End of Year Report - 2013.

We are approaching the end of the year and it's time to start putting in reports to VIT and the DEECD.  While we are collating all of our activities we might as well tell you all too!

Workshops and Meetings in 2013.

Well, it's been a bit off and on this year with the changes to the DEECD CRT PLSI  but we are still just getting stronger as time rolls on.  Membership is increasing, Professional Development Opportunities are doing their job despite the disruptions we faced compared to 2012.  

December 11 saw the wrap-up of our activities for the so we can now collate our activities and add some numbers to dates to get ourselves our normal "big picture" view as we have done in the past.

PD opportunities provided this year;

We have passed the end of the year and it's time to start putting in reports to VIT and the DEECD.  As usual, our quest for transparency extends to giving everyone the numbers too!

Workshops and Meetings in 2013.

Well, it's been full steam ahead for over 12 months now and we are just getting stronger as time rolls on.  Membership is increasing, Professional Development Opportunities are doing their job and things as a whole are running more smoothly than ever before.  

PD opportunities provided this year;

• February 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours.
• February 2013 - Britt Hartley - Literacy Block - 2.5 hours
• March 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours
• March 2013 - Bonus Meeting with guest speaker Sue King - 2.5 hours
• April 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours
• May 2013 - Sue Arney - The Singing Classroom (Wangaratta) - 5 hours
• May 2013 - Ian Trevaskis - Get'em Writing (Wangaratta) - 2.5 hours
• May 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours
• May 2013 - Koncept Mastery - National Curriculum + - 6.5 hours
• May 2013 - Mel Lichnovsky-Klock - Literacy Games (Wangaratta) - 2.5 hours
• June 2013 - Peter Klein - Creativity Knows No Boundaries - 2.5 hours
• June 2013 - Jo Hinchliffe - A Pack of Poetry to Lighten your Load! - 6.5 hours
• June 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours
• June 2013 - Peter Klein - Creativity Knows No Boundaries (Wangaratta) - 2.5 hours
• July 2013 - Network Meeting - 2,5 hours
• August 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours. 
• September 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours.
• October 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours.
• November 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours.
• Nov 2013 - The Brainary - Mathematics and hands-on gameplay (Wodonga)- 2.5 hours
• Nov 2013 - Melinda Klock - Literacy Games (Wodonga) - 2,5 hours.
• December 2013 - Michael Ymer - AusVELS and Mathematics (Wodonga) - 6.5 hours.
• December 2013 - Network Meeting - 2.5 hours. 

Legend:  DEECD funded PD - CRT Network funded PD.

This includes;

• 39.5 hours of DEECD funded PD in 10 Workshops (member and non member attendance)
  and
• 32.5 hours of Network funded Professional Development in 10 collegial meetings, 2 Presenter led PD meetings and 1 PD workshop (member and non-member as well as member only attendance).

Total; 72 hours of CRT oriented Professional Development, held locally at a minimal cost to CRT's. 

An increase of 4 hours from 2012 despite the disruptions , in added locations, still for under our target expenditure of $15,000. 

• Without skimping on Presenter quality.  
• Without skimping on the quality of catering.  
• Without skimping on resources for CRTs to walk away with.

Best of all?

The most any CRT paid for 20 hours of PD, associated catering and resources is forty dollars!

The Main blog is still being accessed frequently despite our inability to post much in the last two terms due to having to spend that time elsewhere.  The PD blog, of course, fluctuates depending on how many PD workshops are being advertised at the time.  

Our YouTube channels are now growing too.  We have generated 1009 views in the past 30 days which we expect to grow with our ability to again devote time to them.

Time for some thank yous! 

A large number of CRTs have accessed Professional Development opportunities offered by the Wodonga CRT Support Network in 2013.  We see another year of support from our usual sources showing that avenues to the sustained support of CRTs is out there.  Through them we continue to positively effected the quality of education for thousands of students in the old Upper Hume region (now the upper North East School Region)!  The further increase in the supply of PD for this year as opposed to last year is a solid result that we are very happy with.

First of all, we would like to thank all of you who have presented Professional Development Workshops for local CRTs or appeared as Guest Speakers in Network meetings. We understand that it is time away from your families, and often quite a long journey!  We would like to let you know that we appreciate the extra time and effort that it requires to bring your learning opportunities to Regional locations and your efforts are greatly appreciated by the CRTs of the Upper North East region of Victoria!

We would also like to thank the DEECD for it's CRT Professional Learning Support Initiative which allows us to obtain top-class local and national presenters on behalf of local CRTs and supports the organization of these Professional Development opportunities.

We would also like to thank the Victorian Institute of Teaching for helping to create and maintain the Wodonga CRT Support Network.  We certainly could not have achieved and maintained the current state of the Network without their support and advice. The CRT Network initiative is doing great things across the state of Victoria.  All states should be following in your footsteps!

We would also like to thank Officeworks Wodonga for their third year of support through their Corporate Responsibility program.  We have again recieved donation of goods for use in Network Meetings, Professional Development Workshops and the general day-to-day running of the Wodonga CRT Support Network.

Thank you to the Wodonga South Primary School too.  They are our official "support school" and also the banker school for the CRT Professional Learning Support Initiative in the old Hume educational region.  They have been wonderfully supportive by not only dealing with our banking for us but also by providing us with a low cost venue for our Professional Development Workshops and a free venue for our monthly meetings.  They then go a step beyond through allowing us the use of school facilities such as the use of Netbook computers and Internet for Meetings, access to photocopiers and being generally helpful in as many ways as possible! 

This year we need to add that they have again stepped up to the plate where many support schools have balked or withdrawn.  The new DEECD CRT PLSI structure does mean a little more work for schools which are already busy places at the best of times.  The Wodonga South Primary School has agreed to remain our support school in 2013 and beyond, ensuring the continued profitable and reliable access to the funding that we offer.  They have proved themselves to be a staunch and loyal supporter of our Natwork.

On a related note, again we thank the Wodonga South Primary School Parents Club for the use of their property such as the Coffee urn.  By helping us to stave off buying items of our own you have helped us to streamline our purchases for the most benefit to our members and their students!

And, of course, the final thank you goes out to those of you accessing the Professional Development opportunities we offer.  The enthusiasm of Upper Hume CRTs to continue to grow which gives us a tremendous sense of pride; to be able to take part in such a wonderful atmosphere and enthusiastically sought out opportunities makes it all worth while!

Regards,

Melinda Lichnovsky-Klock.

Wodonga CRT Support Network Coordinator.