St. Leo 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 2014-2017 Page 1 Edmonton Catholic School District Foundation Statements District Mission Statement Inspired by • Love of the Father • Faith in Jesus Christ • Hope from the Holy Spirit We believe in God and we believe • that each person is created in the image and likeness of God • that each child is a precious gift and sacred responsibility • in the goodness, dignity and worth of each person • that Christ is our model and our teacher • in celebrating and witnessing our faith • in transforming the world through Catholic education • that Catholic education includes spiritual growth and fulfillment • that learning is a lifelong journey • that all can learn and develop their gifts • in building inclusive Christ-centered communities for service to one another • that all have rights, roles and responsibilities for which they are accountable • that Catholic education is a shared responsibility in which parents have a primary role The mission of Edmonton Catholic Schools is to provide a Catholic education that inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and to serve God in one another. District Vision Our students will learn together, work together and pray together in answering the call to a faith-filled life of service. A Statement of 21st Century Learning in Edmonton Catholic Schools Preparing our students for a world not yet realized In keeping with our Foundation Statement, the students and staff of Edmonton Catholic Schools commit to 21st century learning. In support of hopeful Christ-centered living, in a society transformed by globalization, technological innovation and human ingenuity, 21st century learning complements our commitment as a Catholic community of learners, leaders and educators. Edmonton Catholic Schools fosters faith-based learning that deeply engages all staff and students in 21stcentury learning opportunities. All facets of the learning system—curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional learning, accountability and resource allocation—are in support of 21st century learning. Students will be creative, digitally aware, critical-thinking global citizens, analysts, communicators and producers engaged in learning that is conceptual and authentic within a faith-based environment. Guided by our moral compass and focused on the common good, students and staff will be self-directed, adaptable, discerning and curious, as they engage individually and collaboratively in 21st century learning. Defining Statement of Inclusive Education for ECSD: Katholos-Education for Life for All In accordance with our District Foundation Statement, all resident* students and their parents/caregivers are welcomed into our schools. The Learning Team is committed to collaborating, identifying, applying and monitoring practices enabling all students to reach their potential, spiritually, socially, emotionally, physically and academically within the Programs of Study alongside their peers. (*as defined by the School Act). 2014-2017 Page 2 St. Leo Catholic Elementary School Foundational Statements St. Leo School Vision St. Leo students will learn to be responsible, strong and knowledgeable leaders by following Christ’s example and collaborating to achieve their potential while recognizing and supporting each other’s growth. St. Leo School Mission Statement The mission of St. Leo Elementary School is to provide a faith based learning environment in which everyone is empowered to achieve their potential, through the development of their God-given gifts by a supportive and caring school community. School Plan for Continuous Growth Review Process To continue building on the school’s plan for continuous growth, resources and data such as: Provincial Achievement Results; Regression Analysis; Satisfaction Survey results; The Alberta Education Accountability Pillar Results for Annual Education Results Report (AERR); Enrolment data; Teacher and Classroom assessments as well as, informal staff and parent feedback was used to review and consider progress made. The following process was used to determine growth and continued areas for growth: In August and September, our staff reviewed the District Foundation Statement District, and Superintendent’s Goals, as well as the school’s foundational statement, with particular review of our vision, mission, and school logo as the pictorial representation of the school’s vision. Throughout the month of October, St. Leo School teachers received and reviewed information from a variety of sources such as the TTFM and Thoughtexchange Surveys, Accountability Pillar, Regression Analysis and PAT Results for our Gr. 6 students. Staff, in teams, comprised of staff from Early Learning to Division 1 & 2 collaborated in order to review last year’s School Plan for Continuous Growth and provided input as to strategies currently being used as well as additional strategies initiated towards targeting school goals and/or sub-goals. In so doing, the following key highlights are provided for your reference. We are pleased with our Grade 6 students’ performance on the Provincial Achievement Tests. Upon examination of the Regression Analysis we found that the students performed at their expected level in English Language Arts, Mathematics and in Social Studies based on their level of ability that was measured on the C.C.A.T. exams. The results indicated that students performed below their expected level of ability in Science which confirmed our expectations given the numerous supports that were required to meet the varying needs of our Grade 6 students. To increase student engagement in Science, the school purchased Discovery Education Techbook licenses for all of our students and teachers received professional training in the implementation of this resource into their Science instruction. Teachers continue to receive support with Techbook through an embedded coaching schedule that provides for collaborative planning between the teachers and a Learning Coach. 2014-2017 Page 3 Levelled Literacy Intervention will continue to be implemented in our school across the grade levels to target struggling readers and teachers have attended professional training in using Kagan structures to increase student engagement in their classrooms. From February to April, 2015, members of the St. Leo community were invited to share their thoughts about what our school was doing well, where we can improve and what we might be missing. There were 36 participants from St. Leo, 22 were parents/guardians and 14 were staff members. Through the ‘Thought Exchange’ survey it was found that the overall community appreciated our multi-aged grouping activities, the introduction of the 100 Voices Program to the school, increased Literacy focus and the Leader in Me philosophy and practices towards building increased leadership for all. Positive responses also included an appreciation for the priority placed on setting up new learning spaces for the students, and an appreciation for the Transform initiative that our staff members participate in. Amongst the many positive comments, a request for more funding to go towards technology, healthy lunches and extracurricular activities was noted. Comments of concern were related to the lack of fieldtrips, and lack of current technology, as well as concerns about bullying behaviors on the playground. To address these concerns, administration has purchased 50 chrome books to replace 6 year old notebooks, both of which will be placed in the Grade 3 & 4 classrooms and we will continue to partner with Computers for Schools which to date has provided us with 2 class sets of refurbished laptops in both, our Grade 5 and 6 classrooms. Our computer laboratory is currently getting upgraded using the CFS program. These efforts have been a 3 year process starting with year 1 where full school wide wireless was installed where previously only one wing of the school had access to wireless. All these efforts related to technology upgrades and wireless access has resulted in an incredible 1 to 1 ratio of technology hardware per student. To address comments related to school fieldtrips, staff have been asked to book field trips out more evenly throughout the year thus ensuring that perceptions aligned with the reality of having had a total of 49 fieldtrips scheduled in the 2014-15 school year alone all at no cost to the students due to a $55 per student allocation of funds from casino proceeds by the school council. The Accountability Pillar provides schools with a range of data that captures how they are performing. It is a holistic approach to accountability that focuses not only on academics but also on aspects that impact student learning such as safe and caring environments, parent involvement, and satisfaction with the education experience. The scores are based on the input of students, parents and teachers. The results of this year’s Accountability Pillar indicate that St. Leo continues to maintain an excellent standing in being a safe and caring school, in our delivery of the Program of Studies, in the quality of education we provide and in our teaching of citizenship. The data indicates a decline in our PAT results which we expected based on student performance during the course of the school year. The Regression Analysis confirmed much of our initial expectations. The ‘Tell Them From Me’ survey took place during the latter part of the school year and included 54 students from grades four to six. The student survey measured 27 indicators based on the most recent research on school and classroom effectiveness. Our school results were compared with Canadian norms. Our students had overwhelmingly positive responses to the changes that have taken place at St. Leo in the past year and a half including the increase in leadership opportunities and the implementation of 21st century teaching and learning practices. Negative results centered on the areas of: students having a positive sense of 2014-2017 Page 4 belonging, the number of hours students spent reading for fun, the number of hours students spent playing video games, students with moderate or high levels of anxiety, hours per day spent doing moderate physical activity, and bullying and exclusion. Discussion amongst staff related to school demographics confirmed insights into our students and their home life, and were confirmed by the survey results. We will continue to address these areas of poor performance through our multi-aged group activities which focus on mental health issues and the 7 Habits of Happy kids. We will also continue to promote healthy living habits such as food, emotional expression and sleep awareness through our school newsletter and continue to access our service providers who can assist by providing individual or whole school supports to address the high anxiety that our students are experiencing. To continue our work in the area of Literacy we will continue with our Levelled Literacy Intervention Program and in order to ensure increased reading at home we will continue to utilize incentive programs through our partnership with the Edmonton Oil Kings “Reading, Give it a shot!” Program as well as hosting YRCA presentations, local authors, read- in week activities and school wide book fairs. In regards to our specific school goals which align with our District’s goals, we believe that with numerous seeds planted over the past two years and steps taken towards ensuring more student-centered best practices in the area of literacy as well as, in the area of responding to the needs of our community; we are currently positioned to continue building on those practices in order to respond to the needs of our school community. Through Goal One: “Live the Distinctiveness of Catholic Education”, we continue to emphasize the importance of collaboration with our Parish as vital to our continued spiritual growth for both, staff and students and will continue to expand that emphasis through collaboration with our District Chaplains. Also, using Mark 2 of “The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity”, St. Leo School will continue to make our Catholic Faith evident throughout our school environment and will continue to create opportunities for age appropriate faith experiences during the school year. We continue to make great gains in Goal Two: “Every Student is Successful”. First, with our continued emphasis on reading literacy using Daily 5 & Café, as well as a school-wide ‘Levelled Literacy Program’; data collected indicates that we continue to make gains with our struggling and ELL readers. Secondly, this year we will expand our literacy focus to include written literacy and will target school-wide continuity in both, process and assessment practices using the work of Lucy Calkins. Third, Staff will also continue to work towards building strategies that foster ethical citizenship, engaged thinking, and having an entrepreneurial spirit in students. And finally, a direct result of our own assessed need throughout the whole school we targeted health and wellness. Using the Alberta Education Health and Wellness Program of Studies, the Comprehensive School Health Framework and The Leader in Me Model, staff continue to increase awareness, build skills and positive lifelong habits in our students and their families towards optimal health and wellness. Goal Three: “Quality Teaching and School Leadership”, has also been an ongoing focus as staff participate regularly in staff professional development in the area of literacy, collaborative strategies and multiple technologies. Furthermore, administration continues to invite, encourage, and support staff towards using their God-given gifts in building capacity towards increased leadership for all. We have prioritized collaborative planning time whereby teachers lead and plan for multi-age group instruction 2-3 times per month towards achieving our Health 2014-2017 Page 5 and Wellness mandate. We also have incorporated an additional staff prep for collaboration between the Learning Coach and the classroom teacher to help support the ongoing efforts within each classroom to transform instruction in the areas of the 3 Es. Leadership for staff continues and includes such things as: the Assistant Principal leading staff professional development in the 5 Marks of Catholic Education; the AP and LC teaming to train staff in written literacy in consultation with LSI personnel and finally in the area of building staff and student leadership we have a team of 4 staff working to continuously embed the Leader in Me 7 Habits. And so, collaboratively in staff teams, provided input as to strategies currently being used as well as additional strategies we are seeking to implement towards targeting and meeting our school goals. By completing a review of last year’s Plan for Continuous Growth with staff and with further process work for input, the administration team completed Draft 2 of the SGP at which point it is shared once again with the staff for final input and tweaking as suggested by all staff. Once Draft 2 was completed, the draft plan for continuous growth was shared with School Council for further input in mid-November. This parent group was very impressed and supportive of our goals any suggestions made were incorporated by the administrative team towards the final draft. The final copy of the School’s Plan for Continuous Growth was also uploaded to the Portal/Office of the Superintendent and posted to the school’s website. School Context/Demographic Information The following school demographic information is important towards establishing the context within which we as a staff community construct and work towards specific school goals: Newton area is located between 118 Avenue and Yellowhead Trail west of 50th Street. Economic status of community is lower to mid socio-economic We do not have any focus programs. We do not have any District Special Education programs. Enrollment continues to go up and has done so for the last 3 consecutive years. Introduced a new 100 Voices Program to our school in 2014-15. Grades range from Pre-Kindergarten to grade 6 Currently have 2 classes at the Grade One level, which was a direct result of having a second Kindergarten classroom last year for the first time in over 10+ years. Transient population with high need/at-risk kids in general, but especially in ELL, FNMI and Coded categories. High Needs Demographic (see breakdown below) 45 % of our population, including our Pre-K, (80/178) is special needs and is broken down as follows: o FNMI= 25 (+3 in Pre K) o ESL= 39 (+7 in Pre K) 2014-2017 Page 6 o 40s=9 (+ 3 repeat Kinders and +1 47 in Pre K) Classrooms with coded children are supported through Educational Assistant time and/or additional certificated staff time as deemed appropriate. We are always in the process of identifying and completing New Funding packages as needs arise. School Goals and Strategies Goal One: Live The Distinctiveness of Catholic Education District Sub-Goals: 1.1 Demonstrate the distinctiveness and advantages of Catholic education. a) Cultivate and support a Catholic ethos/environment within each site. b) Demonstrate a way of life rooted in the Catholic Christian call to discipleship and service. c) Ensure that permeation of faith remains central in all our day to day practices. School Goals: 1.1 As part of our commitment to Catholic education, St. Leo School will collaborate with our local parishes and District Chaplains towards increasing faith development opportunities for all students. Strategies: Continuing Completed Teaching masses that whole school and separate grades attend on a regular basis, as well as 3 liturgical masses that are celebrated at the parish Recognizing students who have received sacraments during school celebrations Utilizing District Chaplains to connect the school and community Teaching specific sacraments and their significance within the Catholic faith to encourage commitment to the Catholic faith Sharing best practices with surrounding schools Promoting weekly Church attendance to our school community through advertising in the monthly newsletter Monthly classroom visits from our local Parish priest District Chaplain attending St. Leo School namesake celebration in November District Chaplain visiting for arrival of Father Mike’s cross in June Inviting parish members into the school for celebrations and activities 1.2 In keeping with Mark 2 of “The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity”, St. Leo School will continue to make our Catholic Faith evident throughout our school environment with both, visible and tangible Catholic vision that can be found in our physical spaces and liturgical celebrations. Strategies: Continuing Completed Prayer tables in classrooms and Catholic symbols present throughout school making our Catholic worldview evident Collaboration with the local parish to support the preparation for the sacraments Students are given the opportunity to pray numerous times every day Students writing and sharing prayers, for example, during morning broadcasts 2014-2017 Page 7 Regular school gatherings for liturgical celebrations and bi-monthly attendance of teaching masses at the local parish Catholic hymns present at assemblies and celebrations Posted teacher mission statements outside of classrooms Social justice activities, such as Food Bank collections, We Care Marketplace, Operation Christmas Child boxes, Terry Fox donations, on hand supplies of clothing and food for families in need, JCI Christmas Hamper Program , We Day participation including global and local benefits, Jump Rope for Heart, Rafiki bracelet sales, visiting and performing for the Senior’s centre. 1.3 In keeping with Mark 2 of “The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity”, St. Leo School Staff and students will have opportunities for age appropriate faith experiences during the school year such as Faith Days and retreats. Strategies: Continuing Completed Faith-centered experiences both within and outside of the school including St. Leo Day, FNMI day and the Grade 6 retreat camp Regular school gatherings for liturgical celebrations and bi-monthly attendance of teaching masses at the local parish Faith Development Day, Care for Creation Day and Permeation Day activities for staff to devote time to celebrating our faith as a community Concentration on the namesake of the school through the teaching of the work of St. Leo and the celebration of his accomplishments as a peacemaker Classes incorporate ‘Praying In Colour’ as a way to visualize a connection to the written word and God’s love. Deliver cards to neighbors as a service project that reflects the Catholic teaching on social justice and charity Students are given the opportunity to pray numerous times every day Goal Two: Every student is successful District Sub-Goals: 2.6 Ensure that every school and department is committed to improving student learning and achievement within the context of a 21st century Catholic learning community. a) Continue with “Transform! Engage in Christ-Centered Learning for Today and Tomorrow” plan focusing on the goals as described in the Ministerial Order on Student Learning (May 6, 2013), which includes a focus on literacy, numeracy and the competencies described therein (reference District Goal One: 2.3). 2.7 Continue to provide and develop services and model initiatives that promote student health, using the Comprehensive Student Health Framework. 2.8 Implement strategies to ensure that schools focus on the creation of safe, healthy and caring environments for all students. School Goals: 2.1 Staff will use a variety of literacy strategies towards increased student engagement in both, written and reading literacy. 2014-2017 Page 8 Strategies: Continuing Completed Continued implementation and supports for staff for school-wide Daily 5/Cafe Handwriting Without Tears programming for students in 100 Voices, Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 Incorporating technology into literacy instruction and practice with programs such as: Starfall, RAZ-kids, Imagine Learning, Web 2.0 tools such as Story Jumper, Board Building, Bit Strips and Spelling City, and Discovery Education Continued implementation and supports for staff in using Kagan Strategies to promote student engagement Parent information evenings to improve understanding of Kagan Strategies and literacy instruction. Levelled Literacy Intervention offered to multi-aged groupings across the grade levels Home reading programs including the participation in the ‘Reading, Give it a Shot!’ Edmonton Oil Kings Hockey Program Goal setting & teacher tracking of student growth using the Fountas and Pinnell assessments, done 2 times per year School-wide ‘Write On’ assessments to collect student writing samples for each reporting period to monitor student growth Participation in the Young Author’s Conference to support students’ who demonstrate a particular strength and interest in writing Learning coach support to build teacher capacity in the implementation of literacy programs within their classroom School-wide Professional Development on written literacy with the intent of the implementation of writing workshops in the classrooms and fostering continuity amongst staff Purchasing of two classroom sets of Chromebooks to allow for one to one technology access for all students in our school Class and school-wide inclusive support for our English Language Learners through levelled literacy intervention, Imagine Learning and learning coach support School-wide integration of FNMI cultural learning with supports from LSE Services Buddy reading, independent reading, paired reading, shared reading, modeling reading, one-on-one reading conferencing On-going communicating with parents to maximize student support Literacy and numeracy stations that are engaging and student centered 2.2 Staff will work towards building strategies that foster Ethical Citizenship, Engaged Thinking, and an Entrepreneurial Spirit in students. Strategies: Continuing Completed Continued implementation and supports for staff in using Kagan Strategies to promote student engagement 2014-2017 Page 9 Parent information evenings to improve understanding of Kagan Strategies and literacy instruction. L.I.O.N.S. program to promote student leadership opportunities in the school Continue to use the Leader in Me language and encourage the 7 Habits throughout our school Multi-aged group activities to explore positive mental health activities as well as the 7 Habits Weekly Cooperative Planning Time to build teacher capacity in meeting the needs of 21st Century learners Continued partnership with Our Lady of Fatima parish where students use Christ as their model for ethical citizenship Fostering multi-modal learning through one to one technology access and programs such a Discovery Education, Office 365, RAZ-kids, Imagine Learning, and WIX. School-wide integration of FNMI cultural learning with supports from LSE Services Creation of classroom websites to improve parent communication as well as access to information by students Participation of Grade 6 students in “WE Day” to empower students to be agents of change Learning coach support to build collaboration projects and to support project-based learning Goal-setting and reflective activities that engage students to self-reflect on their personal choices and behaviours Social justice activities, such as Food Bank collections, We Care marketplace, Operation Christmas Child boxes, Terry Fox donations, on hand supplies of clothing and food for families in need, Christmas JCI hampers, , We Day participation including global and local benefits, Jump Rope for Heart, Rafiki bracelet sales, visit Seniors’ centre, deliver cards to neighbours Student choice to accommodate for diverse student learning styles 2.3 Using the Alberta Education Health and Wellness Program of Studies, the Comprehensive School Health Framework and The Leader In Me Model, staff will increase awareness, build skills and positive lifelong habits in our students and their families. Strategies: Continuing Completed LIONS Student Leadership Club which provides leadership opportunities for our students Using our school nurse, our District’s Mental Health and Wellness Cohort team training as well as Alberta Health Services resources, our school will use the Comprehensive School Health model to educate students and share with parents the 4 pillars of a Comprehensive School Health model Mental Health Professional Development CPT for addressing strategies to deal with stress, health and mental health issues Attending School Council Meetings in order to increase communication and involvement with the parents on the activities happening at our school 2014-2017 Page 10 Staff, in divisional teams, will collaboratively plan for the instruction of Health outcomes using a variety of resources and as well will use the Leader in Me 7 Habits as a key vehicle and model for the instructions of learner outcomes LEADS Recognition Program to promote and reward student growth and demonstration of the 7 Habits Teacher Passion Days to model a strengths-based approach to teaching and learning District Goal Three: Quality Teaching and School Leadership 3.1 Provide professional learning opportunities that build the capacity of all staff. 3.2 Engage in good stewardship of all resources: human, financial and physical. a) Support, encourage and invest in the creative and innovative abilities of all staff. 3.4 Ensure that technologies for learning and innovation are embedded into the instructional design, with guidance from Alberta Education’s Learning and Technology Framework. School Goals: 3.1 All Staff will participate in a variety of staff professional development towards increased capacity for all. Strategies: Continuing Completed Teacher training in Kagan structures to increase student engagement New teacher training in the Leader in Me Program Discovery Education Techbook training for teachers EmTech consultants providing Professional Development for the staff on student use of Office 365 Written Literacy Professional Development led by Learning Coaches Professional Development opportunities for the Music teacher focusing on permeation. Genesis training and sessions for Early Learning teachers Staff Training on new Religion Program implementation Summer Professional Development for our French as a Second Language teacher to increase her capacity in the delivery of French instruction to our students. Handwriting Without Tears training for our teachers Annual Sports Coaching Clinics focusing on fair play and skill development. Staff initiatives to promote mental health through self-care and team-building. 3.2 All Staff will be encouraged to use their God-given gifts and supported in building capacity towards increased leadership for all. Strategies: Continuing Passion Friday where teachers showcase their talents and interests 2014-2017 Completed Page 11 School Choir offered to students in grades 3-6 Running Club offered to students in grades 3-6 After school experiences/clubs such as volleyball and soccer School celebration teams to ensure multi division lens and increased student participation during celebrations. Daily prayer led by students Social Justice initiatives such as Operation Christmas Child and neighborhood greeting card deliveries We Care Market Place participation through school wide preparation and voluntarily participation on the Sunday event. 3.3 All staff will be invited, encouraged and supported towards developing skills that foster the use of a variety of technologies for learning and innovation within the classroom. Strategies: Continuing Completed Discovery Education Techbook training and learning coach support for grades 1 to 6 1:1 Technology ratio for students at St. Leo Class Dojos as an engaging form of classroom management Classroom Website design and implementation Instruction on the use of the district portal for children and families Office 365 training, District Tech consultants will be coming in to do professional development for staff on student use of Office 365 Variety of web-based programs (wix, Prezi, sway, Imagine Learning, Raz Kids) 2014-2017 Page 12 References St. Leo School Plan for Continuous Growth (2013-14), (2014-15) St. Leo School Tell Them From Me Survey Results Report (2014-15) St. Leo School Thought Exchange Survey Results Report (2014-15) Alberta Education Results of St. Leo School Grade 6 Student Performance St. Leo School Accountability Pillar Report (2014-15) District Regression Analysis of St. Leo School Grade 6 Provincial Achievement Test Results, 2014-15 Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2014). Edmonton Catholic Schools’ District Plan for Continuous Growth 2014-2017. Edmonton, AB: Author. Alberta Education. (2010). Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans. Edmonton, AB: Author. Alberta Education. (2013). Ministerial Order (#001/2013), Student Learning. Edmonton, AB: Author. Alberta Education. (2009). The Principal Quality Practice Guideline: Promoting Successful School Leadership in Alberta. Edmonton, AB: Author. Dufour, R., and Eaker, R. (1998). Professional Learning Communities at Work, Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement. Bloomington, Indiana: National Education Service. Jeffrey A. Krames (2014). Lead with Humility: 12 Leadership Lessons from Pope Francis. New York, United States of America, Amacom Publishing. 2014-2017 Page 13