School Plan forContinuous Growth

2019-22

With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)

November 2019 Page 1

Sir John Thompson School Plan for Continuous Growth 2019-2022

School Mission: To instill students with the spirit of Christ, to excel in their studies and the pursuit of knowledge while renewing the Catholic Church and its mission in today’s world.

School Vision: Our vision is to create a positive learning environment through strong relationships in a safe and caring faith-based school community. We strive to collaboratively embrace innovative learning opportunities dedicated to creating successful life-long learners.

School Charism: At Sir John Thompson, we believe that each of us has a set of unique gifts that we use daily to support each other. We work together each day by instilling hope through faith in all our students so that they will continue to grow each day into fine young men and women that they each have the potential to become. We persevere in our faith while serving others as Sir John Thompson did.

School Context: Sir John Thompson School is in the city’s North West and serves a community that is primarily a working class, middle income area. The population has maintained its student population of 367 students despite graduating a very large group of Grade 9 students last year. This is due to the growth of our reputation as an academic school of choice in Edmonton’s North end. Last year’s registrations saw our percentage of students outside our attendance boundary grow to 16% of our total school population.

Our school operates a very successful district Enhanced Academic Program. EAP students comprise 30% of our school population. In addition, our school is comprised of 17% ELL students and is seeing a growth in our Indigenous population to 6% of our student population. The students continue to be high achievers on the Provincial Achievement Tests performing significantly above all measures in both division and provincial benchmarks. We believe this is due to our focus on Literacy throughout all subject areas and numeracy in Math/Science.

In addition to an excellent academic reputation, the school offers a wide range of complementary courses and extra-curricular activities which support out vision of supporting our students to grow together in a strong faith-based environment that helps all our students reach their potential. The school has a rich history of social justice and charitable endeavors, most notably the Sign of Hope Kids’ Care Challenge that is actively supported by the community that the school serves. Our school is closely connected to St. Edmunds Parish and has a close relationship with Father Mark McGee who is an active part of the liturgical life of the school.

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Review of Previous Year’s Goals 2018-2019: Goal Achieved/continue

modifyEvidence/data used

Goal #1: Enhance the Catholicity of Sir John Thompson School

Sub Goal a) Evaluate the prevalence of the five dimensions of the Catholic Church in the context of our Catholic School. Further permeate the Catholic faith in the daily life of the school.

Sub Goal b) Further permeate the Catholic faith in the daily life of the school.

Achieved

Continue/Modify

Achieved

Continue

Five dimensions were a main focus of Religion classes and homeroom. Evidenced by Staff results on the District survey at 100% - #1,2,3 and 5.Student results on #1-5 are all above 90% and show increases over last year.Parent results are all at 100%. We feel this is now a strong part of our culture.

Sports teams pray before games.School reflection in the morning and afternoon on special days, Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, and Easter.

Cross has been installed in the Gymnasium

Our Student Leadership Team donates a portion of funds they raise to the Sign of Hope. This is a focus for our students at all their fundraising activities. $860 raised last year.

Goal #2: Promote Literacy at Sir John Thompson School

Sub Goal a) Increase the amount of targeted reading students do on a weekly basis.

Continue/Modify

Continue/Modify

PAT results in LA, SS, and Science showed significant increases at the Acceptable level and were well above both district and provincial levels in Excellence as well.Our regression showed each area as an ‘= or +’.Reading results on the LA PAT increased +2.3% in acceptable and +6.8% in excellence. We feel this is significant as literacy is increasingly becoming more difficult to attain.

Our Language Arts and Social Studies classes continue to have students read 15 minutes per class. This is supported by extensive juvenile literary collections in our LRC and classrooms.

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Sub Goal b) Increase students’ literacy and numeracy skills in Math.

Continue/Modify

Continue/Modify

Science classes focus on reading science vocabulary for 10 minutes in each class.Science PAT results increased in the Knowledge section +5.6% in acceptable and +18.4% in excellence.

Math completed a daily problem of the day in grade 9. Grade 7 and 8 continue with minute Math at the beginning of each class and daily problems.Math PAT results increased +16.9% on Part A acceptable and +26% on excellence. Part B showed a 10.3% increase on acceptable and +14.5% on excellence.

Parent survey results show 97.7% on # 20 regarding Math and number skills.

Goal #3: Promote and support mental health

Sub Goal a) Support those students who are struggling with mental health issues.

Sub Goal b) Promote a healthy and caring environment in the school.

Continue/Modify

Continue/Modify

Continue/Modify

The SJT support team comprised of a .5 FSLW, a .6 FSLC, STAY, and LC along with the staff see this as a goal that needs to be expanded with strategies to support positive mental health. Established community mental health connections. Utilized district LSI support services as well as MHT Northgate, and CFSS in approximately 38 cases.

Our School Secondary Survey showed a 2% decrease in students who report Moderate or High levels of Anxiety. The percentage of students who report Moderate or High levels of Depression has remained the same at 24%.

Offered Yoga and Mindfulness sessions in ILearn sessions anecdotal discussions with students throughout the year seemed to be very positive. FSLW and FSLC lead boys and girls group for Anxiety and Depression.

Need to create support groups for GSA.

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In 2018 we were 4% above district levels of student Anxiety and in 2019 we were -1% below district levels. In terms of levels of Depression showed improvements of -1% in 2018 and -4% below district measures but still remained constant at 24% reported for the school.

Goal #4: Maintain Sir John Thompson’s PAT Acceptable Standard results and surpass the province in all subject areas in the Excellence Standard category.

Sub Goal a) Each subject area will focus upon areas of growth based on the results of the June 2018 exams.

English Language ArtsGoal: Increase student ability to synthesize ideas from both fiction and non-fiction texts and support their ideas with text-based evidence.

MathematicsGoal: Increase proficiency in non-calculator questions

Goal: Increase proficiency in multi-step problem solving abilities.

ScienceGoal #1: Increase student success in school-based exams and on the PATGoal #2: Increase student proficiency in analyzing various forms of data for understanding, inferencing and making data-based conclusions. Goal #3: Increase student understanding, knowledge and skills in the “Environmental Chemistry” Unit in grade 9.

Achieved Continue/Modifybased on data analysis.

Achieved Continue/Modifybased on writing scores.

Achieved Continue/Modifybased on data analysis.

Achieved Continue/Modifybased on data analysis.

English Language Arts Standard of Acceptable – 89.9% to 75.1%Standard of Excellence – 15.1% to 14.7%

Reading+2.3% increase in Acceptable.+6.8% increase in Excellence.Writing+.2% increase in Acceptable.-2.7% increase in Excellence.

MathematicsStandard of Acceptable – 73.4% to 60%Standard of Excellence – 25.9% to 19%Part A+16.9% increase in Acceptable.+ 7.7% increase in Excellence.Part B+10.3% increase in Acceptable.+15.5% increase in Excellence.

ScienceStandard of Acceptable – 87.1% to 75.2%Standard of Excellence – 51.1% to 26.4%Knowledge+5.6% increase in Acceptable.+18.3% increase in Excellence.Skills+8.5% increase in Acceptable.+28.1% increase in Excellence.

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Social StudiesGoal #1 – Increase focus on Economic Decision making; Consumerism, quality of life, and political decision-making questions in grade 9.

Goal #2 – Continue to use Source Analysis in Grades 7 and 8 to enhance student understanding of curriculum concepts.

Goal #3 – Use non-fiction Flipboard articles (Grade 7,8, 9) and Microsoft Teams assignments to help support and give practice to students regarding Source Analysis in contexts beyond traditional class assignments and testing.

Goal #4 – Focus on ELL success with classroom and testing materials, with emphasis on data/source analysis academic vocabulary.

Achieved Continue/Modifybased on data analysis.

AchievedContinue

AchievedContinue

Achieved

AchievedOngoing with Modifications.

Social StudiesStandard of Acceptable – 83.5% to 68.7%Standard of Excellence – 23.7% to 20.6%

+9.2% increase in Acceptable.+3.7% increase in Excellence.

Higher (.4 - .8%) in all reporting categories:Political and Judicial System.Individual and Collective Rights.ImmigrationEconomic Decision MakingConsumerism, Quality of Life, and Political Decision Making.

All teachers have been trained and are using this technology in their classrooms.

Breakdown of ELL individual student results were positive and mirrored the results of the entire cohort.

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Data Analysis: Areas to celebrateAccountability Pillar

Sir John Thompson received the following overall positive ratings as listed below. Achievement Measure Very High in the following categories: Safe and Caring, Program of Studies, Education Quality, Drop Out Rate, PAT Excellence, Work Preparation, Citizenship, Parental Involvement, and School Improvement. Achievement Measure: High in the category of: PAT: Acceptable

Improvement Measures Improved or Significantly Improved in the following categories: PAT Excellence, PAT Acceptable, Work Preparation.

Overall Measure Evaluation: Excellent in the following categories: Safe and Caring, Program of Studies, Education Quality, Drop Out Rate, PAT Excellence, PAT Acceptable, Work Preparation, Citizenship, Parental Involvement, and School Improvement.

District Satisfaction Survey

Sir John Thompson has shown good improvement in the following areas:

Parents: Parents rated 40 of the 44 measures at 100% with significant improvement in the following areas.+3.2% - #6 My child has the opportunity to participate in Social Justice

activities at school.+3.2% - #10 Students in my child’s school receive additional services and

support when they need it.+4.2% - #11 I am satisfied that my child’s school uses a variety of methods to

help him/her learn.+2.9% - #17 I am satisfied with the way that student discipline is handled in my

child’s school.+2.8% - #19 My child is developing reading and writing skills that will prepare

them for the future.+2.9% - #21 Critical thinking skills are taught at my child’s school.+3.2% - #26 My input is considered and valued by my child’s school.+2.8% - #27 I feel welcome in my child’s school.

Students:+12.3% - #5 I have the opportunity to participate in Social Justice activities.+6.9% - #10 I have opportunities to make decisions about my learning.+2.3% - #16 Expectations for student behavior are clear.+4.6% - #19 Teacher assessment, peer assessment, and self-assessment help me

improve my schoolwork.+8.8% - #22 My teachers use a variety of approaches to meet my individual

learning needs.+2.6% - #25 In my school, I am given the opportunity to communicate my

learning through a variety of media.Staff: Staff rated 35 of the 45 measures at 100% with significant improvement in the following areas.

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+6.2% - #9 People of all faiths and cultures are welcome in our school/site.+5.9% - #10 I am satisfied with the way student discipline is handled in our

school.+ 5.9 % - #16 Care and concern for others is evident in day-to-day interactions at

our school/site.+ 8 % - #33 Our staff works as a team in our school/department.+ 12% - #39 I am satisfied with the communication from my school.+ 11.8% - #40 I have appropriate opportunity for input into decisions that affect

my job.

District comparison – Table C

Students:+7.8% - #10 I have opportunities to make decisions about my learning.+7.4% - #25 In my school, I am given the opportunity to communicate my

learning through a variety of media.+4.3% - #1 Our religious celebrations at school are important.+4.1% - #4 My Catholic school encourages me to deepen my understanding of

my faith.+4.0% - #2 My school offers opportunities for me to participate in prayer during

the school day.

Parents: Parents rated 40 of the 44 measures at 100% with significant improvement in the following areas.+6% - #17 I am satisfied with the way that student discipline is handled in my

child’s school.+4.7% - #26 My input is considered valued by my child’s school.+4.6% - #10 Students in my child’s school receive additional services and

support when they need it.+3.8% - #12 My child’s school helps my child learn to the best of his/her ability.+3.3% - #21 Critical thinking skills are taught at my child’s school.

Staff:Staff rated 35 of the 45 measures at 100% with significant improvement in the following areas.

+10.8% - #10 I am satisfied with the way student discipline in handled in our school.

+9.8% - #19 Our school is providing the necessary supports for children with special needs.

+9.7% - #31 I am satisfied with the decision-making processes that take place at our school.

+8.0% - #30 I have appropriate opportunity for input into school level decisions that affect my job.

+7.8% - #23 I receive the resources required to do my job given the limits on school and district resources.

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Regression Analysis

Regression Analysis – 2018/2019 PAT results

English Language Arts (=) Mathematics (+) Science (+) Social Studies (=)

PAT/Diploma analysis

Sir John Thompson School achieved above the province in the following subject areas:

English Language Arts Standard of Acceptable – 89.9% to 75.1%Standard of Excellence – 15.1% to 14.7%

MathematicsStandard of Acceptable – 73.4% to 60%Standard of Excellence – 25.9% to 19%

ScienceStandard of Acceptable – 87.1% to 75.2%Standard of Excellence – 51.1% to 26.4%

Social StudiesStandard of Acceptable – 83.5% to 68.7%Standard of Excellence – 23.7% to 20.6%

Areas to target for growth Data Source

Measures Goals in response to data

Accountability Pillar

Achievement Measure Evaluation: There are no achievement measure evaluations that have dropped from last year. All are listed as Very High with one category, PAT: Acceptable, at High having improved from Intermediate from last year.

Measure Category: Student Learning Achievement

Achievement Measure Evaluation: PAT: Acceptable - High

Improvement Measure: PAT: Acceptable - Improved

Overall Measure Evaluation: PAT: Acceptable - Good

All the overall measure evaluations are Excellent except for PAT Acceptable which is rated as Good.

We were very pleased with our Accountability Pillar results from last year. Particularly the measures of PAT: Acceptable and Excellence as well as Work Preparation and School improvement. We continue to believe that continuing our literacy and numeracy (Goal 2) goal from last year will increase our students in class and overall PAT performance. Also continuing to support and move to a CRM model for student support we believe will support our Mental Health (Goal 3) and will lead to increased PAT results (Goal 4).

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District Satisfaction Survey

Two-year comparison table

Parents: -1.0% - #15 My child’s school teaches respect for

different cultures and religions.

Staff:-16.7%- #18 School professional development

provides me with an opportunity to improve my work skills.

-9.1% - #36 I am aware of the District Plan for Continuous Growth for this school year.

-8.3% - #22 School/department finances are being allocated in keeping with our core values of fairness.

-4.3% - #4 Our school/site is involved in social justice, service, and charitable activities.

-4.3% - #11 The approach to conflict management with adults in our school/site is reflective of our core values.

Students:-11.9% - #21 I know what I need to do to receive a

senior high school diploma.-5.2% - #17 Student discipline is handled fairly.-5.0% - #18 My school teaches me the value of

healthy food choices and active living.

District Comparison – Table C

Parents: -0.9% - #15 My child’s school teaches respect for

different cultures and religions.Staff-10.2% - #36 I am aware of the District Plan for

Continuous Growth for this school year.

-9.5% -#18 School professional development provides me with an opportunity to improve my work skills.

-3.5% - #4 Our school/site is involved in social justice, service, and charitable activities.

-.3% - #18 School/department finances are being allocated in keeping with our core values of fairness.

We were very happy with the results of the parent survey. Parents rated 40 of the 44 measures at 100%. The 1% lower than last year was a surprise. This has been addressed at a Religion department meeting.

Staff rated 35 of the 45 measures at 100%. We discussed the staff survey results as a group and noted that the low number in #18, 22, 4, and 11 were due to controversial decisions earlier in the year which have now been corrected. #36 was determined that this should be brought forward in our new EA and support staff meetings. Teachers are aware of the district goals as they go over them at teacher staff meetings.

Staff discussed these as a group. #21 will be addressed by printing High School Diploma charts for the classrooms and admin exploring the feasibility of using My Blueprint a career planning tool. #17 and #18 will be addressed during a student leadership meeting to determine if any improvements can be made.

The comparisons with the district show similar discrepancies as the year by year comparison above. The only one that was a major surprise to our staff was #4 which showed a -3.5% drop in social justice and charitable activities at Sir John compared to the district. This was very surprising as we run the Sign of Hope campaign which is a huge school event. This year

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Students-3.0% - #17 Student discipline is handled fairly.-2.4% - #26 Critical thinking and inquiry are

taught at my school.-2.3% - #21 I know what I need to do to receive a

senior high school diploma.-1.5% - #18 My school teaches me the value of

healthy food choices and active living.-1.2% - #20 I know what I need to do to be

successful in school.

we are changing this event to be entirely run by our students instead of it mainly being run by adults.

The district comparison for students is similar to the year by year comparison. We will add a PE portion on healthy living and healthy choices to our Mental Health goal (Goal# 3).

Regression Analysis

All of our Regression scores have maintained or increased.

Continuation of our Literacy and Numeracy goal #2 and modifications based on data analysis in specific subject areas in goal #4 we believe, will maintain or improve this year’s scores.

PAT/Diploma analysis

Sir John Thompson School achieved below the province in the following subject areas:

English Language Arts Below Acceptable Standard – 5.0% to13.3%

Mathematics Below Acceptable Standard – 21.6% to 29%

ScienceBelow Acceptable Standard – 7.9% to 13.8%

Social StudiesBelow Acceptable Standard – 11.5% to 20.5%

We were extremely pleased with the performance of our students on the PAT exams. The results to the left where we were below the provincial average were also positive. We had far less of our struggling students below the acceptable standard that the province. Nonetheless, the success of all our students continues to drive modifications in our academic areas. Goal #2 our Literacy and Numeracy goal will continue with modifications based on specific data in the hopes of seeing increased success for all our students who have been through two years of the reading and math enhancements. Goal #3 our Mental Health goal has been modified to include the new Collaborative Response Model which we believe will allow us to become more efficient and reach more students and assist them to meet their potential.

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Sir John Thompson School Goals for 2019-2022:Goal #1: Enhance the Catholicity of Sir John Thompson SchoolDistrict Correlation: Edmonton Catholic School District Goal: Live and enhance the distinctiveness of Catholic educationThis goal is central to our mission and fundamental to our being. 1.1 Demonstrate the distinctiveness and strengths of Catholic education.

b) Enhance and strengthen our Catholic identity within each site by implementing the district Catholic identity plan.i. My Catholic school belongs to God’s family.ii. My Catholic school has a charism where our gifts are shared.iii. My Catholic school is the place where we learn to live our faith in our contemporary world.

c) Demonstrate a way of life rooted in the Catholic Christian call to discipleship and service. d) Ensure that permeation of faith remains central in all our day to day practices.

Sub Goal a) Have the Sir John School Community understand the concept of ‘Charism’ and how ours is reflected each day at school.

At Sir John Thompson, we believe that each of us has a set of unique gifts that we use daily to support each other. We work together each day by instilling hope through faith in all our students so that they will continue to grow each day into fine young men and women that they each have the potential to become. We persevere in our faith while serving others as others as Sir John Thompson did. Strategy Actions Measures/ Evidence of effectiveness

To create and understanding amongst our students of what a ‘Charism’ is and how it is lived at Sir John Thompson.

Introduce the concept on our daily announcements and broadcast.

Have students determine how our Charism is lived at our school each day and recognize those actions by creating an area in our new office space where student identification of our Charism can be reflected.

Student recognition as reported to the principal. In the office. Data analysis to determine if we can maintain our high rating on the Accountability Pillar.

Ensure that each person who enters our school has a way to share their gifts from God.

Promote the inclusion of all students in our out of class activity groups. Students can contribute in school/community service opportunities: Sign of Hope, Food Bank, and Music in the community.

Get feedback from all staff on how all our students are included. Address as a standard item at staff meetings.

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Sub Goal b) Permeate the Catholic faith in the daily life of the schoolStrategy Action Measures/evidence of effectivenessPromote the prayer life in the school.

The entire school will pray an enhanced liturgical prayer at key times in the Liturgical year. Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and Easter after lunch time before afternoon classes.

Sports teams will pray together prior to playing games.

Students will be further immersed in the faith life of the school through their participation in prayer.

Demonstrating this at all our tournaments and at each Athletic team game.

Engage our school community in the creation of a Catholic themed entryway in our new renovated area.

Create an art / religious themed area as a central focus of our faith as all members of the community enter our school in the new renovated front entryway and office.

Based on anecdotal responses of our community who will become immersed in the faith life of the school which begins by its physical appearance.

Promote the concept of social justice through engagement of participation and financial support.

The Student Leadership Team will tithe a portion of what it raises to support school charities.

A portion of raised funds will be donated to charities supported by the school such as the Sign of Hope.

Increase student active participation at school celebrations.

Our celebration team in coordination with our school music teacher will choose hymns that are common for each mass and have copies of the lyrics for students to sing.

Admin and teachers to review with students the expectation of responses in the liturgy.

Consultation with Father Mark and anecdotal evidence from staff and our student choir that students are more engaged in the singing portion of the mass.

All students will respond during the liturgy of the eucharist.

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Goal #2: Promote Literacy and Numeracy at Sir John Thompson SchoolDistrict Correlation: ECSD Goal One: ECSD students are successfulEdmonton Catholic School District Key Strategies:

1.2 Identify and implement best practices that align with excellent pedagogy and learning environments while developing a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy. A strong start to learning necessitates a focus upon developing competencies, i.e. communication, growth and well-being, creativity and innovation, critical thinking, problem solving and management of information.

1.3 Implement pedagogical and assessment practices focused on improving students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of subject-area disciplines and cross-curricular connections.

1.4 Identify and implement best practices in disciplinary literacy from early learning through to graduation to ensure all students have the foundational skills for success.

Sub Goal a) Maintain targeted reading students do on a weekly basis and increased focus on student writing time.

Strategy Actions Measures/ Evidence of effectiveness

Maintain student reading time given in class, to increase literacy and appreciation for reading.

Increase students’ ability to understand and identify the meaning of unknown words in context.

Students will increase

Language Arts

The Language Arts department will dedicate 15 minutes at the start of every class to independent reading.  (75-90 minutes per week, supervised in class)

Students will track their reading by tallying it as well as logging books with basic summaries.

Students will reflect regularly on reading choices as well as each term on improvements seen in Reading Comprehension assessments.

Teachers will address 8 times a year in reading comprehension assessment review.

Teachers will have students identify words in personal reading books and isolate chunks of the text around the unknown word to practice these strategies.

Every student will have read and log 30 novels by June 10.

Students reading abilities will improve as measured by the reading portion of the PAT exam in June 2020.

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their disciplinary literacy through increased awareness and understanding of Social Studies specific vocabulary through reading and review of key terminology throughout each unit of study.

Science Department will devote 10 minutes each week to enhance the literacy skills of our students by giving them the opportunity to focus on reading science subject material.

Social Studies Teachers will provide subject specific reading on average of 2 times per week. Reading will not be assessed; it’s goal will be the familiarity and acquisition of

subject specific terminology. Students’ increased mastery of content will help ensure that they are better able

to demonstrate and transfer their knowledge to different scenarios/situations and deeper level question styles (skills and processing).

Science Extra Ilearn sessions will be held to expand science vocabulary, allow for extra

time to read science material, read and discuss science current events Literacy Awareness - Students will have a choice of reading a topic of interest

within the science subject area for ten minutes at the beginning of class once a week. Each science class will have reading resources for students to choose.

Literacy Knowledge and Understanding - Students will spend the first 5 minutes of each science class reading science vocabulary to enhance their understanding in science terminology and etymology.

Focusing on these foundations in Science and Social Studies will increase literacy across the entire subject area at measured On the June 2020 PAT. Acceptable and Excellence will be maintained.

Sub Goal b) Increase students’ literacy and numeracy skills in Math. Strategy Actions Measures/evidence

of effectivenessBuild logic and problem-solving skills in math.

Promote basic math skills (literacy)

Students in grade 8 and 9 will complete a daily practice booklet on integers, fractions, multiplication / division with decimals.

There will be posted in the school a problem of the week to increase student’s awareness of Math.

Daily problems of the day for grades 7 and 8 will begin after Minute Math booklets (building basic numeracy) are complete.

Maintain the above district and provincial results on Acceptable and Excellence measures. Focus on problem-solving measures on the June 2020 PAT.

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Goal #3: Promote and support mental healthDistrict Correlation: ECSD Goal Three: ECSD respects diversity and promotes inclusionKey Strategies:

3.1 Implement the Inclusive Education Policy Framework by ensuring that schools focus on the creation of welcoming, inclusive, caring, respectful and safe learning environments for all students and staff.

3.6 Continue to provide and develop services and model initiatives that promote student health, using the Mental Health Strategic Plan and staff health through Human Resource Services initiative.

3.7 Ensure that learner centered decisions are based on the 6 Principles of Inclusive Education.3.8 Further develop a Collaborative Response Model with school multi-disciplinary teams.

Sub Goal a) Support those students who are struggling with mental health issues. Strategy Actions Measures/ Evidence of

effectivenessInquire into a streamlined model to allow for teachers to contribute to and have quick access to all student information gathered.

Create a Collaborative Response Model for Sir John Thompson which has the end goal of expanding services and assistance to more of our students. By intervening early, we can improve the overall mental health of our students.

Work closely with our Inclusive Ed consultant.

A weekly review by the support team and administration will ensure all students at SJT will be planned for with the appropriate supports (parents, school, in school support or external options) when they are struggling with mental health issues. Review the data driven model that is in place and modify based on the Collaborative Response Model.

Student Support Team staff will attend Collaborative Response Model LSI sessions.

The team will do an onsite visit at a school that has this model in operation.

Test and modify a Collaborative Response Model for Sir John Thompson.

Meet throughout the year with the community support team and our Inclusive education consultant to brainstorm ideas on our current caseload.

Students with mental health issues will have increased support and professionals to assist them in coping with their issues.

All staff contributed to the student profile and received efficient and timely information that assisted them in all interactions with students and their families.

Anecdotal evidence based on partnership with Inclusive Educational consultant.

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Sub Goal b) Promote a healthy and caring environment in the school.

Strategy Actions Measures/evidence of effectiveness

Provide opportunities for students to practice mindfulness in response to emotionally difficult circumstances.

Create and continue our student support group model and explore new groups which will gather those students not connected to our community.

Through our Physical Education classes have our students learn the value of healthy food choices and active living.

Offer sessions such as the Ignatian Examen and yoga through ILearn (flex) for students to practice mindfulness.

As a part of student interactions our Support Team will teach and discuss mindfulness to those students who they have regular direct contact with.

Continue of support groups of students to meet regularly and with our support team to discuss/ develop skills in pre pro-active steps and post emotionally difficult circumstances.

Creation of a GSA.

PE teachers will use physical literacy to promote and encourage these topics in each PE class.

Create a display area where students can post healthy food choices and the benefits of active living.

The percentage of students with Moderate or High Levels of Anxiety will decrease below the District average as evidenced on the accountability pillar.

Student Support team will analyze their student contact data and report on and changes to their caseload.

Improvement on the student accountability pillar questions related to health.

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Goal #4: Maintain Sir John Thompson’s PAT Acceptable Standard results and surpass the province in all subject areas in the Excellence Standard category.

District Correlation: ECSD Goal One: ECSD students are successfulEdmonton Catholic School District Key Strategies:

1.2 Identify and implement best practices that align with excellent pedagogy and learning environments while developing a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy. A strong start to learning necessitates a focus upon developing competencies, i.e. communication, growth and well-being, creativity and innovation, critical thinking, problem solving and management of information.

1.3 Implement pedagogical and assessment practices focused on improving students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of subject- area disciplines and cross-curricular connections.

Sub Goal: Each subject area will focus upon areas of growth based on the results of the June 2020 exams.

English Language Arts Department Goal 2019/20Strategy Actions Measures/ Evidence of

effectivenessIncrease student ability to synthesize* ideas from both fiction and non-fiction texts and support their ideas with text-based evidence.

* Synthesize - Thinking Beyond the Text; adjust present understandings to accommodate new knowledge

Students will write regularly (4-8 minutes/day or 30 minutes/week)

One class in every seven classes will be set aside for students to respond to the self-selected text they are currently reading or one they have recently finished.  

In this response students will be challenged to synthesize the information from their text and their own experiences and respond in paragraph form using the SEE structure. (State your idea. Provide an example from the text. Explain how the example supports the statement.)  The SEE structure will enable the students to practice using textual evidence to support their ideas.  

Students will also be challenged to respond in the same way to common class texts (short stories, poem, non-fiction texts, films, etc.)  

SEE will be modelled by the teacher and practiced throughout instruction.

Students will use their daily notebooks to collect their writing. Students will create free-writes, personal journals and reading

responses.

Maintain the excellent result on the Acceptable Standard and the written portion of the June 2020 PAT exam.

The students’ results on the reading portion of the June 2020 PAT exam will increase.The Excellence Standard for Language Arts will equal or exceed the provincial average on the June 2020 exam.

Students writing abilities

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Grade 7 students will have the opportunity to develop three free-writes of their choice over the course of the year.

Students will also be challenged to respond in the same way to common class texts (short stories, poem, non-fiction texts, films, etc.)  

will improve and be reflected by their results as measured by the writing portion of the Language Arts PAT exam in June 2020.

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Math Department Goal 2019/20Strategy Actions Measures/ Evidence of

effectivenessIncrease proficiency in non-calculator questions.

Daily basic facts practice (+/- 18, multiplication/division tables to 12)

Advanced facts practice (integers, fractions, decimals) Practice using fractions (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing) Using no calculators for specific units throughout the year with

follow up practice in deficient areas

Maintain the above district and provincial results on Acceptable and Excellence measures. Analyze the individual and group results on June 2020 PAT Part A. Maintenance of Regression analysis results.

Increase proficiency in numeracy in problem solving.

Increase proficiency in constructing and interpreting charts and graphs. *Interpretation of charts and graphs was determined to be a weak item area in Math, Science and Social Studies.

ILearn sessions on problem solving according to grade level Problem of the week and word of the week on broadcast Review strategies for problem solving when reviewing exams and

quizzes Make a point of reviewing key 7 and 8 concepts with grade 9 Use PAT questions and vocabulary with all grades

ILearn sessions on constructing and interpreting graphs Cross-curricular project Math - Social Studies – Science using

charts and graphs Supplement current resources when introducing and teaching

charts and graphs Utilize technology to create and interpret charts and graphs

Maintain the above district and provincial results on Acceptable and Excellence measures. Analyze the individual and group results on Part A

Increase acceptable results on chart and graph related questions in all subjectsIdentified problem across several subject areas

November 2019 Page 20

Science Department Goal 2019/20Strategy Actions Measures/ Evidence of

effectivenessIncrease student success in school-based exams and on the PAT by using cross grade projects.

Science Teachers mark PATs and enroll students in PAT Field testing.

Project-based learning to review each unit at the end of the year. Using released PAT questions as a source of formative and

summative assessments to assist grade nines in preparation for their final examinations in grade 9 and in the future.

Guiding students to breaking down the questions, answers, and identifying the outcome/topic covered.

The achievement standards for Science will equal or exceed the provincial average on the June 2020 PAT exam. Maintenance of Regression analysis results.

Develop more hands-on activities and project-based learning to direct student focus and connect understanding between units (all grades).

Create a cross-unit project (grade 7) Incorporating graphs and different visual representations of data

into smaller labs and activities (grade 8&9) Teacher created lab groups (based on student strengths) One Ilearn session per Ilearn week per teacher with a hands-on

activity or lab to focus on how to read various graphs, legends, and then form a conclusion based on the set of data.

Teacher PD (ASN sessions, inter-visitations of science staff with high schools that focus on Science LAB experiences that we can prepare or students for in Junior High that will transfer to High School.

Student participation/involvement

The achievement standards for Science will equal or exceed the provincial average on the June 2020 PAT exam.

Increase student understanding, knowledge and skills in the “Electrical Systems” and “Environmental Chemistry” units in Grade 9 by incorporating more hand on LAB activities.

“Electrical Systems” Focus   Devoting increased teaching time on this unit focusing on the key

principles, terms and foundations to Electrical systems outcomes.  “Environmental Chemistry” Focus   Devoting increased teaching time on this unit focusing on the key

principles, terms and foundations to environmental chemistry outcomes

As a unit focus the projects and timelines adjusted to ensure there is adequate time for this goal to be executed.  

More lab/hands on activities and stations for learning and review of concepts while linking to PAT style questions-especially for Environmental Chemistry (Continued incorporation for Electrical systems unit, using last year’s changes)

The achievement standards for Science will equal or exceed the provincial average on the June 2020 PAT exam specifically, in the Electrical and Environmental Chemistry strands.

November 2019 Page 21

Social Studies Department Goal 2019/20Strategy Actions Measures/ Evidence of

effectiveness

Increase focus on Economic Decision-making questions in Grade 9 and continue to use Source Analysis in Grades 7 and 8 to enhance student understanding of curriculum concepts

Use non-fiction articles (Grade 7,8, 9) and assignments to help support and give practice to students regarding Source Analysis in contexts beyond traditional class assignments and testing

Focus on ELL success with classroom and testing materials, with emphasis on data/source analysis—academic vocabulary.

Create a unified classroom experience across grades and classrooms: virtual reality, Google Expeditions, interactivity, etc. beyond simple pencil and paper experiences. This includes classroom decorations as well such as maps, posters, etc. to create a Social Studies atmosphere.

Through increased focus on source-based exams Understanding symbolic meaning of prevalent items Comparing and contrasting multiple sources Synthesizing ideas to determine validity/relevance of

certain Better utilizing former PAT questions within our department

chapter exams and/or in class daily.

Increase student exposure to multiple styles of sources Increased use of primary sources where possible in class Increased use of sources on exams Political cartoon analysis within current events

Improve our students’ ability to move beyond knowledge and understanding and to more effectively represent their knowledge in skills and processing style questions.

Teachers to attend district and provincial PAT prep sessions. Enroll classes in PAT field testing.

The achievement standards for Social will equal or exceed the provincial average on the June 2020 PAT exam.

Monitor all reporting categories on June 2020 PAT results and determine areas of growth. Focus attention on Economic Decision-Making questions results.

Group our ELL students’ individual results and create a direct comparison from year to year.

November 2019 Page 22