DUFFERIN PEEL CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Catholic School Improvement Learning Cycle 2018 2019 St. Raymond Elementary School MISSION STATEMENT As a Catholic community of St. Raymond, we are called to foster a safe, caring, and inclusive Catholic learning environment. Our faith is embedded in all we do. In collaboration with the home, school, and parish, we model the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations allowing our students to live the gospel values. Our goal is to meet the diverse needs of our students through effective instruction while promoting student achievement and well-being. MOTTO COMPASSION - FAITH - LOVE - HOPE - JUSTICE - EQUITY - DIGNITY - PEACE CATHOLIC FOCUS St. Raymond Catholic Elementary School, which is located at 5735 Whitehorn Avenue, first welcomed students in September 2001. This suburban Mississauga school, located in the Bristol and Creditview area, has 387 students from the neighboring community. The school, which is dedicated to St. Raymond of Penafort, was blessed on May 8, 2002, by Fr. Marco Testa of St. Joseph Parish. St Raymond lives out its motto, COMPASSION - FAITH - LOVE - HOPE - JUSTICE - EQUITY - DIGNITY - PEACE in a variety of programs. Leadership opportunities allow all students to model faith through monthly virtues assemblies, sponsorship of families at Christmas, and social justice initiatives which include fundraising for ShareLife and Terry Fox, as well as participation in food drives for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Dr. Simone's Canadian Food for Children. St. Raymond is a part of St. Joseph Parish, and our community is enriched by the spiritual leadership of our Parish priests at liturgies to mark our student s initiation into the sacraments as part of their spiritual journey. We also benefit from Church leadership at our Virtues assemblies, celebrations of the Eucharist at the church, and class visits to support sacramental preparation. In support of the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board's Catholic Board Improvement Learning Cycle, St. Raymond Elementary School is further committed to: Deepening the understanding, appreciation and practice of the Catholic Christian lifestyle, with Jesus as role model; Aligning a school-wide approach to Catholicity, whereby all educational practices are implemented through a Catholic lens;
Developing students who are fully alive in Christ, not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but in terms of values, attitudes and actions. As a diverse educational community responding to God's call, St. Raymond Elementary School fosters and nourishes an inclusive atmosphere rooted in tradition and scripture while: Being authentic witnesses to our Catholic Faith; Being responsible stewards of God's grace in the world; Respecting human dignity; Modelling all learners after Jesus, as ministers of compassion CATHOLICITY DUFFERIN PEEL S STRATEGIC SYSTEM PLAN CORE PRIORITIES How does the school community model, celebrate and nourish gospel values in the teaching and learning of our Christ-centered programs and services? St. Raymond Catholic Elementary School community models, celebrates and nourishes Gospel values in the teaching and learning of our Christ-centered programs and services: Integration of Gospel values into teaching and learning as we continually follow the example of Jesus Fostering of spiritual development through daily prayer, classroom and school-wide liturgical celebrations, sacred spaces in each classroom, the school prayer space, sacramental preparation and our virtues education program Partnership with St. Joseph Church through regular school visits by parish priests to provide sacramental preparation and celebrations of the Eucharist Welcoming the Rosary Apostolate into the school monthly to foster a culture of prayer Promotion of Social Justice opportunities organized by staff and student leaders (Youth Faith Ambassadors), including community outreach efforts during Advent season where students, families and staff worked together with the St. Vincent de Paul Society and St. Joseph Church to support families in the parish and our school through our Angel Tree project as well as a Christmas Food Drive. Focus on virtues education through monthly virtue assemblies, daily prayers, student participation in Stewardship opportunities and our Virtue Awards program. Planning for Instruction with Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations in mind, and highlighting OCSGE monthly through our OCSGE Medallion Program.
Support adult faith formation opportunities for staff (weekly liturgies, Mississauga South FOS Advent Retreat, School Retreat, etc.) CATHOLIC LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Summary of the school's most recent (2017-2018) EQAO Primary Assessment Performance Reading Writing Mathematics 61 % of students at or above Provincial Standard 61 % of students at or above Provincial Standard 49 % of students at or above Provincial Standard Summary of the school's most recent (2017-2018) EQAO Junior Assessment Performance Reading Writing Mathematics 86 % of students at or above Provincial Standard 86 % of students at or above Provincial Standard 55 % of students at or above Provincial Standard Describe how the school fosters the achievement, well-being and continuous development of all through a caring, safe and inclusive environment. All divisions will continue a focus on collaborative inquiry and consolidation of the expected practice (guided reading/guided practice, three part lesson/problem solving, self-regulation, initiative) As part of our continual development, we are working to develop multi-step, multiple choice questions in numeracy. Intervention meetings - we are focusing on knowing the learner through assessment and the development of class profiles. Differentiated Instruction is occurring in classrooms Special Education and ELL staff are involved in both in-class and withdrawal models of support for students; also, a cohesive model of support is being implemented where all resource staff support all types of at risk learners not just specific populations Monthly Staff/Divisional Meetings with a focus on school learning plan outcomes and planning for instruction Integration meetings to plan next steps for students Transition Planning for Grade 8 to Grade 9 Teachers are lifelong learners as well, acting as role models by attending inservices, courses and workshops Special Education model values and promotes inclusion of all Various extra-curricular and co-curricular clubs, both athletic and non-athletic Principal updates at School Council meetings Community outreach: St. Joseph s Church, St. Vincent de Paul, Dr. Simone Swim to Survive Program Healthy Schools Eco Schools Certification Welcome to Kindergarten Reflecting on CCCC survey data and identifying attainable next steps CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
How does the school demonstrate that it values the involvement of community through partnerships and collaboration? At St. Raymond, all parents/guardians are invited and welcomed to meetings and events through information shared in the monthly newsletter, the use of an open and transparent election process for Catholic School Council, invitations extended to the community to attend school events (e.g., Welcome to Kindergarten, Volunteer Appreciation, Grandparents Day, Virtues Liturgies, School Masses and Open House). Council information is also included in the monthly newsletter. St. Raymond has strong community partnerships with Peel Public Health which supports our community with several initiatives including Welcome to Kindergarten as well as representation on the Catholic Community of Culture and Caring Action Team. Our liaison with Peel Police includes programs within the classroom and visits to Peel Safety Village. We also support partnerships with St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Rosary Apostolate, the Terry Fox Foundation and Youth Faith Ambassadors. The Peel Public Health program is supported by our Peel Health Nurse. PARISH HOME SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS Describe how the school demonstrates strong partnerships and collaboration among Parish, Home and School that are based on mutual respect rooted in our lived Catholic Faith. St. Raymond continues to foster active engagement with St. Joseph Parish. This is achieved in several ways including: Timely communication with parents regarding parish sacramental meetings and parish events School support for St. Vincent de Paul in the Parish (through food drives, Angel Tree and Christmas hampers) Invitations extended to parish priests to visit classrooms and join in school liturgies and celebrations to support all students on their spiritual journey, and especially those students involved in sacramental preparation Inclusion of a Parish representative on Catholic School Council and Community of Culture and Caring Action Team (our representative is a member of the Knights of Columbus in the parish) Parish participation in "Grandparents' Day" Pastoral plan developed in collaboration with the Parish team and shared with the school community to highlight liturgical and sacramental dates at St. Joseph Parish Regular Parish updates provided at Catholic School Council meetings Knights of Columbus from St. Joseph parish provide the community BBQ at our annual Open House STEWARDSHIP OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Describe how the school is committed to healthy and safe learning and working environments that enhance well-being, engagement and achievement. At St. Raymond, we believe that all children can succeed. Practices that support this belief begin with the analysis of data to plan for instruction. This includes meeting the needs of all students by differentiating learning through: Regularly scheduled TEAM and TRIAD meetings Review of EQAO, report card and classroom data to improve learning and instruction Assistive technology as an intervention for student learning needs Professional learning as part of staff meetings Teacher and Administration participation in professional development opportunities (e.g., PLCs, Math Leads learning, Technology to Support the Diverse Learner PD, etc.) Teacher engagement in school-based Professional Learning Cycles (PLCs) related to higher-level thinking questions in numeracy and literacy TECHNOLOGY How is the school committed to a responsible approach in addressing the technology needs of our learners in a global context? At St. Raymond, the use of technology to enhance the curriculum is a central part of our school community. SMART Boards (15 of 17 classrooms), ipads and Chromebooks are consistently used at all grade levels. We are committed to the use of technology to further develop our students' abilities to be creative and to think critically. Programs such as RazKids and MPower increase student engagement and understanding. The implementation of myblueprint, All About Me portfolios, DP Cloud, and Google Classroom increase student engagement. We encourage students to "bring their own devices" while reminding them of their proper use and their responsibilities as good digital citizens in the 21st century. Staff regularly participate in professional development in the area of technology as well, and they share their learning with colleagues at monthly staff meetings (e.g., staff meetings is facilitated by our EGELT.) SACREDNESS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT
How does the school encourage the respectful and sustainable environmental practices of reducing, reusing and recycling? St. Raymond continues to be actively engaged in opportunities to promote good stewardship of resources including: A very active school Eco Team, with students from Primary to Intermediate involved Extensive participation in Eco Schools initiative with multi-year Gold Eco School certification Participation in a recycling and compost program, including Waste Audits Regular visits and programming through Peel Region s Watershed on Wheels (W.O.W.) Celebration of Earth Day Commitment to decrease the use of paper and to promote electronic opportunities to communicate with staff, parents and guardians Litter-less Lunches are encouraged Morning announcements and reminders related to conserving energy