Mamquam School Context

Moving forward from our previous plan; staff, parents and students will continue to focus on the student learning outcome goal of Creative and Critical Thinking.

As a learning community, we are still in the first year of development on our present goal. It started several principals ago with the refinement of the 2015-2016 School Learning Plan, in which there were many valuable goals and interventions. However, there was a feeling that the outcomes and strategies as laid out were too numerous and varied, making it difficult to execute interventions and track results. We came to a consensus that we desired one goal that was engaging for staff, students and families, where we could develop and target specific interventions and track our results more effectively.

To develop this one goal, staff considered different areas of learning. We considered the district competencies of Think Critically, Create and Innovate, Collaborate, and Contribute and the Ministry Core Competencies of Communication, Creative Thinking, Personal Responsibility and Social Responsibility. We asked ourselves which area(s) best encapsulated our most current plan and also excited us. That is, which area of learning would allow us to go deeper, while also capturing the learning outcomes, structures and strategies we already use and saw as valuable. Through the refining process it was decided that we would like to focus on the learning outcome goal of Creative and Critical Thinking.

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By focusing our goal in one area, it allows us to go deeper with the great work that we currently do, while exploring ways to improve our structures and strategies further. The purpose of this document is not to describe everything that is happening in the school, but rather to provide the relevant information as it pertains to the goal of having students develop as creative and critical thinkers.

As of October 2018, our structures and strategies for this goal are currently under development and are described for now as “coherent curriculum and effective instructional strategies.” These two areas have been identified as foundational for developing creative and critical thinking learning outcomes. Both defining and understanding what our specific learning outcomes are (coherent curriculum) and designing classroom interventions (effective instructional strategies) are essential elements as we work towards this goal. It should also be mentioned that one of our main instructional strategies is Arts-Infused Learning.

What process is used to review and revise your goal or inquiry?

• Ongoing discussion and conversations regarding school development and progress among staff

• Continued work to develop visioning and alignment

• We are using teaching strategies and structures that align with the direction of the school goals

• We are monitoring our progress with data that will keep us accountable for our goals and will also allow us to see if we are making a difference.

How are your staff, students and School Planning Team engaged in working on the School Learning Plan?

We have built a collective vision for our Teaching Team and Staff. This Values and Vision has been utilized and communicated to our parent body in parent presentations and is displayed proudly outside of our office.