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ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSchool District 5 Southeast Kootenay

Action Plan for Enhancing Student Learning2018-19

School Context

Rocky Mountain Elementary School is a rural, kindergarten to Grade 6 elementary school, and was established in 1982. The school has an instruction staff of approximately 10 full time teachers, a student services teacher as well as a part-time fine arts teacher, and a librarian-technology teacher serving 260 students. The school is on the edge of the small mountain community of Elkford with a population of approximately 3 000, and serves all of the elementary aged students of the community. RMES is the sole feeder school for Elkford Secondary. Elkford is a resource-based community, and many of the community members work at one of the coal mines.

Introduction / RationaleOur staff began in 2016 engaging with the New BC Curriculum and our understanding of inquiry and project based learning strategies. We had discussions around a number of areas that could be a focus for our school goal including social responsibility, bullying, numeracy, community connectedness, and inquiry.

“As teachers, we wonder what happens to that natural curiosity, which seems to be extinguished over time. We hope to reignite that early passion for learning.” Watt and Colyer

Inquiry Questions1. Will environmental outdoor education improve

student engagement and increase students’ social emotional competencies

2. Will consistent use of the inquiry cycle, digital tools, assessment, and reading power strategies lead to increased proficiency in reading?

Our goal at RMES is to increase student engagement, understanding, and learning by using the process of inquiry as a learning, teaching and problem solving strategy. We will implement this approach as we design our lessons and

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

2500A Balmer Drive, Box 460Elkford, BC V0B 1H0

250-865-4625

support the learning of every child in our classrooms by creating learning environments that cultivate curiosity and grow young people as confident, capable and creative inquirers. Using an inquiry approach, and outdoor education we intend to improve the engagement and interest of students in their learning, allow for personal, relevant and deep connections, and understanding to occur, and increase the academic, social and communication skills and overall life chances for every learner.

Scanning

Successes:Our staff is excited for inquiry in their classroomsOur Professional Development is on the renewed curriculum and inquiry.Our staff is continuing with the social/emotional teaching in the classroom.Our YCW, AESW and our Counsellor are working with staff on the emotional/social well-being of our students.

Challenges:Many students are continuing to learn to regulate their emotions.They are working on taking responsibility for their learning and being independent workers. Some students struggle with keeping a positive attitude toward learning and their listening skills.Building resilience for many students is an on-going goal.Students are still learning to feel empowered in the larger community.Growing anxiety is seen among some studentsChallenges still exist connecting and supporting students between home and school.Changing and adapting to new expectations, curriculum and transitions can be a challenge for some students.Basic math skills and understanding are a challenge for some.Remembering what they have learned in math and connecting their math learning to the real world is a consideration for many students.Bullying behaviours still exist – in our school and on our playground.

Focusing (Identify the most important work you can do to improve the success of your students. On which key areas of learning will you focus?) As teachers scanned and discussed the variety of strengths and challenges of our students, we recognized that their needs are diverse. A focus on them becoming more engaged in and taking more responsibility for their learning through the use of inquiry design and individualized projects will enable our students to ‘go deeper’ and relate their learning to the real world.

Teachers have committed to learning about the inquiry process through professional development activities in order to better engage students in their learning, help them to take more responsibility for their learning, and to increase their learning. EvidenceTeachers at RMES are curious about the impact of planning lessons utilizing an inquiry design, and outdoor learning that will enable students to learn more deeply in a personalized manner and will encourage them to take more responsibility for their learning.

Data from teachers, report cards, DRA and FSA results is also available to track improvement of student cohorts year to year. This is the first year of this goal, and the following is baseline data.

Current DataFSA Data: In 2017, we saw an increase in students measuring as proficient from Developing in Reading.

Developing PROFICIENT EXTENDING0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2016 FSA Reading

Series1

DEVELOPING PROFICIENT EXTENDING0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2017 FSA Results - Reading

Series1

To help track data from our Social Emotional goal, RMES staff has created a snapshot document for students to complete after going outside. We will look for trends to better adapt to student needs using this data.

In addition, here is what we have been using to help support our goal on students’ social emotional competencies (Communication, Thinking, -creative & critical, Personal and Social)

Leadership Program School Clubs (Choir, Uke Club, Running Club, Newspaper Club, Leadership

Club) School Jobs Buddies Counselling time Buddy Bench Kids Count Too MindUp Curriculum YCW support AESW support Counselling support Lunch Bunch Stars

Key Learnings

Discipline based inquiry is a focus for deep understanding. It is a systematic investigation into a problem, issue, topic or idea. “Inquiry-based learning is a process used to solve problems, create new knowledge, resolve doubts, and find the truth. Inquiry involves working with others and respecting a diversity of voices while seeking the best possible solution to the problem or answer to the question” Wyatt and Colyer.

Developing a Hunch

RMES staff would like to see if the use of engaging and authentic outdoor

learning tasks that connect our students to the real world through the process of inquiry, and that provide opportunities for them to make a difference in our community and school, will assist our students in taking more responsibility for their learning and will encourage them to be more interested and engaged participants.

New Professional Learning

2016-2017:

Professional – Development Curriculum Day with Leyton Schnellert and Inquiry planning

Collaborative planning and support for using inquiry strategies in class

Book Club: purchased IQ A Practical Guide to Inquiry-Based Learning by Jennifer Watt and Jill Colyer

PLC Projects for teachers using inquiry strategies

Staff Meeting and Pro-D days to allow time for sharing and discussions of our successes and challenges

K-2 Incredible Flexible You, Social Thinking Curriculum with your classes. Each lesson will be approximately 40 minutes long and will include a story followed by an activity. I would like teachers to be present for the lesson so you too can become familiar with the language. The curriculum has been updated to include 10 sessions this year. Continue with cohort each year, and build. (Counsellor, YCW, SLP)

FRIEND-ology Program

Grade 5/6 GirlPower & GoodGuys teaches not just self-awareness, but social-awareness too, so that your students are more focused and better equipped to handle the day-to-day Friendship Fires that occur. Students with healthy friendships have higher self-esteem, a more positive body image, they get involved in more leadership roles, maker wiser decisions in future relationships, and perform better academically. THIS is the foundation. (Nov. 4)

Implementing Outdoor Connections: Adventure Therapy Program. During each outdoor session the variety of activities are complimented with meaningful discussions and opportunities for reflection to enhance the quality of this program. This program is delivered in collaboration with Dayna Haig, school counsellor, which provides the opportunity for on-going support, transference and continued mentorship through the school year.

Morning Reading Club

2017-2018:

Grizzly Reading Club

$8000.00 spent on leveled books for literature circles/guided reading

DRA results for all primary students

Outdoor Connections

Project Wild Pro-D

Walking Wednesdays

Taking Action

What is new this year…

$8000.00 spent on leveled books

Teachers have DRA results from June

Admin support for teacher release to administer the DRA

Purchased Reading A-Z for all classes

Intermediate DRA Kit

WE Day: Our Leadership Group earned tickets to WE Day. WE Schools is our educational program that challenges young people to lead with the conviction that together, we can transform lives locally and globally. Our Greenhouse is complete and will allow many opportunities for inquiry learning.

Funding approved for Tinker Time

New school counsellors

Twitter account

Going to create an outdoor learning space in collaboration with our PAC

Communication Strategies

Staff - focus on our school goal during staff meetings, teacher release time and collaboration opportunities, at School Based Team meetings and during Pro-D opportunities.

Collaborative and professional conversations that occur daily in our staffroom and among staff and during staff initiated planning meetings also provide invaluable communication and sharing opportunities.

Students – explain, teach, and discuss the inquiry process, learning intentions and student role in the inquiry design.

Parents – School goal will be shared and explained with the RMES PAC. School newsletters, website, twitter, and Facebook will be used to share

our plans and information.

Parental/Community Involvement

Parents and experts from the community will be invited to work with students and inform them and engage with them in their learning.

Parents will be invited to attend presentations and unveilings of student work, and performances.

Projects will directly connect students with our school, community and world.

Placed based, outdoor learning projects will use local resources-Greenhouse

Connection to the District Goals

To enable all students to graduate with a sense of belonging, purpose, choice, and hope for their future.

To foster the growth and development of literate, numerate and socially responsible students in all areas of their education

The purpose and intent of our school goal is to support each child in their social and emotional growth, and encourage and develop their individual skills through a teaching and instructional design that will build their academic skills, their personal motivation, and their own responsibility for their learning.

Appendix A: DRA Data

Please note: This is first generation data used as a guide for better instruction. More data to follow as we continue with this pilot:

Grade 1-3 Data: Currently, 55% of students are considered to be proficient at their current grade level in reading. 45% of Students are considered to be developing towards being proficient at their current grade level.

Grade 4-6 Data: Currently, 53% of students are considered to be proficient at their current grade level in reading. 47% of students are considered to be developing towards being proficient at their current grade level.

Developing

Proficient

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Gr.1-3 Reading Data

Developing

Proficient

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Gr.4-6 Reading Data