Roebourne District High School

Roebourne District High School is located approximately 30 kilometres from Karratha in the town of Roebourne. The school has an enrolment of around 230 K – 12 students with virtually 100% indigenous backgrounds. The school was described to us as one of the most challenging schools in which to teach. Recent achievements include increasing the attendance rate from 30% to 50% attendance. The Principal, Ray McMillan, is in his second stint at the school returning recently from one of the Karratha secondary schools. Like many of the principals we have met, Ray is an experienced educator who has worked extensively in various indigenous communities.

We were a little concerned about what may confront us at Roebourne given the background information we had received, however, we were very pleasantly surprised. Our first impression of the school was a bright, eye-catching, modern office and school entry. It would have looked the part in any fancy, urban school. A security entrance was in place through to the administrative area and to the staffroom from the grounds. This is something I hadn’t noticed before. It may be due to necessity or just part of the recent office improvements.

The Roebourne staff were a group of quite young teachers. There are 5 indigenous teachers amongst the staff. We arrived at morning tea time and it was heartening to see the staff enjoying a delicious spread. A teacher was leaving to be married the following week. The staff also announced some “Warm Fuzzies” as positive encouragement to each other. The recipients were presented with the universal prize – a Freddo Frog!

Ray took us on a tour through the facilities. Another ripper BER project that will be fantastic for the entire community. Again, the grounds and school were well presented and maintained with little evidence of litter. He pointed out that vandalism was rarely a problem which was something of a surprise given the school was quite isolated out of school hours. Ray runs a “Graffitti Busters” program where students remove any items of graffiti. These older students make it very clear to the younger ones that graffiti will not be tolerated. The school also encourages the students to care for the school through an Eco Awards program where students are rewarded at assemblies for their efforts.

A major change at Roebourne in the past term has been the restructure of the teaching program. Previously, each class of maybe 10 children was taught by 2 teachers and an AEIO (Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer). That’s at least 3 staff and often only a small proportion of the students. The decision was made to reduce the teaching staff to a single teacher model. After some anxiety by the staff, this structure is now working effectively and the leadership can see improvement in teachers’ instruction and delivery.

The school harnesses several strategies to promote school attendance. These strategies include:

A Football Academy for students with required levels of attendance and behaviour.

Vocational Education program.

Creative and Performing Arts Program.

Mentor Approach by teachers

It was a personal and professional highlight to visit Roebourne District High School. The dedication and commitment of the Leadership Team and staff was inspiring. The staff are focussed on continuous improvement of student learning. With high expectations of student achievement and behaviour, schools such as Roebourne will continue to progress.

Peg’s Creek Primary School – Karratha

This morning we are lucky to be visiting Peg’s Creek Primary School situated in Karratha. Peg’s Creek is a school of around 300 students with approximately 20% indigenous students. The Principal is Lyn Macauley, the “better half” of our guide, Bruce. On the day of our visit, the school was participating in “Jeans for Genes Day” and preparing for a whole school Glider fly-off to celebrate “Science Week”. There was much excitement about the Glider Fly-Off with children in every classroom working industriously – and very seriously – to prepare the best flying machine. The craft were to be judged in numerous categories – fastest, longest flight, most colourful….. Even the Kindy kids were busy making gliders and were very proud to show their work. This is a lovely aspect of Peg’s Creek, and other schools we visited, that children at different stages of their education are on one site and participating in a full range of school programs. The Kindy children (children turning 4 years of age) attend school for 15 hours per week.

From the moment of our arrival at Peg’s Creek, the warm, inclusive atmosphere was immediately evident. The children were spontaneous in their greeting of the Principal and ourselves as visitors. We were also impressed by the attractive, treed grounds and the beautifully presented classrooms we saw. Teachers had clearly gone to a great deal of effort to create an attractive learning environment for the children with colourful displays of children’s work. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to see Peg’s Creek’s BER project which is close to completion. Soon, the school will have a great new art and music room complex to house their programs.

During our visit, and at dinner the previous evening, we were able to discuss with Lyn the various programs and strategies they employ to build strong community relationships. Maximising children’s attendance at school is a continual challenge for Pilbara schools. Lyn told us of her staff going on home visits to see what support families needed to promote and encourage school attendance. The school also operates an active School Council and Parents’ Association. Parents assisting in classroom programs was more common in the junior area of the school, and it was uncommon for aboriginal families to assist in the classroom programs. The school has offered weekend activities such as fishing trips with the hoping to encourage reluctant families to participate. They have found few families took up theses options. Lyn’s school is one of the few Pilbara schools that did not seem to benefit from substantial corporate sponsorship. Funding to operate a Homework Club is no longer available so this program has ceased. The LOTE program at Peg’s Creek is the local indigenous language. A great LOTE room was set up with interesting artefacts, displays and language.

It was much appreciated that Lyn made us so welcome in her school at short notice. Ray especially was interested in comparing information with Lyn as her school and Sherbourne Primary are virtually the same size.

Meeting with the District Director

On Thursday evening, September 16^th, we were delighted to be able to have dinner with District Director, Vicki Jack, her partner, John and Bruce and Lyn Macauley. It was Vicki’s generosity that saw our trip to the Pilbara able to become a reality. Vicki authorised Bruce Macauley to act as our host for the trip and a 4WD vehicle to transport us – a necessity for some of the remote schools, especially after some rain.

Vicki’s role has seen her responsible for the 29 schools, K – 12, in the Pilbara district. Her partner, John, is the Police Inspector for the Pilbara. As a couple, they have law and order and education covered. That’s a pretty big ask in this part of the world. At the time of our visit, the Western Australian Education Department is undergoing some significant changes and restructures. Fewer school districts with larger areas and more schools have been announced. Additional senior administrative positions have been created at higher salary ranges. A step towards more formal networks of schools is part of the new structure. We are highly supportive of the network approach in Victoria. However, from our understanding in WA, there will not a Network Leader appointed. Principals within the Network will be expected to lead the group. This would appear to be a big challenge if networks are to operate in the way that we experience them. The Independent Public Schools Program has commenced – similar to our self managing schools in Victoria. At the moment, schools nominate to participate but it is expected to become the norm in the years ahead. These schools can locally select staff whilst staff in other schools are centrally appointed. There are serious implications of these changes in this environment. Staffing many distant and remote schools can be quite a challenge. Teachers are encouraged to take up these appointments with a range of incentives including subsidies, salary loading, travel allowances, supported housing, long service leave after 3 and 4 years service and preferential placements in more popular areas after four years of service. Local selection of staff will interfere with some of these arrangements.

Hedland Senior High School Flying High

Hedland Senior High School is a secondary school of approximately 600 students, of which 200 are of indigenous background. This is the second largest aboriginal school population in Western Australia. Principal, Carolyn Cook, is in her 4^th year at the school. In that time the achievements of the school and its students and the community perception of the school has improved enormously. Some years ago, the school was performing well below its potential and the community perception of the school was low. BHP was planning to build their own private school to lure employees with families to the region. Following Carolyn Cook’s appointment, the introduction of a range of learning initiatives and success by the students, BHP has shelved it plans and now offers significant financial support to the school.

One of Carolyn’s first priorities was to raise the expectations of the staff and students. High expectations of presentation, behaviour, attendance and learning outcomes were introduced. Students attend school in correct school uniform. A condition of entry to the school for EVERONE – staff, students and visitors – is enclosed footwear. This caused some concern to our group who had bought very few covered in shoes. Since Carolyn’s appointment, the graduation rate for Year 12 students has risen from72% to 97%.

Carolyn Cook has negotiated a agreement with BHP that offers important support to the school and its programs. This funding includes:

Follow the Dream Program – 80 students with high potential are offered additional high support, after school homework classes and transition visits to tertiary institutions in Perth. A huge challenge faced by aboriginal children is that of moving away from small communities and living independently in the city. Recently, four of these students commenced university courses.

Aspire – a program for Year 9 students to visit the University of WA where university graduates act as mentors. 50% of participating students are of indigenous background.

Sister School Program – Hedland SHS enjoys a Sister School relationship with Mt. Lawley SHS in Perth. Through this relationship, year 10 students attend Mt. Lawley and are introduced to university attendance. Teachers from the two schools participate in moderation activities by video conferencing to ensure high expectations are maintained.

Year 12 Revision Week – In the middle of the year, Year 12 students are taken to Perth for a week of intensive revision. Students are accommodated in the university colleges during mid semester break. Tutorials and lectures are provided by uni. Tutors and authors of the textbooks the students have been using.

Drama Teacher and production – Addressing a high community interest, BHP funding provides for the employment of a drama teacher and the cost of presenting a school production in the school’s excellent theatre. This program is integrated across the curriculum and supports the school’s reputation as a “School of Special Arts”. Showcase performances are also presented to provide an avenue for students to display their talents.

Secondary School Scholarships – BHP fund Excellence Scholarships for high performing students to support continuing education.

Vocational Education and Training – Hedland SHS offers a wonderful, engaging VET program for students interested in gaining Certificate 1 in Automotive and / or Metal Engineering. Students work with the local TAFE to build “Quarter Midget” racing cars. The students then race their cars at speedways around the area. The school now has 8 cars that compete. This is a hugely engaging program for students ….. and the staff. Carolyn Cook’s eyes lit up as she spoke of the school’s involvement in this program. I don’t blame her ….. I would love to have a go myself!

The staff at Hedland SHS undertakes extensive professional learning. The recent program has focussed on Classroom Management Strategies and the next series will be on Instructional Strategies. Attracting and maintaining a high quality workforce can be a difficulty in these remote areas. In 2006, Hedlands SHS commenced the school year lacking 22 teaching staff as the school was not seen as an attractive working location. With the developments in recent years, the school is now a school of choice for many teachers.

Our visit to Hedland Senior High School was inspirational. Carolyn Cook is a dynamic educationalist whose drive and motivation is immediately obvious. We felt privileged to have this opportunity.

Heading for Hedland

Day 3 in Karratha and we are off to visit two schools in the Port Hedland area. Not such a long journey today…. a mere 2 ½ hours each way and no dirt tracks. Very civilised! Not such an arduous trip today, but an early start. Our guide, Bruce, is attending meetings in Hedland (that’s local talk for Port Hedland!) while we are at our first school. So, after a 6.30am pick up we are on our way to Port Hedland Primary and South Hedland Senior Secondary School. Port Hedland and South Hedland are two distinct areas around 10 kilometres apart.

Our first stop today is at Port Hedland Primary School where Kane Benson is the Principal. Port Hedland is a school of 406 students of which about 20% are of indigenous background. A further 25% of the student population move into and out of the school each year. The transience of the community is due to movement in the aboriginal community and the high turnover of families working with BHP – the major employer in the town. More than half the aboriginal children live in two communities in the town – the “three mile camp” and the “one mile” camp referring to the distance from the port. Other indigenous families, employed by BHP live in company housing.

Principal, Kane Benson, has been at Port Hedland for about two years. He is a Pilbara boy born and bred and is a committed professional with a strong empathy for his students. Kane holds a clear vision for his school and fully expects his staff to hold high expectations for the learning outcomes of their students. Like other schools we have visited, Kane was focussed on the recent NAPLAN results and planning to continually improve the achievement levels of the students. He believes the children at Port Hedland should achieve at the same level as other children in Western Australia.

There were many highlights of our visit to Port Hedland Primary School. Firstly, the previous Friday, the school had received an award in the local, prestigious BHP Schools Awards for Community Partnerships. This award related to the school’s development of “Operation Barn”. This monthly program sees members of the school staff, local police and DCP visit the local aboriginal community – Three Mile. The group offer a BBQ, activities and community support, such as cleaning up around the camp. This allows members of the community an informal opportunity to mix and talk with school staff, building trust and mutual respect. Within the first year, the school has seen an increase in communication with members of this important element of the school community. Congratulations, Port Hedland

Port Hedland Primary has implemented the Better Buddies Program in the school. Whilst the program is still in its infancy and results are yet to be determined, the school has introduced a Buddy Program between the Year 1 and Year 6 students. Kane visited schools in Melbourne in 2009 to investigate the Better Buddies Program.

Important indigenous occasions, such as NAIDOC Week, are celebrated across the school. AEIO, Hilary Saunders organises a schedule of activities that highlight the achievements of members of the indigenous community and encourage the children to celebrate their aboriginality. Hilary also plays a major role in the “Operation Barn” program and is a key conduit between the school and aboriginal families. Since, the programs have commenced, Hilary has noticed aboriginal families contacting her to notify the school if the children would be absent to attend important family occasions like funerals. This level of communication is a vast improvement. Another of Hilary’s roles is arranging the Breakfast Club. On the day of our visit, 82 children attended Breakfast Club. This was a record for the school.

An impressive secondary school transition program operates between Port Hedland Primary School and Hedland Senior High School. Supported by BHP funding, the Year 7 students are transported to the High School one day per week throughout second semester. This ensures the children are well prepared to commence secondary school.

Port Hedland Primary operates a School Council of elected parents and staff. The Principal, staff and parents enjoy positive and productive relationships. The Parents’ Association are a highly successful fundraising group that raising significant funds to support learning in the school.

The teaching staff at Port Hedland work together as a cooperative professional team. Regular staff meetings include all teaching staff from Kindy – Year 7. The staff supervise all areas of the playgrounds so they get to know all children rather than the Kindy and Pre-Primary teachers remaining with just their own groups in a separate play space. Kindy children attend 3 days per week. On the days when there is no Kindy program operating, the staff teach other classes in the school.

Our visit to Port Hedland Primary was a glimpse of a school more closely related to our own in Melbourne. It was powerful to see how a school in a community with high parental expectations, still manages to address the diverse and high-level needs of the aboriginal children in the school community.

Yeah for Yandeyarra!

Rain had fallen in Karratha and across the Pilbara for twenty-four hours by this morning. This put our trip to Yandeyarra Remote Community School at risk as the journey of 350 kilometres includes 50 kms in and 50 kms out of the community on a gravel track. We were preparing for the disappointment of having to cancel the visit as, with much more rain, the track would have become impassable. Luckily, most of the rain had been confined to Karratha and the rain lightened off early in the day. So the trip was a goer!

Bruce picked us up at 8.15am for another 6 hour round trip. The travel time again gave us plenty of chance to talk to him about the history of Yandeyarra and the challenges the community faces. Bruce and his wife, Lyn, were the Principal and teacher at Yandeyarra in the late 1970’s – early 80’s. Their first child was born during this time and spent her early years growing up in the community. Bruce and Lyn spent 4 years at Yandeyarra and obviously made a tremendous contribution to the community. Bruce related his various duties and experiences as the principal. Their first home in the community was 2 caravans and a tin shed. The power went off each night at 9pm. When they were expecting their first child, Bruce requested the Education Department build them a house, which they did. Bruce recounted his duties included lighting the flares on the bush landing strip if the Royal Flying Doctor Service needed to fly in at night and the harrowing task of informing a young mother that her ill toddler had passed away in hospital in Port Hedland. Clearly, Bruce and Lyn left a lasting legacy in the Yandeyarra community and the community has made an enduring impact on them. Bruce shows an obvious respect and affection for the community and its people. His explanations of various traditional cultural practices relating to skin groups, mourning, initiations and gender have been interesting and enlightening.

Yandeyarra was established in the 1940’s to enable aboriginal people to live a traditional life. The school acknowledges and respects the customs and beliefs of the community and seeks to accommodate these within its program and operation. For instance, in aboriginal culture children attend family funerals and events. These can often be some distance away and mean children are absent from school. Aboriginal lore and initiation ceremonies may mean large numbers of people move into or away from the community for periods of time to participate. The school accommodates these shifts in enrolment to ensure the children can continue their education.

Graham Boyd, current Yandeyarra principal, has been in the role for two years. Prior to this, the school operated under nine principals in two years. Not surprisingly, this led to inconsistencies and disrupted practices in the school and important community connections broke down. Relationships between the principal and the Chairperson on the community are central to the development of strong community partnerships. One result of this unstable period was that the community reduced in numbers. This has an impact on the range of services available to the community. The community shop became unviable and was closed. People no longer had ready access to daily essentials without travelling 150kms into Port Hedland. Most members of the community do not have independent transport and rely on others making the trip to give them a lift. This loss of service had a big influence in the community.

Since Graham’s appointment, a range of improvements has been put in place that benefits the children and community. The school is an attractive, well cared for facility. Graham and some of the community members who work in the school gardens have established open grassed areas for the children to play. No mean feat in an area with temperatures up to 45 degrees in the summer; no water except the locally built water system and the likelihood of flooding during the wet season. A number of mothers work in support roles in the school. Graham’s theory is that this spreads the available employment across a number of families and each of these mums then make sure their children attend school regularly. One barrier to including community members in the school workforce was the need to complete Working With Children Checks. This was a daunting task made more difficult by people’s lack of transport. Graham helped people to complete the necessary documentation and then drove them to town to lodge their applications.

Graham’s personal philosophy and vision underpins the great progress the school has made in the past two years. He believes that school should be a place you want to come to. He and his staff go out of their way to ensure that children would want to be at school. On his arrival at Yandeyarra, student attendance on Fridays was routinely much less than on other days of the week. The local wisdom was that this was because community members went into town and took the children with them. It quickly became clear that this was not the case but a habit had been established. Setting out to break the habit, Graham introduced special programming on Fridays including a BBQ lunch, fun activities and games and an ice cream at home time. Now, as many, if not more, children attend on Fridays than other days.

The Yandeyarra school provides breakfast, morning fruit and lunch for the children. The program is funded by BHP and Foodbank and organised by Education Assistants from the community. Today was “Pie Day” and we were there as the children had lunch and went out to play. We were quite amazed as the children ate lunch that one of the mums appeared. She was carrying a cloth bag knotted at the top. It was quickly established that the bag contained a black-headed python that the lady had found. The children were very interested and patted the outside of the bag. Ray asked if he could take a picture and politely declined the lady’s offer to remove the snake from the bag. This never happens at Glen Iris!

When visiting the classrooms the children were actively involved in the various tasks they had been set. Graham emphasised that the children had a high work ethic especially when supported if a difficulty arose. In the classroom of Years 5 and 6 students, the children were working on computers to complete “Mathletics” – not dissimilar to the Sherbourne and Glen Iris kids would be doing. They had just finished an on line pen pal session with children from Bentleigh West Primary School.

Today, the school received their 2010 NAPLAN results. The results indicated improved standards by the children. The staff were keen to gather trend data by which to measure student progress. The school has a well developed Literacy Plan outlining the goals and strategies. Like Onslow Primary School, children at Yandeyarra suffer similar hearing loss issues, which have long-term implications for the children’s learning potential. As the children move into a secondary school age bracket, efforts are made to encourage them and their families to move the students to Port Hedland to continue their education. What a big ask! Moving from a small, family based community to a rural city to live with extended family members. Some Yandeyarra ex-students have gained scholarships from BHP to attend private boarding schools in Perth and hold high educational aspirations.

Yandeyarra Remote Community School has clearly established partnerships with a range of other bodies. These include

- School Council made up of 12 people with each family group represented and an equal gender mix;

- Mugarinya Community Association that advises on community and cultural matters;

- Mining companies BHP, Fortescue Metal Group, Rio Tinto etc;

- Other outside agencies such as Pilbara TAFE, Child Australia, Youth Involvement Committee Health Department etc

Our visit to Yandeyarra was both a professional and personal growth experience. There was significant evidence of the poverty experienced by the people living in the community, whilst, at the same time, the children were energetic, positive and engaged. The commitment of Graham and his staff was an inspiration and their stoic intent to overcome obstacles humbling.

Bound for Onslow

Today we woke to our first day in Karratha anticipating our first school visit to Onslow Primary School. A light, drizzly rain was falling as we were picked up at our accommodation by Bruce Macauley, Principal Consultant at Karratha District Education Office. The 330 kilometre trip to Onslow gave us plenty of opportunity to grill Bruce about the state of education in Western Australia and the Pilbara in particular. Bruce has had a colourful and diverse career in Western Australian schools from lower socio economic urban schools in Perth; remote indigenous school, Yandayarra (we are visiting there tomorrow); a modern Karratha school dealing with the booming population growth from the strong resources/mining sector and even a two year stint on the Cocos Islands. Bruce's wife, Lyn, is also a Principal at one of the

Karratha schools. Topic of conversation during our trip to Onslow was around the recently

announced restructure of the regional district boundaries dividing the state into 8 regions. A

school network structure similar to what has been created in Victoria is also part of the plan. The Karratha Network will comprise 10 schools but enormous geographical distances. Along with the creation of higher administrative roles with significant pay increases, powers and accountability, a spill of senior positions, such as Regional Directors, has created a stir. The implications for work in networks given the physical constraints is yet another challenge for our WA colleagues. Their system seems to comprise some of our Victorian elements whilst not embracing features such as local selection of principals and staff or self management at this point.

Onslow is a small, seaside township supporting the mining of salt and gas. The school is a campus of approximately 180 students aged from 4 - 17 years. Whilst the school is funded as a primary school, it also offers a secondary section for approximately 25 students. The school is housed in a stunning, modern facility which incorporates a kindy ( 4 year olds), pre primary (5 year olds), primary and secondary section. Assistant Principal, Sean, met with us to explain the school's work with the local community. Onslow Primary School is a National Partnership School, a federal government program for schools with 50% or more aboriginal students. These

schools are required to have formed a Schools and Community Partnership Agreement with their communities by the end of 2011 outlining the goals and objectives of the community for the school. This agreement is reached between representatives of the school, the local aboriginal community, the Roebourne Shire and the Chevron Mining Corporation which

sponsors programs within the school. Whilst in its infancy, it is felt this program will provide the processes to establish effective consultative processes for decision making that will better coordinate community decisions and strategies to benefit the children. The school's strategic plan incorporated Aboriginal Education strategies and the LOTE taught in the school is a local native language.

The indigenous community in Onslow incorporates three different aboriginal groups relocated to the Onslow area by governments over the years. These groups are quite separate communities with different cultures, customs, lore and beliefs that would not usually interact. The school has made significant inroads in the past ten years to create a more stable and positive learning environment for the students. This progress is attributed to the relocation of the school into new, high quality facilities which gives the community a sense of pride and value in their school. A strong, committed teaching workforce with a high work ethic and relevant local knowledge further boosts the school's successes for the students.

The children at Onslow Primary are fortunate to be taught by a highly professional and dedicated staff of teachers and support staff. As well as the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, teachers are also highly involved in health and attendance issues. The school offers a daily Breakfast Club for all students and staff at no charge. This program ensures children arrive at school after a nourishing breakfast AND on time for the beginning of the learning program. Staff often join the children for breakfast.

Another program evident in the school - which has been in place for at least 11 years - is the BBC program - Breathe, Blow, Cough program. A daily ritual at Onslow is for the entire school to assemble in the morning, tissues at the ready, to clear nasal passages to reduce Otitis Media. Indigenous children suffer from chronic ear infection which, if left untreated, cause hearing impairment and loss. At Onslow Primary, EVERY class teacher wears a Sound Field device to amplify their voices to cater for the children in the class with hearing impairments. These devices are not used continually but the teacher selectively uses them depending on the activity.

Student Attendance is a strong focus of the school at Onslow. Various strategies and programs are in place to monitor and motivate students to attend school. These include rewards, such as camps and sporting events, for students with high attendance records. Attendance charts recording each child's attendance and reasons for absence - reasonable or unreasonable - are displayed in the classroom.

Aboriginal Islander Education Officers (AIEO) operate within the school. These staff members hold long term "corporate knowledge" of the school and community ensuring continuity of programming when the stability of teaching staff is highly mobile. The AIEO also provide a strong link between the school and the community.

A recent community initiative in Onslow is a well resourced Community Garden developed on the school's previous site adjacent to the new school. The garden incorporated kitchen garden plots, a wood fired pizza oven, traditional cooking pit, refrigeration and chook pen. Each class has a gardening plot within the garden. The project was developed with corporate funding and enjoys strong community support.

The secondary sector at Onslow provides a strong "work related" integrated curriculum for students. Within an integrated curriculum, the two secondary teachers offer a broad and diverse program. Recent initiatives include students completing their "Skipper's Tickets". The students also participate in Design / Technology, Food Technology, ICT, Manual Arts and woodwork/ metalwork. In the Food Technology program, students select fresh produce from the community garden to cater for professional development and mining corporate events. Students are completing Hospitality Certificate 1 & 2.

The WA adventure begins!

We arrived in Broome, the launching place for our Western Australian study into School, Family and Community Partnerships, on the evening of Thursday September 9th. The weekend allowed us to adjust to Western Standard Time and a vastly different climate. A daily temperature in the range of 38C took some getting used to but was a welcome change from the dreary Melbourne winter weather of recent months. Over the weekend, we checked out the local schools and community support services and made preparations for a long trip to Karratha, in the Pilbara region. Whilst in Broome, it was impossible not to notice the tropical climate and beautiful sunsets over Cable Beach.

The Kimberley District Education Office located in Broome supports a number of schools in the Kimberley region. The indigenous community were clearly a priority in the local schools. Indigenous artwork was a striking feature of the presentation of the local schools as was evidence of the school and the community working together.

Today, Monday, September 13th, we travelled approximately 830 kilometres from Broome to Karratha. Whilst there was the option to fly from Broome to Karratha and save ourselves the long drive, we feel this experience has started to provide us with some understanding of the demands on schools and regional offices in these remote areas. Over the course of the drive, we only passed through two towns - Port Hedland, an industrial centre to the mining industry of approximately 15, 000 people and Roebourne, a small rural township. Other places on route were roadhouses on the highway. Travelling through this part of Australia is signified by long, long straight stretches of bitumen; vast, flat spaces of sparse scrubland and massive road trains 3 or 4 trailers in length.

We arrived in Karratha around 5.00pm this afternoon. Then followed one of the most difficult elements of the journey - finding our accommodation. Karratha streets are laid out in a similar circular pattern to those in our nation's capital, Canberra. After several laps of the perimeter of Karratha without finding ourselves any closer to the much sought after "Matebore Street" we finally untangled ourselves and found our destination.

Karratha is the home of the Pilbara Region District Education Office. Bruce Macauley from the Pilbara District Office will host us for the week. The Pilbara Region is 510,000 square kilometres in size; has a population of 45,000 people and comprises 29 schools. When you consider that the area of Victoria is 230,000 square kilometres; a population of 5.5 million people; approximately 1600 government schools and each of our school networks in Victoria consists of approximately 25 schools mainly within a neighbourhood, you immediately see a major challenge facing these schools and the District Office. We depend on the collegiate support of our local prins in so many ways. We are sure the WA prins are no different in offering support to colleagues. The question is just how do they overcome the tyranny of distance not mention all the other challenges we expect to discover over the next week.

Tomorrow, we head off with Bruce to visit Onslow Primary School, about three hours south of Karratha. Onslow Primary School has an enrolment of approximately 300 students aged from 4 - 17 years. Onslow is respected for the excellent special needs program they deliver. We look forward to sharing our "Onslow Experience" later.

What's it all about?

The background to the program:
We are conducting our research as part of our State Government funded Development Program for High Performing Principals. The Development Program for High Performing Principals is designed to develop principals as ‘system leaders’ who collaborate, share best practice across the system, and engage in and promote continuous learning. The program is open to school-based principals who will share best practice across the school system and undertake individual professional learning to enhance their own leadership capacity.

Research Focus:
To develop an awareness and appreciation of the value and importance of school, family and community partnerships in a range of educational settings in an international and national context.
- What impact do school, family and community partnerships have on student learning outcomes?
- What are the underlying elements that make partnerships effective?
- How do you build trust and respectful relationships between teachers and parents so that teachers will embrace community partnerships?
- What kinds of partnership / engagement are most influential on student learning outcomes and how to make that happen?

Theoretical Basis for Research:
Our action research project has been initiated because of our strong professional interest in the links between student achievement and school, family and community partnerships. Federal and State government initiatives such as the Blueprint for Victorian Schools and School and Family partnership document produced by the Department for Education and Training highlight the significance of community partnerships. We are further motivated by the research of Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director of the Centre for School, Family and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore USA. Dr. Epstein has identified 6 types of community involvement in children’s learning: Parenting, Communicating, Volunteering, Learning at Home, Decision Making and Collaborating with the Community. We are keen to see to what extent these 6 types of involvement are applicable in different contexts.

Questions we would like to consider:

· What types of community involvement exist in Pilbara schools?
· How is community involvement encouraged?
· What systemic programs support schools to develop community involvement?
· What successes have Pilbara schools experienced by connecting with their communities and how have students benefited?
· What challenges do Pilbara schools face in building strong community connections?

The "Meredith and Ray in WA" blog is launched!!!!

After the success of the Meredith and Ray in the USA blog which followed our school adventures in the US, we now have this blog to follow our adventures at schools in the Pilbara. We are looking forward to visiting remote schools like this one - Yandeyarra Remote Community School.