David Cameron Elementary

Full Day Kindergarten

2011-05-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

At this time of year kindergarten families are normally getting excited for their start to school in the Fall. At David Cameron Elementary we normally have our orientation session already completed and information out to families. We are little behind this year for a number of reasons, but are anxiously anticipating the start of full day kindergarten at David Cameron. We are slated to have three K classes next year and our teaching staff have been working hard in preparation; buying equipment and resources, talking with each other about plans for instruction, and determining classroom locations.

The most exciting aspect of full day kindergarten is the luxury of time to play. Kindergarten is based upon the idea that play is learning. Students are able to explore, imagine, and play symbolically as they learn to interact with others and the world around them. Our Kindergarten staff were fortunate to spend a morning with other kindergarten teachers last week, discussing the importance of play as the central element to their programs. The Primary Program (Ministry of Education, 2000) says: "Children learn through play. Through their play, children develop sensory motor control, eye-hand coordination, and problem solving skills. Physical, social, intellectual, and emotional development are all enhanced through play. Piaget (1980) went on to say that, "Play therefore becomes a creative experience in which the child bends reality to his [sic] wishes, incorporating his [sic] social experiences, reliving his [sic] pleasures and resolving his [sic] conflicts, thus ensuring survival".

The gift of time for kindergarten, will allow our staff and new students the opportunity to explore a variety of themes and concepts through play-based learning. We anticipate that each of our classes will be located on the first floor to allow easy access to the outdoors, so that their play can incorporate indoor and outdoor spaces.

This is an exciting opportunity for all. I'm sure there will be some learning and some fine tuning in our program that happens over the year, but in the end the caring and thoughtful approach our teachers are taking is sure to make this a great experience for everyone. As I wrap up, I think about a notion from Lev Vygotsky that suggests "children rise about their average behaviour in play". This is what creates such fertile ground for learning. Bring on the full day K!

Time for Change

2011-05-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have avoided writing this for some time now. Sorry to those few of you who follow this blog regularly. Now that we know who the new principal of David Cameron will be I can begin to get my head around transition. I have said to several people over the past month or so that moving to a new position is bittersweet; I am excited about the new challenge and possibilities of the new job, but I am also saddened at leaving such a vibrant and caring school community.

I have been reflecting back on the time that I have been fortunate to spend at David Cameron, and all that we have been able to accomplish together, and am in awe of the commitment that this school community has shown in making education special for our children. I remember back to the warm welcome that I received from staff, students, and parents upon my arrival at David Cameron and have continued to strive to ensure that new families have been able to feel the same thing. Over the years we have come through the blending of two schools into one new entity through the development of a shared culture. This was due in large order to the open and caring nature of everyone involved. The development of a strong culture has been a passion of mine and it is comforting to see how strong it has become. We now have a very clear set of beliefs about how we choose to work and be together. This is very encouraging for a strong future.

I know that everyone is replaceable and that it won't take long for the culture of the school to evolve to its new state. I am pleased to have played a small role in making the education of so many great kids a positive one. I have a little bit of time left at the school and will continue to give my full attention and effort to our students in that time. More reflections to come as we get closer to the end of the year.

Fundraising and our Fun Fair

2011-04-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was helping out with my daughter's soccer team as they try to raise funds for a big soccer trip coming up. I didn't do much, but it took a good chunk of my weekend just the same, and in the end it was a very successful fundraiser. While I was doing it, I began to think of all of the fundraising tasks that our school undertakes over the course of a school year and in particular how monumental a task our upcoming Fun Fair is.

This weekend I had one task, organizing a 50/50 draw and the volunteers that go along with it. It took a lot of time, with lots of emails back and forth. Our Fun Fair is exponentially more intricate and time consuming. The success of the event is due to Trish and Michelle and their tremendous organizational skills, but it also requires the commitment and involvement of countless others. I think I heard it said the other day that there are 100, half hour volunteers slots to fill on the night of the event. This does not include the pre-planning and organization that goes on for months ahead of time. I hope that we have a tremendous turn out this Friday (April 29th), not only in support of our school and PAC, but also as an acknowledgement of the hard work our volunteers have done on behalf of our students.

The Fun Fair is the largest fundraising event of the year, but it is not the only one. PAC has several events over the course of the year as do individual classes and groups of students (e.g. our SPCA club). While these events are not directly related to curriculum in classrooms, they do provide an awful lot of additional bonuses to the school in the form of field trips, equipment, etc. The events organized and staffed by students also provide crucial lessons in money management, cost-profit understanding, organization, and advertising (writing in context), to name only a few.

So, while it may sometimes seem a burden to volunteer some time at these fundraising events, the value is well worth it. I hope to see a huge show of David Cameron support for our Fun Fair on April 29th. See you there.

"Digital Tatoos"

2011-04-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

I heard it described awhile ago that when we go on line we create a "digital tattoo". That is, we create a history of our activity that is forever. When we send an email or text message or a post to a social network site, we have no idea what could happen with that information and to whom it may be passed. When we surf the web we leave a trail that creates a profile of the sites we like to visit and therefore, what advertisers might target us. Like a tattoo on our body we can cover it up or have it removed, but it is never really gone.

These are only a few of the things that we need to be aware of in order to maintain our privacy and safety as we stay connected via the internet. Therefore, thanks to our PAC, we will be hosting a cyber safety session for our grade five and six students. The grade fives will be involved in a session that provides them with some safety tips and ideas about things that they can do to protect their privacy. Our grade sixes, many of whom are actively involved in social networking (e.g. Facebook), will have a more detailed session that will explore possible concerns including on line predators.

Technology is an amazing tool that can do a lot of great things, but like anything, we need to make sure that we use it in a morally responsible way and we need to make sure that we take precautions to maintain our safety. These sessions will occur on Tuesday, April 26th. We encourage parents to talk with their children about the ideas and concepts that they have learned during these sessions. Open communication and interest in what your child is doing will go a long way to support them in learning to be safe and protect their privacy on line.

April Virtue - Unity

2011-04-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

This month our school is focusing on the virtue of "unity". Unity is the ability to understand the differences in people so that we can embrace them and come together in support of each other. As we do each month, we begin with our school-wide assembly to introduce the virtue. This month was a little different in that we linked our virtue of unity to building understanding for our staff and students around First Nations culture. We were fortunate to have Scott Sam and Murray Campbell come and perform for our students. They sang and drummed a number of songs that kept everyone entertained, but at the same time, they were able to explain the significance of the singing and of the songs themselves. What a great assembly!

After recess, our students re-formed into their Family Groups for another opportunity to experience First Nations culture through art work. Charlene George joined us for this part where we were able to blend important aspects of culture with the use of our technology in the school. Charlene used our camera and television abilities to teach each of the Family Groups throughout the school. She had chosen some of her own original designs for students to be able to colour and put together. As the students worked in each of their rooms in the school, Charlene explained the significance of each piece and the story behind its design. What a great opportunity for our students to extend their understanding of the importance of art in telling a story about people.

The whole morning was so much fun for staff and students alike. Each of our students was able to bring home a couple of pieces of art and hopefully a whole new set of stories.

Spring Has Sprung

2011-03-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

This year Spring Break has come later in the month of March then it did last year. This means that when we return to classes tomorrow there will only be three months of the school year remaining. The last three months can often be the busiest three months, as teachers work hard to complete academic requirements, PAC gears up for their big Fun Fair fundraiser, and we begin the many transitions that will occur.

During the last term we will have a number of transitions that are important for our community. The most obvious one is with our grade six students heading off to middle school. While some of their transition activities have already happened, there are several more to go. At the other end of the spectrum we have our last group of half day kindergarten students transitioning to full days and a new crop of students entering kindergarten with the start of our Full Day Kindergarten program. In between each of these, and equally as important, are the transitions for each of our students from one grade to the next, a process that we take as a great responsibility.

Of course, there are also adult transitions that happen within our school community. We have many parents who are in their final year at David Cameron as their youngest or only child moves on to middle school. This will mean some large holes need to be filled on our PAC as we head towards our AGM in May and the election of a new PAC. Finally, we will be transitioning a new Principal into our school community. The District has not yet appointed the person for this position, but will likely do so in the next short while, and then we can begin the process of introducing her or him to David Cameron.

These changes will include a host of additional challenges for us as we continue to keep our focus squarely on a successful academic term.

Report Card Language

2011-03-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

At this time of year, teachers in schools across the province are working hard to prepare report cards for families. The teachers at David Cameron are no different. We are so fortunate to have an incredible group of professionals working with and for our students. This is certainly reflected in the care and attention put into report cards. Our teachers struggle with getting the comments just right to make sure there is a caring blend of support and direction for improvement.

One of the things we all struggle with; teachers, parents, and students alike, is the language that gets used. Sometimes we get caught up in "eduspeak" and move away from stating what is happening for a child in clear and simple language. This happens in all professions where vocabulary specific to that profession emerges, and while we do our best not to head down that road, it does happen sometimes.

The bigger issue is the language of achievement. These are the words like, "Johnny is fully meeting expectations . . ." that appear on report cards. By Ministerial requirement, all report cards must include what the student is able to do, areas for improvement, ways to support learning, and a statement of achievement. This is where the language can become confusing. In the primary and early intermediate grades the term "exceeding" gets used to describe a student who is doing exceptionally well. It becomes difficult for teachers and parents to determine what exceeding means. Granted, there are examples on the Ministry Performance Standards, but the word is difficult to pin down. Does it mean that the student has surpassed the expectations of the grade and is working on material at the next grade level, or does it mean that they have surpassed the expectations of the teacher? Letter grades use a different term to describe "A" level work; that is work that is excellent or outstanding.

At the other end of the spectrum we have the terms "approaching", "minimally meeting", and "satisfactory" work. Approaching is used on primary report cards to denote someone who is meeting expectations but at a lower level. The term seems to suggest someone that is not yet meeting the expectations, but is approaching them. Minimally meeting expectations is the phrase used for early intermediate to denote the same level of achievement, while the letter grade language of "C" means satisfactory.

It would be great if we could determine a common language that was truly reflective of what a student is able to do and that is clearly understandable by parents and the public. In the meantime, the one valuable thing that all of this language does do is to create opportunities for teachers and families to connect in conversation about their child.

Appreciative Inquiry

2011-03-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday, about a dozen of the David Cameron staff got together with Dan Doherty, an Appreciative Inquiry facilitator, to examine in greater detail the idea of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). Wow! What an incredible opportunity to learn about such a powerful way to look at things and to connect on a deeper level with colleagues. We spent the day together engaged in meaningful conversation about our school and learning. We looked for examples of greatness and how we can build upon those for future successes.

During the day, Dan led us through the process which focused on the question, "How are we effectively fostering constructive inquiry, and how can we enhance the spirit of inquiry within our students beyond what we are currently doing?" What a powerful question for us to engage in for the day. Dan further explained that AI is "asking questions that add value" (this one clearly did). One of the basic principles of AI is that what you focus on expands. If we focus on the negative (destructive), we get more of that, but if we focus on being constructive that is where we grow.

As we explored, inquired, and asked deeper questions we began to collectively see great things in our school and ways to build upon them to extend the quality of experience for adults and students. Themes began to emerge about trust, risk taking, and the continued development of our school culture.

The day was a great example of what professional development can and should be. Staff were engaged, energized, and it made us think about how we can be better for our students. We now have a core group of staff keen to explore ways that we encourage risk taking and trust already, and how we can get more of it.

Parents as Partners

2011-02-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

On Thursday last week, I had the chance to hear Sir John Abbot speak about learning in the 21st Century. He takes an interesting perspective on how history has shaped our ability to learn and the lessons we should draw from that in how we structure our schools. Key to his thinking is the importance of a nurturing and supportive home environment, hence the importance of parents as partners in learning.

Sir John talked about the elements for students to be successful and refers to a "three-legged stool that can find balance on any surface". The three legs of the stool are home, community, and school, which suggests that school is only a part of the learning journey we are all on. The home, plays a critical role in the development of the child, particularly during the first five years. When humans are born, their brain is only about 40% developed, which means that a lot of brain development is environmental and not pre-disposed. As a result, our innate abilities must be "activated" through stimulation in the environment, "use it or lose it", whereby lack of stimulation at an early age means brain connections aren't made and that area of development is shut off. A nurturing and supportive home environment helps to activate our learning at an early age and stimulates our brains. While this is critical in the first five years, it continues to be important throughout our lives in the creation of a supportive and encouraging environment for learning.

Jesse Jackson once said, "no parent is too poor to turn the TV off and labour alongside their child." In order for our children to be successful we must have parents in partnership with the teacher and school to support student learning. Engaging our parents in understanding the changes that we are trying to make in education is important for the long-term success of our students. We have to make the message strong enough to bring people together.

Transitions

2011-02-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

This past week we had two events for our grade six students to begin their transition to middle school. In only a few short months our grade sixes will be saying good-bye to elementary and hello to the next chapter in their education. This is true for many of our parents as well who will be leaving David Cameron with their child(ren). Our two feeder schools, Spencer and Dunsmuir, have done a great job in welcoming everyone and making them feel at home right away.

Over the next few months, these transition events will continue for both students and parents, helping to acquaint them with the routines and layout of these schools. We are fortunate in this district to have such great places to send our students. We know it is hard to let go of a place many have know for seven years (more for some parents) and moving to something so different, and so big. This is why so much effort is put into these transition activities. Students get a chance to see the strong performing arts programs at each of the schools, meet with school counsellors, administrators, teachers, and other students through a variety of events.

A huge thank-you goes out to the staffs at both Dunsmuir and Spencer for the care they show with our students. I know it is relief to our parents to know that their children will be in good hands.

Supporting the needs of all

2011-02-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

In the past, I have blogged about "fair not being equal". Fair is the process of figuring out what each person needs in order to be successful and move forward with their learning. Equal means that everyone gets the same thing, regardless of circumstance.

I am reminded of this again as we struggle to support the behaviour needs of a couple of students at school who are going through a difficult time. The circumstances in each case are very different and therefore require a different approach. The process of uncovering, and working with the student to figure out what they are trying to get from their behaviours is slow and sometimes frustrating as set backs continue. Each of the students' issues are manifesting as outbursts of behaviour, in which case the notion of equal would mean that the same consequences are dispensed to each - but how would this support their particular needs and the particular struggle that they are facing?

I think that for the most part, our staff is extremely attuned to this notion of fairness over equality, but it is a struggle for everyone when we consider the competing interests. As educators we want to take the time to help students learn from their mistakes, but we must also take into account what's fair for: other students who are faced with these behaviours, other staff who sometimes take the brunt of these outbursts of anger and frustration, and other parents who see the behaviour manifest but don't know the details behind the scene. These are some of the factors that weigh in our decisions as to the best way to support the individual and the broader community of learners as well.

Treating everyone the same and handing out the same consequences in each circumstance would certainly make my life easier, but it would also take away our credibility as an educators. Education is so much more than math and reading, it is the whole person that requires our attention, our support, and our love. I am also reminded of advice a colleague gave me years ago: "what is best for the student is not always easiest for the adults involved." With this in mind, and with the many successes I have seen over my career, we continue to find what is best for the learner and work hard to make a difference.

The Value of Involvement

2011-01-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Michael Jordan is a pretty famous sports personality and wasn't too bad a basketball player. When he was in grade 9, he was cut from his school basketball team, he persevered, made the team the next year, and the rest is history.

We have 30 grade five/six boys and another 30 grade five/six girls that have come out to play basketball for the school team this year. It would sure be a lot easier to coach if we reduced those numbers to about 12 players on each team, but what would the negative side of that be? It would mean that a lot of students wouldn't get a chance to participate in a physical activity, they wouldn't get the opportunity to represent their school, and they wouldn't have the chance to engage with their school in a different way. For many students the relationship with their school is tenuous, and as they go through the grades, if they don't have a "hook"; something that engages them, then the chances of losing them increase significantly. For some, athletics is a nice distraction to the really important things in life, but for others, it is the important thing that allows them to hang on school. It is precisely for this reason that we take all comers and try to give them the skills and attitude to carry on with sport in their life.

I am proud of the commitment that our staff has to our students and to ensuring that they have great opportunities to connect with their school. Athletics serve a very important part of our school community. We are fortunate to have such great involvement.

Community and Technology

2011-01-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

What a great event our PAC put on this past Friday night. Our Family Dance was a great success with many of our families coming out to enjoy an evening at the school. At one point during the evening I was talking to a couple of our parents about the incredible advances in technology that have happened over the past few years and how easy that technology is to use. We were looking at the source of our music for the evening, which included an iPod Touch and an iPhone hooked up to our school stereo system. We marvelled at the idea of having so much music at our fingertips in such small containers. As we were talking a student came up and requested a song from her iPod Nano, but the connection was different from what we were using. No problem, we grabbed a MacBook from our lab and plugged the iPod into that and then patched the MacBook into the stereo system: instant playlist and another 250 songs at our disposal. A little later, another student came up and requested a song that was not on any of the three players we were using. Again no problem, out came two more iPhones from the parents I was talking with, we quickly found the requested song and had it playing.

I find this fascinating in part because of the incredible technology available at our finger tips, but also because of the ability the technology has to bring our community together. This year our PAC has made a purposeful decision to create some "no-cost" events for our families to come out and enjoy. In this case, utilizing the technology allowed people to have fun, enjoy a wide range of music, and easily accomplish the task by ourselves, without having to hire someone to come in and do it for us. Truth be told, it wasn't really the technology that did this as much as it was a hard working group of parents, but the point is that the technology allowed for it to happen. We often hear stories in the media and the lament of many, that technology is causing us to lose connection with one another. Many of our children prefer alternatives such as texting, tweeting, or even blogging, to face-to-face contact. I don't think this makes us less social, in fact I think it helps us to be more social, creating greater opportunities to connect with friends over bigger distances. The technology that so often seems to push us apart can also be responsible for bringing us together. Of course, the important lessons still have to be how to play nice and get along with others, whether in person or on-line.

Thanks to our PAC for organizing this event and bringing us together. In the end, it is still the people involved that make a community what it is. Technology is only a tool that helps us, it is not what creates it.

Student expectations and their behaviour

2011-01-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

I am now officially a part of the twitter crowd. So far only as a follower trying to figure out all of the things that our students do without thinking. In one of the first posts I read, by our own vice-principal, I found a fascinating quote that got me thinking about our work with students. She was commenting on a blog post by Joe Blower (http://www.joebower.org/) and said, "how can a teacher claim to be progressive yet subscribe to a series of punishments for non-compliance".

The blog and the tweet (never thought I would write that in a sentence) raise several issues about the progressiveness of our education system. We are certainly in a system in transition. There are those that are keen to move us forward with what research is telling us about reward and punishment and those that cling to past practices. The challenge for us is to continue to move forward and to help those less inclined to understand the changes occurring around them. How do we support students in a system that is standing astride the old and the new? As Dr. Dave Hepburn said in an interview in the most recent Boulevard Magazine, "If a doctor is practicing the way they were five years ago, they may as well be practicing in a museum".

Students make mistakes. Sometimes they repeat the mistakes over and over without changing their behaviour. Does this mean that they should be punished, made to feel guilty, shunned from the group? On the contrary, we need to support kids when they make mistakes and to help them learn from them, not push them further down. Don't get me wrong, there are and need to be consequences for our actions, but there is a difference between consequence and punishment. Our work on Restitution (www.realrestitution.com) allows us to support students when they make a mistake and allow them to return to the group strengthened rather than chastised.

This is an area that we all need to work on and move forward with to support the development of our students. The ultimate goal that we have in mind is to have students make positive behaviour choices because it is within them to, rather than the fear of punishment.

What's Changed?

2011-01-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

I had a fascinating conversation with a friend, colleague, and mentor last night. He has been retired for a while now from education and doesn't miss the politics of it all. He still likes to keep up to date with what's going on and asked a fairly simple question that unfortunately does not have a simple answer.

We were discussing the opposing views of education funding. The Ministry of Education says that they have been and continue to increase the amount of money that goes into education; the BCTF describes on-going underfunding and the resulting issues, most notably increased class sizes and changing compositions in those classes. His question was, "are kids doing worse in school now because of class sizes?" See, a seemingly simple question with a not-so-simple answer. It seems to boil down to how you answer it. Our grad rates are at an all-time high - more students staying in school and graduating, scholarship results are up, and provincial exam results seem to be holding, as are FSA results at grades 4 and 7. In Sooke our aboriginal student success rate is above the provincial average. By these measures it would appear that things are holding or improving, but that would be a simplistic answer.

The deeper answer is that we have dedicated, caring teachers who continue to struggle daily with the impact of more students, greater diversity, and fewer resources to do the job. It is because of these teachers and there unrelenting desire to ensure the success of their students that we continue to get the results that we do. Teachers are notorious for taking on more and more in support of their students. The worry is that these gifted and caring individuals will burn themselves out and move on to easier, less demanding careers, retire early, or simply quit.

I'm not sure where we go from here, but it does seem clear that we have to do what we can to support the most important element in education - our teachers.

Change and Renewal

2010-12-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

At this time of year when we are considering the end one calendar year and the start of another, I can't help but feel excited about all that is possible and yet to come. At the same time though, I look back at what has been accomplished and will no longer be. A new year is always a bit of a give and take for me emotionally.

This is exactly how I am feeling as we close in on the end of 2010 and the retirement of two of our long-serving staff members. As we prepare ourselves to say farewell to Ms. Heck and Ms. Chauhan I look back at all that they have accomplished in their long careers and the influence they have had over countless numbers of students and say thank you. Our school will forever change as a result of their retirements, and while we are saddened to see them go, we must also look to the future to see what is possible for all of us. We take the lessons learned from these long-time colleagues and we apply them in new contexts and with new people.

To recognize for all of us that we will one day be moving away from the David Cameron Community is a difficult one. As Chris Kelly and Bruce Bearsto (Education Canada, 2010) reflect on this inevitable change, they say, "it is also vitally important [to] recognize that their time will be temporary, the organization will eventually and inevitably be carrying on without them, and the best they can hope to do is to affect at least some aspects of the ... culture in a way that will have some positive and enduring impact on others; namely, on the students".

With this in mind we say farewell to our colleagues Ms. Heck and Ms. Chauhan and know that we wish you well. We also thank you for your time, efforts, and contribution to the culture that is David Cameron School.

The Strength of a Community

2010-12-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that it has been three years since I joined the David Cameron School Community. Over that time I have been impressed at every turn by the depth of caring and connectedness of everyone involved in educating our students. This has never been more apparent than over the course of this past week.

Over the last week and a bit we received news that a former David Cameron Student, who still has a sibling in our school, had not been well. He had spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital as doctors tried to determine the illness. With concerns mounting, the student was moved to BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver, where he has been diagnosed with cancer. The nature and extent of the disease is still to be determined. While the family and our community continued to struggle with the news, many people began to ask, "what can we do for them?". We quickly wrote a letter asking for contributions at our movie afternoon and were overwhelmed by the response. Parents, staff, and neighbours were quick in their reactions, with people phoning to ask if they could do more than donate money. A few of our students took it upon themselves to make and sell friendship bracelets to help raise money for the family.

This willingness to step in and donate or offer services has shown that there is a strong and vibrant community that exists in support of our school and our students. We spend a lot of time at school talking with students about values, beliefs and virtues. It is great to see that these are being internalized and acted upon. December's virtue is Service; that is, service to others to help make their lives a little easier. We are fortunate to have seen this virtue put into action in so many different ways over the past few weeks.

We will continue to determine how we can best support the family as they learn more about what the coming weeks and months will bring. As the family helps us to understand their wishes and needs we will keep all of you informed as well. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in some way to making this whole ordeal just a little easier for this family.

Professional Development

2010-11-28T12:41:00.000-08:00

On Friday, November 26, the David Cameron Staff got together to explore our personal and professional pre-dispositions towards learning and the learner. Our session was facilitated by retired Vancouver School District Superintendent, Chris Kelly. The idea for the day was to discuss and share our personal views of our learners and how those views impact upon the students' ability to learn. This was a great opportunity for our staff to work together and gain a stronger understanding of individual beliefs and how they support our greater collective beliefs.

During the day we explored three key questions posed to us by Chris, these were:
1. How do we actually view children and young people as learners?
2. How do we define the core purpose that focuses, guides and characterizes our efforts as educators?
3. How should we continue to engage in, and support our own learning and development as a professional learning community?

These are three very big questions to tackle in a single day. As we began our work together it quickly became evident that as a collective group we hold the learner in high esteem and believe that we do have a positive impact on them as developing human beings. Much of what we have done and continue to do in our school around beliefs and values surfaced and were reinforced through our conversations.

A key notion that emerged was the importance of belonging, competence, and self-determination as essential aspects for learning. Much of our conversation centered on the importance of belonging and ensuring an environment where students, staff, and families feel part of a strong community. It became abundantly clear that in order for students to be successful as learners they need to be in an environment where they feel a strong sense of belonging and that we as a school community must continue to reinforce and explore new practices that support this concept.

This day was a great starting point for us as a staff. Our next steps are to explore continued ways to engage in professional inquiry that will support our learners in reaching their potential. In the end, Chris left us with the notion that it is our job to "enable rather than determine a person's capacity for learning".

Student Conferences

2010-11-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Each year at this time parents, teachers, and students get ready for our first round of student conferences. These conferences create the opportunity to meet and discuss student progress to this point in the year. Student conferences are considered one of two informal reports (along with three formal reports) mandated by the Ministry of Education. Informal reporting can be accomplished in many different ways, including such methods as, email, phone conversations, interim reports, and just recently completed by one of our staff, Skype.

While conferences are considered informal, they are an important contact with families to see their child's classroom and meet face-to-face with the teacher. Many families have already had conversations with their teachers and have a good sense of what is happening, so this simply presents another opportunity to reinforce student successes. During student conferences, most teachers share samples of student work, discuss areas that they are doing well in, as well as areas for improvement. This is also a great time to discuss goals for the next term in order to help students focus their energies in areas of needed improvement.

The value in having these conferences is in the strengthening of the home-school relationship. The greater insight that families have into their child's learning, the better able they are to support the learning. When we partner in this way, we are able to make much more progress than working separately. So, thanks to all of you for your efforts on behalf of the students at David Cameron and your willingness to take the time to have these important conversations.

Having Fun

2010-10-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

As I sit here on Halloween Eve, I can't help but reflect on the fun we had at school on Friday. Our students were fantastic, lots of kids dressed in costumes and many brought in carved pumpkins for display. Having a day where kids (and staff) can have a little fun together is a great way to ensure positive connections.

Our day started with a parade of fabulous costumes as students and staff arrived at school. We had ghosts and ghouls; Michael Jackson, fairies and princesses (plus lots of others). As well as the costumes, we had students arrive with their pre-carved pumpkins for display in our main entrance. Just before lunch time our primary students came to the gym for a little dancing fun. The students enjoyed dancing to the Monster Mash, the Chicken Dance, and many other favourites. At lunch time it was the intermediate students' turn to dance. There music was slightly more current with pop hits blasting in the gym. After lunch all of our students participated in a Halloween Safety assembly to help ensure their safety while trick or treating.

All of these things show that we can have fun together at school and still meet expectations for how we behave. I am reminded of something I read years ago that said, "student's won't always remember what they learned in school, but they will remember the fun they had with their teachers." I hope we can be the kind of school where we can all have fun together to help make the learning easier.

Happy Halloween everyone.

Creating the Conditions for Students to Fix Problems

2010-10-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

On Thursday and Friday last week, seven of our staff were able to participate in a session on "Control Theory" led by Diane Gossen. Control Theory comes from the work of William Glasser, a noted psychiatrist who has been working on the concepts of behaviour for more than 40 years. Control Theory forms the basis for Restitution, a way of working with students to help them fix behavioural mistakes.

At the center of Control Theory is the notion that humans have different realities and experiences (pictures in our minds). It is through these realities that we understand the world. If we have different pictures then we experience events differently. Students that have limited pictures or options see only a few behaviours as choices for themselves and when their choice doesn't match the situation, we have a behaviour problem. Control Theory also focuses on the notion that all behaviour serves a purpose - we behave in certain ways for a reason. We cannot control others, we can only control ourselves. As a result, the way in which we work with students is to create an abundance of new options so that they can choose alternative pathways to get their needs met.

When individuals perceive a mismatch between what they hoped to get and the end result, they behave in certain ways to close the gap between their need and the reality. For example if someone orders a cup of coffee with a particular picture of what that coffee will look and taste like, and the actual coffee does not match our expectation, we have a mismatch. This is where behaviour comes in, we can make a variety of choices to adjust our expectations down ("it's okay I can manage with this cup") or we can adjust to get what we want (send it back to be re-done). In short, we have a variety of socially acceptable ways to get our need for a good cup of coffee met. Students who struggle with behaviour issues have these same mismatches with everything from school work to relationships. The difference is that they don't have enough strategies to adjust so that they can get their needs met, the only options they have are to show alternate behaviours.

The day and a half session with Diane has opened our eyes to working with students to figure out what needs they are trying to meet through their behaviours and to provide them with alternate pathways to get those needs met. Control Theory is more supportive and learning is enhanced through this view of behaviour.

Giving Thanks

2010-10-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous weekend this has been. The weather was great, the food was great, and connections with family were great as well. I began thinking about what to write in this week's blog on Friday, after another very busy week at school and how much I was looking forward to the Thanksgiving weekend. Normally, I'm not one to get too hung up on the whole "what am I thankful for" thing, but this weekend I started thinking about how thankful I am for the tremendous staff I have at David Cameron School.

This really became clear to me as I read an interview with Bill Gates in the latest Maclean's magazine. He was lamenting the failure of the American education system and the tolerance for mediocrity in its teaching ranks. As I read, I kept thinking how opposite his perspective is to my reality. At David Cameron we have teachers that are not only dedicated, but have the learning needs of all of our children as their central focus. Our teachers are not complacent and happy with the status quo, they are constantly looking for new insights and strategies for their teaching that will help students achieve greater learning.

Last week, I wrote about our Literature Study Circles as an innovative, cross-grade method of increasing the sophistication with which students comprehend text. This is a single example of the kinds of things that our teachers do on a daily basis, while at the same time supporting the variety of needs that students in their classes have.

David Cameron school has become a complex, fast-paced, large elementary school, but despite these challenges our teachers remain committed to the learning of each child. So, Thanksgiving has made me think about how truly thankful I am that I get to go to a place every week that has such a caring and forward thinking group of teachers. Thanks to each of you.

Literature Study Circles

2010-10-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Last year at David Cameron School we began to use an instructional process called "Literature Study Circles". This is a way of engaging students in reading a wide variety of books in order to respond and comprehend what they have read. The key to engagement is that students can choose books that they are interested in and then read at their own pace. Students then meet up with others reading the same book to discuss their thoughts.

Last year we had a number of classes involved in this cross-grade process that has students from different classes joining together in conversation about the books that they have read. While most of the work was done at the grade five and six level, we had staff try it out in other grades as well, including grade one and two. The strategy teaches students to "say something" about what they have read or about connections, questions, or comments other members of their group have made.

Our experience last year was incredible as we sought to help students develop into more sophisticated readers. The depth of understanding and comprehension that students were able to demonstrate was impressive. As a result of these positive outcomes, our school is continuing to work on this as a means for student learning and staff collaboration. Our vice-principal, Ms. Jarvis, has done an incredible job taking on the leadership of this with staff and in gaining outside funding support through the Raise-a-Reader fund.

Our students are fortunate to have such a forward thinking and engaging process to be a part of. We are excited about extending this program into more classes this year and having more students and staff involved.

Knowing Students By Name

2010-09-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have been asked several times by parents over the years, how I know all of the kids names. I have a confession to make, I don't know them all - yet. This year I probably know 85 to 90% of our students by name and I am working on the rest.

Knowing students by name is an important part of my work in the school - maybe the most important. When I'm able to say "hi" or call a student by their name it helps to create a connection between me and them. This connection helps me to check in on what's going on or help to resolve problems that might be occurring. I really believe that it helps in creating a positive learning community as well. Students feel welcomed and included at our school and knowing their name contributes to this. Besides, calling to a student in the hall and saying "hey you" doesn't quite have the same affect.

There are some pieces of educational research that suggest a positive relationship with a caring adult at school helps students to feel accepted and competent in their academic work. In our school plan we refer to this as "belonging" and it is essential to a person's learning success. "Belonging encompasses a person's own sense that they are genuinely and caringly included among all others in their place of learning, and that they can feel personally secure in this" (Chris Kelly, 2010). Calling a student by name is one way that I can show I care. This is a small contribution to the much larger connection that our classroom teachers and support staff make in getting to know our students on a much deeper level. No where is this more evident than in our class placement process at the end and beginning of each school year. When we discuss possible class lists our staff know, in detail, what works for kids, who they connect with, and what supports they need in order to be successful. The depth with which our staff know your children never ceases to amaze me.

How fortunate we all are to have a place where our students are connected in such a meaningful way to adults that care and in turn, this breeds confidence in learning.

Keeping our Kids Active

2010-09-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

In my family, this past week has signaled the start of another busy year with sports and other activities beginning. This means that the taxi service is also in full swing as we juggle between soccer, volleyball, cross country, basketball, and piano lessons. This same act is done by many of our David Cameron families as well. I think it's great that there are so many opportunities in greater Victoria to lead an active lifestyle. There are many sports organizations dedicated to kids, as well as sport facilities, and community trails for jogging or biking. Victoria even offers support for families with financial difficulties through the KidSport organization.

At David Cameron we continue to promote daily physical activity for our students. As a school, we do our regular Monday School-Wide Run (and Marathon recognition), and many classes go for hikes along the galloping goose trail on days that they are not scheduled into the gym. We also have lots of play equipment for students to use at recess and lunch. We know that kids need to move and be active and yet, in Canada, obesity has become the second leading, preventable, cause of death, only outdone by smoking. A few years ago there was a statistic released by General Motors that they were spending more on health care costs than they were on raw materials to build cars. These facts seem to add a little more importance to the need for daily activity.

So, let's do our part to keep getting the kids where they need to be and supporting them in whatever activities they choose. Let's also commit to being good role models for them in our own lifestyles. We will do our best to encourage, support, and offer activities at school as well.

Here we are again.

2010-09-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is such an exciting time for everyone; students, parents, and teachers. As much as we love the carefree and relaxed atmosphere that summer brings, there is a certain serenity in routines and regularity. This year at David Cameron is no exception, we are all looking forward to another great year.
This past week, our staff worked hard behind the scenes to re-organize student placements due to the addition of a new division. In June we tentatively place students into their classes based on our projected enrollment and then often need to make adjustments due to new arrivals. This year our numbers are close to the 350 student mark.
During the first week of school, students returned to their previous year's class and re-connected with friends, while teachers made those class adjustments. It was also a great opportunity to refresh our school expectations in the minds of the students. In order for us to all "be together", we must "work together" to create the kind of school we want. We also introduced our first virtue of the year - Idealism. This sets the tone for our year in encouraging students to dream big and to pursue those dreams. It also focuses us on setting high standards and expectations within our school community.
So, with all of that in mind, here we go again with the 2010/2011 school year.

Farewell to our grade sixes

2010-06-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

I always approach this time of year with mixed feelings. On one hand I am excited to see our grade six students taking the next step in their academic careers, with the possibility of their futures open to them. On the other hand, I can't help but feel a bit selfish and wish that they would stay around for awhile longer. It seems that we are just getting to the point where their contributions to our school are mature, community-based, and supportive of a great environment, and then they leave.

This year, our grade sixes have taken on incredible leadership roles and have set a standard for years to come. They have taken on the responsibility of our morning announcements for the first time, they continue to act as our student announcers for assemblies, and they have created many opportunities for student involvement in things like floor and road hockey tournaments, to name a few things.

Beyond the contributions that they make to school in tangible ways, their influence within the school is positive and calming (most of the time ;)). They demonstrate the ability to contribute to our school environment (who can ignore the guitar playing on the school grounds), solve problems in peaceful ways (too many times this year, problems have already been resolved prior to any adult intervention). They also have a great sense of the impact of their contributions and they thrive on this as a part of who they are.

We are fortunate to have such a great group of students as our leaders and role models. Their positive influence can only help to continue the tradition of excellence at David Cameron that our new grade six students will aspire to. While I am sad to see them go, I can't wait to hear the stories of their successes in years to come. Best of luck to all of them in the future.

Leadership and Belonging

2010-06-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate recently to have Chris Kelly, retired superintendent of Vancouver School District, visit our school for a day. The purpose of Chris' visit was to help guide us in our continued work on school culture. Chris' insights and thoughts have been helpful in guiding our directions for next year.

Two key ideas have emerged in relation to our on-going efforts for developing our school culture. One is the notion of belonging. This is the act of ensuring that students (and other members of our school community) are genuinely and caringly included in our school, and those who promote this should be recognized for their contributions. The work we have been doing over the past few years has focused on the centrality of the learner and ensuring a sense of belonging really allows us to fine tune this. Secondly, Chris has given us a new insight into the notion of leadership that moves away from formal or defined leadership. He defines leadership as "the act of taking personal responsibility for the quality of others' experience". These intentional acts to foster belonging and care for others are foundational to the kind of culture we continue to strive for in our school.

With these ideas in mind it becomes an exciting prospect to move forward into the next school year with some lofty ideals to work towards. We have always supported the notion of internal control and decision making for our students. If we can now get them to think about the relationship of their actions on another individual as well as the broader community we will have achieved something amazing.

Stay tuned as we further develop our thinking on these ideas.

Is it really June?

2010-06-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

The weather notwithstanding, it is hard to believe that June has descended upon us already. It seems that we were just welcoming new families to our school and introducing our staff, and yet, with the hurry that is the school year, we find ourselves getting set to end another year. June is a busy time and does not seem to "wind down", instead it seems to hurry up and then just end.

Along with our commitment to academic work for our students and wrapping up the instructional/ assessment part of our year we have a number of other activities that press our time. These include, year-end field trips, our school fun day, Grade Six Farewell, and our year-end assembly (to mention only a few). For some it appears that June is a "write-off" for academic work and that the majority of time is spent on fun activities. While it is true that June sees its fair share of field trips and special events it is also a critical time do year-end assessments, complete instruction in units, and ensure our students are ready for their transition to the next grade. In the midst of all of this our teachers are actively gathering evidence of student learning in order to provide parents with the final report card of the year. This final report is not only an indication of the students' learning in the third term but also overall for the school year.

So, June is here and with it the hustle and bustle of completing the year. The final push for our students to complete their work and to have a little fun with their classmates prior to the transition to the next phase of their education.

Creating Opportunities to Participate

2010-05-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

This past Friday was a great day for student participation at David Cameron. After weeks of working with students in PE classes and in groups during academic time, we held our Intermediate Track Meet. Students had been practicing and learning about running events, as well as field events and were excited to try them out in some friendly competition. In year's past our Intermediate Track Meet was held at the beginning of May, from which, our Track Team was selected. Students did not have the opportunity to learn and practice the events before the competition. Our staff spent lots of time trying to teach the students how to do the events as well as trying to give everyone a turn during the track meet. It meant that for some students, it was their first and last time trying the event. Our new plan, gave everyone many chances to practice and try out the events.

The energy and enthusiasm on Friday was fabulous, with lots of excitement from our students. At one point, we had two high jumpers still competing in the grade six boys group, when a grade one and a grade two class showed up to the gym to begin their PE. "No problem", said the teachers, the kids would love to watch. What an incredible environment with the ones, twos, and grade six boys cheering every jump. The two boys were buoyed on by the enthusiasm and rhythmic clapping.

We are now ready to head to the District Field Events Meet on June 2 and the Track Meet on June 4 with a great group of student athletes whom we know will represent our school well.

Our On-Going Commitment to School Culture

2010-05-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Over the past two years our school community has been working hard to build a new school culture. We have seen many successes in this regard, but we still have a ways to go. Our continued growth has to take into account the needs of our students, parents, and staff. As well, we must come to an understanding of what it means to be a "big school". With a student enrollment around 340 students it becomes more difficult to have the intimate connection that a small school allows. It becomes harder to know all of the students and their families and for students to know all of our staff. These are things that we need to continue to work on. How do we make a large school seem small? What processes and procedures do we have in place to recognize student success and to make it a place where people feel welcomed and engaged?

These are some of the challenges that we continue to face as we work together on behalf of our students. As we look forward to next year, there continues to be a commitment to the culture of our school. Celebrating student success, encouraging a sense of exploration and engaged learning, as well as clearly understood expectations for behaviour are some areas that will allow us to continue our growth together.

We have come a long way as a school and have made several positive strides forward in our quest for student success. A continued focus on developing culture will allow us to fine tune our work and address some new areas that relate to how we want to be seen by our community. Things are great at David Cameron and we want to continue that trend. The only way to do that is to continue to pay attention to the things we want to "grow" and get more of. Our Planning Council, PAC, staff, and students all strive for the best that we can be.

Planning for Next Year

2010-05-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed last weeks blog, there were just too many exciting things going on during the weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all of our David Cameron Parents. I hope you had an enjoyable day and that your children treated you well.

This time of year keeps us busy with a number of things on the go at the school, key among them is the planning process for next year. The District is finalizing its 2010-2011 budget and trying to deal with a million and a half projected deficit. This will have impacts in many aspects of our school and across the District. The Board has made a commitment to protect positions close to the classroom and to try to keep as many resources in front of children as possible. As this process unfolds, the District is also trying to deal with future spaces for students as Sooke is one of only a few Districts province-wide with a growing population. In particular, the District continues to pursue plans to replace Belmont Secondary with two new schools (one at Royal Bay and one at the former Glen Lake site). There will be a public consultation meeting on this at John Stubbs School on May 18 at 7:00pm.

At David Cameron we are now in a position to begin thinking about our class configuration for next year and how we will staff for that. This is always a difficult time for staff as the possibility of lay-offs loom. We are hopeful that as student numbers solidify and positions become available, most people will find positions for next year. Our school is projected to be down slightly in numbers for next year going from our current head count of around 340 to 320. This will likely mean the reduction of one division for next year, although, the last two years have seen us add divisions in September.

Regardless of all of these difficult decisions we will always look at what is best for students and how we can use the resources available to support them the best way possible. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at the school.

Anything Worth Doing, Is Worth Doing Well

2010-04-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today was the TC10K race, with over 13 000 runners. It is a run that I love to do every year, and somewhere in the middle of doing it, I wonder why I like it. Today, I felt good until the 5K mark, but kept going, at the 8K mark I started to think how I had ruined a great morning, but I persevered and reached my goal. On Friday night, we had our PAC sponsored Fun Fair. When the skies opened and the rain fell, it would have been easy to say "call it off", but our PAC persevered, by adjusting their plans and staging a hugely successful "indoor" Fun Fair. This quality is one that we want to instill in all of our students.

It seems that giving in when things get tough is too easy a choice these days. At school, we work to help our students understand the message that if it is worth doing, it is worth putting our best effort forward and working until we complete it. The staff at David Cameron School continually push our students towards their best work and to ensure they finish what they start. Persevering under difficult circumstances is a great life skill and one that will help our students in their future careers. We as adults need to be great role models for this, and we are.

School Spirit

2010-04-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

One of the exciting opportunities we have for students is to be involved in our Student Voice group. This is a group of students that meet with our vice-principal, Ms. Jarvis to discuss issues related to the school and to suggest ways to improve school spirit. Student Voice is made up of representatives from each of our grade 1 to 6 classes.

This year, Student Voice has offered suggestions on dealing with garbage on the school grounds, how to hand out play equipment at recess and lunch, and what to do on our "spirit days". The photo attached to this blog shows our recent "Crazy Hat Day" with a few of the selections on display that day. These days are important parts of our school community and help engage students. They show students that pride in your school and fun can go hand-in-hand with a focus on academic work. Showing school spirit is an important part of making stronger connections which ultimately lead to greater student results.

Fair and Equal: The Same Thing?

2010-04-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

I think that I have mentioned before that in any situation their are a variety of perspectives, including the students, staff members, parents, and even the broader community. With that in mind, it's fair to say that no two situations are ever the same. Which brings me to my point this week, that is, fair does not necessarily mean equal. Equal means that everyone gets the same thing, fair means that people get what they need.

At the essence of fairness is determining the circumstances of each situation and the people involved. What is going to stimulate the greatest amount of learning and move the person forward strengthened? This is how we would want to be treated if we were in a situation where we had made a mistake, and its where students should be so that they can make mistakes and learn too.

A few years ago, the notion of "zero tolerance" emerged as a necessary component of most school codes of conduct. To many, zero tolerance meant that everyone got the same consequence regardless of circumstance. The notion has evolved to the point now where zero tolerance means that something will always be done when rules and beliefs are broken, but the consequence will be fair and in relation to the needs of the individual.

I believe this notion of, what's fair is not necessarily what's equal, is important in allowing students to take risks in their learning and still be held accountable when they make mistakes, but in a way that strengthens them, rather than blaming or shaming them.

Why Do We Care So Much?

2010-04-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

I watched the movie "The Blind Side" last night, for which Sandra Bullock won a best actress Oscar. The movie was great and got me thinking about disadvantaged people and why we care so much. In the movie, a family ends up taking in a total stranger who has suffered a life of neglect and poverty. They nurture and support him towards his own ultimate success.

As we each go through our day-to-day world we come across so many people that have less than us, and yet, there are a few that we truly "connect" with and want to help. Dan Gardner in his book "Risk" talks about the numbers of people in need as being overwhelming to the average person, we can't relate. However, when these numbers are reduced to a single story or person, it links more easily to our emotions, as a result it is easier for us to act when it is one person than 1000. It still doesn't answer the question of why we do it.

In teaching, there are so many students that cross our paths, that at times the need can be overwhelming and yet, we do what we can for each one of them. Still, there are some students that truly "catch" us and pull us into their story for whom we want to do more, and in doing more, we gain. I think it is as much what we get out of the relationship as what the other person does that makes us care. It is in this shared sense of growth, support, and nurturing that we gain as well. I see first hand examples every day from students, parents, and school staff caring for other individuals.

There is a little boy at school with whom we have struggled over the years. This year has been a standout year for him as many staff have reached out and provided the support and understanding that he needs to be successful. In extending that understanding we too have benefited. I saw him and his father in the school hallway a while ago and stopped them both to say thank-you for helping me to learn the value of patience. In this relationship, we have both gained.

So, why do we care so much? It is in our capacity as human beings that we have the unique gift of empathy. Beyond simply caring for others, it is also a bit selfish as we realize that in giving we also gain.

Zen and the art of class organization

2010-03-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

Each year, we go through the ritual of organizing classes for the next school year. It is a balance between enrollment projections, the number of students currently in our school, and past trends. It is an important activity as it determines the number of divisions that we have, therefore the way in which we organize students for instruction, and ultimately, how many teachers we have in our school. This becomes an even more difficult process in a year where the Board of Education is faced with a possible shortfall in necessary funding.

As we consider all of the factors that are available to us, we also try to look at the needs of the particular student groups we have. Do we need to group students in a particular way in order to provide support, do we need to separate some students to ensure workable class groupings, do we have "split" or "straight" grade classes? Then we have Provincial legislation and District Policy that provides some "rules" around how many students in a particular class, and of those students how many might be on an individual education plan (IEP). We then have to ensure that we consult with the District, our school staff, and parents via the School Planning Council (SPC).

All of this is terribly important in ensuring the best balance of grade offerings, and student groupings for learning because students don't get a "do over". This is there only shot at that grade and we want to set them up for success with a great bunch of classmates in a class structure that supports their needs and abilities.

So, we carefully choose how we configure our classes and how we place the students in those classes, then over the next several months (right up to and including September), we watch the student registration numbers. A few students at a certain grade level registering at our school or leaving our school could mean the gain or loss of a division, which means; you guessed it, re-organization and re-placing the students in the new classes.

Patience, understanding, and a certain resolve to get it right no matter how many changes occur, is the challenge we face each year at this time. So, with deep breaths and thinking happy thoughts we are poised to plunge in.

Inquiry Teams

2010-03-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

A unique feature of working in the Sooke School District is something called "Inquiry Teams". Inquiry Teams are groups of teachers and administrators that have a particular question that they would like to answer. The District provides some funding support to allow folks to meet and discuss their question. This allows staff members to be actively engaged in advancing their practice and improve the academic success of our students.

At David Cameron, we are working on the following question; "Does the use of Literature Study Circles (LSCs) help students to become more sophisticated readers?" What an incredible project this has turned out to be, with a large number of our staff actively involved and many more following along to see how it goes. At this point we are working across grade with grade 5 and 6 students, however, we are poised to extend this with grade 1 and 2 students being involved as well.

LSCs allow students to choose from a variety of books (novel and graphic) and then to meet with others who are reading the same book to have in-depth conversations and to share their connections and understanding. This program has exceeded beyond our hopes on many levels. One thing is the number of staff who have become involved and are doing some amazing things with students to enhance their learning. The second thing is the students themselves. After the last LSC, students shared their connections with books through a variety of means during the LSC Celebration. One student wrote an original piano score, another student chose a song with lyrics that connected to the novel, other students did role plays, and on-and-on it went. And thirdly, we have extended our involvement beyond classroom teachers to include EAs, support staff, and even our school secretary. At the end we were truly able to say that students were reading at a far more sophisticated level.

Inquiry Teams happen all across our District and ask many different kinds of question. I t shows a positive commitment from our District and an incredible sense of professionalism from our school staff. These are the kinds of things that continue to push learning for everyone to new levels.

The Power of Mentoring

2010-03-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

What a great Spring Break. The week has flown by, with quite a mixture of weather thrown in to keep us on our toes. Today turned out to be not too bad and allowed me a chance to get out for a run. While I was running I started to think about some of the people in my life who I consider mentors. We know that mentors are people that we have to choose, whose values and beliefs match with our own. There are a few key people in my life whom I still rely on for feedback and advice.

Just before spring break we said farewell to three of our student teachers, Leah, Shannon, and Carmen. The role that our staff plays as mentors and positive role models for beginning teachers is impressive. The vast experience and background that our teaching staff has to offer to those just starting out helps to ensure that the student teachers have a solid foundation to begin their careers. As in all relationships, however, there is a give and take. In the teacher/student-teacher relationship our teachers gain fresh insights and ideas to blend into their own repertoire, while student teachers gain immensely from years of experience. This is an important part of the work we do as we create opportunities for people to put their studies into practice. It requires support from the University, the School District, staff, students, and most importantly, parents. We have been fortunate to have excellent beginning teachers placed in our school.

As I think about it, the relationship that exists between the teacher and student-teacher is the same that exists between teachers and students. The idea is to provide them with some knowledge and then let them explore how that fits with their understanding by trying it on for size; all the while, providing them with feedback, encouragement, and support. We build the scaffolding that supports the learning and then as they become proficient we are able to take the supports away and let them experience their learning for themselves. Many teachers remain life-long mentors for students who return for advice and friendship. What a great legacy.

We all play the role of mentor in some way in our lives. When someone chooses to ask our advice and accept our feedback we grow ourselves.

A proud moment in our history

2010-02-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

Whether you're a fan of the Olympic Games or not, you have to admit that was some special time. There were so many hi-lites it's hard to know where to begin. For me, the greatest thing is the outpouring of Canadian pride and unified feeling that we are a special and unique place to live in this world. At the start of the games there were many who were quick to jump on the "I told you so" bandwagon about the negative aspects of the Games, and yet, as the emotion surged and the athletes competed, something miraculous happened. The negative voices were drowned out in a sea of appreciation.

There are times in our small school community when the "nay-sayers" threaten to drown out the positives that we have worked so hard to build. And yet, there is this constant and consistent murmur that continues to overwhelm the negativity and continues to carry us to greater successes for our students and our children. We continue to work towards every success and advantage for our students and while there will be some things that don't go quite right there are certainly more that do.

With the completion of our second term, we hit the home stretch for this school year. This does not mean that we can sit back and relax, it is a time to continue to push and grow as much as we can as a community of learners in support of our children. I encourage, parents, staff, students and other school community members to help us strengthen the great aspects of our school. We have something great here, let's keep building it.

Developing Social Responsibility

2010-02-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, my family and I braved the Olympic crowds in Vancouver to get a first hand look at some of the images we have been seeing on TV. One of the things that struck me as we wandered through the mass of humanity was how responsible everyone was. It is said that patience is a virtue and it was certainly shown during our time in Vancouver and in particular with the more than 1000 walk-on passengers at the ferry.

This got me thinking about the monthly virtue focus we have here at David Cameron. There has been much research about the ineffectiveness of specific, focused, anti-bullying and character education programs. I tend to agree with the research to the extent that teaching a particular program is not very effective. I do think however, that raising the awareness and providing a focus for how we want to live together in our social context is important. These ideas and values are translated into action everyday on our school playground (and in the streets of Vancouver). At David Cameron it is more than learning about the virtues it is an expectation from everyone; students, parents, and staff, that this is how we behave together.

The other day we were having a conversation with our staff about respect at our school. We were talking about the many examples of it that we see on a daily basis, but the most compelling evidence was that we can have over 340 students go out to play at recess and lunch and behave respectfully and responsibly towards each other. This is our focus in action and is demonstrated not in completing worksheets from a program binder, but in our daily interactions and use of our many virtues.

The Planning Process

2010-02-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry to the few of you that follow my blog for missing last week, however, the ski hill called and I answered.

"Appreciative Inquiry" is a process of looking at things from a positive mindset, that is, what's going right and how do we get more of it. This is in contrast to the traditional planning model that comes at things from a deficit perspective, ie what are we not doing well and therefore what do we need to do to improve. While it is important to know where deficiencies exist, it is more important to know what is going well within those areas and amplify them. It has been said that "we show value by what we pay attention to". As a school we need to pay attention to the great things that are happening in our work so that this attitude becomes pervasive in our school and we focus on the good, not the negative.

Appreciative Inquiry is not a sort of Pollyanna process where we only look at good things. It allows us to tease out of issues the parts that are going right and then focus on getting more of it. Even in areas of weakness there are examples of positives, these are the ideas that we seize on and use as the foundation to continue to build excellence for our school.

As we head into our annual planning cycle and begin to examine goal areas for the 2010/2011 school year, we will look at what's right with our school and how to continue on that path, rather than focusing on what's wrong and the downward spiral that brings.

Excellence

2010-01-31T19:07:00.000-08:00

"It's a funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the very best you will very often get it."
- W. Somerset Maugham

At David Cameron we have very high expectations for ourselves, our students and for our larger community. We think that we can contribute to excellence by setting the bar high and helping our students reach for it. The idea of excellence is one, that for many students, is not in their vocabulary, however, it is very much within their reach if they choose it to be. The month of February has us focusing on excellence in our school. While excellence is a core area of our work throughout the year, it is important to pause and reflect on the importance of excellence in our lives at this time so that we can re-focus our efforts.

Each day at school I am fortunate to see examples of excellence all around me. It may be in the student who stops me to let me hear the song they have learned on the recorder and how they have added to it to make it their own, it might be in the teacher who comes to tell me about the unbelievable math lesson that they just had and how the kids were completely engaged, or it might be in the Family Olympic Night that our PAC hosted last Friday that saw a great turnout of our school family. Excellence is all around us, everyday, and in every way.

Excellence becomes a frame of mind, a way of seeing the world. If we can instill the notion in our students that they are capable of excellence, there is no knowing what they can accomplish in their lives. So, it is for these reasons (and many others), that we turn our attention to excellence in this, the month of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the final month of term two academics, and our mid-point in the school year. Keep working with us to help our students believe in themselves and to not settle for something short of excellence. We all have the capacity to do so much, so well.

Technology and our Future

2010-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

There are a few new term out there that refer to "Digital Natives" and "Digital Immigrants". Digital Natives are those that have grown up with technology as an integral part of their lives, whereas, Digital Immigrants come to technology later in the game, are a little unsure, and are more reluctant to embrace the opportunities. Our children are so accustomed to technology that it seems strange when it is not a part of what they are doing, in fact, our current students have not known a world without the internet.

The challenge for our school is not, how do we keep up to the pace of change, instead it is how do we ensure that students understand how technology can be used to stimulate creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, and the ethical use of technology.We are currently working with a committee of staff members to examine a variety of directions that we are interested in exploring. These directions include, wireless access, laptops to have computers as part of the classroom, handheld devices such as iPods to enhance learning. Then we have the instructional side that includes document cameras, SMART boards, and digital projectors.

We are excited to be moving forward with some technology directions in our school to ensure that our students have the opportunity to embrace technology as part of their learning. Over the coming months we are hopeful to have some instructional technologies added to our classrooms as well as developing a plan to have more seamless integration within the classroom for student use. Stay tuned for some exciting developments over the next while.

Unity

2010-01-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

This month, our virtue focus is on Unity. Unity is what allows us to be together, work together, and be better together. It is how we interact as a "school family" and how we invite others into our world.

At the beginning of January we had the great opportunity to welcome ten international students to our school. These students are from Korea and are here for only a few months to gain some understanding of our culture and to practice their language skills. Here we are two weeks later and these students have made friends and are completely immersed in school life. These opportunities to meet and befriend others from around the world help to show that the differences we have are not that great and they serve to unite rather than divide.

Unity also means that we are able to work and play together respectfully and responsibly. Our students continue to show this on a daily basis at David Cameron. Last week on one of the many rainy days we have been having lately we had the students inside during lunch and had the chance to use our new "Rainy Day" plan. Students were able to select from a variety of games and activities that were dispersed throughout the hallways around the library. Students played with friends, little buddies, and siblings and without a single problem. At the end of the lunch period, everyone cleaned up what they were doing and returned to their classrooms to eat. What a great show of unity. If we didn't have everyone working together to make this a success it could have easily been a disaster with over 300 students in a fairly small area.

It is examples like these that make our school such an incredible place to be. It also shows that learning takes place not just in our classrooms but in the everyday interactions between people. Way to go David Cameron!

Student Leadership

2010-01-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

As educators, our real role is to make ourselves redundant. We teach students to think for themselves, and how to find information that they need in order to solve problems in their everyday lives. Part of this learning, includes taking on leadership roles and being able to direct, organize, and follow through on tasks. The ability of our David Cameron students to do just this never ceases to amaze me. We have such an incredible amount of talent and positive peer role models in our school that it's a wonder teachers get to organize anything.

Leadership comes from being thrust into positions, taking control of situations, or being invited in to power. With the Olympics on people's minds, hockey is something that seems to be a focus for leadership opportunities in our school these days. We have the organized and formal approach where some students in grade 4 and 6 are taking control by organizing an intramural hockey league. They are setting dates, rules, and teams. On the other hand, we have our regular recess/lunch hockey going on in the turn-around, where older students are including younger ones and teaching them how to play. These older students recognizing that in order for everyone to have fun, someone needs to take charge, have done an admirable job of ensuring a great outside activity.

These are two small examples of the myriad leadership initiatives being undertaken in our school. Who knows, maybe one day we'll have some of our student leaders writing this blog instead of me.

The Start of A New Year

2010-01-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

At this time of year, people often look forward to things to come while at the same time, reflecting on things that have happened. I am always excited to return to school after a great break and look forward to the great opportunities yet to come in this school year.

As we get set to return we are fortunate to have ten Korean students joining us for a couple of months. These students are in grades 5 and 6 and will be here to practice their english language skills and to learn about our customs and culture. To welcome them, our virtue for the month of January will be Unity. This is a chance to see that despite differences, we can all connect and contribute to a greater whole.

We also have new plans in place to support students on Rainy Days. Students will be able to socialize with friends from other classes and choose from a variety of games and activities that will be available to them.

In addition to these great opportunities we will also continue to focus on improving our technology plan, moving forward with our goal selection process for next year, Foundation Skill Assessments, and a variety of performances that will be visiting our school.

I look forward to the opportunity to continue to work with all of the great families and staff here at David Cameron over the course of 2010. Happy New Year to everyone.

Generosity

2009-12-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

The dictionary defines generosity as "a readiness to give more of something than is necessary or expected". At the beginning of the month we had our regular "School Read Assembly" and introduced the December virtue of Generosity to our students, and boy have they taken it to heart. As we head into our final week of school prior to the Christmas Break I am humbled to see the many generous acts that are happening in our school on a daily basis. We have many activities happening from our Pennies for Presents fundraiser, and Food Bank donations to a Sock Drive. These are all organized by teachers, parents, and students, working together to give back to our community.

One of these generous acts occurred on Friday with our PAC Gift Day. We had a great number of parent volunteers that spent their day helping students shop, wrap, and tag presents. The smiles on the faces of our students (and parent volunteers) were impressive. A smaller act of note, relates to one of our grade six students who decided that he would like to contribute by organizing a Sock Drive for the homeless. He set up a box in our main foyer, wrote an in impressive announcement script and then read it over our closed circuit system. The thoughtfulness and organization that this student has demonstrated is great to see, but the story doesn't end there. After a week of the collection box sitting empty, another person decided to help out by purchasing several pairs of socks to get the project moving and make sure that the student had some success. It is great to see that others have now gotten involved and the sock box is overflowing with contributions.

As educators, we work hard to introduce important lessons to our students through our monthly virtues and we sometimes wonder if the message is getting through. This month has proven to us that the message of virtues, in particular generosity, is coming through loud and clear. What a great atmosphere this creates in our school. Thanks to everyone for the contributions they make to our school community.

Countdown to Christmas Holidays

2009-12-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

Now that report cards have gone home, we have time to turn our attention to the many fun activities coming up over the next two weeks. Our Parent Advisory Council is such a great group of volunteers. They have organized some very cool events for our students. First up is PAC Gift Day, something unique to David Cameron School (I certainly haven't seen it anywhere else). This is a great opportunity for families to donate items from their homes that are then sold back to our students at very low prices. This way, the kids get a chance to do their Christmas Shopping here at school and have their presents tagged and wrapped when they leave. Following gift day is our annual visit from Santa. He will visit each of our classes and bring the students a Christmas Orange. The expressions on some of our students faces are priceless when the jolly man shows up.

This year, Mrs. Garry, our music teacher, has put together a great evening program for families to come and enjoy. Each of our classes will be performing a couple of Christmas related songs, as well as our very own David Cameron Christmas Choir. This event (on December 17), will be a great way to kick-off our holidays. The concert will be followed the next day with our school sing-a-long in the gym for all of our classes. It will be a chance for classes to perform their concert songs for each other and then sing a few carols as well.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at David Cameron!

Report Cards

2009-11-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

I had planned to write about something completely different this weekend, however, I have spent most of my time reading report cards, so they seem to foremost in my mind. Report Cards are an interesting thing, as they attempt to encapsulate an entire term's worth of learning into a couple of pages and a few symbols or numbers. This is a difficult task as there is so much that goes on during the course of a term's worth of instruction. Generally speaking, each report should contain a statement of achievement in key subject areas (e.g. approaching, meeting, etc), a few examples of what the student has done well and what could be improved upon. In addition, teachers are required to describe ways to support the student's learning both at home and at school. Each of the reports I have read shows a depth of understanding and knowledge about each student.

As I sit here and read through these reports, each one is different and seems to carry the essence of that teacher. Comments seem to be an extension of what goes on in classrooms on a daily basis. I can almost hear the teacher's voice, providing feedback and encouragement to each one of the students on those pieces of paper. The "feel" of the classroom and the relationships that have been established come through in the "voice" of the writing. It is a comforting feeling to hear the empathy behind the words, even when the words are sometimes hard for us to accept. So, when report cards come home this Friday, read them carefully, think about what the teacher is saying and what we can do collectively to ensure a successful year for each of our students.

The importance of questions

2009-11-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

The original intent of school was to learn answers. Teachers were to be the dispensers of knowledge and students were to soak up the information. This was the "empty vessel" theory. Students brains were empty, waiting to be filled by the teacher. Andy Hargreaves, a world renowned education researcher from Canada, calls this time "BG", before Google. Students are now able to find the answer to any question they have, quickly and easily, using a simple computer search. He suggests that our role now has to switch to teaching students how to ask questions, to inquire, to wonder.

As Dale and I sat through Dr. Hargreave's session and listened to his thoughts on how classroom instruction is evolving, we began thinking about David Cameron School and what we would want for our students. We began to think about the notion of David Cameron as a "School of Inquiry". The idea would be that we encourage students, teachers, and parents to ask questions. This would allow learning for deeper understanding. The more we thought about this, the more it began to make sense for us, we saw the fit with some things already underway, most notably our Inquiry Question that a group of staff members are working to answer. Our Inquiry is related to the effect that using Literature Study Circles will have on students' ability to become more sophisticated and strong readers.

Students who are willing to ask questions and be open to feedback begin to generate a "growth mindset" that opens them up to learning as an active experience rather than a passive one.

Remembrance Day

2009-11-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

This week marks Veteran's Week as well as Remembrance Day on November 11. Our school will hold a special assembly on Tuesday, November 10 beginning at 10:30.

I must admit, Remembrance Day has a certain resonance for me that dates back to an assignment I was given in grade 9. At that time, my teacher set a task for us to interview veterans that lived in the local community and then write about their experiences. I had the privilege of interviewing a World War II veteran who described his time in the European Theatre. It was not a grandiose description, it was more matter of fact, including the descriptions of friends lost along the way. The thing that struck me though, was the pride in his voice about being able to live in a place like Canada and that his efforts may have played a small role in allowing me ( a skinny 14 year old) to have the freedoms I have.

Years later I was reminded of this interview when I was visiting friends in the southern part of The Netherlands. They were teaching at an Allied Forces Base and we happened to be there around Remembrance Day. We were invited to join the Canadian contingent of Forces members, teachers, etc, to attend remembrance ceremonies in Nijmegan. What an incredible feeling to be standing in the Canadian cemetary between the many headstones. As the speeches carried on, we were able to wander between the graves and read the names and ages of the soldiers killed in that area.

So, as we head towards our assembly this Tuesday and the many ceremonies around the Capital Region on Wednesday, it is with a sense of pride that I remember all that was done by so many so that I could live the life I have.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

2009-11-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

Now that we are in November our (school) mind begins to shift towards the reporting process. Later this month (November 25 and 26) we will be structuring our formal parent/teacher conferences. This is an opportunity to discuss your child's progress over the course of the first term and to help in setting some goals for the second term.

Reporting is an important part of our assessment, evaluation, and reporting cycle but sits slightly outside the regular use of assessment and evaluation. The true value of carefully selected assessments and professional evaluative judgements is to influence the teaching-learning cycle. That is, a teacher gathers information about student understanding, makes a judgement about where the student is in relation to the criteria selected for that unit or grade, teaches, and assesses again to see if the learning happened. This cycle is continuous throughout the year as teachers make decisions about re-teaching a concept or moving ahead to something new or deeper. The reporting part allows us to communicate beyond the classroom about a students progress at a particular point in time. A variety of assessments and evaluations are made over the course of the term that allow us to create a "picture" of student learning at that time. Because student learning is not static, by the time report cards come out students have continued to move forward with their learning. For some students a concept that they have been struggling with suddenly becomes clear later when it is re-visited in another way or at another time.

The assessment/evaluation cycle is important for students to know what they did well and what they can improve upon. Clear and descriptive feedback is important to assist with this. Letter grades or numerical scores present only a summary judgement at one time in their year. So when your child brings home their report card talk to them about what they can do well and areas that they could improve upon and focus less on numbers or letter grades.

A High Regard for the David Cameron Staff

2009-10-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

On Thursday and Friday of last week Dale and I had the pleasure of listening to Chris Kelly once again. Chris is the retired superintendent of Vancouver School District. He is an amazing and insightful speaker, who shares his passion and understanding of the education system in a truly inspiring manner. Chris' focus for our sessions was "What Matters". Together we explored this concept in a variety of settings, eg within our District, within our administrators group, and within our schools. One key message that resonated for me was the need for people to feel genuinely regarded by others for the work they do. This got me thinking about the great things that happen in our school everyday.

I was watching a group of students heading towards the gym the other day. Nothing unusual about that, other than in the middle of the group, was one of our students with special needs. This is a student who would not go near the gym, much less line up with class mates, only a few months ago. It is through the care, understanding and daily commitment of our Education Assistants and our teachers that this learning has occurred. On another occasion I watched as a teacher masterfully worked with her class on a project. The project was organized in such a way that students could bring their own interests and talents into it. The engagement that these students showed because the teacher thought through their needs and interests in structuring, it was amazing. On another occasion I had a conversation with a teacher on our staff who is in a new assignment this year. She was talking to me about her concerns for meeting the needs of all of her learners and the work that she had put into planning the learning environment. I was struck by the depth of understanding and care that she showed for each student.

These are three very small examples of what goes on every day in our school in every one of our classes, because of the care and commitment of our staff. It wasn't until I began thinking of these (and many more) examples of the work done on a daily basis by our professional and caring staff that I began to truly understand what Chris was referencing. Our staff doesn't do this for recognition or for accolades, they do it because they care, and for that, I believe they deserve to be genuinely regarded.

Writing for a Purpose

2009-10-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were pleased to host renowned children's author Julie Lawson to our school. Julie has written a number of popular children's books, including her most recent effort, "The Dragon's Pearl". Our students were able to listen to Julie describe the writing process and the amount of effort and research needed to make a compelling story. This was a great way to extend our students' understanding of the writing process and the need to have a purpose for writing.

This week we will be hosting the dramatic duo called Sun Ergos. They will be performing a theatrical version of Julie Lawson's book, which will create a great opportunity to compare the two. After the performance students will be asked to write a letter to another school persuading them to invite either Julie Lawson or Sun Ergos. This will provide the students with an authentic reason to write and will allow them to develop their persuasive skills. Teachers will then mark the students work collaboratively and make decisions about areas that are strengths and areas in need of additional support. Over the next several months, classroom teachers will work with their classes, teaching them the finer points of persuasive writing, which will then be followed up by another assessment in the spring to see how well the students have progressed.

Every Time Counts

2009-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had two separate conversations with friends about private school versus public school. One friend is thinking about taking her daughter out of public school and the other has decided that public school is the place for her. In both conversations, the similarities were striking; they each described the importance of the personal contacts they have had with teachers. The one that is thinking of leaving, felt that her concerns were not being heard, the one who is choosing to stay, has had great connections with the public school but was disappointed with the private school.

These two conversations got me thinking that "every time counts". Every time we as educators have an interaction with a parent or a student we are helping to shape their perception of public school. This is a huge responsibility that each of us carries. It strikes at the core of creating a caring and compassionate system that is responsive to the needs of the people it serves . Each time we speak with a student or parent we must seek to understand what they are asking of us and determine the best way to approach the issue. This may be a student struggling with a concept or a parent wondering about something happening in class.

I always listen carefully when I hear someone thinking of leaving public education because there may be something in it that I can do differently in my school. This was a wake-up call for me to make sure that every interaction counts and that people leave the conversation feeling heard and understood.

Great Things to Come

2009-10-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

I had planned to talk about assessment this week, however, there are some exciting things coming up at school so I will have to put the assessment piece on hold for now. We have some incredible opportunities for kids this week and the best part is, they are linked thematically and strengthen the work we are doing on assessment (so I guess this does tie in to my assessment theme).

Julie Lawson, a local Victoria author, has written a picture book called "The Dragon's Pearl". We are fortunate this week to have Julie visit our school on Monday to talk with classes about the book and the writing process. We will then have the return of the performing group Sun Ergos on Wednesday. They will be doing a performance of the same Julie Lawson book. This is a wonderful opportunity to link the book, the author, and a live theatrical production. Pretty cool for our kids to see these connections. It doesn't stop there though, as we will be using these two visits as the focus for our School-Wide Write.

Each year, we ask students to provide a writing sample at the beginning of the year and then again in the Spring. We use a common theme that allows us to see where students are in their writing ability at the start of the year. Through this assessment we can structure our instruction appropriately for the year and then see how much students have improved by the spring. This year, we will ask students to provide a persuasive writing sample about what they have experienced this week, specifically, students will be asked to write about whether they preferred the book or the play of the "The Dragon's Tale". They will choose one side or the other and then provide rationale for their choice. Teachers will then spend time working together to mark the students work in relation to the British Columbia Performance Standards for Writing.

What an incredible opportunity for linking our learning and showing students the relevance of different forms of writing. We at David Cameron are fortunate to have such a thoughtful and forward thinking group of educators to provide such seamless learning for our students.

The Emotional Bank Account

2009-09-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I was speaking with one of our students who felt that he was getting the short end of the stick from his classroom teacher. He thought that any time he asked for something he was denied. I asked what he had done to build the relationship to the point where, when he asked for something, the teacher might be inclined to agree. He said that he really hadn't done much, and in fact, sometimes talked too much in class. We began discussing the notion of an "emotional bank account". I told the student it was just like a real bank account where you have to make deposits before you can make a withdrawl. This is how we all respond to others in our lives, if they have contributed (made a deposit) emotionally to us, we are more likely to respond favourably when they ask for something. This is consistent with the idea of contribution versus consumption. We have to make a positive and worthwhile contribution to our community and to those around us, before we can ask for something. The student began to understand the idea that it wasn't an obligation on the part of the teacher to meet his requests, but rather it was part of an ongoing relationship that needs to be built by both parties. The student thought this was a good idea and returned to class ready to make a few "deposits" before he really needed to make a withdrawl. I had to draw the line however, when he suggested the idea of bringing an "emotional bank card" to class. I had to admire his sense of humour and felt that the lesson had been learned.

The Little Things That Matter

2009-09-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

I was watching one of our parents the other day. She was working on a bulletin board in our main entrance hall. I had asked her if she would be interested in doing a 'Welcome Back' message. She readily accepted and has created a wonderful piece of art that helps to make our school more welcoming and inviting. The thing that struck me though, was that she had her brand new baby wrapped tightly against her in a little "snuggly" baby carrier. It made me think of all of the selfless work that happens in our school on a daily basis by parents, students, and staff. It is this commitment from all of us that has come to make David Cameron School such a great place for kids.

This year we will continue our work on developing our school community. I can't think of a single thing that is more telling of the kind of community we want than these individual contributions. I heard it said this summer that we are creating a culture of consumers. People who are only interested in purchasing and using, not in contributing or giving back. We have begun talking with our students about the importance of being contributors to society, not just consumers. I am heartened by the many contributions already being made in our school. Last week, four students came to me to ask if they could create a club that contributes to our environment by cleaning up. They took it upon themselves to pick up garbage on our playground and to sweep our main student foyer that is covered in grass each day. They didn't want anything for it, they weren't looking for recognition, they just wanted to contribute. What a wonderful thing. As we go through this school year, we will revisit this theme, and I am sure, continue to be amazed by the incredible capacity of those around us.

After the Dust Settles

2009-09-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

We made it through the first week and managed to get all of our students into their new classes by Friday. Last week was an extremely busy week for our staff, in addition to the usual hubub and business of our Homecoming Week, we also had to replace and balance class lists twice as new divisions were added Tuesday and then again on Thursday. This requires a huge amount of additional work on the part of the staff to ensure the very best placements for our students; a job our staff takes very seriously. We think we have done a good job and have created a structure that reduces our intermediate class sizes and creates some positive student groupings. With this work behind us now, we can begin to move forward with our main task of ensuring a strong academic year for all of our students.

We look forward to working with families over the course of this year in support of our students' education.

A New Year On The Horizon

2009-09-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year may be an appropriate expression at this time of year as we get set to welcome our students and families back. The summer is a great time to re-charge for everyone and prepare for the year ahead. I have heard it expressed that there are no "bad" summers, it's just that some are better than others and this one has been great.

We are excited about the prospect of this new school year here at David Cameron. We survived the often hectic and chaotic blending of Glen Lake school and David Cameron, and as such have emerged as a stronger entity, built on strong beliefs about student learning. This year promises to be an excellent opportunity to solidify the work begun last year and to continue the development of a positive and vibrant school culture that welcomes and values all members of our school community. In fact, one of our school goals this year is to continue the development of our school culture.

We look forward to working with our returning families once again and also getting to know our new families. Welcome to another great year. I look forward to seeing all of the bright, excited faces at school next week (oh, and the kids too).

Planning Cycle

2009-06-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

Each year, school's across the province are required to develop a school plan that reflects their goals and direction for the next school year. The School Planning Council (SPC) at David Cameron has shown tremendous interest and understanding in supporting us as we build our plan. We have chosen two areas of focus for the 2009/2010 school year, they are: the continued development of our school culture and, an increased use of assessment for learning practices.

This year with the addition of students and families from Glen Lake Elementary we have been working to create a new school culture that is reflective of all of our new school community. It was felt that this was an important area to continue our work. In particular, focusing on the development of social responsibility for our students.

We have also determined that a focus on assessment for learning practices will strengthen the academic development of our students by clearly stating learning intentions and providing descriptive feedback to students.

These two areas will provide a strong foundation for student learning and create an environment that is engaging, supportive, and focused on success for all.

June Already?

2009-05-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a fantastic year at David Cameron, albeit a busy one. We are well on our way towards our new entity as a blended school, having spent the last nine months working together. This of course leads us into the final month of the school year and as always June is chock full of activities (see our calendar page for exact dates and details).

Here are a few hi-lites: District Track and Field meets coming up this week, followed by Bike Roadeo, Parent/Staff Appreciation luncheon, Talent Show, Beach Day, Grade Six Farewell, and our Year-End Assembly. These of course are only the school events, each class has a number of field trips and/or special events planned to mark the year-end as well.

Each of these events creates another opportunity to build our school culture and connect with the broader school community. Between the school and our PAC, we have managed to host many wonderful things during this year. Which brings me to the Fun Fair held this past Friday. What an amazing thing to see so many David Cameron families turn out for a beautiful, sunlit evening. The parent organizers behind this event were amazing and pulled off a fantastic event, thanks so much to them and to everyone who pitched in (make sure to come to our Parent/Staff Appreciation Luncheon or at least stop by for a coffee and a muffin before school on June 12th.). It is this kind of community spirit and connection that makes this school such a great place for everyone.

Let The Planning Begin!

2009-05-03T15:51:00.001-07:00

At this time of year we are in the midst of all of the excitement that year-end brings, but more importantly, we are already planning for the next school year. Our School Planning Council (SPC) has been engaging in conversations about areas that, we as a school, might focus on as a goal.

School Planning Councils were initiated several years ago as a means of ensuring meaningful consultation with parents in relation to the actions of the school. Since then, Planning Councils have been a cause for concern from the BCTF, resulting in teachers withdrawing from the conversations. This obviously complicates the process which is mandated through Ministerial Order and School District Policy.

The David Cameron SPC continues to work in the best interest of students and the school as a whole as it considers information from a variety of sources including Satisfaction Surveys, FSA, and personal judgments regarding areas for potential focus. Setting and working towards goals is an important part of the continued growth of our school. We are excited about what the next school year will bring us and the opportunities we have to improve the achievement results of our students.

Looking Forward by Looking Back

2009-04-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

What an incredible year we have had so far! We are so fortunate to live where we do and to have the things we do. This certainly applies to our school as well. We have come a long way this year, as we are well on our journey towards the "new" David Cameron. This year, we have been able to successfully blend staffs, students, and PACs to create a school that all can be proud of. Over the course of the year we have continued to work on the writing skills of our students as well as their physical health and understanding of nutrition. These have been important areas for us to focus on as a school. In support of these goals we have had two "Family Grouping Days", with a third scheduled for May, each focusing on these key areas. We have instituted a School-Wide Write that was done in the Fall with the follow-up assessment to come in May., and we have created our Home Reading Program and Marathon recognition as well.

As we reflect on our successes (and our failures) we begin to look forward to the next school year and where we as a school community should be putting our resources (human and monetary). It is important to have a few areas that are our focus so that we can ensure a streamlined process and attainable objectives. Too many goals become frustrating and overwhelming for people. At this point, we are just beginning to engage in conversations about where we want to put our efforts next year. As always, we are interested in the perspective of our school community, so if you have areas that you think need to be worked on don't hesitate to contact me at school.

Satisfaction Surveys

2009-04-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not being consistent with my blog posts over the last while. Thanks to those of you that check in to read what I have written.

This month marks the start of our planning toward completing a new school plan. We have sent home our individual FSA results to families, with the next key data gathering piece being the Ministry Satisfaction Surveys.

Satisfaction Surveys allow us to gauge the perception that parents, students, and staff have of various facets of our school. Perceptions can be a tricky thing as we try to discern if it is a true issue with a particular program or simply how we communicate the information to families. As a result, we often have to spend time looking at the "stories behind the data" in order to make an accurate judgement of where to put our efforts. While these surveys pose an issue for our teaching staffs from a political perspective they still offer value to the school for parent and student feedback. This year, we have added a few school specific questions to get a clearer picture for our planning purposes. The results of the survey will be shared with our staff and School Planning Council to determine what areas emerge as possible areas for development in the next school year. Information regarding the Satisfaction Surveys has been sent to parents of students in grade 4 specifically, however, any parent may complete the survey, all you need to do is contact the school for a logon number and you are set to complete the survey on-line.

The information that we gain from this and other data sources provide us with a good starting point to investigate and discuss certain issues in greater detail.

The Pause That Refreshes!

2009-03-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine once said that "it doesn't seem to matter when Spring Break is, it comes at just the right time". That was certainly true this year. Prior to the break, our staff had been putting in many extra hours meeting with parents and preparing report cards. Spring Break is also an important transition point in our school year, it signifies the start of the final term of the year and all of the excitement that brings for year-end activities and grade six transition to middle school. Hopefully the weather will start to cooperate with us and make it feel a little more like spring, but in the interim staff have already begun working hard with students to complete this school year and prepare for the next. At David Cameron, we are excited about the many great opportunities both fun and academic that are coming up over the next few months. We look forward to working with parents and students to make this a great ending to a great year.

Report Cards

2009-03-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Our second term report card will be coming home on Thursday, March 12. By then, our teaching staff will have been in contact with most families to discuss student progress over this term, through parent-teacher interviews. As always at this time I like to remind families that report cards represent only a snapshot of student performance. Each report card "is a picture" of how students have done to this point in the school year (strengths, areas for development, and ways to support their learning). Letter grades for intermediate students are a symbolic representation of the work students have done in relation to the criteria and prescribed learning outcomes for the term. Letter grades do not include student behaviour or attitude/effort as a component of the mark. These areas are reported separately by the teacher. Primary students are generally given a statement of achievement in relation to the expectations for a child at this point in the year (eg fully meeting expectations).

Please make sure to discuss your child's report card with them so that they are able to see what they are doing well and what they could work on. Our students are the ones that need to be able to use this information in order to improve on their work. More focus should be placed on the descriptive information than on the letter grades as you talk with your child(ren).

Professional Development Days

2009-02-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

Professional Development days are such an important part of the education profession. On Friday, many of our staff were engaged in a session on Restitution. They spent the day examining ways for students to take responsibility for their mistakes and figure out ways to fix them. At the same time, Dale, myself, and other principals/vice-principals from Sooke were exploring the question "What Matters?" with Chris Kelly, Superintendent of Schools for Vancouver School District. In this session we were able to take some time to reflect on leadership and learning and what really matters as we work in support of student learning. Chris spoke of the need for students (and others we work with) to be "genuinely regarded" and to have a sense of hope in order for learning to occur. As a result, we need to ensure that strong relationships (respectful and engaged) within our school communities are encouraged and fostered.

Opportunities to take a pause from our busy day to day work to reflect on what really matters are only possible because of these professional days. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss with our staff and school community the many learnings and thoughts acquired on our most recent Professional Development Day.

Building Community

2009-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

As our school year has evolved, I have been giving a lot of thought to the kind of school community that we are collectively building for our children. We are at the point where staff, students, and parents consider David Cameron Elementary to be there home, but we still have a long way to go to make it the best we can. Community is about everyone working together to create a great environment to work and learn in. So far, we have used activities like "Buddy Classes", "Family Grouping Days", "The Virtues Project", and many others to create opportunities for students to feel part of their community.

Where do we go from here? Have we done enough? Michael Fullen has said that "Good is the enemy of great", and so we must push on. Our next areas of focus must be in support of a school tone that allows us to slow down and work/learn in greater detail; with more depth. We must improve upon the ways in which we support all learners from those with difficulty to those with outstanding capabilities. We must work on our disciplinary practices so that they have at their core, strengthening the student and allowing them to learn from their mistakes. These are ambitious undertakings but are critical to students feeling successful and motivated to try and risk and learn. Together we can, with the help of all, create an incredible place for all to be. I look forward to our continued work together in support of our children.

A Busy Start to February!

2009-02-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

This week is shaping up to be a very busy week at David Cameron. Of course we are all excited about our two evening concerts with Paul Hann. It is amazing to see how many details need to be attended to in order to offer something so worthwhile to our students. From the initial proposal to the final details of performance night, many people have pitched in and made sure that everything has gotten done. A huge thank-you to the David Cameron staff who have worked hard to get the students ready.

We will also be conducting a review of our lunch-time changes in order to get feedback from staff, students, and parents. Look for a short questionnaire to come home on Thursday. I will also be visiting all of the classes to talk with students to hear their opinions.

Monday is our regular School Read Assembly with a focus on our virtue of the month, Respect. At this time we also get to recognize our students for their efforts in our home reading program and our marathon run. Both of these recognitions support our school efforts towards our goals of Active Living and Active Learning. Parents can also expect to see "Crunch and Go" cards coming home with their students. These cards allow students to track the amount of physical activity and servings of fruits and veggies they are getting over the course of the month.

All of this in addition to our regular weekly routines, which include boys and girls basketball, field trips, and of course our main focus on student academics.

Assessment Practices

2009-01-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

There are lots of educational terms that get thrown around in conversation with teachers and administrators. Two key ones are "formative" and "summative" in relation to assessment. Formative assessments are those that provide information to the teacher and student to guide changes in instruction or for improvement on the next try. Formative assessments generally refer to the practice work that students do. Summative Assessments are those that occur at the end of a unit or course of study that allow the teacher and student to see where they stand in relation to the established criteria.

Why are these important distinctions in assessment practice? As we work with students we are constantly assessing their work and providing them with feedback in order to improve (formative). When we take this information and use it to determine a letter grade or final mark we change the perception of practice. Practice can no longer be seen as a way to make mistakes and improve, it must be a finished product because "it counts".

At David Cameron Elementary we are working as a staff to ensure that we understand the difference between these two forms of assessment and the impact that they have on student learning. Our staff is constantly looking at our practices to ensure that we are supporting student learning in the best way that we can.

Change

2009-01-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

Change is a difficult thing. We are all confronted with change on a daily basis, it takes us out of our comfort zone, it forces us to examine our values and what is most important to us. Our school this year has certainly had its share of change. As we navigate our way to becoming a new, blended school community, we continue to face the dissonance of past practice and future directions.

Michael Fullen speaks often about the change forces that affect us. In his words, "Change is mandatory, growth is optional". This is to say that change is continually happening around us, it is our personal decision how we deal with it. At David Cameron we are continually striving to find the best ways to support our students and to ensure learning for all. L. Dysart said that "apparent peace should be continually re-examined." It is not good enough to sit on our past laurels, we must continually strive for better, more efficient ways to support learning. This does not mean that past practice was wrong, only that it was the best we knew of at the time. As more research is conducted and newer ideas emerge it is our professional responsibility to examine them and find ways to embed them in our practice. In this way we are no different than the medical practitioner who must adapt and learn new techniques as medicine advances in its treatments.

Keeping all of this in mind, we must still be cautious in our approach and reasoned in our decisions. Change for the sake of change is not what we are after, we all want what is best for our children and being open to new ideas and ways of doing business is what's needed.

Artist In Residence Program to Begin

2009-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

We are very excited that we will have the opportunity to work with noted children's musician Paul Hann for the next month or so. The Artist in Residence program allows an artist to come into the school setting and share their expertise with students. Paul Hann has worked in several schools over the past years and brings a tremendous energy and creativity to his music.

During the program, students will work Mr. Hann to create an original song that they will then be able to perform and record. At the end of the program, Mr. Hann will record the students' songs, complete with the student voices. We will then have CD's available for families as a great keepsake from their elementary years. In addition, each class will learn one of Mr. Hann's existing songs to round out our concert performance.

This is such an exciting way to extend the musical learning for our students. We have been fortunate this year to be able to offer music instruction to all of our students through the expertise of Ms. Garry. I believe it is important to offer a balance of instruction for our students in academics, the arts, and physical development; we have been doing a great job of this.

David Cameron Elementary continues to grow and become a truly remarkable place for students to learn, and families to connect to their community.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems that we were just gearing up for the Christmas Holidays and here we are ready to come back. I hope that the holidays have been restful and rejuvenating for all of our families and staff. I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that the new year brings as we work together to create a great school community.

Our first change for the new year is a slight adjustment to our lunch hour routines. We are going to do a test-run of having students play first and then eat their lunches. Many schools have gone to this option for a number of reasons; first of all it allows students to burn off some of their morning energy and build up their appetites. Secondly, we see many students anxious to get outside to play and therefore, many lunches go in the garbage, despite our best efforts. Thirdly, students will already be in class, ready to begin the afternoon session rather than slowly making their way in to the school. We will be encouraging students to take a snack with them if they are hungry at noon, and similarly if some students require a bit more time to finish their lunch they will be able to do that as the afternoon session begins (usually with silent reading). We will be seeking feedback from staff, students, and parents towards the end of January to see how things are going.

Getting Our Students Active

2008-12-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

I am excited about the level of activity that I see each day at our school. Students are actively engaged in a variety of activities that get them moving and having fun. Our school marathon program is proving to be very popular with our students. I see students running laps around our school at recess and lunch in addition to our regular school-wide run days. We have also added a new fitness/fun circuit for our playground. Have a look at the map of the course shown on the window of the staff room.

The importance of these activities and getting our students moving has always been important to me, but was reinforced in a conversation I had with Peter Mason of Speakwell (www.speakwell.com). This is an organization that started with Dr. Martin Collis of the University of Victoria and involves getting people active through the use of pedometers. Peter was reminding about the obesity and diabetes statistics in our country that are directly attributable to lack of activity. Peter wears a pedometer every day as he works toward his 10 000 steps. What was amazing is that he has now gone over 700 consecutive days meeting a minimum of 10 000 steps per day. It is a commitment to a healthy lifestyle that doesn't have to involve sports activities or days at the gym. It is a mindset, a way of looking at health care as preventative, and choosing to be active. It made me think that as we continue to implement our Daily Physical Activity mandate of 30 minutes per day, the use of pedometers may be a great way to instill in our students' minds that fitness is an everyday commitment.

November 24 - 28

2008-11-23T16:53:00.001-08:00

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS:

This week, our staff will be involved in meeting with families to discuss student progress so far this year. To support this, we will be having an "early closure" on Wednesday, November 26. This means that students in grades 1-6 will be finished school at 12:00 noon and Kindergarten students will not be in session. On the following day, November 27 no students will be in session as it is a District-wide non-instructional day.

Parent-Teacher conferences are designed to provide the detail behind the report cards and to assist in the goal setting process for the next term. Report cards provide a symbolic representation (numbers or letter grades) of student ability in relation to the criteria for the term. In addition, brief examples of what your child has demonstrated or needs continued support in are provided as comments. The P/T conferences allow for more in-depth examples and for parents to actually be able to see some of the work their child has done. These meetings are an important part of the on-going dialogue between school and home. Please be sure to attend your child's interview.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

2008-11-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our first test of the David Cameron Blog. Next week is a busy week for staff at DC with Parent/Teacher interviews happening over several days, an Early Closure on Wednesday, and a Non-Instructional Day on Thursday.