Vancouver School Board SCHOOL PLAN 2015-2016 It is our collective responsibility as a school district to ensure the highest quality learning experiences for all students, with a focus on student engagement, learning and development in a safe, inclusive environment. Lord Strathcona Elementary School MISSION STATEMENT The Core Purpose of our school is oriented toward student responsibility, success and to ensure the highest quality of learning experiences for each of our students in a safe, respectful and inclusive environment that acknowledges the wonderful diversity in our community. We also strive to establish relevance between classroom learning experiences and the wider global community. Parents are encouraged to be partners in their children's educational development and school life. There is a climate of open and regular communication between home and school. GOAL: (State goal area i.e. Literacy) To improve achievement for every child in reading through school wide targeted strategic instructional practices. GOAL: Aboriginal Cultural Enhancement To increase knowledge, acceptance, empathy, awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal histories, traditions, cultures and contributions among all students. page 1
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SCHOOL COMMUNITY CONTEXT What are the demographics of our learning community? Who are our learners? What is our vision of success for learning for each student? Lord Strathcona is a large, complex, dual track, enhanced services Tier I school with strong parental support and community involvement through partnerships with various groups and agencies. Strathcona has 574 students enrolled from kindergarten to Grade Seven, 78% of our students are enrolled in our English programs and 22% are in our District French Immersion Program, (Kindergarten to grade 6). Next year in 2015-2016 our enrollment will be about the same but 74% of the population will be enrolled in our English stream and 26% in our French stream (Kindergarten to grade 7). Strathcona is the oldest residential district in Vancouver. It started out as a bunch of shacks and cottages around the Hastings Mill and moving away from the mill, it eventually developed into a residential area. It was first known as the East End. The symbolism behind the name "East End" was due to its mixture of housing and industry, and its large entrance of immigrants. They started using the name "Strathcona" after the 1950s and the area consisted of everything east of Main to Campbell and from the Burrard Inlet to False Creek. During that time, False Creek was 4 times its present size. Today, Strathcona is bounded by Hastings, Campbell, Gore, Atlantic and Prior streets. It has everything that makes up a successful community. It has a varied pattern of development and most importantly, a great number of corner grocery stores providing day to day needs for residents. Strathcona has a mixture of commercial and residential areas. Architecture accounts for a good deal of Strathcona's charm and some of Vancouver's oldest and most unique buildings. In 2015-2016 seismic construction will begin at Strathcona. The first phase of which will include the temporary closure of 2 of our 5 buildings. Strathcona is Vancouver's oldest elementary school. It was built in 1891. Strathcona is an outgrowth of the city's first two schools, the Hastings' Mill and the Oppenheimer Street School. It was nicknamed the "League of Nations" in the 1930s and described as the most cosmopolitan school in the world. Diversity, industry, and courage were words that best described Strathcona. Strathcona is located near the heart of Chinatown and has a rich cultural history and a diverse population. This diversity adds greatly to the multicultural nature of our school community. There are 37 self-identified home language groups or cultural groups that make up our school. The major groups are broken down as follows: 62% English speaking, 19% Chinese, 17% Aboriginal, 4% Vietnamese, 2% Central American Spanish, and 2% Arabic. Strathcona is committed to fostering student academic achievement for all learners. We are also committed to providing rich athletics and fine arts opportunities for all students throughout the school year. We have the equivalent of 2 full time music teachers that work with each class at least twice a week. We have outstanding athletic programs supported by our community partners. Strathcona fields inter school teams in Cross-Country, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Flag Football and Track & Field most years. page 3
Strathcona, as a Tier I Enhanced Services school, receives extra services, supports and staff to meet the needs of our vulnerable learners. These services include: a lunch program, student attendance support and access to onsite medical consultations. We have a branch of the Vancouver Public Library inside our school which supports our Literacy initiatives. The school is also strongly connected to the Strathcona Community Centre which shares our site. The Community Centre provides onsite Before and After-School Care Programs as well as a Breakfast Program in the morning and a Dental Clinic. Our ongoing relationship with Strathcona Community Centre allows us to build strong recreational and educational programs for our students and their families. At Strathcona, we value parent involvement and the creation of a safe school environment. There is a tremendous sense of community in our neighbourhood. We value community involvement in the creation of a safe school environment. We have a dedicated Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) who meet regularly and who value and encourage parental input and dialogue. Our Neighbourhood Assistant is on hand during PAC meetings to translate into Chinese for those parents who need this service. Our Aboriginal Enhancement Worker and our Aboriginal Education Enhancement Teacher meet and build connections with families. All are invaluable resources and links to our community. Strathcona has a dedicated, committed and stable staff that provide an academically and socially rich environment for our students. Their focus is always on meeting the needs of our students. Strathcona has a long standing reputation as a school that develops and highlights the many talents and strengths of our students. Our teachers collaborate to develop strong academic programs balanced with specialty teaching in the fine arts and athletics. All of our programs accommodate our English as a Second Language and Dialect population (32% identified as ELL) and the integration of special needs students (13% Ministry Designated). We are committed to meeting the needs of all of our student learners and our primary aim is to build and support a community of readers who not only can read but do read. We are very proud of our school and school learning community. REFLECTIONS ON 2014-2015 SCHOOL PLAN What was our goal? What steps did we take to address the identified student(s) needs? What was the evidence of success for each student? How did we communicate and celebrate student success? Our 2014-2015 GOAL was to improve achievement in reading in English and/or French (French Immersion). Reading development is one of the most important goals of Strathcona Elementary School. Every staff member at Strathcona is committed to building and sustaining a school culture in which high quality reading instruction for all students is our most important priority. page 4
The following effective methods and strategies were used to identify and address student needs: Implement a school-wide reading intervention model (RTI framework - Response To Intervention multi-tiered approach to early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs). This includes: scientifically based high quality classroom instruction, on-going assessment, tiered instruction and community involvement. For students reading below grade level, assessments were used to identify and target the area needing intensive intervention beside the balanced literacy instruction of the classroom. Staff committed to use assessment to drive our instruction. Data from assessments continued to be disaggregated to direct our focus on those students who require additional interventions and supports. Staff worked towards building a strong model and bank of strategies within a BALANCED Literacy Intervention Program using the Pyramid of Intervention model TIER 3: Intensive intervention through pull out programs. 5 to 10% of learners. (District support, 1:1 interventions) TIER 2: Invisible targeted interventions small group short & long term. 15-20% of learners (on top of Tier 1). Tier 2 students are supported through both in class through differentiated instruction and RT support. TIER 1: Classroom practice differentiated instruction - Universal Interventions should be capturing 70 80% of learners. As part of the VSB Early intervention dedicated FTE and training for Reading Recovery and Early Intervention strategies in both French Immersion and English. Peer coaching to support aligned classroom instruction. Intermediate literacy inquiry to examine the structures of RTI. Team of CTs, RTs, SSAs and OAs meeting weekly to plan and deliver targeted high quality instruction. Intermediate team worked with Dawn Reithaug to build a better page 5
understanding of Differentiated Instruction in the classroom and intervention practices Pro-D and collaboration time to learn, assess, discuss and share Utilizing technology to support student learning and engagement in the area of writing and Literacy Labs to support intermediate intervention through Academy of Reading software and student licenses. Establishing common reading assessment practices, tracking student progress from year to year, providing differentiated instruction and documenting instruction provided. Establishing common reading assessment practices, tracking student progress from year to year, providing differentiated instruction and documenting instruction provided. All students have literacy folders which support the assessment, tracking and growth for each child. These folders follow the students from year to year. The folders track reading and writing assessments. (2x each year) During the 2014/2015 school year in primary classrooms we used observations and assessment, K phonological awareness screens, School Wide Writes and Developing Reading Assessment (DRA English/ GB+ FI) data to gather student learning profiles. Individual results for primary students can be tracked in the literacy folders. Intermediate students in the French stream were assessed using the Jerry Johns and the RAD. To gather data on progress in the intermediate classrooms, students were assessed using classroom observations, the Jerry Johns and Curriculum Based Measures (easy CBM) for all English students in the English stream. Individual intermediate student progress in the English stream was tracked biweekly on easy CBM. The results of these different assessment methods have provided us with evidence that a significant number of our students continue to struggle with reading. The success we experienced in the intermediate grades was incremental improvement. Major gains were made in improved readiness skills: ability to follow instructions, attending to the lesson, more active engagement and improved attendance of at risk students, especially the boys. This year we collected assessment data, in the fall, in late February/Early March and will be collecting data in June. It was noted that for some children, physiological, medical, or attendance issues interfered with the goal of grade level reading. Since student absenteeism and tardiness was identified as an issue for a significant number of our Aboriginal learners, an Attendance Support plan was developed to have Staff pick up students for school in the morning. Our goal to improve success for all students was to provide them with the best reading instruction, to document the instruction provided, and to clearly indicate student progress towards reading at grade level. Students were provided with rich reading and writing opportunities and rich conversations about their practice. We are supporting a community of learners who not only can read and write but DO read and write! page 6
Intermediate English Fall Reading Data (Jerry Johns and DIBLS) Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Number of students 121/218 74/218 23/218 October 2014 o 56 % were Reading at grade level o 33 % were 1 to 2 grades below o 11% were 3 or more grades below Intermediate English Spring Reading Data (Jerry Johns and DIBLS) Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Number of students 144/209 48/209 17/209 May 2015 o 69 % Reading at grade level o 23 % are 1 to 2 grades below o 8% are 3 or more grades below Primary English Fall Reading Data (DRA) Grade Exceed Grade level At Grade level Below Grade Level FM M MM 3 22 6 5 6 19 2 9 2 7 5 26 1 5 0 2 2 52 o 57 % Reading at or above grade level in Gr. 3, Gr. 2-37%, Gr. 1-11% o 23 % Reading minimally or below grade level in Gr. 3, Gr. 2-63 %, Gr. 1-89% Primary English Second Term Reading Data (DRA) Grade Exceed Grade level At Grade level Below Grade Level FM M MM 3 13 12 15 7 9 2 4 15 3 6 19 1 6 9 8 19 18 o 71 % Reading at or above grade level in Gr. 3, Gr. 2-47%, Gr. 1-38% o 17 % Reading minimally or below grade level in Gr. 3, Gr. 2-53 %, Gr. 1-62% Phonological Assessment Exceeding Meeting Approaching Kindergarten English 0 12 36 Kindergarten French 7 8 6 French Immersion (FI)Fall Reading Data English Results /(French Results) 1-3 GB+ 4-6 RAD Grade Exceed Grade level At Grade level Below Grade Level FM M MM 6 1 (2) 3 (1) 2 (2) 1 (0) 0 (2) 5 4 (0) 7 (4) 4 (8) 0 (2) 0 (1) 4 3 (0) 5 (5) 6 (8) 1 (3) 1 (0) 3 (3) (6) (0) (6) (11) 2 (2) (7) (6) (3) (5) 1 (0) (9) (5) (4) (6) page 7
o 63 % Reading French at or above grade level in the Primary Grades o 81 % Reading French at or above grade level in the Intermediate Grades o 95% Reading English at or above grade level in the Intermediate Grades FI Fall Reading Data English Results/(French Results) Primary-GB+ Intermediate RAD Grade Exceed Grade level At Grade level Below Grade Level FM M MM 6 0 (0) 4 (2) 2 (2) 0 (0) 0 (2) 5 2 (0) 8 (6) 4 (5) 1 (4) 0 (0) 4 1 (1) 6 (5) 6 (7) 2 (2) 0 (0) 3 (4) (9) (1) (1) (7) 2 (0) (12) (1) (9) (0) 1 (0) (15) (6) (3) (0) o 71 % Reading French at or above grade level in the Primary Grades o 78 % Reading French at or above grade level in the Intermediate Grades o 92% Reading English at or above grade level in the Intermediate Grades Presently, of the students in our regular English program who are minimally meeting or not yet meeting literacy expectations, the majority have IEPs and Ministry Designations. We will continue to refine our literacy and collaborative practices. The 2015 2016 school year will be a year of continued focus on research based strategies in place with a more cohesive and collective commitment to implementation. To celebrate student success we shared results with teachers, students and parents during meetings, assemblies, on the website, bulletin boards and in newsletters. Students have demonstrated their reading skills in various leadership opportunities such as Morning Message readers, Assembly Leaders, Buddy Reading, Script Writers and Actors. Various celebrations also took place involving author visits, reading events, book purchases and presentations. page 8
2015-2016 SCHOOL PLAN Based on our assessments and evidence, we are adjusting and refocusing our School Plan to continue to address the needs of the identified learners by: GOAL: Literacy To improve achievement for every child in reading through school wide targeted strategic instructional practices. Objectives: To help every child read at grade level or above by continuing with our school-wide reading intervention model. These formative goals will be measurable, and based on assessments. For students reading below grade level, diagnostic assessments will be used to identify and target the area needing intensive intervention. This would be in addition to the balanced literacy instruction of the classroom. We will continue to build a strong model and bank of strategies within a BALANCED Literacy Intervention Program using the Pyramid of Intervention model. For some children, physiological, medical, or attendance issues may interfere with the goal of grade level reading. Our goal for students for whom grade level reading goals are not realistic is to provide them with the best reading instruction possible, to document the instruction provided, and to clearly indicate the progress children are making toward challenging reading goals. What steps are we planning to address the needs of the identified learners, including our Aboriginal learners? For the 2015 2016 school year, a continued focus on these students will be made in order to affect literacy gains in the areas of reading comprehension, fluency, phonics & phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and writing development. Sufficient time for reading instruction is necessary for children to read at grade level. All children will receive 30-60 minutes of reading instruction each day. Children not reading at grade level will receive more than 60 minutes of reading instruction each day. Schools and teachers require high quality instructional materials to provide high quality reading instruction to all children. A common balanced literacy instruction approach will be used to support all children as well as differentiated instruction with the core reading program with additional highly specific supplemental page 9
reading materials and intervention programs will be used for reading instruction to capture our most at risk learners. The combination of materials used will be based on the learning needs of students. Effective reading instruction for all children will be achieved through differentiated instruction. Our commitment is to identify children who are reading below grade level, or who are otherwise at risk for reading problems, and provide these students with instruction that is differentiated for them based on need. Differentiated instruction and small group interventions will support our students in making the progress necessary to reach grade level reading performance. Continue VSB Early Intervention School Program (4 by 4 and Reading Recovery) Continue to build our collection of leveled texts for guided reading and home reading Continue to focus on guided reading and direct reading instruction for all Professional development opportunities to learn about/share best practice Provide opportunities for teachers to discuss and share successful strategies and challenges experienced in the teaching of reading and writing. Continue to support the acquisition and utilization of technology to foster student engagement and meet the needs of students with learning difference, e.g. Raz Kids, implementation of ipad use Putting Resource Team support in classrooms (ELL, RR, LAC) Our Aboriginal Education Enhancement Teacher and Worker continuing to academically and social-emotionally monitor and support our Aboriginal students Continued staff coaching from Dawn Reithaug to support RTI. Enrolling students in Bridging the Gap Summer Literacy Programs i.e. SFU Literacy tutors and summer school Utilizing reading & writing performance standards as a reference for instruction, assessment, discussions with other staff, and reporting to staff, students and parents Providing information to parents regarding the BC Ministry of Education Language Arts Performance Standards through informative displays, website, blogs and newsletters Provide training and information on RTI to new staff Ensure literacy assessment folders are maintained and shared amongst staff to track each student through their elementary school years Increase the profile of the school library as the hub of the school Continue to order high interest books at all levels and showcasing new books and authors via newsletters, bulletin boards and on the school page 10
website Provide opportunities for author visits Access and build background knowledge as a key focus in pre-writing activities and to improve comprehension experiential model (field trips, presenters, partnerships with outside agencies such as Science World, Writers Exchange, VUM, etc ) Continue our focus on strengthening the common thread of literacy practice in the classrooms (K 7) through structures and professional learning conversations throughout the year. This process begins with assessment. Learning Communities & Inquiry (The focus on collaboration continues) Preschool Initiatives: WTK, Ready Set Learn Readers, Strong Start, VPL and Strathcona Community Centre partnership Structures The structural changes that are needed as a result of identifying areas for improvement are: To look at timetabling structures and strategies to best accommodate literacy blocks with our existing resources i.e. dedicated and sacred literacy instruction time within each classroom Supporting direct reading instruction with RTs support to lower class size and provide intensified support. SSAs working within grade clusters and supports Added Release Time for teachers to observe/support each other Resource Team Service focusing on at risk students ( Needs Based Model ) Planning team meetings to focus on student growth and concerns Establish school wide assessment structures and timelines to inform instruction and examine results collaboratively Schedule collaboration time Materials Continue to acquire and maintain: technology, guided reading books, non-fiction collections, classroom libraries, professional learning materials and school library. page 11
What will be our assessments and evidence of student success? Reading assessments will be used to (a) determine if children are reading at grade level, (b) monitor reading progress, and (c) plan instruction. All children will be assessed at the beginning, middle, and end of the year to determine if they are reading at grade level. Children not reading at grade level will be assessed regularly to monitor their reading progress. (Primary - Primary) (Intermediate DIBLS and Jerry Johns) (FI GB+) Assessments to monitor reading progress will be brief and take little time away from reading instruction. These assessments will be used to plan the instruction necessary to increase student reading progress. School wide assessment of writing (Fall and Spring) to identify specific aspects of writing which require focused instruction. (Grade group marking of school wide write followed by grade group meetings to discuss identified areas of concern and plan for instruction accordingly). Student assessment results for 2 nd term 2015 will be compared to assessment results for second term in 2016 to show improvement over a year s time. Individual student assessment results will be maintained throughout their time at Strathcona in their literacy folders. Based on our assessments and evidence, how do we plan to monitor, reflect on and adjust, where necessary, our impact on the learning of each student(s)? Continued coaching/professional development - RTI Literacy team meetings for monitoring/adjusting instruction and grouping learners by ability Student literacy folders/portfolios to track student s progress through their years Service recommendation monitoring and student support team meetings RTs and CTs will discuss the need for extra support once a term Prioritization of students requiring added support adjusting RT support Weekly Resource Team Meetings SBT and conducting class reviews twice a year Monitoring of report cards, assessment cycles and service referrals How will we communicate and celebrate student success? Literacy celebration during Open House/Community Engagement Events and Parent/Teacher conference nights - students showcasing their work Personal portfolios shared at Parent Teacher, goal setting, and review conferences Presentations at PAC meetings literacy learning and assessment practices page 12
How will we engage all members of the school community to ensure sustainability of student success? PAC presentations and speakers on how to support your child's learning School offers Family Literacy support programs to parents in partnership with VPL, SCC, & Writers Exchange Articulation meetings with High School and collaboration with Community Link teacher at Britannia to examine cohesiveness and needs around literacy instructional strategies. PAC - School Growth Plan discussion Working with our Neighbourhood and Staff Assistant to share reading strategies with broader family community The Aboriginal Education Enhancement Teacher AEET working with community agencies to provide literacy programs in the community (Dogwood at Raycam providing family literacy opportunities.) Family Literacy (0 to 5 years); and Transition 7 to 8 (Articulation and Pathways) School Planning Council/School PAC Executive discussions GOAL: Aboriginal Cultural Enhancement To increase knowledge, awareness, appreciation of and respect for Aboriginal histories, traditions, cultures and contributions among all students. Objectives: The Aboriginal cultural enhancement goal was introduced in 2013-2014. For 2015-2016 schools will continue to plan, identify current practices, and access district supports. Schools will also continue to collect and analyze preliminary data. Reflections on Current Practice, 2014-2015 Infusion of Aboriginal themes, resources and ways of knowing across curriculum area and not limited to a single grade or curriculum strand AEW parent room Building family connections and support - Morning family drop in for parents to connect with other parents and AEW Aboriginal Education Enhancement teacher supporting students through small group and one to one intervention. Project based and literature based learning supported throughout school Artistic/cultural initiatives weaving, classroom cultural connections with AEW page 13
Strathcona Drumming group Red Fox Family Feasting and afterschool recreation program. Led by youth for youth Accessing cultural resources: First Nations library collection corner. AEET and AEW home visits supporting attendance, home, health, food security and connectedness AEW SFU afterschool tutoring Aboriginal parents as artists working with students Experiential learning opportunities that build connections and relationships with Aboriginal culture and ways urban gardening, UBC farm partnership Provision of additional support - AEW as member of student and family support team YFWs, Area Counselor Student leadership opportunities Strathcona garden & chefs, Strathcona drummers Building family connections and support Ready Set Learn, WTK, Parents and Tots, PAC, School community celebrations and events An Aboriginal Enhancement Committee has been established to support school wide learning initiatives. The committee has invited in Aboriginal parents to share ideas and will continue to bring in more parents, grandparents and family members to share their ideas and talents We held an Aboriginal Open House for all students to participate in workshops provided by Aboriginal Community members: over a four day period we also held 3 gatherings: an opening ceremony, a community feast and a closing Next year we will bring in staff workshops to deepen our understanding of Aboriginal ways of knowing We will offer more hands-on learning opportunities for all students with the support of our Aboriginal community leaders/parents throughout the year We will make an effort to make our learning and commitment to learning more visible to the community with a dedicated information board outside the office. page 14
Lord Strathcona Elementary School Submitted by School Planning Council (name) (Signature) Principal H. Sandhu Vice Principal J. Brown Parent C. Pencarrick Hertzman Parent J. Eby Parent Student Date June 2015 Recommended Approval by Superintendent (Superintendent) (Signature) Date Board Approval (Board Chair) (Signature) Date page 15