Building Collective Efficacy: What process did your school take in developing your School Growth Plan?
Harwood Elementary School is a Kindergarten to Grade 7 school surrounded by homes and nestled in the heart of Vernon, BC. We are a high-needs inner-city school and one of the district's larger elementary schools. With approximately 455 students, we celebrate the diversity within our school and our programs. Our celebrate diversity includes 37 immigrant families, 9 refugee families and 19 landed immigrant families. Our school culture is further enriched by 40 English Language Learners (ELL) and 5 international students. We are honoured to host 85 Indigenous students, enriching the educational experience of all students.
Evidence-Informed: What data is driving your goal(s)?
Data was gathered from students in the 2022/2023 school year and after publication in June, the data was gathered and shared with staff and the PAC in September. Data was collected from Student Learning Surveys, the Middle Years Development Instrument, Ministry Assessment data and school data.
Student Success
keyboard_arrow_downStudent Success To provide many pathways for all students to pursue and achieve desired outcomes.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
District Strategic Plan
- Ensure our schools are welcoming places to learn and work.
- Improve middle grade success and transitions to secondary.
Actions: What will we do to support all learners?
Harwood staff and families recognize the necessity of building strong relationships and creating a safe, welcoming school. Students need to feel supported, safe and cared for if they want to be able to get to their learning. Relationships are key. Our staff is committed to creating a place where our students want to be – a place where they know adults are supporting them, where they are safe to take risks and grow, and where they are accepted and celebrated for being themselves. • Feeding Futures - We received a new kitchen to help with food preparations for our students. • Grade 6/7 Late French Immersion Program • Ethno-Botany Walks • Whole-School Grandfather teaching • School Wide Focus on “School Climate and Culture” • Literacy: Literacy Data - Gr 1-3 we have had great success with our targeted discretionary staffing towards our struggling readers. We have seen 70% of our students make movements up to and beyond 1-grade level in reading.
Reflections & Results:
Our school community has focused on celebrating the community where our staff work and students learn and play. The events listed below highlight the great work that has been done to achieve our goals. Regular celebrations, spirit events, and theme days Celebration of our diversities Harwood’s Got Talent Clubs – Chess, Battle of the Books, SOGI crew, Harwood Harmonix, Coding School House teams
Next Steps:
Our school community continues to improve school engagement with the students and families in our building. We want to help to approve the attendance of our students by providing a safe, secure, and connected place to be.
Leadership Excellence
keyboard_arrow_downTo empower all staff to contribute to organizational excellence in the service of student success.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
District Strategic Plan
- Cultivate positive staff experiences, supporting professional growth and wellness.
Actions: What will we do to support all learners?
This year, as we began our school wide initiative and focus on creating a welcoming, supportive school, staff collaborated and prioritized team building activities, inclusive events and celebrations. We are putting focussed attention on creating safe, inclusive environments. Our staff recognize that our students will learn better when they feel safe to take risks. Furthermore, we are working to increase transition success from Harwood to Seaton. Our grade 7 teacher have been part of the District Middle Years program. Classes have partnered with teachers at Seaton and have been doing some collaboration and class visits throughout the year. The goal is to improve student efficacy by helping them understand themselves and learners. This includes building engagement by improving student voice and choice.
Reflections & Results:
We have had a very successful school year at Harwood. Some of the few notable celebrations are: - We received a new kitchen to help food preparations for our students through Feeding Futures - Ethnobotany walks in our community and throughout the City of Vernon - Awarded a BC Winter Games Legacy Grant to buy bikes for our school – to promote and develop lifelong healthy activity, bike safety and bike maintenance skills - Common language and focus on Literacy
Next Steps:
At Harwood, we strive to have leadership throughout our builing in the administration, staff and students. Some of the strategies that we coninue to employ now and moving forward are: - Common Language embracing the 7 Grandfather Teachings - Primary Literacy Focus - Shifting the Balance and UFly - Discretionary staffing targeting literacy in our primary grades - Staff collaboration time for planning activities to support and enhance school culture
Community Connections
keyboard_arrow_downTo build strong relationships amongst all community members in the service of student success.
Strategic Plan Goal(s):
District Strategic Plan
- Increase collaboration between community, regional, provincial, national, and global partners.
Actions: What will we do to support all learners?
Our school community continues to work with organizations, community members and invested parties to support the needs of our students in our building and in their lives outside of the building.
Reflections & Results:
Many organizations that help feed our students • Starfish, Brown Bag, Good Food Box, Alliance Church Snacks, Starfish Cooking with Families Harwood Community Parent Nights • Bring in guest speakers to for Community Parent Nights – anxiety, mental hralth, parenting teens, numeracy, reading with your child, internet safety, healthy eating on a budget • We provide dinner and childcare for our families • Cooking program with families • Volunteers in our schools – supporting teachers and students with activities and and extra reading time • Community coaches helping our students on sports teams • Awarded a BC Winter Games Legacy Grant to buy bikes for our school – to promote and develop lifelong healthy activity, bike safety and bike maintenance skills
Next Steps:
We continue to work to provide opportunities for students and their connected families to engage in our schools in activities that will benefit all aspects of their school careers.