School Profile
Mission: To develop lifelong learners in a knowledge-based society while respecting each individual’s right to equal/equitable education while ensuring conditions that allow the child to reach his/her maximum potential.
Grades: Kindergarten to cycle 3 Elementary (K-6)
School size: Approximately 480 students
Motto: Every student, every day, a success in our community
Academics
- French Classes (Core and Enriched)
- Focus on literacy and numeracy skills
- Ethics and religious cultures
- Physical Education
- Outdoor Education Program
- Science
- Technology: Chromebooks, iPads, Smartboards, Robotics, Coding
- Math
Services
- Daycare (before and after school)
- Resource small group instruction
- Accommodations for Special Needs
- TRIBES school
- Anti-Bullying/Anti-Violence Program
- Student Success/Social Skills Program
- Mentoring Program
- Free Breakfast and Milk Program
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach
- Tracking and reporting on individual success
- Hot Meal and Pizza Program
Extra-Curricular Activities
- Coding Club
- Art Club
- Cribbage Club
- Choir
- Zumba
- Lego Club
- Organized Sports -Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Soccer, Cross-Country and Touch Football
- Stunting and Gymnastics Club
- Drama Club
- Champions for Life
- School Newspaper Club
- Photography Club
- AV “Tech Crew” Club
- Destination Imagination
- Power Play
- Walking Club
- Yoga Club
- Alternate Recess Activities
- Playground Leadership Program (PALS)
- Breakfast Program Club
- Grade Six Girls Club
Activities & Events
- Talent show
- Virtue Awards Assemblies with student performances
- Terry Fox Run, Jump Rope for Heart
- Remembrance Day Ceremony
- Home & School monthly events (movie nights, dances, Carnival, Corn Roast)
- Music Makers
- Drama Productions
- Winter Fun Day
- Cultural Outings
- Theatre Group Performances at School
- “Tribes” Day
- Grade Six Graduation
- Kindergarten Open House
- Grade 6 Transition to High School visits and guest speakers
School Context (internal and external environments)
Strengths
- High rate of bilingualism
- Cohesive staff
- The level of staff involvement
- Extra-curricular activities
- Sharing of resources, meeting, discussing, informal mentoring
- Growth of challenging students in a positive way
- Learning support services available to students (resource, attendants, alternative programming, volunteers, SLP)
- Technology
- Relationships between staff and students
- Positive school culture
- High expectations for students
- Anti-Violence/Anti-Bullying
- Strong Home and School helps address the lack of community due to territorial factors
- Inclusive school – students who transfer to our school out of enclosed classroom settings tend to meet with success
- Breakfast program, supporting students in need (costumes, clothes, angel tree, food donations)
- School climate – tone, friendly staff
- Diverse range of ages and experience levels in staff
Vulnerabilities
- High need for speech language services
Challenges
- Repeated behaviour by certain students, particularly when parent support is lacking
- Lack of parental support for high risk students
- Tardiness
- Our huge school territory
- Lack of physical space with a growing population
- High level of special needs – the percentage of students with handicaps, social maladjustments or learning difficulties.
- High needs have increased
Internal Factors
- Level of staff involvement
External Factors
- The type or level of support or guidance that parent provide for their children
- Family status
- Low income and socio economic environments
Challenges, Orientations, Objectives, Indicators and Targets Specific to the Institution
Please see appendix for objectives #1-9, outlining our action plan in alignment with Western Québec’s Commitment to Success Plan.
| OBJECTIVE #1 | Actual situation | Target 2022 | Indicator | Core Area of Focus |
| 1.Increase parental involvement and support. | Benchmark to be established June 2019 | Increase of 10% | Attendance at events | Communication Incentives Interest |
| Actions & Strategies Provide workshops for parents at our school on important topics (mental health, sexuality education, homework help, etc.)Encourage participation through incentives (door prizes, raffles, food, babysitting). | ||||
| OBJECTIVE #2 | Actual situation | Target 2022 | Indicator | Core Area of Focus |
| Increase numeracy skills across all levels. | 66% | 85% (WQSB) | Success rate in cycle 3 elementary math exam. | Engagement Pedagogy |
| Actions & Strategies Promote math with a school-wide math week, math challenges around the school and visuals. Encourage real life math opportunities (baking, shopping, etc.)Develop math centers and/or hands-on, open ended learning activities in math that incorporate talk.Regularly revisit prior learning using questions of the day and a math buddies program. | ||||
| OBJECTIVE #3 | Actual situation | Target 2023 | Indicator | Core Area of Focus |
| Support our population of students with special needs. | 85.7% reg/53.6% EDHAA | 60.6% EDHAA success rate | Graduation and qualification rate in secondary. | Assistance Consistency Collaboration Goals Involvement in school life |
| Actions & Strategies Support students through the use of assistive technology tools (Read Write, Word Q, apps)Targeted training for attendants in supporting specific needs.Provide opportunities and encourage teachers, attendants and technicians to meet together and collaborate.Promote active participation in the school community for students with special needs (responsibilities, clubs, activities) | ||||
| OBJECTIVE #4 | Actual situation | Target 2023 | Indicator | Core Area of Focus |
| Increase mental health awareness and well being. | Our School Survey Results. | Support Inform/educate Approach | ||
| Actions & Strategies Address the increasing mental health support that is needed for students. Promote and access community resources.Provide in-school supports (listening ear, mentorship, Social Activities groups)Review our approach and response to students in crisis as a staff.Educate students, parents and staff members on mental health, particularly youth mental health.Explore the use of solution-based approaches, conflict resolution and restorative practices through our Positive Schools PLC.Provide CPI training to all staff every two years.Make all staff aware of students who are at high-risk, including details of strategic support plan in place. | ||||
About the Educational Project
Purpose and Definition of the Educational Project
The educational project is a strategic tool through which an educational institution can define and communicate to the educational community the policy orientations, the action priorities, and the expected results to ensure the educational success for all students, in both the youth and adult sectors. It reflects the characteristics and needs of the students who attend the educational institution and the expectations expressed in the community in terms of education. Resulting from a consensus, the educational project is prepared and implemented through the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders concerned with the institution: students, parents, teachers and other staff members (daycare service, secretary, etc.), as well as the community and school board representatives.
Consultations Held for the Preparation of the Educational Project
- Governing Board Meeting – April 19th, 2019
- School Success Team Meeting – April 23, 2019
- Teacher Meeting – May 7, 2019
- School Success Team Meeting – May 27, 2019
- Governing Board – May 28, 2019
School Success Team Members
- Valerie Link – Principal
- Erick Tremblay – Vice-Principal
- Pat Cusin – Teacher, Cycle 3
- Marie Kielback – Special Education Teacher
- Renai Moleman – Kindergarten Teacher
Legal Framework
The Education Act (EA) states that an institution’s educational project must take into account the following requirements:
- consist of the following elements (EA, Sections 37 and 97.1):
- a description of the context in which the educational institution acts and the main challenges it faces, particularly with respect to academic success and, in the case of a vocational training centre, the relevance of the training to regional or national labour market needs;
- the specific policy orientations of the educational institution and the objectives selected for improving student success;
- the targets to be achieved by the end of the period covered by the educational project;
- the indicators to be used to measure achievement of these objectives and targets;
- the intervals at which the educational project is to be evaluated, determined in collaboration with the school board;
- respect the students’, parents’ and school staff’s freedom of conscience and of religion (EA, Section 37);
- cover a period that is harmonized with the period covered by the school board’s commitment-to-success plan and the period covered by the MEES strategic plan (EA, Sections 37.1, 97.2 and 209.1);
- where applicable, comply with the terms prescribed by the Minister to govern the coordination of the entire strategic planning process between the educational institutions, the school board and the MEES (EA, Section 459.3);
- be consistent with the school board’s commitment-to-success plan (EA, Sections 37 and 97.1).
Transmission and Distribution of the Educational Project:
Before submitting the educational project to the school board and making it public, it may be useful for Greater Gatineau School (principal) to submit it one last time to the School Project Committee involved in preparing it. In this way, the principal of Greater Gatineau can ensure that the educational project truly reflects the discussions that took place and the decisions made. In addition, it will provide an opportunity to make any necessary changes before presenting the educational project to the governing board for adoption (final consultation, first iteration, 10 May, 2019).
The governing board must then take the following steps:
- Send the educational project to the school board, which then has 60 to 90 days to request amendments or require the governing board to defer its publication. The governing board and the school board may also agree on another time limit (EA, section 209.2).
- Distribute the educational project to students and staff members when the above-mentioned time limit period has expired. Note: The educational project takes effect on the date of its publication.
- The educational project should be posted in PDF format on the educational institution’s website so that it is readily available to anyone who wishes to consult it. A number of paper copies may also be made available.
- The educational institution can present the educational project at the annual general meeting of parents.
- A letter of thanks should be emailed to steering committee members, governing board members and the educational institution’s staff in order to acknowledge their contribution to the preparation of the educational project. In line with sustainable development principles, a PDF version of the educational project may be enclosed with the email.
Implementing and Monitoring the Educational Project
After defining the context and choosing the policy orientations and objectives, Greater Gatineau School must implement and monitor the commitments made in the educational project. The following steps may be taken to implement the educational project:
- Agree with the school team on the measures that will be applied to achieve the objectives and targets. To explain the rationale behind its choice of measures, the school team may refer to educational practices in the community, the school board’s educational practices, research findings and the results of experiments, and documents produced by the school board and by MEES (policies, strategies, strategic plans, action plans, etc.).
- Obtain the principal’s approval for the measures (EA, section 96.15).
- Develop management monitoring tools (follow-up table, dashboard, action plan, etc.) and periodically observe the progress made. These tools are a valuable source of information on the effectiveness of the measures used.
- Where necessary, adjust the measures according to the available financial and human resources as well as the results.
- Continue to work with members of the governing board and the other people involved in preparing the educational project. Keep them up to date, and arrange meetings to inform them about the measures and results. They are not required to approve the measures.
- Update the educational project if new strategic orientations are identified by the Minister, or if there is a significant change in the educational institution’s situation (e.g. a change in its deed of establishment or in its catchment area). The people involved in preparing the educational project should be consulted beforehand.
- Begin the task of preparing the new educational project before the one currently in force has expired.
Reporting On the Educational Project
Reporting is the last stage in the results-based management process. It involves evaluating the educational project and presenting the evaluation results to the community.
Greater Gatineau School (principal) must monitor and examine the extent to which the objectives have been achieved and the effectiveness of the measures it has applied to fulfill its commitments. From a continuous improvement standpoint, evaluation also provides an opportunity to share innovative practices so that they can be incorporated into everyday pedagogical practices.