Windsor School Report to the Community
Report to the Community – Our School Plan for the 2019-20 School Year
Every year, schools create goals for the school. When planning these goals we try to reflect the school and community as a whole. We consider how these goals and our learning directly impacts students and how we can assist them in reaching their own goals and reaching their potential to the fullest. We connect our goals to those of the division and The Louis Riel School Division Multi-Year Strategic Plan. Initiatives of specific focus at Windsor School last year were Belonging, Self-Regulation, Mental Wellness and Literacy.
To further assess our continued initiative on Mental Wellness, staff used a rubric to determine how we had been doing and to identify those areas that we as a school needed to keep developing. Based on that feedback, the staff determined four goals to pursue: 1) To develop alternative learning spaces both inside and outside the school; 2) to begin the process of establishing Identity Day in which all students and staff will share a strength or passion with the whole school population; 3) To explore partnerships that are available in our community and determining how we can work specifically with them; 4) To explore ways to implement our professional developmental training to promote positive mental wellness perspectives and practices, such as yoga, mindfulness, Project 11 and Zones of Regulation. Windsor School has made some process on these goals, having had our first Identity Day in October. Students and Staff shared their strengths and/or passions with each other and everyone learned some new information about each other. An alternative space for our Early Years classrooms has been created, giving space for small group work and storage of the home reading books. We have increased our partnerships with Glenlawn Collegiate; many different groups of high school students have come to work with our students. Students and Staff implemented Project 11 from Grade 1 to 8 to help develop resiliency in our students.
Building from the Mental Wellness Promotion last year the Windsor Staff focused on gaining a better understanding of Zones of Regulation. Zones of Regulation is a curriculum geared toward helping students gain skills in conscious regulation of their actions, which in turn leads to increased self-control and problem-solving abilities. Staff engaged in learning about Zones of Regulation and teaching students in all grades how to implement these strategies. The divisional Positive Behaviour Support Team assisted teachers in learning how to use these strategies effectively within the classroom. Data collected through surveys has indicated a large increase in knowledge of Zones of Regulation for both staff and students. Hopefully implementation at school will continue to develop in future.
In 2018-19 Staff also continued to focus on literacy by using the Writing Project to develop teaching strategies to better engage students in the act of writing. Teachers had previously started learning how to use the Writing Project strategy "I do, We do, You do" in writing and worked to solidify their skills in this area. The Writing Project also encourages the use of Project-based learning to help with student engagement. Success with this initiative was evident in many classes, two of which I will highlight at this time. Mrs. Tait's Grade 4/5 class and Mr. Arnold's Grade 7/8 class. Mrs. Tait's class used the Writing Project in many instances to feature the Assiniboine Zoo Residency in which they were involved. The writing projects focused on what a modern zoo looks like and the sustainability of zoos and animals. Mr. Arnold's Grade 7/8 class has written memoirs about Wisdom. These memoirs will be published, and the book will be available in all schools in the Louis Riel School Division.
We expect this year to be no different. As a staff, Windsor School we plan to build on these goals and work on other important goals to help impact the students and their learning in positive and engaging ways. Please see the attached document to gain a snapshot into some of what Windsor School is working on and all about.
Windsor Plan 19-20.pdf