Vision to Goal Setting
What is our Vision for Learning?
Education at Queensbury provides all children an equal opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to maximize their potential in intellectual, social and physical development.
At Queensbury we believe:
- In making everyone feel welcome
- Everyone matters
- Every child should have the opportunity to succeed
- In self-awareness and self-management
- In collaborating with parents and community partners for the success of all learners
We are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world where Queensbury Elementary is tucked into a forested area on the North Shore mountains. Our 300 students and staff are supported by a wonderful, well established community of parents and neighbours. When you enter Queensbury, we want you to immediately feel welcomed and valued.
Team
Queensbury’s Core Leadership Team represents representatives from all areas of the school. makes recommendations to guide our actions. It is a voluntary team who also provides leadership in the school planning process.
The team currently includes:
- Kelly La Roue- Principal
- Carly Roy- Vice Principal
- Heather Duncan- Intermediate Teacher
- Aidan Goheen – Music Teacher
- Christina Olson- CUPE
Planning & Implementation
What is our Action Plan?
.GOAL #1
To enhance a sense of belonging for students, staff, parents and guests within our school community.
Objectives:
- foster engagement in learning and school activities
- strengthen relationships and continue to build a culture of teamwork and collaboration
- practice inclusivity and attend to classroom and school climate
Strategies for Goal #1
Due to Covid-19 restrictions put in place by the Provincial Heath Officer (March 2020- current), many of our in person and group activities have been paused. We will happily resume these activities* when safe to do so.
- Engagement: family groups*, buddy class activities*, student performances and whole group assemblies*, Hallowe’en parade*, Terry Fox Run, Orange Shirt Day, team sports*, Indigenous Day assembly and activities, Black History Month, Â Literacy Week*, Freestyle Friday announcements, virtual assemblies, Earth Week activities
- Relationships: PAC events (Welcome Back BBQ, Movie night, Book Fair, Spring Fair) family groupings, buddy classes, Roots of Empathy, Tea and Talk, Peer Leaders, reading buddies, peer leaders, lunch monitors for primary classes, student of the week, monthly staff connection events,
- Inclusivity: fun day*, intermediate STEM activities, âpush in supportâ for learning support, implement First Peopleâs Principles of Learning (Invite members of District AbEd Team to support student learning), Orange Shirt Day & Assembly (virtual assemblies during Covid-19 restrictions), Kindness Month and Black History themes in February, BIPOC activities, National Indigenous Day activities in June.
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- Orange Shirt Day – Queensbury “Where every child matters”
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- Gord Dick FNSW
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- Black History Month
GOAL #2
Implement a common school-wide approach toward inclusion and teaching social-emotional skills
Objectives:
- Educate all staff including support staff and itinerant
to Implement Second Step program K-7, BIPOC initiatives
Strategies for Goal #2
- Create a team to develop a plan of action for teaching goal setting to teachers and EA staff
- Taking part in the FOS pilot for new reporting system that focuses on the individual goal setting for student success
- Commit to using SEL activities in family grouping activities throughout the year *(paused during Covid-19 restrictions)Â
- Focus on building BIPOC and SOGI library resources
- continue with morning announcements that merge SEL with BIPOC initiatives and monthly themes of inclusion
- Monthly standing item on staff meeting and discussion with weekly EA meeting
- Include non-enrolling and CUPE staff in classroom Second Step lessons
Monitor Evaluate & Adapt
What are our Indicators of Progress?
What are our Indicators of Progress?
- staff, students and parents will begin to see and use evidence of shared language (goal setting, inclusion, and problem solving language)
- we will gather data including evidence from report cards, FSA data for grade 4 and 7’s
- Middle Years Data (available every other year)
Areas for Further Development at Queensbury:
We continuously examine how our School Plan informs and reflects our values and our practices. By identifying our goals and aligning them with District goals, we are working toward being more inclusive with our actions and intentions. We continue to draw on our school plan when:
- planning school based professional development activities
- implementing school wide initiatives (Kindness month, Black History month, and National Indigenous Day activities
- learning resources and budget decisions
- curriculum and instruction
- communication and engagement of our school community
Communicating Progress
How do we Communicate our Progress?
For Staff
The Queensbury Staff will be kept up to date through:
- email, TEAMS site and Queensbury website
- daily announcements to include world music, SEL and local Indigenous information
- week at a glance for school wide activities/ announcements/ “to do” items
- Regularly scheduled meetings: Staff Meetings, SBRT, ESBRT, OHS, Primary / Intermediate team meetings, school planning team, and BIPOC team meetings
For the School Community
The Queensbury community will be kept up to date through:
- School messenger email reminders to families
- PAC meetings
- PAC bulletin board
- PAC weekly newsletter
- quarterly newsletters
- virtual assemblies and videos to include and support a feel of connection for our families and students on our transition program
- sharing of announcements and artwork on front entrance way tv monitor
- student agenda
- “window into the week” through teacher TEAMS accounts
- communication: phone calls, emails, parent-teacher conferences, IEP meetings, report cards
- our school website, and through the Vibrant learning website.Â
Despite the constraints of the safety protocols put in place this year to address Covid-19, our school community continued to address our goal of making everyone feel welcomed and included. While we couldn’t welcome visitors and parents into the school, we were able to create videos and presentations that we could share (virtually) with our community. We are definitely looking forward to welcoming our community back into our building next year!
A summary of 2020-2021:
- continue with implementation of Second Step curriculum (2nd year)
- continue with implementation of Family of Schools Ministry Pilot for Reporting and Assessment (2nd year)
- continue with District Food Access program and BC Fruit and Vegetable program
- continue mindfulness of “calming our classrooms and hallways” (decrease clutter; care and pride with student displays)
- created videos and virtual assemblies(Orange Shirt Day, Remembrance Day, Kindness/Black History month, National Indigenous Peoples Day, Year End Assembly, Grade 7 Farewell) throughout the year to keep students on our transition program (learning from home) connected to school activities
- implemented the use of TEAMS as a communication tool for staff, students, families
- Staff Collaboration focussed on Goal Setting and Assessment Tools (How to use Rubrics with Student Success in Mind – Presented by Diana Morris (FOS Teacher Leader))
- focus of indigenizing curriculum
- invited our district Indigenous Team to Queensbury on several occasions to learn about: historical perspectives, storytelling, local art (visual and weaving), games including slahal and lacrosse
- created school based and parent committee to support BIPOC teachings and inititatives
- intentionally focussed on Black History month in February, including inviting guest speaker Parker Johnson. to speak with staff and intermediate students (virtually)
- staff initiated learning sessions about “outdoor learning”
- participation in Cheakamus Centre outdoor learning opportunities for grade 4 and 5 students
- complete overhaul of Library furniture and seating options (funded by PAC and school block budget)
- purchase of 10 laptops to compliment district purchase of 15 laptops (funded by district and school)
- recipient of Indigo’s “Love of Reading” grant to support the purchase of BIPOC, resources
- School wide virtual participation in “Science Alive” activities created and presented by Simon Fraser University (PAC funded)
- Virtual Thank You video in place of our yearly “Parent Appreciation” activity
- Virtual Year End Assembly and Year End Slideshow
- Virtual Grade 7 Farewell ceremony