

partial absence. Parents can contact the school via email or use the School

App to notify absences.

 Explanation notes are kept with the class folder.

 If explanation notes are not provided within three school days, the classroom

teacher will send a formal letter home requesting the reason for the absence in

writing.

 If parents do not respond to this letter within a week, the Principal may contact the

parents for further clarification. It will be considered as an unexplained absence

(A).

 PC Schools maintains all records of absences as a backup.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Attendance Monitoring

Class teachers:

 monitor attendance patterns - absences and lateness.

 remind students, and if possible their parents, that explanatory notes are required if

the note is overdue (i.e. if the note has not been received within seven school days).

 record the category of absence (A, E, L, P, M , or S).

 refer attendance patterns causing concern or unexplained absences (within three

days of the absence becoming unexplained) to the Principal.

 inform the Principal when a student has been absent for three days or more for any

reason.

The Principal will monitor all rolls once a term to ensure that:

 the rolls are marked in accordance with policy.

 monitoring of attendance is effective.

 all necessary roll statistics have been calculated.

 explanatory notes, late notes and a record of explanations are accurate and kept

with the class roll and filed at the end of each school year.

 requests are made for medical certificates detailing the nature and duration of the

sickness if there are concerns about notes provided by the parents or caregivers or

the sickness is over an extended period.

 the parent/caregiver is contacted when an unexplained absence occurs.

 parents are contacted personally if an explanation of absence letter does not follow

 parents submit a written request if students are taking extended educational

leaves; e.g. attending school in Italy for a number of weeks.

Students travelling for an extended period of time with their family apply to the Principal to

have a special Leave Certificate issued.

Enrolment Policy

Rationale

The Italian Bilingual School is a non-denominational primary school providing a bilingual

education in English and Italian. The criteria for enrolment at the School are equitable, open

and non-discriminatory. Geographic boundaries are not taken into consideration in the

enrolment process of the Italian Bilingual School. All applications are processed in order of

receipt; consideration may be given to siblings already attending the school and other

criteria determined by the school from time to time.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

General Policy

Language competence in either English or Italian is not a prerequisite for students enrolling

at IBS. Children who turn five years of age on or before 30 June on the year of enrolment

are eligible to enrol in Kindergarten, provided the teachers attest to the child’s readiness to

commence formal schooling. The School may also contact the child’s previous school/pre-

school and consult with the primary caregivers to further ascertain school readiness and

suitability of a bilingual learning environment such as that of IBS for the individual student.

Non-Australian citizens holding a valid visa, meeting Commonwealth Government

regulations, and the minimum age requirement of the School, are welcome to enrol.

Procedures

 A copy of the child’s birth certificate and, where applicable, a Visa number will

need to accompany the enrolment form.

A completed copy of the enrolment form and a signed copy of the Media Consent form,

the Acceptable User Policy, Outings and Library Permission are to be placed in the

student’s file at the beginning of enrolment (once these forms are on file, there is no

need to complete these forms every year).

 Enrolments must be accompanied by documented evidence of immunisation status.

 Where parents elect not to immunise their child, the School, under the Public Health

(Amendment) Act 1992, will require that unimmunised children remain at home in the

event and for the duration of an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.

 Enrolment may be refused on the grounds of previously documented violent behaviour.

 Relevant enrolment forms must be completed and accompanied by due payment of

applicable fees.

 Open Days are held throughout the year to promote the school to the community and

explain our unique approach to Bilingualism. Throughout the year, enrolment

opportunities are advertised and interviews organised. The enrolment process entails

an interview with the Principal and a preliminary assessment by the teachers, if needed,

to ascertain questions such as school readiness and/or suitability of a bilingual learning

environment such as that of IBS for the individual student. Parents are expected to enrol

their students for Kindergarten at this time.

 Where a waiting list applies, precedence may be given to students attending the IBS

Preps program.

 Siblings of students attending IBS will be given precedence.

 New and continued enrolment is subject to acceptance of the policies, rules and

regulations governing the Italian Bilingual School and willingness to support the

philosophy underpinning the School.

 Parents/primary caregivers will be notified of the outcome of their application in writing.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

 A Media Consent Form and an Acceptable User Form are to be completed at

enrolment and stored in each student’s folder.

 A Register of Enrolments will be retained by the School for a minimum period of

five (5) years before archiving.

Enrolment of Students with Special Needs

Each application will be considered individually by the Principal, the school Executive and

the Co.As.It. Board of Directors.

Factors which will influence any decision include:

• Adequacy of support services and resources

• Whether the student can be provided with an appropriate educational program

• Welfare of other students.

Anti-bullying Policy

The Italian Bilingual School is committed to providing a safe and caring environment

that fosters respect for others and does not tolerate bullying.

Bullying is repeated psychological or physical oppression of a less powerful person or

group of persons by a more powerful person or group of persons (Rigby, 1996) that

creates a risk to mental and physical health and safety. Bullying is ongoing in nature

and the bully is encouraged by another’s pain, distress, fear and humiliation.

Bullying may manifest itself in the form of emotional, social (including multi-media platforms),

verbal and/or physical; incidents, all of which will cause distress.

The Italian Bilingual School aims:

 To create an environment where everyone is equal regardless of his or her

differences.

 To create an environment where all members are safe and feel they belong to the

community.

 To develop an ownership of the policy by all members of the community.

 To develop a sense of responsibility amongst the community for their actions.

 To provide consistent guidelines for the members to follow if rules are not kept and

what are the appropriate consequences.

 To develop the idea of fair play and good sportsmanship that will continue in adult

life.

 To fully inform parents of their child’s behaviour so as to ensure growth and learning

for all involved.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School

Procedures

Reporting of bullying:

Incidences of bullying should be reported to any teacher or the Principal by children and their

parents. Any bullying incidences that are dealt with will be recorded and this record will be

referred to in evaluating the effectiveness of the whole school anti-bullying program. The

records will be duly disposed of when they are no longer deemed relevant.

Confidentiality

The individual student’s right to privacy will always be respected. A student’s name will only

be disclosed to staff on a need-to-know basis. Students will not be individually identified to

other parents or members of the school community, whether directly involved or not.

If your child is being bullied

Tell your child that:

• It is not his or her fault

• He or she has the right to feel safe and happy

• He or she has the right not to be bullied

• It is all right to walk away

• It can be stopped

• It is all right to tell the school staff

• By acting on the bullying you are also protecting other students from the bully.

What will the School do if bullying is reported?

• Assure the child that the problem can be solved and then provide ongoing

support

• Investigate the problems raised.

• Treat everyone involved with fairness.

• Take action that is appropriate to the particular circumstances – this may be

Mediation.

A copy of the Anti-bullying policy is given to caregivers and is available on the school’s

website.

Pastoral Care Policy

Pastoral care at the Italian Bilingual School concerns the total welfare of individual students

and the student population as a whole. It involves offering a framework for growth in a

nurturing and caring environment and assisting in the formation of positive self-esteem and

strong interpersonal skills.

NESA Report 2023 – Italian Bilingual School