St. Dominic Separate School
Learning Plan
Mission *
St. Dominic Catholic Elementary School
The mission of the St. Dominic School is to nurture and develop the spiritual, intellectual, physical and social growth of each student. We pledge to promote
an effective partnership with home, school and the Parish in a safe, caring, inclusive and Christian environment. The mission of St. Dominic School is to
further develop the faith of our members and to recognize that God lives in all of us. We strive to promote academic excellence in a success-oriented
environment. Through social outreach programs, our goals are to strive to help students develop healthy minds, bodies and spirits. Instilling self-respect,
respect for others as well as compassion and empathy. Together with dignity and respect, we aim to inspire life-long learning and encourage students to
attain their full potential as Christians.
Motto
Together We Learn
Catholic Focus
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St. Dominic Separate School
Learning Plan
St. Dominic’s Catholic Focus
St. Dominic School is an elementary school of approximately 300 students, of diverse social and ethnic backgrounds, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.
The surrounding community consists of both single family homes and apartment buildings situated in a geographic area that is located in the south-eastern
corner of Mississauga.
For 60 years, St. Dominic School has been recognized as a beacon for Catholic Education in the area. Catholic Education, rooted in Christ, calls us to a
unique way of seeing and interacting with our world. Through the examples of our master teacher, Christ, we take our calling to “reach out into the deep” and
“be community” for others. Our Catholic view of academics, spiritual and moral development, sacramental preparation, prayer, discipline, and community,
challenge us to use our learning for the benefit of others. We are called to be Christ for others. As a staff and School Parent Advisory Council, we work hard
bringing together students, parents, teachers, our pastoral team, trustee and other partners to form a Catholic community in the service of the spiritual,
intellectual, physical and emotional needs of students in our care.
At St. Dominic School our commitment to academic excellence is a shared responsibility. Literacy and numeracy, along with Catholicity, continue to be a
focus in our school. Emphasis is placed on providing a balanced program that involves our students in reading, writing, listening and oral communication
experiences across the curriculum. Computers, SMART Boards, and ipad technology are an integral part of the curriculum and support students in the areas
of mathematics, research and word processing skills.
Our students come to us with a variety of strengths and needs, with their Catholic faith as their common bond. Our prayer life, liturgical celebrations, the
sacraments, and our faith and value system form the foundation of our school program. At St. Dominic School we are proud of our curriculum which is both
broad and relevant to the needs and aspirations of all our students. A wide range of subjects and learning experiences are offered to develop the skills,
abilities and talents of individual students. Accordingly, appropriate assessment procedures are employed regularly to motivate and encourage student
success. To ensure coherence and wholeness, subjects are taught within the context of The Ontario Curriculum, Ontario Catholic School Graduate
Expectations, Gospel values and the best educational practices.
Core Principles
Core Principle School Response
Catholicity
1. The school community models, celebrates and nourishes gospel values in the teaching and learning of our Christ-centred programs and services:
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Through the celebration of virtue education through events such as monthly assemblies, liturgies, masses and reading of the daily virtue prayer over
the announcements
Through the celebration of monthly masses with our elementary partner Queen of Heaven and weekly masses with grade level partners from Queen of
Heaven School
Through our involvement in outreach programs through the church and community agencies.
Learning Environment
1. Summary of the school’s most recent EQAO primary division (Grade 3) assessment performance.
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St. Dominic Separate School
Learning Plan
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Primary Reading: 89%
Primary Writing: 100%
Primary Mathematics: 92%
Observations regarding school progress in primary EQAO: Our scores have increased by 14% in primary reading, 12% in primary writing and 34% in
primary mathematics.
2. Summary of the school’s most recent EQAO junior division (Grade 6) assessment performance.
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Junior Reading: 76%
Junior Writing: 76%
Junior Mathematics: 38%
Observations regarding school progress in junior EQAO: Our scores have decreased 18% in reading, 24% in writing, and 28% in junior mathematics.
3. The school community supports and provides opportunities for life-long learning.
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Involvement in the Youth Faith Ambassadors program and Free the Children Group provides leadership for students.
Outreach programs and social justice projects, such as Food Drives and volunteering at Dr. Simone, provides opportunities for life-long learning.
Teachers & Staff will continue to attend TLCs, focus on differentiated instruction, and the use of effective mathematical strategies to target the needs of
all learners.
4. In the follow ways the school demonstrates commitment to continuous improvement in student achievement and supports the well-being of all learners.
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Through the use and analysis of data staff will look at the profile of strengths, areas for improvement and next steps.
Providing opportunities for teachers to collaborate and focus on our theory of action.
Use of Differentiated Instruction and implementation of IEPs and inclusion.
Community Engagement
1. The school community ensures that Catholic School Councils reflect the diverse Catholic community by:
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Encourage involvement in activities such as Open House, workshops, community events (e.g. Guest Speaker Karyn Gordon addresses parent issues,
Movie Night, Family Fun Skate)
Provide communication to inform parents of school, parish and community events.
2. The school team builds and sustains community partnerships and collaboratives (e.g., collaborative relationships, Success By 6 Peel):
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Through our CCCC committee which includes teachers, administration, CYW, parent, and Public Health Nurse we will continue to work with our
community partners on social justice projects, healthy eating, fitness and green projects in the school and in the community
Ongoing work with the Peel Regional Police through the R.A.I.D and Youth Education Programs and regular visits from our Neighborhood Policing Unit
(NPU) officiers
Involvement with Cawthra Community Centre and Mississauga Library System
Parish-Home-School
1. The school promotes the engagement and active participation of the parish and home as a fundamental component of student success:
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St. Dominic Separate School
Learning Plan
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Through class masses, school masses, priest visits, parish rep on council, ongoing communication with parish.
Support sacramental preparation with St. Dominic church
Father Phil is invited to local events at the school.
Fundraising for Share Life.
Involvement in outreach programs at the church and community level.
Physical Environment - e.g. Shoreline Cleanup
1. The school engages in ways that models and promotes good stewardship of resources:
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Participates in green activities such as litter less lunches.
Encourages teachers to use other tools to communicate with students other than paper.
Celebrates Earth Day and Earth Hour and continues to promote green projects.
Establishment of a green student committee (e.g. ECO Team) that will lead student events to encourage green initiatives
Presenters who share information about the Environment such as Oceans Alive or Region of Peel Presentations
2. The ways the school demonstrates financial responsibility:
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Monitor the budget regularly.
Support a collaborative approach to budget review and expenditures.
Ensure that budget is reflective of school goals
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St. Dominic Separate School
Learning Plan
Creating Catholic Conditions for Well-Being, Learning and Leading
Outcomes
1.0 By 2016, there will be an increase in the proportion of students at St. Dominic School indicating that they feel accepted by students in the school, as
demonstrated by the CCCC School Climate Survey results.
Action Plans
Daily integration of the Catholic Virtues
Social Justice Projects and Eco-team projects which involve the whole school students (e.g. Youth Faith Ambassadors, Free the Children)
Building Collaborative Practices Through Inquiry
Outcomes
2.0 By 2016, there will be an increase in successful practices that support collaborative inquiry among staff and evidence of growth will be visible in students'
effective use of success criteria and self-assessment which will improve students' learning skills and work habits.
Action Plans
Building and Using Collaborative Practices
X The use of learning goals, success criteria and descriptive feedback on an ongoing basis.
Enhancing Transitional Practices
Outcomes
3.0 By the end of 2016, the diverse needs of all learners will be supported by ensuring successful transitions along the learning journey from Kindergarten to
Secondary School.
Action Plans
Transition from Elementary to High School
Transition to and from Full Day Kindergarten
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St. Dominic Separate School
Learning Plan
Knowing the Learner through Assessment
Outcomes
4.0 By June 2016, teachers will increase their assessment practices (for, as and of learning) which will empower students to take ownership of their own
learning. This will be demonstrated through students' ability to effectively select tools, use success criteria and self-assessment to articulate their understanding
and develop insights about their own learning.
Action Plans
Development of Learning Goals and Success Criteria
EQAO Data Analysis
Teachers' Assessment Practices
Responding through Effective Instruction
Outcomes
5.0 By June 2016, at St. Dominic School, there will be an increase in successful teaching practices that support effective instruction as demonstrated through the
use of Supersource Math resource, Leaps and Bounds Intervention Resource, anchor charts, learning goals, and specific descriptive feedback for all learners.
Teachers will be incorporating more use of technology to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners.
Action Plans
21st Century/ Responsive Design Environment
Effective Instruction
Outcome Timeframe
Action Plan Priority
Long-term
High
Medium-term
Medium
Short-term
Low
Not Assigned
Not Assigned
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