School Plan for Continuous Growth Information Package

Transcription

1 School Plan for Continuous Growth Information Package The Catholic school must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel. (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel, 114) May 2015 Page 1

2 St. James Catholic School Mission and Vision Statements Mission: We the staff, students, and community of St. James believe in providing a loving and supportive environment that focuses on living, teaching, and growing as we celebrate our faith journey. In accepting with dignity and respect the uniqueness of each individual, we will embrace the future with hope, strength and knowledge. Vision: "Our students will grow to be the best version of themselves in a Christ-centered, caring environment, where all are accepted and kindness matters." School Context Entering the second year of the amalgamation between St. James and St. Brendan which began in the summer of 2014 the school community continues to work and adapt with many outside factors facing our school community. St. James early learning program maintains two full day Kindergarten classrooms and 100 voices program (am/pm). Current school count 225 students Closure of the focus program (Boys Academy) School wide Transform focus (PBL) Project based learning ELL students 68 students (up from 48) FMNI students 15 students Number and severity of special needs students 15 Severe coded children in grades 2-6 with many students in early learning demonstrating behaviors requiring extra school resources School Plan Review Process 2015/16 During August start up the St. James staff reviewed the previous school s growth plans for St. James. Discussion is centered on previous goals from last year and the new process for creating a growth plan for St. James in the year 2015/16. Staff meeting on October 15th was dedicated to planning for the upcoming year. Staff came together on October 15th (Thursday afternoon) to revisit the school s previous three growth plan goals and discus PAT exams and various survey results from the 2014/15 school year. May 2015 Page 2

3 On October 15th it was highlighted what was accomplished during the previous year, what worked well, and what needed improvement. Staff discussion focused on strategies that would continue to be implemented in year two of our plan. Staff discussed previous school year Goal #2: Success for every student. This goal focused on strategies to introduce guided math and non-traditional approaches to spelling and literacy into the classrooms. Regression data in Math and Language Arts indicated a change in both subject areas moving from negatives the previous year into the equal range for both subjects. School focus will continue to concentrate in these two areas. Our next target in these areas will be to increase our overall PAT results. The staff celebrated the success with Goal #5: Live the distinctiveness of Catholic education. Everyone was very proud on how the staff and community dealt with the bringing together of the two schools. The circumstances of the 2014/15 school year highlighted the importance of Goal #5: Live the distinctiveness of Catholic education. Staff celebrated the 2014/15 motto Faith over Fear. Information from the Continuous Growth plan process was shared with parent council during our November 18th meeting. PAT results, surveys completed by the school were shared with council. It was explained to council how data collected from the 2014/15 school year with regards to student achievement and survey results indicated many positives from the previous year. For the upcoming school year these successes would be our guiding light as we continued to add new strategies and pedagogy for continued success in the 2015/16 school year. Final copy of School s Plan for Continuous Growth will be posted on St. James website and sent to the Office of the Superintendent by November 30th Data Analysis Regression Analysis: Indicated St. James students scored at the expected level for the subjects of Science and Social Studies. In the subject areas of Language Arts and Math students increased their scores from the previous year moving from statistically below expectation into the expectation range. May 2015 Page 3

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5 PAT Results: Gr. 6 English scored below District and Provincial averages and reported 12.5% students achieved a Standard of Excellence and 87.5% students scored in the acceptable standard. Math student scored below District and Provincial averages with 6.5% students in the Standard of Excellence range and 71.0% scoring in the Acceptable Standard. Social Studies scored on average lower than the Province and District marks with 6.3% of students in the Standard of Excellence and 78.1 students scoring an Acceptable Standard. Science students scored an average lower than the District and Provincial averages with 22.6 students scoring in the Standard of Excellence range and 83.9 % students in the Acceptable Standard range. Survey results from parents, students and staff: Areas highlighted and presented to staff for improvement include: PAT achievement Preparing our students for work preparation Continuous focus on school improvement PAT- excellence School Goals, Strategies, and Actions District Goal: 1: Demonstrate the distinctiveness and advantages of Catholic education. Sub-Goal: 1.1: Live the distinctiveness and advantages of Catholic education. Strategy: Celebrate our students work, work of our school community, and our Catholicism. Actions: Introduction of Terrific kids program for 2015/16. Once a month at a school general assembly, students will be recognized for being terrific kids. Program will be based on the 8 characters of Catholic Education. School wide Art projects matched to program of studies having students work with the Newman seminarians and teachers during classroom Art instruction. Work with Resurrection Parish and Newman College to host classroom visits and school wide celebrations. May 2015 Page 5

6 Creating and celebrating archway dedicated to the Jubilee Year of Mercy at a prominent entrance in the school building. For the 2015/16 school year all classrooms received the book With a Friend by Your side as a reminder how friendship helps us model love to one another in correlation to the district theme for 2015/16 Life of Grace Journey of Love. Sub goal 1.4: Internally review our District Foundation Statement and its implication at least once yearly at each site. Strategy: Dedicate school wide afternoon PD sessions unwrapping and discussing District Foundation Statement and The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity. Actions: Analyze the District foundation Statement as a staff. Using a Thursday afternoon to read the statement, synthesize its contents, and lead the staff in reflection and discussion on how the statement correlates to our school community. Complete with the staff The Five Marks of Catholic Identity checklists. Determine what Mark the school would like focus on for the upcoming year. Mark Four: Sustained by Gospel Witness identified will be St. James focus for 2015/16. Invite Father Dean to speak to the staff and give his perspective on the District Foundation statement and how we can live the statement every day in the St. James community. Catholic Identity Actions: Related to District Goal #1 School Exploration: Mark Four Sustained by Gospel Values Certified teaching staff will participate in book study. Title of book is The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus. Staff will begin initial work on developing personal formation plans. May 2015 Page 6

7 Continued development with individual classrooms on creating social justice projects that reflect activities appropriate to grade levels in the school. District Goal: 2: Success for Every Student. Sub Goal: 2.2a: Ensure that every school and department is committed to improving student learning and achievement within the context of 21 st century Catholic learning community. Strategy: Continued focus on Literacy improvement for all recognizing early intervention, reading strategies and collaboration. Actions: Spell- links technology program brought into the school for 2015/16. Program designed to work with struggling readers and writers as a support literacy programming. School wide participation in new literacy initiatives to infuse language and literacy skills into all learning activities. Creation of a.5 FTE position literacy specialist to work in small group setting providing small group reading strategies for struggling lower elementary students and enrichment opportunities for our upper elementary students. Linguascope technology program introduction targeted at our ELL community of learners. Multi- tiered program focusing on basic vocabulary and working towards higher level thinking and questions. Program has the capability to be worked on from home with families. Continued work focusing on non-traditional approaches to spelling and writing targeting our ELL population and students in need of literacy intervention. With small group intervention and continued classroom focus on differentiation. Teacher collaboration time to support school literacy goals. Collaboration time will consist of grade level groupings targeting literacy skills in the classroom. May 2015 Page 7

8 Exploration and development of formative and summative assessment practices within St. James school community. As part of the collaboration time best practices with assessment will be the second focus of these sessions. Learning Coach working in all classrooms providing literacy and numeracy support for all students, through team teaching and small group differentiated instruction. Marty Chan Artist in residency providing instruction in literacy skills for our K-6 students. (May 2016) Evergreen Theatre residency- Theme 21 st century global citizenship. (Jan 2016) Strategy: Whole school commitment to numeracy objectives with all stakeholders implementing programs and ideas in the classroom. Actions: Development of open-ended questions to establish, reflect, build and reinforce numeracy skills. Component of our school wide PD plan. Introduction of Mathletics program for students during the 2015/16 school year. Supplementing the use of technology with classroom numeracy work. Math consultant Tammy Leslie to visit with St. James to build on previous sessions from 2014/15. Two more PD sessions planned for the 2015/16 school year. Upper elementary classrooms will participate in district initiative Hour of Code. Teachers during their collaboration time will infuse there literacy strategies with numeracy. With the hope of sharing common pedagogy in the two area to strengthen our differentiated strategies with numeracy in the classroom setting. May 2015 Page 8

9 Dedicated small group math differentiated instruction to upper elementary student using Learning Coach time. Implementation of school wide math games. Thirty minutes of instructional time will be dedicated to the entire school working on various games in the classrooms. School wide participation in Numeracy Week. District Goal: 3: Quality teaching and school leadership Sub Goal: 3.1 Provide professional learning opportunities that build the capacity of all staff. Strategy: Participate, organize and support curriculum and transform learning opportunities through the school year to build leadership capacity within the school. Actions: Two teachers will attend the Buck Institute being hosted by LSI. Adding to the total of four teachers who attended the institute last year. LSI consultants Tammy Leslie, Alannah Muirhead, Mark Huckulak, and Dane Sadownyk all will be presenting to the St. James staff during the 2015/16 school year. Assistant Principal attended Numeracy and Technology sessions hosted by the EM Tech team. Lead teacher technology attended Adventures in Raspberry Pi as part of the community practice sessions hosted by Em Tech. Teachers will participate in an Inter- school visitation program. All teachers on staff before year end will visit a grade partner in Edmonton Catholic schools. School support for those teachers wanting to work with University of Alberta and mentoring student teachers during their practicum experiences. Learning Coach attending Assistive Technology sessions being hosted by EmTech. May 2015 Page 9

10 Please upload your School Plan for Continuous Growth to the portal under the Office of the Superintendent and to your public website by November 30, May 2015 Page 10

11 Linked Resources Linked Foundation Statements: A Statement of 21st Century Learning in Edmonton Catholic Schools Preparing our students for a world not yet realized A Defining Statement of Inclusive Education in Our District Katholos: Education for Life for All Planning for School Improvement Links on how to develop Vision and Mission Statements: Vision and mission statements provide schools with an essential overview of where they want to go and what they want to be. Gabriel and Farmer (2009) Dufour and Eaker documents on mission and vision Compass.aspx Links on Goal Setting ert%20goals.pdf May 2015 Page 11

12 References Colorado Department of Education. (2009). Sample SMART Performance Goals for District Educational Improvement Plans. Crockett, Lee, Jukes, Ian, and Churches, Andrew (2011), Literacy in NOT Enough: 21st Century Fluencies for the Digital Age, 21st Century Fluency Project copublished with CORWIN, a Sage Company. Danielson, C. (2002) Enhancing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Deal, T., and Peterson, K. (1999). Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Wiley, John and Sons Inc. Dufour, R., and Eaker, R. (1998). Professional Learning Communities at Work, Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement. Bloomington, Indiana: National Education Service. Eaker, R, Dufour, R. and Dufour, R. (2002). Getting Started: Reculturing Schools to become Professional Learning Communities. Bloomington, Indiana: National Educational Service. Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). Developing Alberta s Cross-Curricular Competencies from a Catholic Worldview. Edmonton, AB: Author. Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). Edmonton Catholic Schools District Plan for Continuous Growth Edmonton, AB: Author. Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity (Assessment tool brochure). Edmonton, AB: Author. Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity (poster). Edmonton, AB: Author. Fullan, M. (1993). Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform. Bristol, PA: The Falmer Press. Gabriel, J., and Farmer, P. (2009). How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Mooney, N., and Mausbach, A. (2008) Align the Design: A Blueprint for School Improvement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2009). Breaking Ranks: A Field Guide for Leading Change. Reston, VA: Author. Reeves, D. (2002). The Daily Disciplines of Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. May 2015 Page 12

13 Reeves, D. (2009). Leading Change in Your School. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Robbins, P., and Alvy, H. (2004). The New Principal s Fieldbook: Strategies for Success. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Schmoker, M. (2001). An ASCD Study Guide for The Results Fieldbook: Practical Strategies from Dramatically Improved Schools. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. May 2015 Page 13