| Dear Chaparral Families,
Each year, teaching teams and school council groups throughout the CBE
system contribute to and create a School Development Plan. This plan is to
be read and understood in correlation with the school’s annual results report.
Both documents focus on continuous improvement in student learning
through planned and intentional responses to evidence of achievement and
data about the learning conditions that support student success.
The various sources of assessment information and feedback that inform the
School Development Plan are unique to each school. At Chaparral, our
considerations include:
- Report card marks,
- Provincial assessments like Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs – Grade 6)
and Student Learning Assessments (SLA’s Grade 3),
- Observations of student learning patterns, accomplishments and needs,
- Accountability Pillar Survey, and
- School process goals – the impact of previously identified goals and
strategies.
Through collective review of school results, we have determined that this
year teachers and students at Chaparral will continue to focus on improving
student achievement in written expression. In this process teachers will
implement high impact instructional strategies. Ultimately, we intend that
students at each level will understand what counts in writing and how they
can stretch their skills to the best of their abilities. The article in this newsletter
included under the heading, News from Grade Three, illustrates how this
approach is being taken up. As the year continues, we are looking forward
writing celebrations where students can commemorate their
accomplishments in the writing process and share their writing with an
audience.
In addition to our writing goal, we have identified a secondary focus for
2018-19 in the area mathematics. This goal will see students improve their
ability to apply appropriate and efficient strategies for mental math and
automaticity. These skills are key components to achieving the goals of
mathematics education. Our students will be well served through this focus
as they take part in daily practice through games, energizers, and oral
activities and apply self-assessment strategies to confirm mental math
calculations. Parents will note that at our recent conferences, teachers
shared two handouts that provide further explanation number fact fluency
and the developmental process students go through to develop number
fact fluency. Throughout the year, we will continue to share strategies for
home practice.
For further information on our School Development Plan for 2018-19 and Results for 2017-18 please visit our Our School page. Please look under Resources, on the
right hand side of the screen to download PDF copies of the School Development Plan, the Annual Results and
Mulit-year Reports for Provincial Achievement Tests.
As always, yours truly,
Chris Buhler
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