SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT & WELLNESS

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1 School Profile: is located in Greenwood Park subdivision in Kingston East, and serves a community that includes suburban and rural areas, CFB Kingston, and Howe Island. Our school is located in the parish community of Holy Name Catholic Church and we place a strong emphasis on developing our faith through service within our school community. This year we have chosen to focus on the theme of respect; respect for self, others and our shared environment. Our school benefits from community partnerships, some of which include: St. Martha Daycare, Terry Fox Foundation, Hotel Dieu Art Gallery, United Way, Clothes for Kids, Kingston Military Family Resource Centre, Knights of Columbus, St. Lawrence College and the Faculty of Education at Queen s University. The Council is a strong and vital part of our school community. Our Catholic School Council works in partnership with staff to enhance student achievement and well being for all students by purchasing equipment and resources as well as sponsoring community building events throughout the school year. In addition to our regular curriculum programs, offers a variety of student leadership activities including sports teams, Choir, ECO Team, Social Justice Committee, Yearbook Committee, Intramural Teams, Lego Club, Safe Schools Team and Learning Commons Committee. We believe that children learn best through rich and engaging tasks, inquiry learning, and a reciprocal teaching and learning format that uses technology at point of instruction to reinforce the essential skills of collaboration, critical thinking, communication, creativity and inquiry. We believe that our programs should prepare students for the rapidly changing, technology driven, globalized world around them.

2 Discipleship Scholarship Stewardship As a community of learners, created in the image of God, we inspire and nurture strong communities of Catholic faith with all partners in Catholic education home, school, parish and community. Theory of Action: If we discern and live out this call throughout life s journey. model and teach Catholic faith then students will grow in their understanding that one s call in life comes from God and will strive to Discipleship School Priorities: Religion and Family Life instruction will reflect the current curriculum policy documents from the Institute of Catholic Education ( ). Support implementation of new elementary curriculum policy documents in Religious and Family Life Education through school based inservice and the purchase of the new curriculum policy document for all classroom teachers As a community of learners, created in the image of God, we inspire and nurture engaged communities of learning that promote high levels of student achievement, in a culture that supports the belief that all students can learn. Theory of Action: If through an inquiry stance and growth mindset (where we honour student voice and offer students choice) we identify and meet student learning needs, then student thinking, learning and achievement will increase. Scholarship School Priorities: 1. Teaching and learning is rooted in inquiry, co planning and co teaching (rich, relevant and engaging work for teachers and students) with the support of colleagues in our school, within our Math Pod and alongside our Math Coach. The focus of our professional learning is as follows: Teachers will continue to work on building their pedagogical content knowledge and strategies (using As a community of learners, created in the image of God, we inspire and nurture compassionate communities of service that give witness to Catholic social teaching. Theory of Action: If we model and teach responsible and accountable practices and the call to care for all of God s creation, then our students will grow as responsible citizens who respect the environment and contribute to the common good. Stewardship School Priorities 1. Students will be empowered to demonstrate Faith in Action through leadership, service, advocacy and commitment to environmental stewardship. School wide participation in events and teaching centred on our theme of Respect. Respect in the Catholic Graduate Expectations:

3 Whole school focus on the strands that align with our Respect initiative: Living in Communion: Faith lived out in community, in family, in parish and school, in neighbourhood and with the world community of believers Living in Solidarity: Developing a sense of responsibility for being models of Christian living for all those we encounter in our daily lives. We are called to live our Christian vocation within the human community (i.e. communal nature of our dignity as human beings); Social Justice Student Team to promote Me to We initiative of sponsoring one local and one global charity at Advent and Lent All partners will adopt the philosophy of a whole school approach to promote communities of belonging that are safe, caring, inclusive, respectful, and healthy. Faith PA Day focus on the Year of Mercy, with guest speaker: Michael Way Skinner and community service with manipulatives, technology, and problem solving) to increase students ability to think multiplicatively across multiple strands, and develop their proportional, special and algebraic reasoning skills across all strands of the math curriculum, with a focus on the mathematical processes The learning environment (classrooms, Learning Commons) are transformed so that students are active participants in the learning agenda, working together to share and build knowledge, making their thinking and learning visible, through multiple modalities, where innovation and collaboration is evident K 2, Grade 3 4 and Grade 6 8 teachers to use John Van de Walle s book, Teaching Student Centered Mathematics and Marian Small s book, Open Questions during release time for school based Inquiry Groups and Math Pod colleagues to co plan, co teach, debrief and co plan again Learning environments are designed to effectively use technology at point of instruction. Students leverage learning A discerning believer formed in the Catholic Faith Community who Respects the faith traditions, world religions and the life journeys of all people of good will A self directed, responsible, life long learner who Demonstrates a confident and positive sense of self and respect for the dignity and welfare of others A collaborative Contributor who Respects the rights, responsibilities and contributions of self and others A Caring family member who Relates to family members in a loving, compassionate and respectful manner A responsible citizen who Respects and affirms the diversity and interdependence of the world s peoples and cultures Respects and understands the history, cultural heritage and pluralism of today s contemporary society Respects the environment and uses resources wisely

4 partners, Martha s Table and Lunch by George (St. George s Cathedral) Adopt and implement specific approaches to restorative practice when there is a conflict; ask What do you need to do to make Restorative Circles practiced in various classrooms and among students in conflict to identify injury and repair relationships things right? Year long focus on the theme of Respect within our school community through promoting respect of self, others and our shared environment; respect highlighted found in many of the Catholic Graduate Expectations Support all staff in understanding social and emotional skills required for health and well being, reducing barriers to learning, reducing stigma, and to increasing acceptance and understanding of mental health. Kingston Police presentation Stop the Stigma for Grade 6 classes Safe and Caring Schools Team will review and revise the school Code of Conduct, as needed, using an asset with technological resources at the desk The following will be our focus areas: (ipads in K 2, and laptops and student Plan and share meaningful curriculum devices in Grades 4 8) based on lessons and activities that reinforce individual needs in an environment that respect for self, others and our supports student inquiry and shared environment (read alouds, engagement social studies, art, religion, etc.) Accountable talk (dialogic stance Plan student leadership opportunities classroom) and shared/guided practice that include student voice strategies (gradual release) will be utilized so that and forums for discussions and actions students will demonstrate high levels of related to Respect (students reflect on cross curricular achievement in literacy respecting heroes in our community and numeracy and make their thinking and read on announcements visible in a variety of ways and representations 2. Early Years educators (FDELK team and child care) will build further understanding of the pedagogical approaches that support a seamless program. The FDELK team will focus on quantity or what numbers represent as the big idea in numeracy programs as foundational for proportional reasoning work in the primary junior grades 3. Assessment for, as and of learning in achieving excellence from K 12 in literacy and numeracy. Students will build and maintain healthy relationships, understanding that respect will permeate relationships; be aware of emotional literacy and empathy as building blocks to respect Physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health and well being of all community members will be promoted using the language of respect

5 based, whole school approach, ensuring alignment with the Board Code of Conduct Safe and Caring Schools Team will include student voice School Council to host Dr. Dean Tripp and KFL&A Health Unit on the evening of November 19, 2015 to support parent engagement on the topic of raising resilient children (PRO Grant). Triangulation of student learning: conversation, observation, product (both written and oral), where pedagogical documentation is used to inform instruction Continuous and on going use of visible learning goals and success criteria that are co constructed with students. Precise descriptive feedback, directly related to co constructed success criteria, is given to students both in the moment (formative) and for planning improvement/next steps (summative). Teacher and Peer feedback is used to bump up student work on an ongoing basis Assessment data informs daily and long term instructional practice and planning (i.e. PM Benchmarks, exit cards in Math, pre assessment writing tasks, etc.) to determine targeted instruction in area of greatest need 4. Timely and strategic interventions are implemented in response to individual student needs or subgroup needs; SERT and volunteer support (reading groups); 2. Student leadership will be supported through Student Voice strategies and forums such as representation on Safe and Caring Schools Team, Learning Commons Committee, Social Justice Committee, ECO Teams, Yearbook Committee, Intramurals, Bus Patrollers, etc., as a means of being culturally responsive to the needs of our students. 3. community will support and enhance the principles of sustainable practice and demonstrate commitment to environmental stewardship through participation in the Ontario EcoSchools program with the goal of obtaining Gold Certification in by June Plans for this year include creating a community garden and purchasing composters to provide environmental learning opportunities for students. 4. Promote the physical, spiritual and mental health and well being of all community members with this being a focus during staff meetings, health curriculum in all grades and in school newsletters

6 After School Literacy program for Grade 7 8 students Extend pedagogical teaching practices to be culturally responsive to all students (e.g. ensuring there is student voice and choice whenever possible). 2 classes will participate in the Roots of Empathy program to develop emotional literacy and empathy St. Martha to implement bullying prevention and intervention strategies that focus on building and maintaining healthy and respectful relationships. Release time provided on November 25, 2015 for Safe School Team to meet to review Promoting Positive School Climate template and Code of Conduct as well as to plan I Care Week activities in February Installation and teaching related to the purchase of our Buddy Bench which was funded through School Council and dedicated in memory of a long time St. Martha volunteer. The Buddy Bench, and the teaching that surrounds it, helps to create a school culture of caring and inclusion. It challenges students to support their fellow classmates and empowers then to be a part of the solution when they see someone who is lonely or feels left out. Discipleship, Scholarship and Stewardship Monitoring Strategies Monitoring is the ongoing gathering, reviewing and assessing of information to track and document progress towards achieving results and goals (adapted from M. Patton, Utilization Focused Evaluation).

7 The following strategies will be undertaken to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement & Wellness: School self assessment process with revised School Effectiveness Framework so as to provide framework for development of School Improvement Plan (September 4, 2015) Use of qualitative teacher feedback (on going dialogue, anecdotal reports, exit cards, etc.) Pedagogical documentation P/VP observations and feedback Student Voice (interviews, surveys, Twitter, Padlet, Poll Everywhere, etc.) Inquiry group meetings with staff: collaborate, co plan, co teach, debrief and co plan next lesson Assess student achievement results using Maplewood Report Card data and EQAO data Balanced literacy assessments (e.g., PM Benchmarks) Ontario Eco School Guidelines School Climate Survey (Tell Them From Me) Discussion and Feedback from School Council members Regular Case Conferences for students who require intensive support Discipleship: Update Michael Way Skinner attended Faith day to speak to staff about mercy Evidence of Success Opening prayers at staff, student and parent assemblies and events focus on the language of respect Scholarship: Update Inquiry meetings in October reviewed the important role of stated and posted learning goals, co constructed success criteria and feedback as high yield strategies in all classrooms November 13 th PA day with a focus on proportional, spatial and algebraic reasoning across all strands of the math curriculum Stewardship: Update Successfully applied for and were awarded 2 grants from the Johnny Biosphere Environmental Education Fund through Queen s University. They will be used to create a community garden and install composters. Evidence of Success 56 students are part of the EcoClub (K 8) Students are involved all aspects of planning and implementation (Student Voice)

8 Student posters, written reflections and announcements promote respect for self, others and our shared environment Evidence of Success Beginning to see the use of learning goals, and success criteria on walls beside student work Staff beginning to ask for feedback on the creation of co constructed learning goals and success criteria Teachers have embraced the desire to increase their comfort and use of technology at the point of instruction as evidenced in their ALP s. Older students are provided with leadership opportunities within the school (e.g. EcoBuddies, attending the Best Foot Forward Conference, assisting with activities for the younger grades, etc.) Student voice in the school newsletter (Social Justice Committee)