St. Basil School Plan for Continuous Growth 2014-2017 A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him. Isaiah 11:1-2 October 2014 Page 1
St. Basil School (Ṥw. Jan Paweł II Polish Bilingual Program and Jean Forest All Girls Leadership Academy) School Plan for Continuous Growth 2014-2017 Vision Mission Our students will thrive in a Christ-centered community that embraces their program of choice and prepares them for 21 st century and beyond. To provide a Catholic education that inspires students to learn and prepares them to live fully and to serve God in one another. School Context School population- JFLA JH (73) and JPII K-9 (273) for a total of 346 Focus programs Ṥw. Jan Paweł II Polish Bilingual Program and Jean Forest All Girls Leadership Academy ELL students 98 FNMI students 17 We have 3 severe special needs students (2 who require full time assistance -medically fragile, EE2, Down Syndrome) and 2 who are tentative codes; we also have 2 unfunded severe diabetic students who need monitoring assistance throughout the day. Two separate school advisory councils that meet every month. Review of the School s 2013-2016 Three Year Plan Highlights of Areas Completed o Many students participated in their virtual classrooms. o The flex time integration worked well. o The implementation of Health Day worked very well. o Peer support groups worked effectively. o Our reading levels have improved and students are feeling comfortable and confident in their learning. Highlights of Areas Partially or Not Completed o The level of computer functioning/updating still needs work. o There needs to be more effective one-on-one intervention to assist new students arriving from Poland, particularly in the younger grades. o More time could be provided for collaboration with and support from Early Learning and other support groups. o ipad and assistive technologies could be improved. o There needs to be more effective one-on-one intervention to assist students who have behavioral, cognitive, and emotional needs. October 2014 Page 2
Highlights of the Review Process o The staff met in March to review the plan and its progress toward completion. o PAT and Diploma Exam results https://phoenix.edc.gov.ab.ca/login/default.asp Overall, the Standard of Excellence results increased and were higher than the provincial average. Overall, the Acceptable Standard results showed a sharp decrease from the previous 3-year average. Grades 6 math, science, social studies, and language arts Acceptable Standard results showed a decline from the previous 3-year average. Grade 9 generally maintained its Acceptable Standard results. The Standard of Excellence results either maintained or improved from the previous 3-year average. Social studies & science need improvement in Standard of Excellence. o The School Councils read and reviewed the plan at their November 3 (JPII) and November 12 (JFLA) meetings. o Regression Analysis Our regression analysis results for 2013-2014 helped us to identify areas for improvement. The Grade 9 results showed a very close correlation between the CCAT.results and the expected PAT results. The Grade 6 results were lower than we had hoped, with the PAT results lower than the CCAT predictions. We will work with the Grade 6 and junior high teachers to improve the work completion rate of students. o Satisfaction Survey results from parents, students and staff No areas of concern. Excellent results! o Accountability Pillar https://phoenix.edc.gov.ab.ca/login/default.asp The overall results were very good with most categories at the excellence level. The School Improvement category increased by 15% over the previous 3-year average (72.3%). The only area of concern is the PAT results, referred to earlier. o Enrolment data Our overall enrolment this year remains about the same. A positive is that we have 35 students enrolled in kindergarten this year. Our Grade 7 class in JFLA has only 16 students. We will work to increase the numbers for next year. o Attendance No major concerns. o Data on the number of discipline referrals, suspensions, expulsions No major concerns. o Teacher and Classroom assessments Both formative and summative assessments are used. o Informal staff and parent feedback Very positive. o School/site technology plan School is fully wireless. We purchase of 25 computers from Computers for Schools. We have 3 functioning computer labs. We have ipads in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms. October 2014 Page 3
Goals, Strategies, and School Goal One: Success for every student (District goal #2) Sub-Goal 2.1: Ensure the educational experiences meet the diverse needs of our learners and are available to all students. Strategy #1: Provide opportunities for students to experience learning that is suited to their individual needs. 1. Plan field trips, guest speakers, hands-on activities, group projects, and student led activities that will cater to individual student needs. 2. Provide opportunities for multi-grade level student collaboration (e.g., house activities). 3. Frame IPPs and PLPs to emphasize individual student strengths. 4. Provide parents with the information they need (e.g., report cards) to be able to work with their children s individual strengths. 5. Participate in the Junior Achievement program for Grades 4 9 6. Provide leadership opportunities that allow students to highlight their strengths and interests (e.g., Birch Bay, Healthy Hut, CGL, Glee). Strategy #2: Develop the district s project-based learning initiative in the school. 1. Attend the Buck Institute for PD on project-based learning. 2. Allow PD time for collaboration on learning project-based best practices. 3. Participate in multi-grade project-based activities. 4. Incorporate Catholicity and Its Relevance into the project-based initiative. Sub-Goal 2.2: Ensure that every school and department is committed to improving student learning and achievement within the context of a 21 st century Catholic learning community. Strategy #1: Improve the school s technology infrastructure and incorporate it more deeply into instruction and learning. 1. Equip each classroom with a Smart board. 2. Provide a cart with a class set of ipads/laptops for student use. 3. Expand the everyday use of virtual classrooms in all grades. 4. Provide tech mentor support directly in the classroom to assist in improving teachers integration of technology. 5. Upgrade teacher and classroom computers so that all classes have an up-todate network. 6. Provide opportunities for students to explore their interests through flex days. October 2014 Page 4
School Goal Two: Quality teaching and school leadership (District goal #3) 3.1 Provide timely and relevant professional learning opportunities for all staff. Strategy #1: Provide staff with professional development opportunities that improve their use of technology in their instruction. 1. Participate in the district s Communities of Practice initiative. 2. Set aside some Thursday afternoon time for sharing of best practices in using technology for instruction. 3. Invite district consultants to visit the school and provide PD for staff on technology. 4. Differentiate technology PD so that teachers can learn technology skills that match their ability. 5. Provide a half-day PD for teachers on the new report card procedures. 6. Dedicate more time for PLCs so that teachers can exchange ideas and resources. School Goal Three: Live the distinctiveness of Catholic education (District goal #5) 5.3 Demonstrate commitment to and excellence in Catholic education. Strategy #1: Ensure that permeation of our faith remains central in our day-to-day practices. 1. Proclaim the Gospel and provide opportunity for reflection on our faith during morning announcement time. 2. Involve students in participating in and preparing prayers and reflections for the morning announcements. 3. Develop way to ensure that Christ s message is connected in some way.to every lesson that we teach during the day. 4. Create a Christ-centered atmosphere in our foyer to show all who enter what the core focus of our school is. 5. Incorporate characteristics of Catholic education into the JFLA leadership curriculum. Strategy #2: Demonstrate the Catholic values of discipleship and service. 1. Utilize our school chapel to celebrate our faith with our students. 2. Work with students in JPII to donate toward or raise funds for various charities through fundraising initiatives and activities. 3. Work with students in JFLA to donate toward or raise funds for various charities through fundraising initiatives and activities (e.g., Christmas shoeboxes) 4. Promote community support and discipleship with JPII through volunteering with students at local organizations (e.g., WE Day) 5. Promote community support and discipleship with JFLA through volunteering with students at local organizations (e.g., Norwood, St. Alphonsus, No Stone Left Alone). October 2014 Page 5
Strategy #3: Maintain and strengthen our relationship with the parish. 1. Invite the parish team to come to the school on a more consistent basis to talk with the students and to help them in their sacramental preparations. 2. Attend Holy Rosary Church with JPII at least twice in the year to celebrate Mass. 3. Attend Santa Maria Goretti Church with JFLA at least twice in the year to celebrate Mass. 4. Recognize students who receive sacraments throughout the year by recognizing them in various ways. 5. Participate in the Seton Way program with Sr. Gaby. 6. Recognize the Polish priest and nuns who work with the JPII students. October 2014 Page 6
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. (2014). Edmonton Catholic Schools District Plan for Continuous Growth 2014-2017. 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. 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. October 2014 Page 7