Nov 2016 Page 1

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School

Plan for Continuous Growth

2016-2019

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion,

kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Colossians 3:12)

Nov 2016 Page 2

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School Plan

for Continuous Growth 2016-2019

School Mission:

Our mission is to provide an education which embodies the faith principles of

nurturing, acceptance, respect, love, and self-discovery.

School Vision:

Together our students will seek the balance between:

Self-sufficiency and Dependency

Community and Self-interest

Social Action and Social Justice

School Context:

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Kindergarten to Grade 9 School with approximately 460

students, 250 in K-6 and 210 in Junior High. It is located in the Queen Alexandra community,

which is part of the historical Old Strathcona situated in south-central Edmonton, and is housed

in a sizeable facility, part of which dates back to 1925. The Early Learning Kindergarten class is a

full-day program. Beyond that, our Elementary component consists of one class in each of our

Grades 1-3 and two classes in our Grades 4-6. Our JH currently has eight homerooms, three in

each of Grade 7 & 8 and two in Grade 9.

Going back approximately a decade, Mount Carmel was experiencing low enrollment

and was under threat of closure. To counter this trend, Academies have been established and

we currently have four: Hockey, Soccer, Performing Arts, and Recreation along with an Elite

Athlete Program that provides flexible programming for high-level gymnasts and tennis players.

With about 260 students from Grades 3-9 registered in these Academies, the future of our

school looks promising and it has become a school of choice for many families in south

Edmonton. At this time, we have a nice balance of Regular and Academy Programs. The

students attending Our Lady of Mount Carmel School come from a wide range of nationalities,

family structures, and socio-economic statuses. We have forty-nine students who have self-

identified as First Nation, Inuit, or Metis and sixty-one who are English Language Learners in

their first five years in Canada.

Nov 2016 Page 3

Review of Previous Year’s Goals:

Goal Achieved/continue modify

Evidence/data used

Live the Distinctiveness of Catholic education

Continue a modified version

Additional strategies and actions required to ensure continued success and ongoing growth

Every Student is Successful

Continue a modified version

Additional strategies and actions required to ensure continued success and ongoing growth

Quality Teaching and School Leadership

Continue a modified version

Additional strategies and actions required to ensure continued success and ongoing growth

Engaged and Effective Governance

Continue as sub-goals in 2016-17 Growth Plan

4.1 LC in place this year; contributions/role set out in

Every Student is Successful

FSLW time increased to .2 Inclusive supports increased

4.2 SAC Meetings referenced in Quality Teaching

and School Leadership Environmental issues continued and increased in

Quality Teaching and School Leadership OHS and COR continues in Quality Teaching

and School Leadership Front Door Security installed

4.4 (should have been 4.3) Community partnerships are ongoing as set out in

Quality Teaching and School Leadership St. Anthony Catholic Parish

relationship/partnership continues to strengthen as discussed in Live the Distinctiveness of Catholic Education

First Nations, Metis and Inuit students are successful

Continue a modified version

Additional strategies and actions required to ensure continued success and ongoing growth

Nov 2016 Page 4

Data Analysis:

Areas to celebrate

Accountability Pillar Our Safe and Caring Schools Measure Category is “Excellent” and our Parental Involvement and Continuous Improvement categories are “Good”.

More specifically, our Safe and Caring, Drop Out Rate, and Citizenship Achievement Measure Evaluations are “Very High” and our Program of Studies, Education Quality, Work Preparation, Parental Involvement, and School Improvement measures are “High”.

The School Improvement Measure Evaluation is classified as “Improved”.

The three areas that we have received an Overall Measure Evaluation of “Excellent” are Safe and Caring, Drop Out Rate, and Citizenship and the five that we have been assessed as being “Good” are Program of Studies, Education Quality, Work Preparation, Parental Involvement, and School Improvement.

District Satisfaction Survey

Of the five scores that are highest above the District Average, all are from the Staff:

o +11.9 Feedback I hear indicates that the greater community has a favourable opinion of our school district

o +9.6 District Prof Dev provides me with an opportunity to improve my work skills

o +6.7 The Superintendent provides effective leadership in the district

o +6.1 I am satisfied with the communication from the District o +5.1 I am satisfied with the way student discipline is handled in our

school Regression Analysis Grade 9 Social Studies earned a “Plus”

Grade 9 Math and Grade 9 Science earned “Equals”

Grade 6 Math and Grade 6 LA earned “Equals”

PAT/Diploma analysis Our PAT results based on the number of students writing the exams exceeded those of the province in Standard of Acceptable for Grade 6 LA and Grade 9 Social.

Our PAT results based on the number of students writing exceeded those of the province in Standard of Excellence for Grade 9 Social.

The percentage of our Grade 6 Social students who achieved Standard of Acceptable increased by 12.3%.

The percentage of our Grade 9 Math students who achieved Standard of Acceptable increased by 14.7%.

Tell Them From Me Our Elementary students exceed the District average in the following categories:

Participating in Sports Having a sense of belonging Experiencing positive relationships

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Watching less TV Spending less time on computers and video games Valuing school outcomes Displaying positive behavior at school Being interested and motivated Exerting effort in their studies Experiencing less anxiety Meeting or exceeding Canada’s food guide Number of hours per day engaging in moderate or

intense physical activity Feeling safe attending school Experiencing positive teacher-student relationships

Our Junior High students exceed the District average in the following categories:

Participating in Sports Having a sense of belonging Watching less TV Spending less time on computers and video games Spending less time on phones Valuing school outcomes Displaying positive behavior at school School Attendance Exerting effort in their studies Experiencing less anxiety Experiencing less depression Higher self-esteem Meeting or exceeding Canada’s food guide Eating fewer sweet and fatty foods Number of hours per day engaging in moderate or

intense physical activity Feeling safe attending school Grades in LA, Math, and Science Experiencing positive teacher-student relationships Students planning to finish High School Students planning to pursue a trade or apprentice

program

5 Marks of Catholic School Identity Assessment

Mark Two – Imbued with a Catholic Worldview Numerous Catholic symbols prominently displayed

throughout the school Front entrance redesigned with statue of Mother Mary

being the focal point Entrance to our courtyard made into a door of Hope and

Mercy Daily student written prayers on our morning broadcast Prayer centres in every classroom, the office, and in front

entrance

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Liturgical calendars displayed in key areas around school; cloths covering the entire Liturgical year in every classroom for Catholic centres

Tuesday morning Masses at St. Anthony Parish attended by two different classes each week

Four school wide Masses at St. Anthony – Opening, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, and Easter

Two G6-9 Reconciliation Celebrations in gym - Advent and Lent

Close and ever-deepening relationship with Parish to encourage and support sacramental preparation

Mark Four – Sustained by Gospel Witness Every day begins with thirty minutes of Religion in JH Junior High Homeroom teachers provide Religious

instruction and witness to Homeroom students Morning prayers written by students under tutelage of

teachers All teachers directly involved in numerous small and large

liturgical celebrations Strong bonds of mentorship and respect among students

and staff Teachers get one Thursday afternoon a month for their

CCPLC’s (Christ-Centred Professional Learning Communities) Teachers get one Thursday afternoon a month for CCIT

(Christ-Centred Individual Time) All staff attend a silent mini-retreat with the Franciscan

Sisters at their central Edmonton location Each teacher asked to make one of the three goals in their

Professional Growth Plans a faith-based goal Staff interviews include a faith component

Mark Five – Shaped by Spirituality of Communion Administrative roles clearly articulated and communicated School Advisory Council has well-attended monthly

meetings and its members, along with other parent volunteers, are very active in supporting the school

The Elementary and Junior High Chaplains are working collaboratively with each other and with the rest of the staff to sustain and nurture our Catholic culture

Fr. Joby is invited to speak at all major school community gatherings and he and Sr. Jane visit our school weekly

Had entire school bless

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Areas to target for growth Data Source Process Goals in response to data

Accountability Pillar

Our Student Learning Achievement

(Grades K-9) Measure Category is a “Concern”.

More specifically, our PAT: Excellence Achievement Measure Evaluation is “Low” and our PAT: Acceptable is “Very Low”.

None of our Improvement Measure Evaluations have declined.

Our Overall Measure Evaluation PAT: Acceptable is rated as a “Concern” and our PAT: Excellence is rated as an “Issue”.

Goal #2 Develop a shared vision of student success encompassing the mind, body, & spirit In this goal, we specifically target both the PAT: Acceptable “Concern” and the PAT: Excellence “Issue”. In fact, in June 2016, we saw considerable improvement and this Growth Plan is designed to sustain this progress.

District Satisfaction Survey

Of the five scores that are furthest below the District Average, four are from the Parents:

o -15.4 Satisfaction with the District yellow bus service

o -7.9 Satisfaction with Trustee Leadership

o -7.1 Input considered and valued by District

o -6.5 Input considered and valued by School

Of the five scores that are furthest below the District Average, one is from the Staff:

o -7.6 Non-Academic needs of students are met in our school through a variety of supports and services

Our yellow busses are connected to the language programs at St. Martin’s and St. Brendan’s. We have worked closely with our Transportation Dept. to rectify certain issues and are confident that we have made significant strides in doing so. Our school to home communication has been enhanced this year both at the teacher level and at the whole school level with weekly Synrevoice email. The attendance at our SAC meetings ranges from moderate to low. This may in part be due to the fact that, because of our destination school dynamics, many of our students live further from our school than they do in most other school communities. We have doubled our Family School Liaison Worker time this year and have added or enhanced other supports and services to address this concern.

Regression Analysis

Grade 9 LA earned a “Minus” Grade 6 Science and Grade Social

Studies earned “Minuses”

Goal #2 Develop a shared vision of student success encompassing the mind, body, & spirit In this goal, we specifically target the areas of the Program of Studies where we struggled. We are confident that better results will be realized in May & June 2017.

PAT/Diploma analysis

Our PAT results based on the number of students writing the exams were below those of the province in Standard of Acceptable for Grade 6 Math, Science, and Social and Grade 9 LA, Math, and Science.

We did not decline significantly in any Standard for Grade 6 or 9.

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Tell Them From Me

Elementary students were slightly below the District average in the following categories:

Feeling bullied and excluded

Our Junior High students were slightly below the District average in the following categories:

Participating in school clubs

Reading for fun Displaying positive HW

behaviour Number of hours doing

HW Feeling bullied and

excluded Being interested and

motivated at school Experiencing a positive

learning environment Staff expectations

regarding Student success

Plans to attend University or College

This number was skewed by a high % of Grade 5 students reporting this experience. To address this, we have increased our outdoor supervision and have ongoing discussions with students individually and collectively reminding them that the “code of silence” only empowers those students acting inappropriately. Our STAY Officer has also been directly involved with students and classes. The number of these incidents is down so far this year. We remain above the District average in terms of % of Elem students feeling safe at school. We have added Newspaper Clubs for both Elem and JH (Carmel Times and Carmel Chronicles). Our literacy focus continues with Teacher Professional Development and the purchase of new literary resources including sets of

novel studies. Our Goal #2 Develop a shared vision of student success encompassing the mind, body, & spirit will successfully address motivation, homework, the learning environment, and expectations.

5 Marks of Catholic School Identity Assessment

Mark One – Grounded in a Christian Anthropology

Our Mission Statement requires more clarity in regards to our Catholic identity and the dignity and worth of our school community

We need to more widely disperse, and more frequently use, our Mission Statement

All school policies, including our discipline policy, must be consistent with, and grounded in, our revised Mission Statement

Mark Three – Animated by a Faith-Infused Curriculum

Goal #1 Provide a sound, well-rounded education that is grounded in Catholic values This goal targets the areas listed that we need to grow and improve in.

Nov 2016 Page 9

Staff needs to be in-serviced on Church teachings in specific subject areas

Three times a year, CCPLC’s will develop strategies for effective permeation in subject areas

With all teachers now providing religious instruction, assignments and outcomes will be continuously improved

Goals: Goal #1 Provide a sound, well-rounded education that is grounded in Catholic values

District Correlation: Live and enhance the distinctiveness of Catholic Education

Strategy Revise the timetable so that all Homeroom Teachers are their Homeroom students the Religion Teacher Arrange for every student to Attend a Catholic Mass with their Teacher seven times during the school year

Actions Change the Junior High (“JH”) timetable to provide for 30 min of Religious instruction at the start of every day Schedule all students to attend three teaching Masses with Fr. Jobi at nearby St. Anthony Parish with their class and one other class Have Fr. Jobi and Sr. Jane provide regular religious instruction in our three divisions (K-3, 4-6, & 7-9) Bring entire school to St. Anthony Parish for four Masses – Year Opening, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, and Easter. Have twice yearly Reconciliation Celebrations

Measures/ Evidence of effectiveness Stronger connections among staff and students Fewer student discipline problems Increased participation of students during our Masses Better understanding of the Catholic Faith among our students as evidenced in both formative and summative assessments Palpable Catholic atmosphere in our school Increased student, parent, and staff satisfaction results on our surveys

Nov 2016 Page 10

for our G6-9 students (Advent and Lent) Collaborate with the Parish to promote and effect student Sacramental Preparation Devote two Thursday afternoons to staff faith development: *Chaplain Led focus on the Cross-Curricular Competencies from a Catholic Worldview *Staff mini-retreat with the Franciscan Sisters at their central Edmonton location Redesign school front entrance to increase the number of Religious symbols including a Hope and Mercy door Continue adding additional religious symbols throughout school and provide liturgical cloths for each classroom Have our JH student leaders coordinate 3-4 food drives during the year to support our families in need, other Catholic schools in need, and to keep our Parish food bank well-stocked

Review Date 1: Feb 15, 2017 Review Date 2: May 15, 2017

Nov 2016 Page 11

Goal #2 Develop a shared vision of mind, body, and spirit student success

District Correlation: Every student is successful

Sub Goal a) Create a healthy, holistic environment focusing on mental health, physical fitness, and academic rigour

Strategy Fully immerse staff in the Mental Health Professional Development (“PD”) opportunities provided by the District Provide additional recreational and physical opportunities to our Regular Program students Constantly articulate and reinforce with staff & students the raison d'tere of our school – namely academic achievement

Actions Establish Positive Mental Health Champion Teachers at both the Elem and JH levels Have all staff attend Mental Health PD sessions to help them better identify students at risk Double our Family Support Liaison Worker’s (FSLW) time at our school to two full days Have Learning Coach collaborate with JH teachers to identify struggling students and put in place the supports they require to be successful Establish lead teachers in the two Elementary Divisions (K-3 and 4-6) and in the four JH core academic subjects to head up Christ-Centred Professional Learning Communities (CCPLCs) that meet regularly to promote collaboration and common assessments among staff Have JH Academic Achievement rallies following each of the three Report Cards to recognize and celebrate those students achieving a 75%+ core

Measures/Evidence of effectiveness A more joyful and peaceful student body Teachers referring students needing support to our FSLW and/or Admin Improved student academic achievement as indicated by formative and summary assessments Fewer JH students failing core academic subjects

Nov 2016 Page 12

academic average and those increasing their averages by 3% Schedule mid-term exams in late January for all core academic subjects in Grades 6-9 Admin will read all report cards to increase their understanding of student achievement and be better able to interact with students in regards to their academic successes

Sub Goal b) Improve literacy and numeracy skills among our students

Strategy Provide our teachers with the professional development required to effectively meet the diverse literacy and numeracy needs of all our students

Actions Use Fountas & Pinnell to determine the reading and writing levels of every elementary student and specific JH students Have additional teachers trained in Levelled Literacy Intervention (LLI) Have teachers trained in SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) to better address learning needs and challenges of our ELL population Schedule time for our Learning Coach to work directly with JH teachers to address the learning needs of their ELL students and to work directly with these students herself

Measures/evidence of effectiveness Improved reading and writing levels among students including our FNMI & our ELL students Improved Math results among students as determined by formative and summative assessments including the MIPI Improved PAT results

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Establish set periods in the timetable for LLI with identified students Bring in our District Consultant to provide three Thursday afternoons of in-service to all JH Teachers on Content Literacy Have a JH LA Teacher join the District Literacy Across Content Areas Cohort Have two Write-On’s during the course of the school year in both Elem and JH Continue the Guided Math initiative begun last year Use MIPI (Math Intervention Program Implementation) tests at the beginning of the school year to determine the Math level of all students to inform and guide teaching Have Math teachers join the District Guided Math cohort Purchase additional chrome books to facilitate student work and achievement Make both Raz Kids and Mathletics available to all students both at school and at home

Sub Goal c) Improve PAT Results

Strategy Constantly articulate and reinforce with staff & students the raison d'tere

Actions Review PAT results with staff to celebrate the notable successes and

Measures/evidence of effectiveness The Regression Analysis Results for the May/June 2017 PAT

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of our school – namely academic achievement

identify those areas needing further attention Have staff analyze last year’s PATs to identify areas of growth & develop an action plan with two review dates to address them. Action plan to include designing formative and summative assessments requiring higher level thinking Have new Grade 6 teacher attend a PAT Preparation in-service Provide all teachers with access to PAT Resources from our Consultants

results are all equals or pluses (this would indicate that students are achieving at or above their ability) -

Review Date 1: Feb 15, 2017 Review Date 2: May 15, 2007

Goal #3 Encourage and support ongoing teacher and administrator professional growth

District Correlation: Quality teaching and school leadership

Strategy Create a Teacher Professional Development Plan that is designed to address identified student needs

Actions Admin meeting early in school year to produce a preliminary PD plan to advance the school’s objectives Meet with staff to develop their individual PD plan for the year that will support the school’s objectives and their own

Measures/ Evidence of effectiveness Increased collaboration among staff members at both the grade level and between grades Higher staff, student, and parent satisfaction levels

Nov 2016 Page 15

Teachers and Admin attend all District PD opportunities relating to Mental Health and Physical Literacy Administration’s Growth Plan also includes PD opportunities that further the school’s goals Schedule Monthly SAC Meetings that include Teacher and Academy presentations focused on school growth and improvement Introduce a formal recycling program in every elementary classroom and in the JH lunchroom area Continue the clean school grounds initiative with both students and staff Principal continues to meet with community, district, and city representatives to ensure the three-year Queen Alexandra neighbourhood rehabilitation considers the school’s needs & issues

Review Date 1: Feb 15, 2017 Review Date 2: May 15, 2017

Nov 2016 Page 16

Goal #4 Access school, district, and community resources to provide a holistic, quality education to our First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students

District Correlation: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students are successful

Strategy Honour and recognize the heritage and culture of our FNMI students Secure District Consultant support to work with us to meet academic needs

Actions Bring an Elder to the school on a bi-weekly basis to spend time with our FNMI students and instruct them in meaningful cultural practices including smudges, and talking circles Have a FNMI Day for all Mt. Carmel students that incorporates traditional dancing, food, and story-telling Take all FNMI students to Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples for a Catholic Mass with Fr. Jim Holland Take all FNMI students on a tour of Aboriginal Services at the Sacred Heart Learning Services Enhancement Centre during which they would participate in a cultural ceremony Our Elem AP and Learning Coach will work together to identify FNMI students requiring extra academic support. They will work with our teachers to identify the specific needs of these students and provide the teachers with the resources needed to provide the necessary support

Measures/ Evidence of effectiveness Improved satisfaction results among our FNMI students Increased awareness and understanding of aboriginal culture among our non-FNMI students Higher academic achievement among our FNMI students as measured by formative and summative assessments including the PATs Lower absenteeism rates among our FNMI students

Nov 2016 Page 17

Twice weekly a FNMI Consultant will come in to target literacy improvement among our FNMI students

Review Date 1: Feb 15, 2017 Review Date 2: May 15, 2017

Linked Resources

Linked Foundation Statements:

A Statement of 21st Century Learning in Edmonton Catholic Schools Preparing our students for a world not yet realized

A Defining Statement of Inclusive Education in Our District – Katholos:

Education for Life for All

Planning for School Improvement

http://www.centerforcsri.org/files/presentations/SchImpPlanningProcess.pdf

Links on how to develop Vision and Mission Statements: “Vision and mission

statements provide schools with an essential overview of where they want to go and

what they want to be.” Gabriel and Farmer (2009)

Dufour and Eaker documents on mission and vision

http://centerforschoolchange.org/publications/minnesota-charter-school-

handbook/vision-and-mission/

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107042/chapters/Developing-a-Vision-

and-a-Mission.aspx

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103019/chapters/Vision-as-the-

Compass.aspx

http://www.solution-tree.com/media/pdfs/Reproducibles_PRTI/PRTI_4_t2.pdf

Nov 2016 Page 18

http://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/Page/33

Links on Goal Setting

http://www.schoolimprovementcoach.org/manual/11%20Helping%20Teams%20Conv

ert%20Goals.pdf

http://topachievement.com/smart.html

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/leadership/pdfs/issue8.pdf

References

Colorado Department of Education. (2009). Sample SMART Performance Goals for District

Educational Improvement Plans.

Crockett, Lee, Jukes, Ian, and Churches, Andrew (2011), Literacy in NOT Enough: 21st

Century Fluencies for the Digital Age, 21st Century Fluency Project copublished

with CORWIN, a Sage Company.

Danielson, C. (2002) Enhancing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Deal, T., and Peterson, K. (1999). Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership. San

Francisco, CA: Wiley, John and Sons Inc.

Dufour, R., and Eaker, R. (1998). Professional Learning Communities at Work, Best Practices for

Enhancing Student Achievement. Bloomington, Indiana: National Education Service.

Eaker, R, Dufour, R. and Dufour, R. (2002). Getting Started: Reculturing Schools to become

Professional Learning Communities. Bloomington, Indiana: National Educational

Service.

Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). Developing Alberta’s Cross-Curricular Competencies from a

Catholic Worldview. Edmonton, AB: Author.

Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). Edmonton Catholic Schools’ District Plan for Continuous

Growth 2015-2018. Edmonton, AB: Author.

Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity (Assessment tool

brochure). Edmonton, AB: Author.

Edmonton Catholic Schools. (2015). The Five Marks of Catholic School Identity (poster).

Edmonton, AB: Author.

Nov 2016 Page 19

Fullan, M. (1993). Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform. Bristol, PA: The

Falmer Press.

Gabriel, J., and Farmer, P. (2009). How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank.

Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Mooney, N., and Mausbach, A. (2008) Align the Design: A Blueprint for School Improvement.

Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2009). Breaking Ranks: A Field Guide for

Leading Change. Reston, VA: Author.

Reeves, D. (2002). The Daily Disciplines of Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Reeves, D. (2009). Leading Change in Your School. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision

and Curriculum Development.

Robbins, P., and Alvy, H. (2004). The New Principal’s Fieldbook: Strategies for Success.

Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Schmoker, M. (2001). An ASCD Study Guide for The Results Fieldbook: Practical Strategies from

Dramatically Improved Schools. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development.