Vision to Goal Setting
What is our Vision for Learning?
What is our vision for learning?
The Ross Road school community of students, staff members and families work together to create and sustain an environment that encompasses and promotes our vision.
Vision
The School Community of Ross Road strives to support potential for all that values diversity and is built in a safe and caring environment.
At Ross Road we value…
Ross Road is welcoming, caring and inclusive. We foster a culture of engaged learners and critical thinkers, who are responsible and respectful. As a school community we promote a sense of belonging for all.
Goals
To create a culture of kindness and inclusivity in the Ross Road school community through the intentional and systematic teaching of social emotional learning skills.
To create a culture inclusive of Indigenous worldview by intentionally and purposefully integrating Indigenous content, knowledge and worldviews.
We acknowledge that in order to achieve success with these goal we need to:
- grow the social emotional competencies of all leaners
- make consistent and ongoing efforts to promote and support inclusion as it relates to equity, anti-racism and diversity
- include the First Peoples Principles of Learning and Indigenous worldview
Planning & Implementation
What is our Action Plan?
We made it our priority to emphasize social emotional learning and equity for all.
We continued implementation of our school-wide Second Step program. This included weekly Principal’s announcements and communications to families. Teachers explored the themes of Kindness & Inclusivity with students through their focus on acquiring and applying the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. As a staff we committed to support the intentional teaching of pro-social behaviours for all leaners.
We made a commitment to continue prioritizing the First Peoples Principles of Learning in all aspects of our day. Our Indigenous Ed team collaborated and continued to support staff in embedding Indigenous content and knowledge and to show Ross Road’s commitment to TRC 63 ii:
“sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.”
We are in the process of exploring equity and working towards a common understanding of the importance of representation and respect for all. As a staff we have broached important concepts on how to intentionally create safe spaces in our school for all members of our community to thrive.
School Planning Team Members
Administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and students.
Monitor Evaluate & Adapt
What are our Indicators of Progress?
Indicators of progress
We continuously examine how our School Plan informs and reflects our values and our practice, by identifying and deepening the alignment between our goals, our decisions and our actions. We continue to consider the connection between our School Plan and our practice in the following areas:
- Professional development and collaboration activities
- Learning resources and budget choices
- Indigenous Ways of Knowing
- Equity based learning and practices
- Curriculum and instruction
- Communication and engagement of our school community
- Communication with families
Next steps
- Continue to teach the Second Step program school-wide
- Continue to prioritize professional development around social-emotional learning and the First Peoples Principles of Learning & the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action
- Continue to engage in professional development opportunities about prioritizing equity in our teaching practices
- Creation of new goals for upcoming years
Communicating Progress
How do we Communicate our Progress?
Goal: To foster a culture of kindness and inclusivity in the Ross Road school community.
- Second Step in all classrooms
- Intentional teaching of pro-social behaviours
- Acknowledgement, Inquiry, and honouring important dates
- School Based Indigenous Ed Team
- Student driven SOGI Club: We R’ Us
- School Clubs (Chess club, Book Club, Enviro club, Choir, Ultimate)
- Athletics
- Restorative justice focus
- Trauma-informed practice
- Use of Zones of regulation
- Classroom meetings
- Assemblies and Announcements
- School Wide Activities
Goal: To intentionally and purposefully integrate Indigenous content, knowledge, and worldviews.
Daily acknowledgement of the traditional and unceeded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
Students in intermediate grades submitted personalized acknowledgements to be read as announcements.
Worked closely for part of the year with Sydney Doucet, a District Indigenous Educator to authentically implement Indigenous ways into our weekly practice.
Participated in an Orange shirt day assembly lead by grade 7s. Students were introduced to the 7 grandfather teachings and their meanings.
We continue to learn about Indigenous Ways of Knowing and First Peoples Principles of Learning across the curriculum and focus on the TRC Calls to Action.
We care for salmon eggs until they are ready to be released in our neighbourhood creek. A First Nations educator shares the history of salmon with students from an Indigenous perspective and shares stories of salmon from the local Squamish and Tseil-Watuuth Nations.
Members of the School Based Indigenous Ed team created a flyer with information and lessons which teachers can use in classrooms.
Students explore Indigenous knowledge, history, and culture from educators from the Cheakamus Centre.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, our school experienced enthusiasm, innovation, and fostering communal growth. With a dedicated staff and nurturing atmosphere, the school has achieved progress in our collective pursuit of our objectives. Our commitment to establishing a sense of belonging led us to actively engage in initiatives centered on inclusivity, representation and compassion.
Throughout the year, we organized various events and activities centered around Indigenous Education, Social Emotional Learning, SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity), and Trauma-Informed practices. These events served as platforms for learning, understanding, and growth, facilitating conversations and interactions that enriched our school community.
These events included:
The continuing of school sports and clubs including cross country volleyball, basketball, track & field, ultimate, Band & Strings, chess, We R Us and book club
Pancake Breakfast
Winter and Spring Fairs
Student led assemblies
Raising salmon
Buddy activities
Ice cream social
Pride walk organized by the We R Us Club
What is next the 2023-2024 school year?
In the Fall we will be using momentum gained through initiatives this past year to drive our school forward. We will continue with a focus on kindness, collaboration and community among students while collaborating and diving into the process of creating new goals and objectives for our school community.
Kindness:
Positive behaviour interventions & support plans to address school-wide behaviours (more for language and kindness, less aggression and violence)
Student-driven (not just from the SOGI club, intentionally addressed in the classroom by student leaders)
Language of Kindness
Student inspired, teacher driven, family re-enforced
High school or college mentors to connect with students about personal experiences
School wide assemblies with Second Step and Parachute
Everyday Speech
Virtue of the Week- announcements
Leadership Initiatives for Challenging Students
Inclusivity:
House Teams:
Takaya “Wolf” (Yellow)
Salmon (Red)
Bear (Black)
Eagle (Blue)
Orca (White)
Indigenous Elder Sponsors
Leadership Activities
Team Challenges
Activities relating to the core values:
Kindness
Indigenous
Sustainability
Ways to Integrate French and English School Communities
Team Teaching
Inter-Class Activities Grade Specific Events
Create a culture inclusive of Indigenous World views:
Maintain Indigenous Learning Committee
Implementing student voice on the Indigenous Learning Committee
Indigenous Renaming of School