I. General Information
School Name: Esquimalt High School
School District: SD#61 Greater Victoria
Inquiry Team Members: Sarah Garr
sgarr@sd61.bc.ca
Chantal Peppin
cpeppin@sd61.bc.ca
Cheryl Nigh
cnigh@sd61.bc.ca
David Fuerst Ackles
dfuerstackles@sd61.bc.ca
Geoff Orme
GOrme@sd61.bc.ca
Jared Adams
jadams@sd61.bc.ca
Jennifer Treble
jtreble@sd61.bc.ca
Kaehlen Allison
kallison@sd61.bc.ca
Ken Henderson
khenderson@sd61.bc.ca
Maya Hamel
Maya@esquimaltnation.ca
Paola Madrigal
Paola.Madrigal@songheesnation.com
Shannon Dunn
sdunn@sd61.bc.ca
Tarra Clarke
tclarke@sd61.bc.ca
Tim Zemanek
tzemanek@sd61.bc.ca
Tina O’Keeffe
tokeeffe@sd61.bc.ca
Wren Chester
wchester@sd61.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: sgarr@sd61.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Not applicable
Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Flexible learning, Growth mindset, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Creating connection/belonging/safe spaces as students transition into Grade 9 to support ongoing success.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: The majority of our scanning occurred in the first year of our inquiry. From our scanning, we know that there is some level of connection/belonging and safe spaces available to students, but we know that we need to expand this. We want to build capacity in teachers/staff and allow them to hear directly from our Indigenous students what is needed for them to feel connected and safe in our building and classrooms.
Focus: Coming out of several years of COVID, we have noticed that many of our students are (feeling) disengaged and disconnected. As well, with a large cohort of Grade 9 students with diverse needs, we knew that it would be important to provide as many supports as possible, specifically for our priority Indigenous students. Our hope is that if we can build a strong connection in Grade 9, that this will lead to continued connection/success in Grades 10 through 12.
Hunch: While the majority of our staff feel as if they are offering inclusive and safe spaces for our Indigenous students, the perception of our students is often quite different. There is a disconnect between staff intentions and students’ perception/experience. From this, we recognized that we need to be more intentional in our approach and practices.
New Professional Learning: Our two guiding resources are Leading Through Spirals of Inquiry for Equity and Quality (Halbert and Kaser) and Street Data – A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy and School Transformation (Safir and Dugan). As team lead, I am part of a provincial “Community of Practice” with Shane Safir and Dr. Jamila Dugan that looks at making use of “street data” to pursue equity in education. As well, we connected to other groups within our school (School-Based Team) for additional resources and supports.
Taking Action:
Background:
We have noticed through data collected by SBT, NOIIE and Grade 9 Team, that after several years of disruptions through the pandemic, many of our Grade 9 students appear disconnected and disengaged from their learning, from their peers and from the school community in general. This manifests in a number of ways such as inconsistent attendance, lower instances of class completion, and additional behaviour concerns. Research shows us that strong relationships and a sense of belonging lead to increased academic success and supports the social-emotional development of students.
Objective:
To increase student success through building relationships, community, connections and belonging by introducing a Grade 9 Advisory model for the 2023-2024 school year.
Key Highlights:
– Grade 9 Advisory would take place during Focus block time.
– Teachers would be asked to express an interest in being connected to a Grade 9 Advisory.
– Class size of 20 max., constructed with input from Transition notes.
– Advisory blocks would include some prepared materials/lessons/activities and some teacher/student co-constructed activities.
– A schedule/calendar of “themed” monthly activities would be shared with teachers, students, families.
– Activities might include: circles, crafts, team-building, board games, Advisory challenges, videos, food, letter to self, guest speakers (e.g. Alumni), mindfulness, study skills, field trips, team teaching
– Potential of “partnering” with another Grade 9 Advisory and/or a Focus block for activities, mentoring, challenges – transfer of relationships.
Measuring Success:
– Baseline data in September, follow up mid-year, end of year, end of Gr. 12
– Questionnaires/surveys, self-assessment, increased attendance, decreased vandalism, increased class completion
Checking: As this initiative will be implemented during the 2023-2024 school year, we will gather and collate data from our students, staff and families throughout next year.
Reflections/Advice: Our learning will continue into next year. Our goal will be to incorporate more student voice/feedback, as well as expand this opportunity for feedback to our families and community.