Our School Plan Progress 2020-2021

Improving Student Learning

The Abbotsford School District’s Strategic Plan reflects our public commitment to BC’s new curriculum by working together to continuously improve learning for each student.

School Goals

Under the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning, all Abbotsford School District schools are required to develop a long term plan to improve student achievement, one that maintains a balance on the intellectual, social and career development of students. Each year, each school develops an annual plan and sets individual goals to improve student achievement. 

Prince Charles Elementary School Goals

Intellectual

Our students will learn key academic skills - like reading, writing and math - to encompass the knowledge and processes associated with intellectual development. As learners and meaning-makers, students take subject-specific concepts and content and transform them into a new understanding. 

Our celebrations of learning

 Literacy Next Steps:

Continue to provide daily opportunities for guided reading in K-3;

Continuation of Levelled Literacy Intervention Program (LLI);
Ensure differentiation of learning for all students at all Tiers;
Provide explicit, targeted, data-driven instruction for Tier 2 students;
 

Strategies

Daily guided reading in all K-3 classrooms;
Regular use and moderation of running records;
Balanced literacy programs to be established for Reading and Writing (modelled, shared, interactive, guided and independent)
Computers available for reluctant writers in intermediate grades
Students to share their thinking (accountable talk);

Writing Next Steps: 

Continue to provide daily opportunities for modelled, interactive and independent writing in K-3;
Ensure differentiation of learning for all students at all Tiers;
Provide explicit, targeted, data-driven instruction for Tier 2 students;
Use of PM Writing kits as part of writing program in Grades 3-5.

Strategies

Daily guided writing in all K-3 classrooms;
Balanced literacy programs to be established for Writing (modelled, shared, interactive, guided and independent)
Computers available for reluctant writers in intermediate grades
Students to share their thinking (accountable talk);

Co-created Writing rubrics;

School wide writes;

Collaboration time for writing assessments and strategies

Indigenous Principles of Learning Next Steps:

Provide culturally relevant opportunities for writing/oral language opportunities for storytelling prior to writing;
School-based teacher and cultural support staff for Aboriginal students continue to provide weekly individualized literacy support in consultation with classroom teacher, supplemental to any other school-based supports in place;
Early intervention and support in the area of mathematics is beneficial to all; Indigenous students to receive support from school-based teacher and cultural support worker in consultation with classroom teacher.

Personalized learning means that students are provided with the right amount of challenge and support when learning new things.  In kindergarten, children are given the opportunity to participate in guided reading (using PM benchmark levelled texts), when they have mastered some of their letters and sounds.  These students work each day with the teacher and practice thier skills during independent reading.  Literacy centers in the classroom are differentiated to meet the needs of all learners and are tied to language development and learning through play.

Staff and students have been working on learning more about self-regulation (social emotional learning skills) this year.  Students have been introduced to common vocabulary through whole class and small group lessons.  Students are working towards learning various strategies to up and down regulate their bodies so they can be calm, alert and ready to learn.  

Human & Social

Our students will study personal and human social skills and as they relate to students' identity in the world - both as individuals and as members of their community. We are learning that personal and human social skills encompass the abilities students needs to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find and achieve their purposes in the world. 

Our celebrations of learning

Character education is at the heart of everything we do.  Meaningful connections are made between the curriculum and character education through the texts we read, the classroom discussions we have, the service we provide to the school and local communities and the student leadership opportunities offered in the school.

This year our school moved towards three BIGGER ideas that would allow for more differentiation and personalization of learning based on classroom needs and interests. These are based on Adrienne Gear's Powerful Understanding, focusing on thinking critically, reflecting, being compassionate, responsible, caring citizens. 

Term 1- Powerful Understanding "Self"

Term 2- Powerful Understanding "Others"

Term 3- Powerful Understanding "World"

Our Prince Charles students gain a deeper understanding of each of these values and they are reflected in our everyday language at school.

During the holiday season, Prince Charles Student Council raised awareness and donations for the Abbotsford Food Bank.   Students, under the guidance of a teacher, selected the charity they felt most passionate about and shared information to our school and parent community.  Student council also raised money for the SPCA and BC Children's Hospital.

Our Student Council has the goal of bringing school spirit and a sense of community to Prince Charles.  Monthly spirit days have excellent participation from staff and students.

We are very fortunate to have a cultural support worker and Indigenous education teacher working with our students at Prince Charles.  

Prince Charles continues to work on developing a common language among students, staff and families in the areas of social emotional learning and Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS).  

Staff and students are working on building a common understanding of what it means to be SAFE, RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL at PC. 

We currently have a variety of flexible seating, mentor texts and two sensory paths throughout the school.  Our generous PAC has supported us in building up our resources this year in the area of social emotional learning.  

Careers

Our students will succeed in a much different future from the one we envisioned 10 or 15 years ago. It is our responsibility to prepare all children for success in whatever life path they choose, connecting learning opportunities with future career possibilities. We know that real-life experiences - like community involvement, gaining business knowledge, and hands-on-learning - build better students and life-long citizens. 

Our celebrations of learning

Careers

Prince Charles is equipped with the latest technology to help teach and engage students in the classroom.  These include smart boards, iPads, document cameras and laptops. The staff have been actively involved in discovering ways to enhance student learning and global awareness.

 

Makerspaces

A makerspace is, “a place in which people with shared interests, can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge.”  These spaces promote the development of the core competencies; communication, creative and critical thinking.  These core competencies are at the heart of the redesigned BC curriculum.  The development of these core competencies enable our students to deepen and develop skills for life-long learning.

The benefits of makerspaces are:

The empowering and cross subject approach of makerspaces help prepare our students for a future we cannot yet imagine;
Makerspaces are learner-centered.  Our students begin to see themselves as problem-solvers.  They have good ideas to share, and they experience success solving problems in co-operative teams;
Students develop confidence to tackle challenging problems that are often connect to the real world in a meaningful way; 
Makerspaces allow for all students to access a problem and to use their own areas of strength to work though, and solve, the problem. This builds confidence in ALL of our students;

Adapted from https://curiositycommons.wordpress.com/makerspaces-the-benefits/

A variety of guests typically come to visit students and staff each year at Prince Charles, bringing with them expertise in a variety of areas.  This year we have had outside presenters share with us their knowledge of owls (and our grade 3's dissected pellets!), Salmonoids in the Classroom, Urban Safari Rescue, and the Vancouver Aquarium.  

Through these experiences, students are exposed to a variety of possible career paths and they are able to make more meaningful connections between what they are learning at school and what they may do with some of this learning in the 'real world'.