性视界

Galiano Community School 2024 – 2025 School Plan

Our School

SCHOOL IDENTITY/CONTEXT

Galiano Community School (GCS) is in the 性视界 and is on the unceded traditional territory of the . It serves a community of approximately 1300 full-time residents. The school has a garden and is nestled among a forest that supports place-based and outdoor education programming. The school grounds include a sports field, two newer playgrounds, and an outdoor basketball and tennis court. The main building comprises three large classrooms, a flexible learning space, a library, a gymnasium, a kitchen, a daycare, and Strong Start programs, as well as the main office. GCS truly is a ‘community’ school. We share property with the community library and enjoy a quality learning partnership that provides bi-weekly literacy programming for students. We have strong affiliations with the (GACS), , and the . GACS supports organizing and running after-school programs for students. The Food Program helps support soup in the school on Mondays, as well as school food-related events, including Applefest and . The Food Program also supports a school garden coordinator to maintain the school garden space and provide collaborative learning opportunities for students. Galiano Community School has a population of 55 students with three divisions serving multi-age groupings: K/1, Gr 2/3/4, & Gr 4–7. 

OUR STORY

GCS started the 2023/2024 school year with several new staff. The school plan that year was created by many of the former staff, so in working through the 2023/2024 school year, we took these goals and thought about how we could grow together as a team. The goals were based on improving writing and building regulation skills for students. As a staff, we looked at how we could bring these goals to life. We set out to create writing stations in classrooms and purchased “build bins” of themed resources to support writing. We also looked at what regulation tools were being used across classes and what connections could be made. Of note, the 4–7 class built tech capacity this year to help show their writing in different forms and allow for more support in their writing. 

In working through the goals this year, there was a sense that, of course, writing and social-emotional skills are important. We will continue to strive to boost students' academic and social-emotional skills. In consideration of our diverse students and observations of student engagement, we sought to shift our goal. When we sat down as a team, the clear picture that came through was that our goals needed to encompass academic and social pieces while zooming out to a broader lens of how to get all students engaged and confident in their learning. The classroom environments do not currently meet the learning needs of all students. 

GOAL STATEMENT

Goal 1: To adapt learning environments and design lessons to increase engagement and inclusion for all students. 

In our school, we have a diverse set of learners, and not all of them feel a sense of confidence or connection in the classroom. We want to focus on adapting learning environments and designing hands-on lessons that support inclusion based on a (UDL) model. We believe this connection and increased entry points for learning will allow for increases in literacy and numeracy, especially for students on the fringes of the classroom. In consideration of the , this will allow all learners to feel more of a sense of belonging as well as pride in their achievements. It also connects with the priority of Relationships and Belonging by fostering an inclusive learning environment for all.  

AREAS OF STRENGTH / GROWTH

As a true community school, Galiano enjoys regular and ongoing connections to the community. We have a variety of explorations, both formal and informal; these enriched learning opportunities allow students to make meaningful and relevant connections to the community and beyond. Some of the opportunities include bimonthly community library visits, the hot soup and bread from , extra-curricular sports from the , ecology lessons with the , and work alongside our garden coordinator employed by . Being a part of a small island community allows our students to benefit from community connections and provides rich and varied learning opportunities for our students. Galiano students are generally energetic, confident and outgoing in their interactions with one another, school staff and adult volunteers. 

When considering areas for growth, our island geography presents challenges in bringing outside educators directly into our school for support. As a result, we must be deliberate in finding the most effective ways to engage in professional development and foster team growth. Our student body is diverse, with a wide range of academic and self-regulation needs, and all of our classes are multi-grade. This often leads to varying levels of ability when approaching assignments.

To build capacity as a newer staff team, we are looking at how to foster engagement and confidence in all our learners. How can we build capacity to support all students in their learning?

Focusing Direction

PROCESS FOR REVIEWING / REVISING / DETERMINING

In the Spring of 2024, staff discussed broadly how to focus on a common goal. A collaborative approach was used to ensure the goal resonated with what all staff were seeing as needed for students and that all were confident the intentionality regarding the goal would lead to student growth. The implementation for each group may look different as the needs of our older students indicated benefits from shifting learning environments outside, while our primary students would benefit from shifting environments in the classroom. This flexibility allows all grades to participate in the core common goal of adjusting learning environments and lessons to increase student inclusion. We will continue to use the start of each staff meeting (when the (CUPE) and (GITA) representatives are both present) to review our goal and report on work and observations from each of our three classrooms.

We will seek feedback from the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) in September and look at how student engagement levels shift through conversations with learners and surveys. Along with observational data and direct student feedback, our focus on shifting learning environments should increase academic outcomes for students, which we will monitor through the Integrated Performance Assessment for Student Success (IPass) tool, report cards, and (FSA ) data. Specifically, these outcomes will be monitored for growth in literacy and numeracy. We will use our School Based Teams (SBT) and classroom meetings to monitor data entry from classrooms and formally re-visit IPass to celebrate successes and reassess needs and supports.

PURPOSE / DATA RATIONALE

Looking at our student population, it was noted by staff that there is sometimes a disconnect between students and their learning environment. Some students do not want to be in the classroom or cannot engage in tasks. This observation motivated a look at adapting learning environments to allow for more student engagement. This is especially true for some of our diverse learners, who will sometimes disconnect and disengage if they find a task too difficult or cannot follow the purpose. Creating a shift in our learning environments will allow for increased engagement for all students. With the intentional design of lessons, this increase in engagement should translate into increased learning outcomes in foundational areas. 

Our data indicates we had an increase in students who were proficient or extending reading (60% to 63%) and writing (52% to 62%) and a decrease in students proficient or extending in numeracy (76% to 61%). Our school has been growing in its ability to collect and use data, so our accuracy and reliability will continue to grow. We will monitor and want to see an upward trend in all areas by the end of the next school year. In consideration of the recent drop in numeracy proficiency, we will place an additional focus on (UDL) strategies focused in this area. As a subset of this data, students with designations who were proficient or extending this year were lower in reading (38%), writing (31%), and numeracy (19%). We will focus on adapting classroom environments using a UDL model, which is expected to enhance these outcomes. Additionally, we will track 'street data' through student stories and direct feedback to promote greater inclusion and engagement.

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS

Our staff will analyze our classrooms, supports, and activities with a lens of increasing student engagement. We will explore lessons and classroom structures through a (UDL) lens. We will collect and review data in IPass during school-based team meetings. We will collect new formative assessments in September as a baseline for foundational skills and analyze them to plan and determine which interventions will be most effective. We will then focus on students who are not yet proficient and discuss, as a team, plans on how to design lessons and engage and support learners. After we implement these plans, we will begin the cycle once more with further data collection following our initial interventions. The formative assessment cycle reflects the educator's impact on student achievement by continually looking at the success of specific interventions and/or teaching strategies and then adjusting our practice. Part of this process is continuously reviewing the impact and success of instruction, as well as planning adjustments. In this way, we reflect on and shift our practice. We will talk to students about what they are enjoying and engage with their interests as we look to shift our learning environments. 

Collaborative Cultures 

ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS / STUDENT VOICE

Clear communication throughout the year is critical to our success. We will focus our stakeholder engagement in the following ways:

• Student Voice – We have whole school meetings every two weeks, providing an opportunity for students to engage and discuss what is happening in the school. Our upper-grade class also holds weekly meetings to discuss events and issues that are arising in the school. Opportunities like these for student engagement will allow us to bring student voice into our goal. Making sure to shift away from jargon and using understandable language to collect student feedback will be essential. We will be able to do this through discussions, surveys, and informal conversation which will allow us to gauge student engagement. We will then use our newsletters and school display boards to showcase student stories from the classroom and allow them to visualize their growth.
• Families –  Our school currently engages parents through newsletters, emails home, and PAC meetings. Parents will be encouraged to volunteer and come to the school. Spending time in school allows parents to have first-hand experience of what we learn at Galiano Community School. We will continue to find innovative ways to connect with parents and ensure that the work we are doing is visible in the community.
• Community – Our school is fortunate to have strong community connections that allow for learning in new environments. The , , as well as our school garden coordinator provide rich and diverse learning opportunities. Continuing to foster and grow community connections, which allow for more diverse learning environments and experiences for our students. 

STAFF/SHARED WORK

Staff will collaborate through informal discussions and staff meetings. We will review and set actions for our school goals during each monthly staff meeting and Walking Together Day. Targeted consultation time will also allow classroom teachers, Learning Integration Support Workers (LIST Teachers), and Education Assistants (EAs) to plan whole-class instruction and determine the best strategies for individual students. This allows for a collective and consistent approach to our work.

As a staff of a small school, we believe that the students are all our students, regardless of what classroom(s) we work in. Instructional staff meet monthly to discuss student progress and impactful strategies during regular formalized school-based team meetings. Staff work together to identify strategies that will best support our learners, by sharing our collective knowledge about each student and determining what we know works best for each of them. We will foster a strong sense of partnership between EAs, teachers and administration.

Professional reading and workshops need to be undertaken and discussed with current research at its core, hence teachers will be adjusting, developing, and improving their practice. Resources need to be provided (e.g., by Jennifer Katz) and supported to see staff develop their own (UDL) understanding and approaches. We will then use monthly staff meetings to allow staff to report out on an initiative they have undertaken and share results.

Deeper Learning 

WHAT WILL STAFF NEED TO KNOW TO LEAD/PERFORM THIS WORK?

Our school team needs to develop greater proficiency in (UDL) practices. We can engage in this work through reading, professional development, and drawing on the knowledge of those we have in our district to support (Learning Integration Support Workers (LIST Teachers), Occupational Therapists (OT) and the Early Childhood Educator (ECE), etc.). We also need to continue to build the use of the Integrated Performance Assessment for Student Success (IPass) as a formative assessment tool, especially with the new assessment rubrics. Our staff has always assessed and collected data; however, this data was not always accessible or comparable across years. With IPass, we can track trends more effectively and note student interventions. Administration will continue to support teachers with understanding of the tools available and provide any needed technological supports. 

WHAT SKILLS WILL WE FOSTER WITH STUDENTS FOR THEM TO EXPERIENCE SUCCESS?

Adapting learning environments using (UDL) practices will allow students to experience more connection. We will foster the idea that all students are unique and require different pieces for success. Looking at diverse learning environments, whether inside or outside of the classroom, will allow for more hands-on learning and connection to place. By nurturing this connection in students, they will become more engaged in learning opportunities, leading to improved learning outcomes.

APPROACH TO PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

As a newer staff, building and fostering a collaborative team is important. Opportunities for team building and discussion will be provided. Inservice days will focus on growing (UDL) skills and learning about best instructional routines for supporting students. Building and growing staff and student technological abilities will also provide another way for everyone to approach learning more effectively. Additionally, we will provide opportunities in staff meeting for teachers to share out their own professional development related to increasing student inclusion.

Accountability 

HOW WILL WE KNOW WE ARE SUCCESSFUL?

Our goal is to adapt learning environments and design lessons to increase engagement and inclusion for all students. 

We will use the following data to help assess our progress:

1. Feedback through Student Voice Survey.
2. Core Competency self-reflections.
3. Monitoring of numeracy and literacy growth through the Integrated Performance Assessment for Student Success (IPass) tool.
4. Anecdotal observation of students choosing to participate in class activities. 
5. Positive results on the (EDI) survey and . 
6. Feedback through student journal writing. 
7. Check-in with administration and staff at the end of the day. 
8. Monitoring time where students self-select to remove themselves from classroom activities. 

Our Story

STORY TO BE TOLD DURING THE UPCOMING YEAR