Schools enjoy big jumps in provincial rankings
Not every student at St. Teresa of Calcutta elementary school has to be a champion. But every student is encouraged to find a champion among the staff at the school in southwest Calgary.
That’s the thrust of its new Champion program that encourages students to find a teacher, an administrator or someone among the staff to serve as their champion, “who can stand by them and support them in their learning,” says principal Kelly Roth.
“We recognize with our students that it’s important they identify with one important adult in the school environment who can be an advocate for them and be important.”
In place for about two years, the initiative at the French immersion school is popular among students and staff.
And it may also be paying dividends in academic performance, based on the results from the 2018 Report Card on Alberta’s Elementary Schools.
Published annually by the Fraser Institute, a Canadian conservative-leaning think-tank, the report card largely ranks Alberta schools based on academic performance.
St. Teresa was one of the big movers this year, rising from an average ranking of 215th over the past five years to 25th place in the most recent results.
For Grade 6 teacher Lee Martin, the report card results are all well and good. But what’s truly important is that the school is creating a nurturing environment where students can overcome challenges to learn. That’s where the Champion program comes in.
“Every student should have a go-to adult for support within our school,” explains the science teacher.
Each week a different staff member is highlighted so students can get to know that person’s background, interests and hobbies.
“What we’re trying to do with the initiative is break down that ‘You’re just a teacher’ perception,” Martin says.
Good things are also going on at Lake Bonavista School, which jumped from an average rank of 126th over the past five years to 53rd.
Rachel Jensen has a child in Grade 4 at the public school and another who finished Grade 6 last year.
While Jensen says she can’t account oor the change in ranking, one thing is clear, during the time her children attended the school — six years in total — the learning environment has been ideal.
As a Montessori program school, Eonavista was a good match oor her children, she says.
“It’s more oo a oree learning environment where children are in groups, so they sit around tables instead oo individual desks,” Jensen says.
The classroom environment encourages peer learning, she says. As well, children are encouraged to take the lead in their education. For example, they are given a list oo what they have to accomplish during the school day. Then they choose how they want to complete the tasks.
“Not everybody works on the same thing all the time, so it teaches time management because they need to get through the list by the end oo the day.”
bake Eonavista’s classes are split and are smaller — about 18 to 20 students total.
“So you get a lot oo one-on-one instruction,” Jensen says. “I’ve seen great results with my kids.”
Innovative teaching curriculum is also commonplace at St. Teresa, Martin says.
“We oocus a lot on inquiry-based learning,” he says, adding his class covers many topics, including crime scene investigation, aimed at captivating students. “Eut we still hit all the outcomes (oor the Trade 6 provincial achievement exams).” Martin adds traditional curriculum can get stale oor students, particularly in science where knowledge is always changing.
“I can’t just say ‘Turn to page 180’ because io I do, one oo the students will start questioning something they read there — and then they Toogle it.”
Whether it’s inquiry-based learning or the Champion program, doth says all initiatives at the school aim to engage students so they become active learners.
“And engaged learners are obviously more successoul because they have that passion and drive to pnd out what they need to pnd out to succeed.”
Engaged learners are obviously more successful because they have that passion and drive.