Wiltse Elementary School
640 Wiltse Blvd.
Penticton, BC V2A 8J2
Principal: Cathy Bowles
Vice-Principal: Roland Holowaty
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (2014-15)
SCHOOL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT:
Wiltse Elementary School serves a diverse catchment area
that includes the Wiltse Flats neighbourhood, the area
around the north shore of Skaha Lake, the orchard/hobby
farms along Valleyview Road, and East Lakeside Road south
to the new subdivisions of Lakeshore Highlands and Heritage
Hills.
The school consists of sixteen classrooms, a computer lab
with thirty stations, areas for small group instruction, a well-stocked library and, a large
multipurpose room and an excellent gymnasium. The school is very fortunate to have
extensive grounds that provide students with excellent play and sporting areas.
The Parent Advisory Council is a key component of Wiltse School. The parents support
student achievement through the One-to-One Reading Program, their funding of additional
library and learning resources and through the annual Read-a-thon. The Wiltse PAC annually
supports Accelerated Reader and Star Reading Programs plus Mathletics. The parents have
enriched the schooling of the students by funding extra-curricular events, co-curricular
projects and the swimming, skating and cross country skiing programs as well as year-end
trips for each grade level.
INQUIRY QUESTION(S)
REVIEW of School Focus Question: How can we move students forward in
Literacy using Tier 1 (Whole Class) strategies and interventions?
RATIONALE: What evidence compelled us to ask this inquiry question?
Wiltse School Staff has been working on a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) inquiry focus from
2012 when staff noticed that more students are having difficulty socially and emotionally. A
group of six Wiltse staff members attended a workshop together offered by POP-ARD and
from the ideas shared, revisited and reviewed there was interest in pursuing a more focused
understanding of and school-wide focus on Social Emotional Learning. It was believed and
we continue to believe that it is important to develop the whole child; we need to include
social and emotional learning. We have noticed that there are more and more children
displaying anxieties which negatively affect their abilities to function and learn at school.
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We believe that students’ sense of belonging and perception of safety can affect learning and
students’ academic performance. We must ensure all Wiltse students feel a strong sense of
belonging and that they are safe to take risk in their learning to achieve to be the best they
can be. We must teach students pro-social skills and coping skills.
SEL will continue to be part of developing healthy, happy successful children. Strategies and
programs for teaching and supporting SEL will be part of the curriculum taught and reviewed
throughout each school year.
Wiltse’s Team (two-three teachers, Vice Principal and Principal with support from Wiltse’s
Counsellor Psychologist and Speech and Language Pathologist) have attended Beyond
Inclusion Meetings over the past two years and have shared information, strategies and ideas
from the meetings. From Beyond Inclusion Meeting, Learning Community Meetings and
presentations from staff, we are working collaboratively to develop in interventions that will
support all learners in the classroom.
Objectives:
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To discuss Response to Intervention
To review Tier 1, 2 and 3 structures and strategies at Wiltse School
To review discuss our school needs
To investigate Literacy Learning (Reading and/or Writing)
To investigate Reading and Writing Pedagogy
To investigate Reading and Writing Scope and Sequence
To create structured opportunities to work with colleagues at shared grade levels as
well as Primary and Intermediate collaboration
To implement best practice strategies and tools in all classrooms (Daily 5, Writing
Power, Team work with collaborative teaching partners)
To use regular collaborative meeting time at staff meetings and assemblies to:
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Discuss inquiry questions
Share successes and challenges
Reflect on the impact on student attitudes, engagement and achievement
School District No. 67 (Okanagan-Skaha)
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Strategies and Structures:
Wiltse Elementary Staff is involved in Inquiry Questions with other colleagues in school and
throughout the School District (SMARTLearning, Grade 3 Literacy Team, Changing Results for
Young Readers, Beyond Inclusion:
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To review effective strategies and programs to support Student Learning
To introduce and/or review resources
Staff continues to implement Literacy strategies and programs in the classrooms:
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School-wide use of common language and Literacy Strategies for Literacy Learning at
school:
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Kindergarten: Weekly Home Reading Program and Journals, Literacy Centres,
SMARTLearning Sequences
Grade 1 and 2: Daily Home Reading Program, SMARTLearning Sequences, Word Work,
Journal Writing, Reflection Journals
Grade 3-5: Accelerated Reading Program, SMARTLearning Sequences, Susan A. Writing
Program, Weekly Spelling Focusses, Fluency Reading Project
In-class support from Learning Assistance Teacher, Learning Support Teacher, Speech
and Language Pathologist and School Counsellor Support from other programs assist
in improving student success and achievement
Staff was invited to participate in book clubs (Catching Readers Before They Fall;
Calm, Alert and Learning; and RTI From All Sides: What Every Teacher Needs to
Know)
Use Professional Development and self-directed learning time to investigate Literacy
Strategies
To create a focus of student work and samples across grades and display them in the
schools
Continue to use SEL strategies and programs to meet the needs of all students (WITS
Program, Social Detective work, TRIBES, FRIENDS and FUN FRIENDS
Program/activities, Restorative Practice strategies and structures, The Zones of
Regulation resource
School District No. 67 (Okanagan-Skaha)
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ASSESSMENT PROCESS AND TOOLS: What will we use to measure our success?
This is the first year of implementing a focus on Tier 1 (Whole Class).
Some of the assessment process and tools used:
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Assessment of student work using Performance Standards for Reading and Writing to
gain baseline data
Changing Results for Young Learners team collaboration
District Inquiry participation
SMARTLearning Inquiry participation
Inclusion Team collaborated at District sessions and followed up at school staff
meetings
Informal and formal teacher planning and reflecting meeting
Staff attended in district and out of district workshops that supported Literacy
Learning
Flex Funds were used to release teacher to join inquiry groups, workshops and
professional development initiatives
RESOURCES:
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Ministry of Education – Integrated Resource Packages
Kirsten Odian – Early Learning Support Teacher
Tammy Kay – District SMARTLearning Helping Teacher
High quality literature, including Catching Reader Before They Fall; Calm, Alert and
Learning; RTI From All Sides; and other readings
PARENT INVOLVEMENT:
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Yearly support of student activities and support materials (STAR Reading, Accelerated
Reading, At Home Reading Back and Forth Books, Read-a-thon Incentives, and
Mathletics
Review at Wiltse Parent Advisory Council Meetings throughout the school year
Students who were supported by staff
School District No. 67 (Okanagan-Skaha)
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REFLECTIONS: Successes and Challenges
This year was a time to expose staff to a variety of Response to Intervention strategies (new
as well as try and true) and allow staff to become familiar with ideas and concepts to support
students. We have learned that this is just a beginning and there is a lot to learn and teach.
Staff members are:
 Looking into ways to support children using reading and writing activities
 Understanding the importance of teaching and implementing Literacy skills
 Seeing the benefits of a whole school approach which supports all children-both
academically and emotionally
 It was felt that whenever possible using Literacy learning as a base for teaching helps
to cover the learning outcomes across curriculum areas and meets several goal areas.
 Interested in reading clubs (currently a team of four is looking at the book: RTI From
All Sides: What Every Teacher Needs to Know)
 Concerned about need to support other areas of the academic curriculum such as
writing
FUTURE PLANNING:
From some staff feedback, there is some support to continue to work on Literacy Learning as
a School Goal.
Some suggestions for future planning include:
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Look at a focus that would benefit an individual or small group of students similar to
the Changing Results for Young Readers Model
Consideration of breaking into smaller groups that have an inquiry question that would
lead to improvement in student achievement in an area of literary
Research and develop a Scope and Sequence for writing at each grade level
Create a development writing visual for each grade level and display the work
School District No. 67 (Okanagan-Skaha)