June, 2015 Page 1

School Plan for Continuous

Growth

School: St. Catherine

Date: 11/05/2015

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Edmonton Catholic School District Foundation Statements

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District Mission Statement

Inspired by

Love of the Father

Faith in Jesus Christ

Hope from the Holy Spirit

We believe in God and we believe

that each person is created in the image and likeness of God

that each child is a precious gift and sacred responsibility

in the goodness, dignity and worth of each person

that Christ is our model and our teacher

in celebrating and witnessing our faith

in transforming the world through Catholic education

that Catholic education includes spiritual growth and fulfillment

that learning is a lifelong journey

that all can learn and develop their gifts

in building Christ-centred communities for service to one another

that all have rights, roles and responsibilities for which they are accountable

that Catholic education is a shared responsibility in which parents have a primary role

The mission of Edmonton Catholic Schools is to provide a Catholic education that

inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and to serve God in one

another.

District Vision Our students will learn together, work together and pray together in answering the call to a

faith-filled life of service.

Our School’s Foundation Statements

School Mission Statement: St. Catherine School is a multi-cultural community that provides a Christ-centered, Catholic environment. Inspired by God and based on the teachings of Christ, the school is a welcoming and nurturing setting where students can deepen their relationship with God. Through the teachings of Christ, students celebrate their belonging, grow in faith and serve God and the community through acts of service. Guided by the Holy Spirit, students are provided with diverse opportunities to learn about the world through academics, the arts and physical education.

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School Vision: In order to develop the intellectual, spiritual, social and emotional growth of our students, we are committed to providing opportunities that foster life-long collaborative, critical and creative thinking skills.

School Plan for Continuous Growth

Step 1: Define:

Definition of what is required in developing the School Plan for Continuous

Growth for 2015-2016:

• Determine what changes or improvements are necessary in our school to meet

the learning needs of our students.

• Decide what aspects of what we do we wish to retain, change, and enhance.

• Seek out new ideas related to learning that we think are important to the needs

of our students.

• Consult students, parents, and all staff about what needs to happen at our

school.

Step 2: Discover:

Reflection on the current situation:

• All students, especially in light of our transient student population, need to

continue to learn how to demonstrate a welcoming and caring attitude and an

enhanced understanding of the Catholic faith by engaging in liturgical

celebrations in both the classroom and the school, fostering their Catholic

identity, and promoting safe and caring community relationships.

• Even though we have experienced some improvement in PAT results, we still

need to work at improving student performance on SLA’s or PAT’s through

teacher application in the classroom of data analysis, 21st century learning skills,

and innovative reading, writing, and ESL teaching strategies and practices in all

core subject areas in all grades

• While significant progress has been made in re-examining how we teach at the

school, all teachers still need to work at enhancing their practice and enriching

student learning through the visible implementation of 21st century learning skills

and community connections

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• We need to continue working at improving our use of technology by providing

teachers with the background knowledge and skills so that they feel confident to

use all aspects of technology with students.

• We need to start exploring other ways to innovate our teaching and learning at

the school by seeking new ideas related to initiatives we are already undertaking

or by searching out new directions for our school.

Description of school details and demographics:

• The current number of students as of September 30, 2015 is 479 from 100

Voices to Grade 9. In the past six years the population of St. Catherine has

increased by over 150 students to a peak of 508 students in September 2014,

but with a decline in numbers this September 2015. Many of our families have

moved to other parts of the city where they have bought homes or found

improved rental accommodations. The Canadian dream is coming true for them

and they are moving on. However, even with the constant transience in the past

three years our population has stabilized at about 500 students.

• Our population in the past four years has continued to be very transient. We

have had on average 200 students leave and arrive each year. In April 2015 we

had approximately 380 students indicate that they would remain at the school for

2015-2016. From September 1 to June 1 of last school year we had 132

students arrive and leave the school. This current year we have had nearly 35

new students arrive and 45 students leave between August 17 and September

30.

• There are over 285 ELL students (5 years) and over 400 ELL students (seven

years) registered at St. Catherine in the 2015-2016 year. The large number of

ELL students presents challenges and opportunities for the staff of the school

and require staff to address the special learning issues that may arise with so

many students for whom English is not a first language. This has compelled

teachers to continue to evaluate their teaching styles and embrace new practices

to address the learning challenges of the students.

• The majority of our students are recent immigrants to Canada or have parents

who are recent immigrants to Canada. Most of our families come from the

countries of the Horn of Africa, Nepal, Indochina, and the Philippines. Smaller

numbers of families come from Central and South America, Portugal, Sri Lanka,

India, and Nigeria.

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• There are 14 FMNI students registered at St. Catherine for 2015-2016 school

year. Most of these students are newly arrived to the school community and also

compromise our most severe behavior students.

• There are two district programs at St. Catherine’s: 100 Voices and full-day

kindergarten. We were one of the first two schools to introduce the 100 Voices

program eight years ago.

• At present we have 3 code 42 students and 1 code 44 student in the school from

grades 2 to 9. At the same time we also have many students who are

academically very low and are in need of extensive adaptations in their learning

programs. Many of our ELL students also bring many challenges into the

classroom, not just in the area of language acquisition, but also in the way that

they learn.

Step 3: Dream

First Goal and Sub-goal:

Goal One: Live the distinctiveness of Catholic education

1.1 Demonstrate the distinctiveness and advantages of Catholic education.

a) Cultivate and support a Catholic ethos/environment within each site.

b) Demonstrate a way of life rooted in the Catholic Christian call to discipleship and service.

c) Ensure that permeation of faith remains central in all our day to day practices.

1.3 Demonstrate commitment to and excellence in Catholic education.

a) Deliver our Religious Education programs to all students as a spirit-filled lived experience.

b) Continue a focus on faith formation learning opportunities for all staff.

c) Expect the same practice of excellence, professional preparation and quality of resource

materials for Religious Education instruction as for other academic instruction.

Second Goal and Sub-goal:

Goal Two: Every student is successful

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2.1 Ensure that educational experiences that meet the diverse needs of our learners are

available to all students.

2.2 Ensure that every school and department is committed to improving student learning

and achievement within the context of a 21st century Catholic learning community.

a) Implement the “Transform! Engage in Christ-Centred Learning for Today and Tomorrow” plan

focusing on 21st century fluencies.

b) Ensure that a variety of assessments including formative and summative are used and that

assessment practices are aligned with 21st century competencies.

c) Ensure that technologies are embedded into the instructional design of the programs of study.

d) Ensure that appropriate and approved resources are used to support learning in the

classrooms and that appropriate resources are allocated to support departments.

Third Goal and Sub-goal:

Goal Three: Quality teaching and school leadership

3.1 Provide professional learning opportunities that build the capacity of all staff.

3.2 Engage in good stewardship of resources: human, financial, and physical.

3.3 Increase academic achievements by promoting successful practices in teaching to

support all students in the 21st century.

3.4 Ensure that technologies for learning and innovation are embedded in the

instructional design, with guidance from Alberta Education’s Learning and Technology

Framework.

Goal Three: Quality teaching and school leadership

3.1 Provide timely and relevant professional learning opportunities for all staff.

Step 4: Design

SCHOOLS GOALS – 2015-2016

District Goal: Goal One: Live the distinctiveness of Catholic education

Sub-Goal:

1.1 Demonstrate the distinctiveness and advantages of Catholic education.

1.3 Demonstrate commitment to and excellence in Catholic education.

School Goal:

All students will demonstrate a welcoming, compassionate, and caring attitude and an

enhanced understanding of the Catholic faith as measured by engaging liturgical

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celebrations in both the classroom and the school, all teachers teaching religion both as

a course and permeated throughout the curriculum, fostering of Catholic identity, and

promoting safe and caring community relationships.

Promote classroom religious instruction and liturgical celebrations as prescribed in the Religious Education Program of Studies.

o Teachers continue to teach religion to their homeroom classes at a designated time each day.

o Recognize and celebrate Catholic feasts and other important Catholic events each morning during broadcast and within the classroom setting.

o Ensure classroom religion tables reflect various Catholic feasts and Church seasons throughout the year.

o Provide teachers with resources (theme book, missal etc.) needed to teach effectively religious education.

o Invite parents and guests to attend various classroom celebrations throughout the year.

o Prepare and display student-prepared Catholic symbols that reflect liturgical seasons or Catholic feasts.

o Promote student-led prayer each morning during broadcast. o Enhance classroom religion tables with new items and re-organized

religion supply bins. o Develop further the role of Chaplain to help teachers promote religious

instruction and liturgical celebrations in classrooms. o Have the grade 1 teachers lead the way with teaching the new Religious

Education Program of Studies.

o Promote school wide liturgical celebrations

o Have each homeroom religion class lead a special school wide liturgy during the year.

o Incorporate faith filled music to enhance liturgical celebrations. o Devote a special religion themed day and liturgical celebration to the

commemoration of St. Catherine of Sienna. o Encourage the school chaplain to take a leadership role in preparing and

organizing school wide liturgical celebrations

Foster and promote Catholic identity within our school community

o Encourage the school chaplain to develop stronger links with the St. Andrew Parish.

o Invite priests from St. Andrew’s Parish to participate in school-wide celebration and visit classrooms.

o Invite Jovita from St. Andrew’s Parish to speak to students about the sacramental preparation program.

o Invite his Grace Archbishop Smith to the school. o Invite a priest or deacon from the Koptic Catholic-Orthodox church to

participate in a school liturgical celebration.

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o Invite a priest or lay person from the Vietnamese Catholic Church to participate in a school liturgical celebration.

o Continue to enhance the school entrance and foyer with more visible signs of Catholicity for students to see God, Jesus, Mary and other aspects of our faith.

o Promote parish news in school newsletter and parent information board and promote school news in parish newsletter.

Create a community that promotes learning for all students and also

o practices collective ownership to meet students’ needs o Continue to use a centralized intervention plan to assist struggling

learners. o Continue to develop the role of Learning Coach to assist with providing

interventions and programming for struggling learners. o Ensure that all students receive appropriate programming based upon

their learning needs. o Develop partnership with parents to encourage them to be actively

involved in educational activities throughout the year. o Continue to develop the role of transition coach to work with FMNI, ELL

and all students transitioning to grades 7 and 10. o Seek counseling assistance for those students in need of these services. o Promote use of MDT and RCSD teams to assist students and teachers.

Continue to promote and foster a safe and caring community

o Encourage different presentations on bullying, social media, and cultural, ethnic and religious diversity to encourage positive student behavior and relationships.

o Provide students with learning activities, cultural activities and extracurricular activities within the curriculum that promote a healthy and active lifestyle.

o Continue to foster relationships built upon dignity, respect, and honesty. o Promote teacher wellness by continuing CCPLC time and other

opportunities for teaching and individual planning time. o Use a variety of funding sources (Breakfast for Learning, individual

donations, and E4C) to expand and improve the breakfast-snack program for all students.

o Continue to promote a lunch program that provides healthy lunches for those students who come to school without lunch or enough lunch.

o Continue to build and maintain our relationships with community groups like Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA), Edmonton Public Libraries (EPL), U of A Discovery E, Alberta Soccer Association (ASA),

Chinese Lion’s Club, Queen Mary Park Association and Rotary Club, and

Southgate Lion’s Club, to provide programming for our students.

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o Continue St. Cat’s Krew for social justice development of grades 4-6

students.

District Goal: Goal Two: Every student is successful

Sub-Goal:

2.5 Ensure that educational experiences that meet the diverse needs of our learners are

available to all students.

2.6 Ensure that every school and department is committed to improving student learning

and achievement within the context of a 21st century Catholic learning community.

School Goal:

All students in all grades will work towards improving their performance on SLA’s and

PAT’s as measured by teacher application in the classroom of: 1. 21st century learning

skills, 2. reading strategies instruction and practice, 3. innovative technology use, 4.

leveled classes in ELA-ELL and Math, and 5. Project Based Learning.

Gather and analyze data to develop an understanding of the key areas for improvement o Meet as a professional learning community six times per year to engage

in focused reflective dialogue and review data related to learning results. o Gather and analyze data from SLA and PAT scores, reading and math

assessments and use this data to enhance teacher practice. o Improve upon our use of strategies of Balanced Literacy with running

records, Fountas and Pinnell benchmark assessment, small group reading instruction, etc.

o Seek out useful math assessments to determine accurate math class placement for students new to grades 4 to 9.

Implement specific teaching and learning strategies related to reading, writing and math instruction focused on the 21st century learner

o Target specific PD and teaching time for practice of basic skills in reading and reading strategies.

o Promote PD time to in-servicing teachers in digital media (Discovery Education and Science Tech Book) and technology strategies (iPads, MySite, and SMART Boards) that promote student literacy and math skills and improved overall learning.

o Continue the practice of four write-ons and two math-ons to encourage school wide writing and math practice.

o Use CCPLC time to engage students in multi-graded activities related directly to specific 21st century skills.

o Target specific teaching time for instruction related to subject concepts identified as in need of improvement in grades 6 and 9 as related to PAT analysis and in grade 3 by SLA analysis.

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Provide direct academic supports to ELL and FNMI students who demonstrate a need for learning supports within our school o Encourage LC teachers and ELL designate to work with ELL and FNMI

students both in class and through small group on specific learning deficits in order to improve reading levels and targeted math skills.

o Refine the delivery of ELA and math in grades 3 to 9 to create multi-graded learning environments that better reflect student learning needs and curriculum delivery.

o Encourage LC teachers, Tech teacher, and ELL designate to model teaching strategies to enhance ELL and FNMI student learning using digital technology and best teaching practices.

o Provide a transition coach to work with FNMI and ELL students to promote success in school.

o Purchase additional resources related to FNMI literature for classroom libraries to augment all students exposure to FNMI culture and literature.

o Purchase additional reading and writing resources related to ELL instruction.

Improve struggling readers’ scores (as per F&P results) in grades 1-9 by

three reading levels by June 2016. o Encourage teachers to use guided reading in their classrooms at least

three times a week. o Devote 30 minutes per day to student practice of Daily Reading and

Writing (DRAW). o PD teachers in “Daily Five” and CAFÉ strategies and devote specific time

in ELA and ELL classes to instruction using “Daily Five” and CAFÉ strategies.

o Provide assistance through external supports (Chinese Lion’s Club, EISA, EPL, etc.) to students to promote reading.

o Purchase classroom-library resources to support reading at the appropriate levels.

o Encourage teachers to create word walls (all classrooms) and CAFÉ walls (ELA classrooms) based on the principles of instruction in the CAFÉ book.

o Encourage teachers to use the “Daily Five” strategies in their ELA-ELL and DRAW classrooms to give students practice in the deportment and dynamics of reading and writing.

o Designate 0.8 FTE EA to focus on literacy in the grades 1-2. o Provide 15 different leveled ELL, ELA and Math classes for grades 3 to 9

students.

District Goal: Goal Three: Quality teaching and school leadership

Sub-Goal:

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3.1 Provide timely and relevant professional learning opportunities for all staff.

School Goal:

All teachers will transform their teaching practice and thus improve student learning as

measured by the visible implementation of a selection of the following “transformational”

practices: 1. CAFÉ and Daily 5 reading strategies, 2. Daily Reading and Writing

(DRAW) practice and instruction, 3. 21st century learning skills as related to Ministerial

Order, 4. Discovery Education, 5. Science Tech Book, 6. MySite, OneNote, and other

innovative technologies, 7. Project Based Learning, 8. Multi-graded learning

environments, 9. Oral language development, 10. Transform PD initiatives, 11.

numeracy and math, and 12. Revised CTF and fine arts learning.

Create opportunities for teachers to be exposed to new techniques, ideas and theories about learning and instruction

o Provide opportunities and encourage teachers to attend PD in-services related to reading instruction and practices, math instruction, Project Based Learning, inclusive learning practices, Discovery Education, Science Tech Book, CAFÉ and Daily 5, 21st century learning practices, and innovative technology.

o Send teachers to various Transform PD in-services. o Develop the role of the Transform Lead Teacher and Tech Lead Teacher

to work with teachers in developing their new techniques, ideas, and theories.

o Promote opportunities for teachers to visit each others’ classrooms and view colleagues’ instructional techniques.

o Send all new teachers to Project Based Learning PD by the Buck Institute for future school wide implementation.

o Provide opportunities for teachers in CCPLC time to investigate, reflect, share, and discuss new ideas, strategies and methodologies related to best practices in 21st century learning, CAFÉ and Daily Five, digital learning, Project Based Learning, differentiated instruction, and reading and numeracy instruction.

Experiment with specific 21st Century skills in classrooms and school-wide

o Encourage each classroom teacher to experiment and practice 21st century skills related to literacy, numeracy, problem solving, and 21st century learning fluencies.

o Encourage teachers to discuss in CCPLC the application of 21st learning skills and then practice the use of these skills in class.

o Encourage teachers to explore and practice Buck Institute inspired Project Based Learning.

o Continue school-wide project (Speak On) related to oral language development and practice.

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o Implement and review new school organizational structure for grade 6 students.

Support the improved use of classroom computers and computer carts

to enhance teaching and learning and support instruction focused on the 21st century learner

o Provide professional learning opportunities to assist teachers in how to use classroom computers, computer carts, iPads, and SMART boards to enhance learning and address specific learning needs for all students.

o Encourage teacher use of iPads and Apple TV for student instruction in all classrooms.

o Provide opportunities for teachers to work in CCPLC teams to learn and share specific iPads, MySite, Science Tech Book, and Discovery Education strategies to use on a daily basis in their teaching practice.

o Develop the role of Tech Lead Teacher to work with teachers in developing their use of technology and other 21st century practices.

Implement and revise CTF and Arts learning to reflect the full

implementation of new CTF curriculum and new multi-grade delivery model.

o Continue to include grade 6 students into Friday CTF courses. o Deliver new CTF courses in a “Project Based” and multi-graded approach

and revise courses for potential changes in 2016-2017. o Deliver fine arts curriculum in a new multi-graded and integrated model

and revise courses for potential changes in 2016-2017. o Explore models for grade 5 students to receive CTF instruction in 2016-

2017.

Step 5: Deliver

This step is the implementation phase of the plan. Throughout the year, your strategies

will guide you in your growth. As this is a living document, make notes on your plan

noting your achievements, your changes to the plan and the indications of your growth.

Share the completed plan with all members of the staff, your parent council, and upload

it to the portal and your school website.

Your School Plan for Continuous Growth 2015-2018 needs to be uploaded to the portal

under the Office of the Superintendent by November 30, 2015.

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Step 6: Debrief of last year’s plan

This step is the evaluation and reflection phase of the plan. As this process is cyclical

and not linear, this phase will be the basis of your “Discover” phase in your next year’s

plan. We also encourage you to review the plan with your staff in early March to

reevaluate your school growth.