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SCHOOL PLAN TO STRENGTHEN LEARNING

Name of the school:   David Cameron Elementary School

Mission Statement:    At David Cameron Elementary School our primary purpose is to ensure that all students learn.

Context: David Cameron Elementary enrolls approximately 300 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6.  In September of 2008 our student population grew with the addition of students from Glen Lake Elementary, which was closed in June of 2008.  This year has proven to be very busy as we have worked to blend the two school cultures into a new entity.  David Cameron services the border area between Colwood and Langford with a mix of families from all socio-economic factors.  In addition, our school hosts the District Resource Program (DRP) for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students.  This program adds to the unique environment that is our school.

Goal #1:

“In collaboration with the broader school community, students will develop their level of social responsibility.”

Rationale:

Social Responsibility is  . . .

Related to the four aspects as defined in the Social Responsibility Performance Standards:

·         Contributing to the classroom and school community

·         Solving problems in peaceful ways

·         Valuing diversity and defending human rights

·        Exercising democratic rights and responsibilities.

Objective 1:  To develop student, staff, and parent skills in the use of Restitution principles.

Objective 2:  To explore and utilize the Social Responsibility Performance Standard as a means of understanding and assessing social responsibility for students.

Evidence
(Current student achievement results)

·        Soc. Resp. Performance Standard

·         Satisfaction Surveys:

Parents:

– 6% said that their child   is “bullied, teased, or picked on at school.”

– 84% agree (all the time or many times) that rules related to behaviour are enforced consistently at our school.

– 94% agree(all the time or many times) that the school provides clear expectations for student behaviour in the school.

Students:

– 6.5% said that they are “bullied, teased, or picked on at school.”

– 81.5% agree (all the time or many times) that adults in the school treat all students fairly.

– 94% agree(all the time or many times) that they know how the school expects them to behave.

Grade 6 Exit Surveys:

– 100% of students agreed that Restitution is important.

– 90% agreed (yes or somewhat) that they had the skills necessary to solve problems when they get to middle school.

– 100% of students had completed the “My Job/Your Job” activity, but that a better understanding of its use was needed.

– 95% of students remembered developing their class’ social contract, but better understanding of its use is needed.

Office Referrals

– 99 referrals to the office as of June 6, 2011, broken down as follows:

– 43% primary boys (3 boys represent 67% of these referrals).

– 1% primary girls

– 49% intermediate boys (5 boys represent  49% of these referrals).

– 6% intermediate girls

– This represents 21% of the boys and 3.5 % of the girls in our school or 12% of the overall population.

 

Targets

– Soc. Resp. Performance Standard

– Satisfaction Surveys:

– We anticipate an increase in respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing in each of the areas identified on the Satisfaction Survey evidence.  This increase will occur as a result of a deeper understanding of Restitution and Social Responsibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Grade 6 Exit Surveys:

– To maintain the results identified in the Grade 6 Exit Survey, while gaining a deeper understanding of how to use the identified aspects of Restitution, e.g. “My Job/Your Job”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Office Referrals

– To reduce the number of repeat referrals to the office, in particular for boys

Monitoring Strategies (How will we assess our work?)

·         Utilize feedback from parents re. effect at home (survey feedback)

·         Social Responsibility Performance Standards

·         Satisfaction Surveys

·         Grade Six Exit Survey

·        Office Referrals

 

Strategies:

·         Engaging our school community in understanding (in particular, how it can support the needs of boys), learning about, and using Restitution.

·         Extending our Virtues program to encompass more student work and presentations (e.g. at assemblies) over the course of the month.

·        Increase our understanding (staff, students, and parents) about the use of the Social Responsibility Performance Standards, e.g. their use as an instructional tool as well as for assessment.

·        Explore the use of play-based learning to support behaviour needs of primary students, in particular boys.

 

 

 

Goal #2:

“To increase student achievement in key academic areas by supporting the diverse needs of our students.”

Rationale:

·         Student responses to Satisfaction Surveys indicate that just over half of       student respondents like school all of the time or many times.

·         Similar response to “do you like what you are learning at school”

·         Increased diversity within classrooms

·         Need to be creative in providing support due to limited resource availability.

·          The need to teach students from their current developmental level, rather than treating them all the same.

·          In order to be able to support student growth from “where they are” we need to utilize strong assessment methods and then plan for differentiation (Assessment for Learning).

 

Objective 1:  To address the diverse learning needs of students through differentiated instructional practices.

Objective 2:  To utilize Assessment for Learning strategies to assist in supporting student diversity within the classroom.

 

Evidence
(Current student achievement results)

Satisfaction Surveys:

Parents:

– 91% agree (all the time or many times) that personal differences are respected at school.

Students:

– 93.5% agree (all the time or many times) that they respect people who are different than them at school

– 43% of students like their school many times or all of the time.

– 50% of students like what they are learning at school many times or all of the time.

Grade 6 Exit Surveys:

– 95% of students agreed that David Cameron School had taught them about respect through such things as the Virtues Program.

– 90% of students felt that our school helped them to develop their creativity and imagination through such things as Literature Study Circles, art and drama.

– 90% agreed that they were allowed to choose ways to show their understanding of classroom activities, although many felt that there were limited choice opportunities.

– 100% of students agreed that they were encouraged to work with others, although there was some confusion that this meant being able to sit with friends.
Professional Judgement:

– Staff agreed that more support for diverse learning needs was important through creative opportunities.

– Staff agreed that we teach to where students are at, rather than treating them all the same, although more professional development was needed.

– Staff agreed that flexible grouping opportunities were important to support student learning.

Cross-Grade Student Opportunities:

·          Literature Study Circles

·          Numeracy Ciricles

·          Family Groups

 

 

 

Targets


Satisfaction Surveys:

– To maintain or increase the percent of students and parents that indicate respect of differences is important through an increased understanding of differentiated learning practices.

– To increase the percent of students that like their school and what they are learning, by allowing more choice through differentiated learning strategies.

 

 

Grade 6 Exit Surveys:

– To maintain the results that we have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Judgement:

– To increase the number of staff reporting confidence in their ability to differentiate instruction for their students.

 

 

 

 

 


Cross-Grade Student Opportunities:

·  To increase the number of cross grade opportunities for students to make choices in.

Monitoring Strategies (How will we assess our work)

·        Satisfaction Surveys

·        Grade Six Exit Surveys

·        Staff Survey re. Strategies:  pre-inservice (Sept/Oct) and post-inservice (May)

·        Professional Judgment

 

Strategies:

·        Staff development and use of differentiation strategies, through an inquiry-based project (e.g. District Inquiry Team, or Network of Performance Based Schools).

·        Inservice opportunities for staff regarding Differentiated Instruction, with a focus on how to meet the needs of boys.

·        Student understanding about individual/personalized learning needs, e.g. students with special learning having a more active role in developing and understanding their I.E.P.

 

 

School Plan Contributors:

School Planning Council Members:

Scott Stinson (Principal):

Dale Jarvis (Vice-Principal):

Shelley Mackenzie (Parent):

Alys Pivetta (Parent):

Tammy Young (Parent):