COMMUNITY REPORT 2010 - 2011

Community Report 2010 - 2011 in pdf format

The purpose of this report is to provide to the parents and the Community a year end summary of our school goals.

 School Planning

Each year during our April in service day, the staff works on school planning. We review and evaluate our current school plan to establish how successful we were at reaching the outcomes set forth for the year. We identify the areas that were met, those to be discontinued, and those that will continue. In addition, we identify new strategies to help meet our goals. Our plans are then discussed with the Grade 6 Student Voice group and Parent Advisory for further input. After reviewing the information gathered from all stakeholders, we finalize the expected outcomes, indicators, and strategies to be used to meet these goals. As this is year two of our two year plan, we will continue with the three identified priorities:

 1. Student Engagement

 2. Sustainable Development

 3. Maintaining a Safe and Caring School

If you work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build, ends up building us.

By Jim Rohn

School Priorites

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Expected Outcome: To promote the engagement of students in the school experience so that they develop into socially, academically, and intellectually responsible learners.

All of the identified strategies in this area were implemented throughout the 2009-2010 school year and with much success. Students actively participated in engaging lessons, project/inquiry based learning opportunities, school based activities, as well as student leadership opportunities. In addition, students were engaged in relevant learning experiences in a wide variety of real world contexts. We established partnerships with our high school, local seniors, police, firefighters, PAC, and artists. To assist with our goals additional resources were purchased and professional development opportunities were provided to staff throughout the year. Although student engagement occurred in all three school goals, the following basically highlights the academics. Learning Through the Arts: Clay Tiling, monthly literacy activities across the grades, “I Love to Read” book swap, buddy reading around the school, musical performances by the Teulon Trebles and the grade 5 & 6 choir, Interlake School Division’s Showcase Day presentations by Mrs. Stevenson’s grade two class, Mme. Shinnie’s Kindergarten French, and Mr. Borkowsky’s grade three class, Probability and Science Fairs by Mr. Blackwood’s grade 5/6 class, ICT integration across the subjects and grades, procedural writing with hands-on demonstrations, Astronomy, Storm Chaser classroom presentations, star gazing evening class, peer assistance program with high school students, and improved writing skills by using the 6 + 1 Writing Traits program.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Expected Outcome: Students will define, acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, attitudes and life practices that will contribute to a sustainable future.

All of the identified strategies as outlined in the school plan were implemented with great success. Students acquired and demonstrated the knowledge, skills, attitudes, life and social justice practices that would contribute to a sustainable future. The school focused on sustainable learning opportunities that included recycling, composting, school yard improvements, field trips, and additional student committees. Examples are: school and town cleanups, planting of trees, shrubs & flowers, enhanced flower and butterfly gardens, Earth Day activities, Litterless lunches, Learning Through the Arts: Clay Tiling with a sustainable theme, the implementation of our school Green Team, UNICEF, Terry Fox, Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box donations, Relief for Haiti assembly, a classroom project that purchased a soccer ball for African children, a school and town REACT partnership, collection of plastic shopping bags, Interlake Water Days field trip and Math measurement lesson using the red wiggler worms. With all our efforts to be sustainable, the school received the Eco-Globe Awareness Level of Sustainability certificate.

A SAFE AND CARING SCHOOL

Expected Outcome: Students and staff will continue the program “Creating Safe & Caring Classrooms: Developing Character, Citizenship, and Respectful Relationships.”

Once again all the identified strategies were implemented throughout the year. The continuation of the Respect program occurred and the results have been rewarding. We have been successful in reducing discipline, increasing engagement in student learning and helping students to become responsible, resilient individuals. The school staff promoted healthy eating, healthy living, and safety for all. Our goals for creating a safe and caring school consisted of the following highlighted activities. All visitors reported to the office, signed in, and wore a visitor/volunteer badge if in the school, the practicing of lockdowns, Celebrations Dinner for T.E.S. Students & Staff “The Illusion of Drugs” Awareness workshop for gr. 4-6 students, snowmobile/quad safety presentation for Gr. 4-6 students, Farm Safety for grade 5 & 6 students, bicycle safety for grades 1-6, Safe and Caring Schools: K-6 Respect Workshop by Mrs. Marie Geelan, and the Roots of Empathy program implemented in the grade 4 classroom. We were very fortunate to have obtained two Healthy School grants: Healthy Schools Physical Activity Grant: Walking pedometer challenge, and the Healthy Schools Healthy Eating Grant: Exposing students to a variety of fruits.

 All in all, we are very proud of the results and plan on continuing and expanding on these goals for next year.