At our January Board meeting, we released my 2018-19 Director’s Annual Report. As I along with our Senior Team were putting together the report I was reminded of the quote “A little progress each day adds up to big results” by Mayur Patil
Below I am pleased to share the ways, big and small, that we addressed the faith formation, student achievement and well-being needs of our students.
Fostering and promoting the distinctively Catholic character of our school communities and actively engage our partners though ongoing communication
- Worked in collaboration with Pillar Non-Profit, Brescia, King’s, Fanshawe and the Diocese of London to offer our Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Non-Profit students enriched reach ahead opportunities.
- Through our International and Native Languages Program we have worked with our community and cultural partners along with our day school principals to showcase our different languages, cultures and communities.
- Our Student Cabinet organized a Student Leadership K.E.Y. (Kindness Empowers Youth) Conference lead by students to encourage younger peers to develop greater initiative to promote equity, Catholic values and empathy in their lives, schools and larger community.
- Targeted, intentional and focused social media content resulting in an increased presence and reach on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Implementing research informed instructional and assessment strategies to support improved student achievement, well-being and reduce achievement gaps
- Implemented a Grade 7 and 8 guidance program. Secondary guidance counsellors engaged in regular monthly visits to grade 7 and 8 classes to continue to engage students in meaningful research and thoughtful planning of their Individual Pathway Plan (IPP), as well as planning for the transition into secondary.
- Implementation of Focusing on the Fundamentals of Math
- Teaching strategies responsive to student learning needs
- School teams from each secondary school met to review EQAO IIR data, contextual/questionnaire data for their school and classroom in order to determine areas for improvement
Professional learning opportunities offered focusing on vertical surfaces, spiraling and integrating iPads as an effective instructional and assessment tool
- Primary and Junior Mathematics
- Weekly professional learning opportunities for numeracy, rooted in Focusing on the Fundamentals of Math, offered via Skype to all primary educators in the board.
- Weekly email message sent to all primary and junior teachers supporting our work in Focusing on the Fundamentals of Math, with a brief piece of math content learning and related student tasks
- Continued to scale up MindUP, a social emotional learning program designed to improve learning, attendance and behavior. Expanded programming K to 3 through an Ontario Local Poverty Reduction Fund. Working in partnership with Western University Centre for School Mental Health and the Mary J. Wright Research and Education Centre
Embracing technology throughout the curriculum to support digital literacy, creativity, innovation, collaboration and promote higher levels of student engagement
- Continued training for lead learners and teachers to support embedding technology throughout the curriculum. Specific training included:
- Training and provision of devices to support student and teacher learning in the classroom
- Pedological documentation used to assist teachers in identifying learning gaps and the implementation of more precise strategies to support student learning
- Continued implementation and use of Texthelp Read-Write to support all students, particularly those with special education needs
Engage in innovative and collaborative organizational practices to provide for responsible and sustainable stewardship of resources
- Continued replaced traditional classroom desks with collaborative furniture and flexible seating for intermediate grades in growth schools
- Began implementation of School Messenger to assist with streamlining the tracking of student attendance and provisions under Safe Arrival.
- Labour-Management Committees fully operational to continue to address labour-related issues as they arise, on a proactive basis where possible.
- Continued community meetings held with the respective City and County Councils of London, Oxford and Elgin to share priorities and strategic plans.
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” Andrew Carnegie