SCHOOL STORY

With deep gratitude and respect, we are honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Norma Rose Point (NRP) School, named after a Musqueam elder and located on Musqueam land, neighbouring Pacific Spirit Park and the University of British Columbia, consists of 740+ Kindergarten to Grade 7 students and 68 staff. The school is comprised of nine learning communities (ranging from 80 to 140 learners), named after Indigenous flora in Pacific Spirit Park and Indigenous cultural history. Norma Rose Point School is known for its innovative learning environment, flexible learning spaces, a focus on inquiry learning and the desire to integrate Indigenous ways of knowing in authentic ways.

The learners come from a vast array of countries and continents and have many cultural experiences. There are now 42 languages other than English spoken by students and families, with Mandarin speaking learners as the largest group. Approximately 35% (279) of the students receive English Language Learning (ELL) support. The cultural and language histories are wide and varied and parents come from many walks of life. NRP’s transiency rate is incredibly high and remains a challenge as NRP constantly works to establish norms, routines, and get to know up to 300 new learners and parents every year.

Within the university community, it is clear that families hold high academic expectations for students. In addition, many of these families choose to enroll students in out-of-school academic programs. In the past, NRP teachers have been involved in inquiry research on the topic of math instruction (i.e. Inquiry question: “How are innovative teaching and learning practices used to develop curricular competencies in Math, while changing the cultural understanding around math learning?”) NRP will continue to discuss, examine and modify math programs and practices through the lens of best practice. Math will continue to be a school goal but will not be a primary goal moving forward.

Norma Rose Point has an involved and very supportive parent community that volunteers to support school and classroom activities such as school garden projects, welcome-to-school activities, whole school dance and recreation experiences and many other events to encourage parent and family involvement. A dedicated group of parents actively participate in monthly PAC meetings developing and implementing fundraising initiatives. The PAC has been pivotal in supporting educational changes in the curriculum and in communicating student learning, in supporting new and emerging technologies and in supporting playground and beautification plans.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS?

This is a beginning conversation around the thread of “the real school happens after 3” for many of the students.

The learners come from a vast array of countries and continents and have varied cultural experiences as well as varied educational experiences. These experiences are evident in the different perspectives on what the role of school is or on what the role of school should be. There are now 40 or more languages other than English spoken by students and families, with Mandarin speaking languages in the largest group. Approximately 35% of the students receive English Language Learning (ELL) support. The cultural and language histories are wide and diverse and parents come from many walks of life. NRP’s transiency rate is incredibly high and remains a challenge, as the school constantly works to establish norms, routines, and gets to know up to 300 new learners and parents every year.

Within the university community, it is clear that families hold high academic expectations for students. In addition, many families choose to enroll students in out-of-school academic programs. In the past, NRP teachers have been involved in inquiry research on various topics of instruction (i.e. Inquiry question: “How is the school using innovative teaching and learning practices to develop curricular competencies in Math, while changing the cultural understanding around math learning?”) NRP will continue to discuss, examine and modify programs and practices throughout the curriculum through the lens of best practice. Literacy and math teaching and learning will continue to be school goals, but NRP will embed these goals within the larger conversation of teaching and learning in the context of the society NRP finds itself in.

AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY, WE ARE WORKING ON THE FOLLOWING TO:

Improve student achievement in literacy and numeracy, physical and mental well-being, and belonging

NRP finalized class reviews just prior to the winter break. This is the process which looks into student interests, student passions, student successes and student challenges. This process gives the school a chance to wish and dream for ideas and ways to support those interests, passions and areas to support. A question asked in the process is: “If school could have whatever was wished for, what would that be?” A common thread throughout the grades this year is the need for specific instruction around social/emotional learning. This specific instruction might include the use of common language and visuals, and for this instruction to be successful staff would need to encourage and support these common teachings and expectations.

Improve equity

As a school, staff are focusing on effective effort rubrics to shift from a fixed to mixed to growth mindset for all learners. The school is using vertical and horizontal sharing in communities which helps learners learn from each other and is a great ‘Universal Design for Learning’ strategy. NRP is allowing for formative assessment to drive student learning. School is promoting teaching and learning practices which enhance student voice, student choice and student engagement. The school is working hard to differentiate learning for the success of all students, and to give students practices and strategies to help deal with stresses, both school related and outside school.

NRP as a school community is trying to give each student a clearer sense (learning targets) of where they are at in their abilities and where they need to go and what they need to do to get there. From the most recent Middle Years Development Instrument, close to 80% of students surveyed agreed with the statement that they “could learn the skills taught in school this year”. In contrast, only about 12% to 22% thought they could make a difference in the world or make the world a better place. 48% stated that they have difficulty persevering and following through when working on goals. This year, student conversations about personal goals and resilience and perseverance was facilitated in early student goal-setting conferences. These conferences were robust and went deep into students’ learning strengths and challenges. When it came time to report out on student progress, the formal document merely echoed what had been discussed in conferences. Coming out of assessments both prior to and within conferences, it was evident that more opportunities for experiential learning both inside school and outside in the community need to occur. These experiences can and will be shared in vertical and horizontal sharing. The goal is to provide opportunities for students to reflect on personal values/ beliefs with respect to others. A goal is to continue to focus on building engagement and interest in what students are learning and to provide more opportunities for students to have choices about their learning, to develop their interests and to provide them with opportunities to self-assess.

Continue on our journey of reconciliation with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit

NRP continues to find ways to build knowledge and provide authentic experiential learning focused on Indigenous people and Indigenous culture and history. The goal continues to be to provide more opportunities for students to learn about and participate in First Peoples’ activities (wording from Student Learning Surveys). The school has benefited from targeted staffing this year, focusing on local Musqueam connection to the land on which Norma Rose Point School stands. Students have learned about local plants and water systems, especially as they exist in NRP’s rain garden. They have been taught a local First Nation’s language and the significance of words such as ‘garbage’. Students do the land acknowledgement to begin the week and to start assemblies. Students are gaining an emerging understanding of the Musqueam peoples, as NRP is on Musqueam land, and continue to develop their understanding of First Nations, Metis and Inuit.

HOW WILL WE KNOW WE’RE ON TRACK?

Data from the Student Learning Survey, MDI, EDI, classroom assessments and reporting, celebrations of student learning events, conferences and student self-reflections will give evidence of being on track. Teaching staff will engage in professional conversations throughout the year and will pause to self-reflect at year end. Upon reflection, if feedback from data illuminates minimal, none or unanticipated changes, intentional and critical conversations will be opened up with a look for change. Feedback by way of student self-reflections and survey results will be reviewed and used to guide steps to change, as will feedback from parents in conferences, informal communications and survey results.