School Focus for Enhancing Student Learning

Enhancing student learning is a focus at Thompson.  In order to support our students, staff engaged in a thorough inquiry process that involved scanning their current classroom contexts for student strengths and at the same time surfaced stretches that their students may be experiencing in school. Below is a summarized timeline outlining what the student learning focus has been overt the past few years, and an explanation as to how and why we arrived at focussing on what we have.

• Since starting this process in 2017, we learned that our students come to school with a positive attitude and are excited to learn and are curious about what they are learning about.  Students at Thompson love to create and they are very comfortable working with others.  They love to share ideas and are engaged with their peers socially.  Thompson students are diverse and come from a variety of backgrounds and have differing experiences They are socially responsible(SR) and strive towards solving problems in peaceful ways. To determine an area of focus for enhancing student learning, the staff scanned thier students and identified areas that were stretches for their students and then shared them at a Professional Development Day in May 2017 with Mr. Cherry. A common focus emerged from discussion. 

• Fast forward to the 2018/19 school year, where Thompson exerienced growth in its population (increased by nearly 100 students), with new teachers, new Educational Assistants, and new administration (Mr. Juhasz). During that time, our entire staff (Classroom Teachers, Resource Teachers, Educational Assistants, and Administration) dedicated themselves to improving how we "Communicate Student Learning"(CSL), and were part of the District sponsored Student Reporting Pilot Project(SRPP).  This project focussed on ways that we as a school could improve on how we assessed students in meaningful ways (connected to the revised currriculum), make the students and their parents more part of the learning and communication process (it takes a villiage), with the end-result being that students are more intentional, metacongitive (they think about their thinking) and mindful as they approach their learning.

• In terms of professional development for the staff, the use of ePortfolio necesitates that we be more tech savvy. Every classroom teacher (and support staff) is using ePortfolio as a vehicle for the communication of student learning(CSL). To support this learning for staff, our staff has a steering committee called th CSL committee. The committee is comprised of technology and curricular leaders on staff, all of whom were tasked with being peer-mentors. The professional development focus has been to create a high technology tide that raises all of the boats with their colleagues, so each teacher is confident in using ePortfolio. A second layer of support is the Applied Design Skills and Technology (ADST) curriculum focus group comprised the Primary Teachers, Resource Teachers and Mr. Juhasz. This group is creating a K/1 and a 2/3 scope and sequence for tech skills, building not only capacity for staff, but also for the youngest students in the school so that they are eventually capable of performing independent tech tasks associated with their ePortfolios. In essence, not only are the students involved in an inquiry, so too is the staff. We hosted meeting for parents in both English and Chinese, and addressed our school focus monthly at our PAC meetings, emphasizing that "we're on a learning journey together." To learn more about our learning journey, use this link to connect to our February 7th school Newsletter. 

• The foundation for any of this to be possible is "growth mindset," and that was the impetus for us continue the thread with what we learned when we had our SR school-wide goal in 2017/18.

• In additon to the SRPP Communicating Student Learning Pilot project that our whole staff (Kindergarten through grade 7) embarked up for the 2018/19 school year, we kept ties with out previous Social Responsibility school wide goal. We continued where we left off the previous year going deeper into understanding our school culture and who we are as a community. Pockets of teachers who taught similar grades were doing "growth mindset projects."  Our whole staff used Deck's book titled Mindset as a resource. You can see from the "Our Learning" link, that we did school-wide projects connected to our Multi-aged Family Team activities.  

• This Communicatimng Student Leanring initiative evolved into the 2019/20 year as well, extending the notion of Communicating Student Learning via the ePortfolio, whereby students have been expected to be more metacognitive (which is the reflective ability to think more deeply about their own thinking.  From scanning the student work, we saw in the ePortfolios in 2018/19, our staff recongnized that we could enhance student learning further by providing more opportunuites to make thinking thinking more visible. Our inquiry was to find out if teachers and students made their teaching and learning more visible, would that enhance student learning and metacognition? This became our goal for the 2019/20 school year. Thus, each staff member was given the book titled, "Making Thinking Visible." We used this resource to learn more about teaching strategies that promoted 'Making Thinking Visible'.

• Our school year was cut short in 2020 due to the pandemic, and we were not able to fully unpack our observations regarding the degree to which students benefitted from this intiative. For the 2020/21 school year, we still had approximately 35% of our learners learning from home in the Transition learning program, so it was less than optimal for us scan our student for and assess needs and growth. Because of this, we continued with our "Making Thinking Visible" goal for the 2020/21 school year. Desite these challenges, our teachers continuied to have students make explicit connections to the big ideas, and make the big ideas visible in the classroom. Through student reflections in their ePortfolios, and from parents comments at conference time, both staff and parents noticed a deeper level of student comprehension, and an improvement in their abiity to discuss concepts at a deeper level.

At Thompson Elementary, we are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment that fosters not only academic growth but also the personal development of our students. Our school focus this year centers on three key areas identified during a scan of various data: improving student self-regulation skills, addressing concerns about inappropriate language, and enhancing feelings of belonging and positive self-concept.

1. Enhancing Student Self-Regulation Skills and Goal Setting: We believe that self-regulation is a fundamental skill that empowers students to be in control of their learning and day to day responsibilities. Through a comprehensive approach, we aim to teach students how to set meaningful goals, manage their time effectively, and persevere in the face of challenges. By providing students with the tools and strategies to self-regulate, we are helping them become more independent and resilient learners, preparing them for success both inside and outside the classroom. Professional learning will focus on Self Regulation Strategies and Executive Functioning Strategies (from the work of Nancy Perry and Sara Ward) 
2. Creating a Respectful and Inclusive Environment with a particular focus on strength based language: We recognize the importance of promoting a culture of respect and empathy within our school. We have identified a concern about the use of put-downs and inappropriate language among our students. To address this, we are implementing proactive measures such as weekly intentional acts of kindness that encourage the use of positive and respectful language on and off the playground. We will provide guidance and support to foster an environment where everyone feels safe and valued. 
3. Increasing Feelings of Belonging and Improving Students' Positive Self-Concept: A sense of belonging is crucial for student well-being and academic success. We are committed to creating a school community where every student feels like they are an integral part of our family. Through initiatives like Student Council, buddy classes, parent education, and a school wide focus on belonging and kindness that promotes inclusivity, peer support, and a strong sense of community, we aim to enhance students' positive self-concept and overall well-being. By nurturing these aspects, we will empower students to not only believe in their abilities but also to celebrate their unique qualities.