January 2025 Update-What Are We Learning?
Goal 1: Reading
We see the need for more targeted reading instruction and word work to help students improve their literacy skills throughout all the grades. By working collaboratively with our Coordinator of Inquiry (COI) and our Learning Support Team, teachers can see data that indicates the skill level of their students and can focus on individual student need with instruction tailored to the needs of the students in the classroom. This knowledge helps our learning support team work with the staff and students to have a targeted focus for the students at the school.
Goal 2: Social Emotional Well-Being
The World Health Organization defines mental health as ” a state of well-being emerging from the realization of individual potential, ability to cope with normal life stressors, working productively and contributing to the community.” We want to focus on the balance of self-actualization and happiness, with the need for resiliency and the ability to interact with others. (Ensouling Our Schools, Jennifer Katz and Richard Lamoureaux)
How Is it Going?
Goal 1: Reading
At Beach Grove, we are involved in an assessment pilot working with Literacy coordinators from the district. Staff are working together to analyze the data. Learning profiles are created to help us understand targeted areas for support and strategies that may be helpful.
Goal 2: Social Emotional Well-Being
- Use of the book, Ensouling our Schools by Jennifer Katz and Richard Lamoureux as a resource for learning with staff during staff meetings and professional learning days (ie. How to Build Flourishing Learning communities Chapter 6, Addressing Mental Health Needs with All Students Chapter 7)
- Introduced the Heart-Mind connection during a school wide assembly
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Heart-Mind well-being refers to the balance between educating the mind and educating the heart. While there is a great focus in our society on academic achievement, research has demonstrated the positive impacts of developing our hearts – the way we “feel” and “relate to one another”. In fact, heart and mind learning are interconnected. Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education. The 5 qualities: Secure and Calm, Gets Along with Others, Alert and Engaged, Compassionate and Kind, Solves Problems Peacefully
Where to next?
Home and School Connection
Check out the Weekly HOWL (posted under newsletters)
2025 Beach Grove Coyote Howl newsletter-January 6-10
Beach Grove Coyote Howl newsletter January 13-17 2025.
Fall 2025 Update-Inquiry Question (Literacy focus) What Are We Learning?
Inquiry Question #1 (Literacy focus):
If we create structured reading practice across all subject areas, will our students become more independent at navigating text?
What led us to choose this focus?
SCANNING:
Students need more practice reading (observations and data from our Learning Support team and classroom teachers)
Assessment pilot with District Coordinators where teachers collected and analyzed specific data through the year 2024-25
HUNCH: We need to create time for consistent, structured targeted reading skill practice
How’s it going?
Our Coordinator of Inquiry goal is aligned with the reading goal; a primary focus this year was creating what we call, “Skills Camp” for our primary students.
Students gather three times a week for 30 minutes working on targeted skills that were identified in our data collection samples.
Our LST teachers, Librarian as well as classroom teachers each take a mixed age grouping and work on targeted skill identified for that specific group.
Sharing with parents our inquiry goal and the progress…
-on the school website
-In the weekly school newsletter, The Coyote HOWL
-at monthly PAC meetings
What evidence are we tracking and what are the results?
We will be starting assessments at the end of the m
onth of October to help inform next groupings; skills needed in next groups
What new learning is happening for staff?
Time is allotted to collaborate and plan (Professional Learning days, “Lunch & Learns”, Collaborationtime)
Where to Next?
Where to next?
We need to look at how we will transition current groupings to new groupings from the assessments and identified skills
Based on our findings, what adjustments are we making and what impact are we hoping to observe?
We hope to see students develop the skills they didn’t have. We hope to eventually have fewer students in the intermediate grades struggling with reading.