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Monday, 13 July 2009 |
Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre Annual Report 2008
PO address 373, Wynnum, 4178
Phone (07) 3906 9111
Fax (07) 3906 9100
Email
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Website or Contact Person www.moretonbayeec.eq.edu.au
Glenys Stone, Administrator
Principal’s foreword
Introduction
The Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre (EEC) has no permanent student enrolments and conducts day programs for students from Years Prep to 12. At Moreton Bay EEC we strive for excellence and seek to work in partnership with our client schools to cater for the diversity of our visiting client students and teachers, to allow each visitor equitable learning opportunity where each can feel included and confident of their safety. The Centre delivers hands on learning experiences in support of student learning outcomes. Its specialized environmental education programs are available for students from Prep to Year 12.
Future outlook
The Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre community is committed to creating active world citizens for a sustainable future.
We will emphasise
o Pedagogy and place – deep learning for sustainability through connecting people with real places.
o Leading students, teachers and the local community to develop skills and knowledge to achieve the goals of sustainability.
o Expanding our network of productive partnerships for sharing of expertise.
School Profile
The administrative centre of MBEEC is located in an 1890’s timber building once part of the Wynnum Central State School with whom it currently shares a campus. The Centre has been part of the State Schools of Tomorrow Bayside project and will move to another campus in 2011.
The centre maintains and is responsible for the management of a marina berth; the operation of a commercially surveyed 44 passenger vessel, MV Heritage and a five passenger outboard powered craft, Noogoon. Its teaching sites include St Helena Is and Ft Lytton National Parks; Bay Islands; Eprapah and on MV Heritage - Moreton Bay, the Brisbane River and local catchment areas. The centre has access to but owns no infrastructure at the sites visited.
MBEEC has no permanent student enrolment, but conducts day visit programs for students from Prep to Year 12. Programs are conducted in the environment, including open water, rivers and creeks, mangroves, seagrass beds, islands and foreshores.
VISITATION 2008
Curriculum offerings
Our distinctive curriculum offerings are best exemplified by the excursion programs for students conducted
o in a variety of sites around Moreton Bay and surrounding catchments, including open bay, island, seagrass, mangrove, river and creeks
o accessing suitable sites from our 10 m launch – the M.V. Heritage
o using specialized equipment to help the students gain practical experience, observe or collect data
o utilising the particular expertise of our centre teachers to maximize the students learning
o utilising community partnerships to bring expertise to local schools. In 2007, we worked with for example QPWS and Theatre in Education.
We continue leading the Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative for the Bayside Region and through this working with schools to
o Support a cluster of 12 schools in their journey to sustainability
o Model and promote sustainability in our own activities.
Extra curricula activities.
o Conduct an Accreditation Course and Update Course in conjunction with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), for Commercial Operators and tour guides for St Helena Island National Park.
o Working with QPWS and Theatre – In- Education to plan, conduct and promote the ‘Go Back In Time’ program, featuring 2 drama based programs ‘History in a Box’ and ‘Returned.”
o Partnering with the Port of Brisbane in conducting school programs, utilising sites and in professional development.
o Continuing the Department of Natural Resources Sustainable Fishing Program.
ICT’s
Authentic integration of ICT’s, including digital microscopes, GPS navigational equipment, digital cameras and voice recorders into learning programs and experiences have been a part of the learning experiences in a range of programs offered to client schools.
The extension of the learning experience through on-line chats as post visit follow-up has become more common as both the client schools and the centre become increasingly familiar with the potential of these experiences.
Staff have long used email in working with client teachers in planning and preparation for excursion programs. Within the centre itself, ICT’s are an integral part of professional development and facilitation of learning for teachers.
Social climate
Moreton Bay EEC programs are designed to maximise student engagement and promote self regulation of student behaviour.
Through certain program sites and offerings the centre can provide an opportunity for students to explore issues of bullying and harassment and will continue to do so where possible and appropriate.
MBEEC will continue to provide highly relevant, practical, authentic learning experiences in the environment where the nature of the learning engages all students, particularly those at risk of early school leaving.
Involving parents in their child’s education.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
MBEEC has no permanent student population and no P&C. Many centre excursion programs allow the involvement of parents in the excursion program. Indeed some require parent involvement and pre-visit work and site specific coaching is included in the day’s schedule to ensure maximum effectiveness of the parent student interaction.
MBEEC will continue to develop stronger community partnerships and to do this will
o continue to work to formalise the formation of an advisory body
o work with our community to bring other agencies expertise to meet community and student needs
o maintain the diverse community access to the centre and work to increase community awareness of partnership potentials
o promote the centre as a resource centre for the sharing of ideas expertise and equipment
o develop PD programs with local schools and teachers
o promote professional dialogue between the centre and client teachers.
Qualifications of all teachers.
Expenditure on and teacher participation in professional development.
The total funds expended on teacher professional development in 2008 was $4755.
The major professional development initiatives are as follows:
o preparatory work for EEC and OEC Conference – the Fifth Pedagogy
o working with Adults and leadership development
o marine based Centre professional sharing .
The involvement of the teaching staff in professional development activities during 2008 was 100 %.
Average staff attendance
For permanent and temporary staff and school leaders the staff attendance rate was 97%% in 2008.
Proportion of staff retained from the previous school year.
From the end of the 2007 school year, 100 % of staff were retained by the school for the entire 2008 school year.
Value added
MBEEC as the Moreton Bay Hub Coordinator for the Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative (QESSI) will
o engage suitable teaching staff to support the hub schools in their journey to sustainability
o allocate in kind, resources where hub schools can develop partnership programs utilising centre expertise
o co-ordinate the recruitment of QESSI Alliance Partners to support the Moreton Bay Hub schools.
Parent, student and teacher satisfaction with the school
Moreton Bay EEC, with no permanent school population has no record from the destination 2010 indicators for students or parents. The staff recorded 100% satisfaction with access to learning opportunities and 100% were satisfied with morale in the school. The level of client satisfaction is best measured by the increasing return visitation.
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