St. Mary Elementary School
Learning Plan
Mission *
Mission Statement
Mary followed Jesus step by step in her maternal pilgrimage of faith. It is precisely this faith, which guides our school. Just as Mary embraces each and every
one in the Church and through the church, we at St. Mary Catholic School embrace our entire community. God committed to Mary the treasury of all good
things in order that everyone may know that through her we obtain hope and grace.
St. Mary Catholic School seeks to provide a learning community where students, parents, teachers, parish and others work collaboratively. It is our
commitment to help each other develop the self-discipline, positive attitudes, values and skills that enable all of us to become productive, confident, moral and
responsible individuals.
With Mary as our example, St. Mary Catholic School is a community that models Christian life in caring for others and striving to discover and develop God
given talents and abilities. St. Mary Catholic School is a place where Gospel values permeate our actions for the joyful manifestation of the gifts of each
individual.
Let us continue to build the kingdom together with Mary as our model!
Motto
“Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge”
Catholic Focus
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St. Mary Elementary School
Learning Plan
St. Mary Catholic School, built in 1957 was the first elementary Catholic school in Brampton. The school has approximately 240 students enrolled in Full Day
Kindergarten through Grade 8 from a wide range of social, economic and ethnic backgrounds reflecting the ever-increasing diversity of cultures found within
Brampton.
Construction began on the six-room St. Mary Catholic School in 1957. Steady growth throughout the years led to a number of renovations, in 2002 all
classrooms and hallways were updated and a gymnasium was added when the Board purchased the St. Mary parish hall. Most recently a new front entrance
was created, the main office area was renovated and there was an addition to the kindergarten rooms. With funding from the Knights of Columbus, a brick
pathway from the school to the church was created, around the “Lady of the School” statue. Our “Pathway to Jesus through Mary” walkway has a cross
embedded in the path; some large boulders provide places to sit and reflect.
Mary followed Jesus step by step in her maternal pilgrimage of faith. It is this faith, which guides our school. Just as Mary embraces everyone in the Church
and through the Church, we at St. Mary School embrace our entire community. With Mary as our example, St. Mary Catholic School is a community that
models Christian life in caring for others and striving to discover and develop God-given talents and abilities. Our school motto “Teach Me Goodness,
Discipline and Knowledge,” reflects an approach where religion and daily life are intertwined. Activities at St. Mary Catholic School — academic, social justice
initiatives and pastoral work, extra/intra curricular, prayer and worship, occur on a daily basis. We are proud supporters of ShareLife, United Way, Friends of
the Poor, M.S./Cancer Societies, food/clothing drives, and Christmas/summer/disaster outreach. Our close proximity to the mother church in Brampton-St.
Mary’s Parish enables all of our students to attend weekly 9 a.m. community masses, as well as regular visits from the clergy to our classrooms. The parish
youth group is housed in our gym and our students are provided with the opportunity to be part of the parish youth group on a regular basis. The Catholic
leadership of the staff and our unique partnership with our School Council, prepares our students for their lives as Catholics in the community. Our students
come to us with a variety of strengths and needs, with our Catholic Faith as their common bond. Our prayer life, liturgical celebrations, the sacraments, our
faith and value system, form the foundation of our school program in collaboration and cooperation with numerous community partners.
Core Principles
Catholicity
1. The St. Mary school community model, celebrate and nourish Gospel values in the teaching and learning of our Christ-centred programs and services.
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Virtues Program
Liturgies, Celebrations, Sacramental Preparation
Formal and Informal teaching
Anti-Bullying Program through Peel Health
School Year End Final Barbecue and Mass
Charity, ShareLife, Terry Fox, Social Outreach to needy familes and the marginalized members of our community, especially at Christmas, Food
Drives, Mitten/Hat tree, Summer Camp, Relief Response as required
Learning Environment
1. St. Mary school’s most recent EQAO primary division (Grade 3) assessment performance.
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St. Mary Elementary School
Learning Plan
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Primary Reading: 56%
Primary Writing: 70%
Primary Mathematics: 33%
Observations regarding school progress in primary EQAO: In reading the Grade 3 students went up by 10 percent compared to last year. In writing the
Grade 3 students increased by 20 percent and in mathematics they increased by 4 percent compared to last year. St. Mary Catholic School will
continue to focus on Numeracy this coming year through the Three Part Lesson, continue with guided reading and best practices in both Literacy and
Numeracy. We will further our understanding of success criteria and learning goals through monthly staff/divisional meetings to increase student
achievement. Purposeful, job-embedded professional development will support staff in meeting the diverse educational, social and emotional needs of
our students.
2. St. Mary school’s most recent EQAO junior division (Grade 6) assessment performance.
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Junior Reading: 76%
Junior Writing: 68%
Junior Mathematics: 44%
Observations regarding school progress in junior EQAO: In reading the Grade 6 students decreased by 7 percent compared to last year. In writing the
Grade 6 students decreased by 15 percent and in mathematics they decreased by 6 percent compared to last year. St. Mary Catholic School will
continue to focus on Numeracy this coming year through the Three Part Lesson, continue with guided reading and best practices in both Literacy and
Numeracy. We will further our understanding of success criteria and learning goals through monthly staff/divisional meetings to increase student
achievement.
3. The St. Mary school community supports and provide opportunities for life-long learning.
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Applied Learning Skills in the Community – Christian Stewardship Hours Gr. 8
Special Presenters in the School – to develop life skills beyond the classroom
Big Brothers/Sisters, Peel Police presentations, R.A.I.D., SNAP, Anti Bullying Program through Peel Health
Anti-bullying presentations, ECO certification, Healthy Food/Nutrition committee-Snack/Breakfast Program (Breakfast for Kids)
4. St. Mary school demonstrates commitment to continuous improvement in student achievement and supports the well-being of all learners.
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Use of assessment data to identify strengths/weaknesses/plan next steps
Guided teaching
Learning Teams
EQAO Tutoring
Success Criteria, Learning goals and descriptive feedback
promotion of goal setting and self-reflection on areas of interest (MyBluePrint grades 7 - 8 and All About Me Portfolio grades K-6)
Use of high yield strategies, differentiated instruction
3 Part Math Lesson
Gradual release of responsibility model-modeled instruction, guided instruction, independent practice
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St. Mary Elementary School
Learning Plan
Community Engagement
1. The St. Mary school community ensure that Catholic School Councils reflect the diverse Catholic community.
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Partnership with community parish
Invitations to attend council meetings and workshops
Corporate donations for events
Open House and Year-End Barbecue
Christmas Luncheon
Multi-cultural Diverse Pot Luck Gr. 7&8
First Communion Luncheon
Fundraisers to supplement Confirmation and First Holy Communion Retreats
Council is open to all parents and staff
2. The St Mary school team builds and sustains community partnerships and collaboratives (e.g., collaborative relationships, Success By 6 Peel).
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Parish, Knights of Columbus, CWL , Blood Donor Clinics
Community policing officers, priests-invited to attend school events
Peel Health, PALS, ECO initiatives-MOE/City of Brampton
Welcome to Kindergarten-Public Library, Ready/Set/Read, Peel Health, YMCA, Big Brothers/Sisters
Transition Planning with high schools
Tim Horton Camp-spring/summer
High School Co-op Students
Community volunteers
Parish-Home-School
1. St Mary school promotes the engagement and active participation of the parish and home as a fundamental component of student success.
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Consistent communication with home
Sharing of Parish news
Invitation to community to support parish events
Invitation to parents to attend weekly masses
Foster/promote Parish Youth Group-housed at our school on Friday evenings Gr. 7-12
Earth Day Activities, Barbecue/Car Wash
Parish events are hosted in the school gymnasium, i.e. Christmas Bazaar
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St. Mary Elementary School
Learning Plan
Physical Environment
1. St Mary school models and promotes good stewardship of resources.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle , Planting, Landscaping
Eco initiatives (Silver certification) in collaboration with all partners-community, Ministry of the Environment, school council, staff, students
Respect for Resources
Participation in care for resources/equipment
Attention to site safety
Promotion of a clean and healthy environment
Promptly address acts of vandalism
2. St Mary school demonstrates financial responsibility.
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St Mary school demonstrates financial accountability by ensuring that funds are collected and expensed by the school in compliance with all Board
protocols.
Annual Budgets reviewed monthly
Fundraising activities are determined in consultation with the Catholic School Council and are reported upon as per Board protocols
Purposeful spending in support of the Catholic School Learning Plan
Social Justice and Community fundraising
Charitable donations to community and outreach program wherever possible
Prompt attention to health and safety reports and response to acts of vandalism
Students are encouraged to be responsible stewards of all school learning materials
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St. Mary Elementary School
Learning Plan
Creating Catholic Conditions for Well-Being, Learning and Leading
Outcomes
1.0 Creating Catholic Conditions for Well-being, Learning and Leading: By June 2016, the proportion of students indicating they feel safe all or most of the time
at school will increase.
Action Plans
Bullying Awareness: descriptive review of the CCCC Survey and bully prevention and intervention programs at school
Building Collaborative Practices Through Inquiry
Outcomes
2.0 Building Collaborative Practices Through Inquiry: By the end of June 2016 there will be an increase in successful practices that support collaborative inquiry.
Action Plans
Cultivate a co-learning stance within an inquiry-based approach to learning.
Enhancing Transitional Practices
Outcomes
3.0 Enhancing Transitional Practices: By the end of June 2016 there will be an increase in successful practices that support transitional practices.
Action Plans
Intermediate Pathways and Transitions to support students transferring to Secondary school.
Knowing the Learner through Assessment
Outcomes
4.0 Knowing the Learner through Assessment: By the end of June 2016 there will be an increase in successful practices that support knowing the learner
through assessment.
Action Plans
Guided Reading-Guided Practice: During learning students receive ongoing descriptive feedback based on the success criteria co constructed by teachers
and students.
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St. Mary Elementary School
Learning Plan
Responding through Effective Instruction
Outcomes
5.0 Responding through Effective Instruction: By the end of June 2016 there will be an increase in successful practices that support effective instruction.
Action Plans
Three part lesson design model will be used to support student learning and consolidation of numeracy concepts.
Outcome Timeframe
Action Plan Priority
Long-term
High
Medium-term
Medium
Short-term
Low
Not Assigned
Not Assigned
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