School Growth Plan
October 15, 2013
GOAL: To increase students’ ability to be self-regulated learners and citizens with a focus on oral language, reading and writing.
SCHOOL NAME: Margaret Jenkins
GRADE CONFIGURATION: K-5
ENROLLMENT NUMBERS: 412
School Context:
| École Margaret Jenkins School (EMJS) is a dual-track (French Immersion) school situated in the Fairfield neighbourhood in Victoria. The demographics of the school population is shifting to a diverse group of students . Approximately 30% of our students are from Out-of-Catchment. Margaret Jenkins has an enrolment of 412 students in 2013-2014, offering instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 5 in English, and French Immersion. With Margaret Jenkins School first opening in 1914 there is a long history of vibrant sports, Visual Arts and Science programs with a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities offered in areas such as green team, yoga,cross country, chess, rugby, basketball, dance, swimming, and biking. Our school purpose is to create a safe, caring climate where learning will flourish. Our Code of Conduct focuses on developing a respectful, responsible, and safe learning community for all at École Margaret Jenkins. |
Summary of Progress 2012/13 Goals:
| Report card data from June 2012 showed that 18% of our students were minimally meeting or not meeting expectations in Social Responsibility. This seemed to point to a lack of self-control rather than knowledge. Grades one to three had the highest number of student incidents. Embracing the concept that self- regulation is not just a matter of compliance reinforced by punishment, but that it nurtures the ability of the child to cope with greater and greater challenges, the staff worked on developing their understanding of self-regulation. We designed and introduced fidget baskets for all classes. In the baskets there were teacher guides for short, directed self-regulation activities and the staff was trained how to use the baskets by our occupational therapist.Our June 2013 report card data shows a reduction of 12% to only 6% of our students who were not or minimally meeting expectations in Social Responsibility. In addition, there were 10% less students involved in behavior incidents last year than the previous year.Grade four and five students again engaged in using and analyzing results from school wide student surveys. They also designed strategies for helping students learn the school code of conduct and to feel safe on the playground. Strategies such as announcements, peer playground helpers and poster campaigns were implemented. Their second surveyed showed a significant increase in student awareness of the code of conduct and an increase in younger students feeling safe on the playground.A parent survey about our school goal which was administered through our SPC blog had a 68% response rate. 41% of the parents who responded were aware of the school goal although it is on the front of each newsletter and posted in the school. 73% of the parents liked the idea of sharing what was happening in the classrooms using a link on the website and in newsletters.
The tables below are a summary of our goal for the last two years.
WHERE WE’VE BEEN – 2012 School Growth Plan – Goal #1
2012 School Growth Plan – Other Targets
*Note reading achievement reported in 2012 combined minimally meeting, meeting and exceeding data. In 2013 minimally meeting was included in not meeting data so there was a difference in the way the data was clustered. Next year will provide a clearer picture as we continue to work towards students fully meeting reading expectations. WHERE WE’RE GOING – 2013 School Growth Plan – GOAL Part A
2013 School Growth Plan – GOAL Part B
2013 School Growth Plan – Other Targets
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Our Goal 2013/14:
To improve students’ ability to be self-regulated learners and citizens with a focus on (A) oral language and reading English K-2 and FI K-5 and ( B) writing grades 3-5 English and FI .
GOAL Part – A
GOAL:
| To increase students’ ability to be self-regulated learners with a focus on oral language and reading. |
RATIONALE: (Briefly explain why you selected this goal – include evidence from Appendix 1)
| Reading data in June 2013 and the yearly summary shows that although significant progress was made throughout the year, 10 English and 48 French Immersion K-3 students were struggling with meeting expectations in reading. There were 13 English and 35 French students in grade four who were not fully meeting expectations in reading in June 2013.Kindergarten and grade one English teachers discussed early intervention research and felt that oral language and phonemic awareness instruction were the key components when designing programs to help struggling readers. French Immersion Kindergarten and grade one teachers identified vocabulary acquisition and oral language skills as key factors that help students become confident French readers. The French Immersion 2-5 teachers decided to focus on guided reading groups for grades two and four. The English 3-5 teachers wanted to integrate reading with a research and project based approach. (see goal part –B )
With the success of the self-regulation strategies in social responsibility, teachers wanted to continue to apply self-regulation strategies with a focus on the cognitive domain. These strategies include but are not restricted to plan and execute several steps in a row, understand cause and effect, focus, and switch focus, as required, think logically, set learning goals, monitor and assess performance and use learning aids, including digital technologies where appropriate.
More work needs to be done to communicate and have our parents involved in our school goals. During professional day development staff discussions in September 2013, teachers indicated that they wanted to work on creating stronger partnerships with parents.
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ACTIONS:
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New or Ongoing Initiatives |
How are you or will you monitor and evaluate success?What are your targets? |
| Continue to provide small group, guided reading opportunities in both the French Immersion and English programs | – Reading assessments using PM benchmarks/GB+- Target 90% meeting or exceeding |
| Use of small group oral language instruction programs facilitated by Learning Support teaches in French Immersion and English.Design and or modify existing oral language assessments for French and English early learning.Use of framework questions to build oral language.Use of creative movement to encourage use of new language structures. | – Oral Language Assessment developed by staff- Target 90% meeting or exceeding |
| Use of small group instruction to directly teach phonemic awareness to Kindergarten students. | – Assessment of phonemic awareness- 90% meeting or exceeding |
| Students will have access to a variety of leveled books with a focus on classroom libraries and the school library. | – Increase of books purchased using learning resource funds. |
| Primary students will continue to build a common self-regulation language and focus on:- focus, and switch focus, as required- understand cause and effect,- set learning goals | – Students will begin to use language about self-regulated learning.- Anecdotal observations and written records of examples where students are showing an awareness of self-regulated learning |
| Continue to teach students to self-regulate their emotions, ability to problem solve and to defer gratification. Ensure that parents are learning about self-regulation and the strategies they can try at home so that parents and staff become partners in this learning process. | Weekly and Monthly school goals around- Communication with parents- Restitution- Bullying
– WITS/Social thinking – Feeling safe to speak up – Respect – Manners – Team building – Community service – Parent participation in educational evenings and surveys – Increased parent awareness of our school goal to 90% |
| “Experts among Us” round table mentoring Pro-D about in-class and whole school project-based learning, visual arts and technology- document cameras, IPads , web/blog design, digital storytelling, animation and the Mind-Up program. | – Increased engagement in student learning as assessed by student and staff surveys and observations- Increased student use of digital technology where appropriate- Teachers will identify self-regulation strategies they are already using and how they could adjust their teaching to further encourage student growth with a focus on the cognitive domain.- |
| Use leadership student-designed surveys to gather data from peers. | Students’ understanding of goal setting, thinking logically and monitoring and assessing performance will increase. |
| Continue to focus on best practice to develop kindergarten students’ phonemic awareness and oral language in order to enhance reading achievement. In addition, students will monitor and assess performance and use learning aids, including digital technologies where appropriate. | Action Research Questions1. What effect will small group phonemic awareness instruction and centers have on preparing kindergarten students for higher level vocabulary and oral language skills needed for Talking Tables? 2. What effect will the use of technology (ex. iPads, computers, document cameras and Smartboard) have in helping vulnerable learners acquire phonemic awareness skills? – Phonemic awareness and oral language assessment
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| Continue to focus on best practice to develop reading achievement for Grade two French Immersion students. | Action Research Questions
– Assessment GB+ |
| Continue to build and use a school website at EMJS to showcase student and staff personalized learning. | Students and parents will be able to find and log onto the school website. |
| Continue to create opportunities for older students to work with younger students to develop self-regulation skills. |
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| Continue to inform the ÉMJS parent community about our school goal and how they can help at home. | – Use of SPC blog to inform and gather input from parents about our goal- 90% of parents will know the school goal. (Baseline 41% of parents are currently aware of school goal) Assemblies, classroom discussions and student generated surveys.- 95% of students will know the school goal. (baseline – from student surveys over 60% of the students did not know the school goal) |
GOAL Part – B
GOAL:
| To increase students’ ability to be self-regulated learners with a focus on writing. |
RATIONALE: (Briefly explain why you selected this goal – include evidence from Appendix 1)
| School Wide Write data in May 2013 indicates that although there was significant progress from the beginning to the end of the year, 27 % of the English students and 43 % of the French Immersion students were struggling to meet grade level expectations. Report card data for June of 2013 shows that 20 % and 18% of the students in the two programs were not meeting or minimally meeting grade level expectations. The discrepancies between the two may reflect the type of tasks associated with each measure. Regardless, there were 28 grade three to five English students and 20 grade three to five French Immersion students who found it difficult to meet grade level expectations in writing.The teachers in both the French Immersion and English programs wanted to focus on writing using a research and project based learning approach for grades three to five.
Here too, the teachers wanted to continue to apply self-regulation strategies with a focus on the cognitive domain. These strategies include manage time effectively, develop self-awareness, the recognition of personal learning strengths and weaknesses, to plan and execute several steps in a row, try to include different courses of action when an initial plan has failed to work, think logically, set learning goals, monitor and assess performance and use learning aids, including digital technologies where appropriate.
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ACTIONS:
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New or Ongoing Initiatives |
How are you or will you monitor and evaluate success?What are your targets? |
| Continue to do the school wide write twice a year and teachers will continue to assess the writing in grade groups to maintain consistency and to discuss best practice. | – Use of BC performance standards to assess writing skills- 90% of students will be meeting or exceeding expectations in writing |
| French Immersion teachers in grades 4 and 5 to continue to “TWAS” (this week at school) writing activities. | – Use of BC performance standards to assess writing skills- 90% of students will be meeting or exceeding expectations in writing |
| French Immersion and English students grades three to five students will collaborate on a Cross Canada research project. Students will choose the province or territory they wish to focus on and will work on writing and research skills. Students will choose the format for their project based on their interests. | – Use of BC writing performance standards- Use of student created rubrics.- 100% of students engaged in the research process- 90% of students meeting or exceeding grade level expectations in writing |
| French Immersion and English students grades three to five will participate in an Ed camp project based learning design. Students will research the school’s 100 year history and determine an area of interest and ways to present the information to the rest of the student body. Then the students will do another Ed Camp in the spring with a choice of topics to study.These research projects will focus on several learning outcomes and include managing time effectively, developing self-awareness, recognition of personal learning strengths and weaknesses, planning and executing several steps in a row, trying to include different courses of action when an initial plan has failed to work, thinking logically, setting learning goals, monitoring and assessing performance and using learning aids, including digital technologies where appropriate. | – Use of BC writing performance standards- Use of student created rubrics.- 100% of students engaged in the research process- 90% of students meeting or exceeding grade level expectations in writing |
| Students will be involved in a classroom Entrepreneur program for centennial. Students will be seeded $100 and they will be asked to contribute ideas for how their class can participate in the program. | – 100% engagement in the design and application of the project-Student self-evaluation of the self- regulation skills:* plan and execute several steps in a row* try to include different courses of action when an initial plan has failed to work
* think logically * set learning goals * monitor and assess performance and use learning aids, including digital technologies where appropriate. |
| Professional development for staff on writing with suggested authors for the book club:Susan Augustine and Adrianne Geer | – 90% of students meeting or exceeding grade level in writing |
Research
Dr. Shanker – Calm, Alert and Learning: Classroom Strategies for Self-Regulation
Education Canada , Fall 2012 ,Vol 52, Issue 4 – http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/self-regulation-calm-alert-and-learning
http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201107/Self-Regulation_Florez_OnlineJuly2011.pdf
Ministry of Education websites
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/early_learning/fdk/exemplar_videos.htm
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/early_learning/webcasts1.htm
1. Strategies to support the success of each student
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- 2. Strategies to enhance the success of aboriginal learners
| Our school works to support aboriginal students by promoting cultural awareness programs and units on First Nations culture in all classrooms. Teachers regularly access personnel and resources from ANED to support aboriginal awareness activities in classrooms. We also continued with a Parent Multi-cultural Education Committee this year that helps raise the awareness of aboriginal education in our school for all students. A plaque has just been mounted to show the traditional welcome to these Songhees and Esquimalt lands where our school is located. An afterschool Aboriginal Program is planned by our Parent Committee that will and feature resource people from our ANED. While our First Nations student numbers are small, these students are identified each September and discussed during initial School Based Team Screening Meetings. The Aboriginal Connectedness Project is supported by the Principal who meets with the Champion for each of our aboriginal students to review their individualized folder and support plan. Any extra resources or support that might be necessary would be requested through the School-Based Team, the District Aboriginal Education Department or the Friendship Centre. We also have used outside agencies or organizations such as Surrounded by Cedars, and have access to the support of the First Nations Counsellor at George Jay School when necessary. Specific strategies used to support the success of aboriginal learners are:
building relationships with individual students gathering information from parents, other teachers and students observing students in a variety of situations helping them focus using a variety of approaches and materials give opportunities to transfer skills and ideas to other situations making meaningful connections between skills and ideas and real-life situations give opportunities to reflect on and assess their learning use of graphic organizers co-operative learning |
- 3. Communication: How are you communicating your goals and progress to parents and the wider community?
| Our goal is published on the front page of our school newsletter every two weeks. The newsletters are posted on our website, further promoting our school goal. Our growth plan is shared and discussed at our Oak Bay Family of Schools meetings on a regular basis. The school goal is also discussed at the PAC meetings and will continue to be addressed through SPC Meetings. The SPC and Staff meet in the Spring to discuss school data and review targets. The plan will also be referred to each month at staff meetings during a sharing time. It will also be highlighted and discussed at school assemblies. Leadership students will be conducting surveys about our school goal and contributing to the communication of our goals. School bulletin boards will be filled with pictures and references to the school goal. Information tables at school events will be set up to showcase the goals and give suggestions for how parents can support their children at home. |
- 4. Describe your “Green” Initiatives.
| We are a part of the District Waste Management Project. We run a Composting Program and recycled returnables as well as soft plastics, foil, hard plastics, and batteries/electronics through our Waste Management Program. |
Our school also has a Parent-Staff Greening Committee that manages two garden areas on our grounds. They undertake beautification type projects annually. We post signs in many areas of the school to ask staff and students to turn off lights when they leave a room to improve our energy conservation efforts, in addition to the water and energy conservation projects implemented by the District Facilities Department in our building.
We also have entered phase two of our recycling program. This program makes use of larger containers which are easier to clean. The class with the best record for using the compost bin and rinsing out their hard plastics wins the Oscar prize.