​General Vanier School:  Working towards a preferred future

Our Vision: 

To create an engaging learning environment focused on collaboration, inclusion, and opportunity.

Our Motto:

Take care of yourself,

Take care of each other,

Take care of your community and

Be as kind as you can while you do these things.

At General Vanier School our school plan is generated through a cyclical process that occurs each year.  All staff members meet to discuss previous years plans, review data using a Collaborative Learning Cycle model and make new plans for the upcoming year that we present to pur PAC.  We look for ways that our work can impact the learning of our students to the greatest degree.  With the introduction of the Louis Riel School Division Multi Year Strategic Plan 2019-2023 this year, we have strategic goals that will be developed over the next few years and guide our planning.

Our School Plan uses the Circle of Courage as a reference to balance four areas of well-becoming and is derived from the work of Martin Brokenleg.  It has also been adopted by many schools who wish to see that students receive balanced and child-centered education. It's four quadrants (Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity) represent essential components of a healthy and well-rounded education.  Our main areas of development are listed below.

Although the following represents areas of growth this year, this is not meant as a complete list of all that we do.  Past plans that use to be new learning, are now just the way that we teach and learn.  This process is what allows a school to remain progressive and in touch with the needs of the school and community.

Belonging: 

Creating a culture of equity and inclusion where every child has an appropriate and meaningful connection with adults and peers.  All students see their cultures, traditions, and who they are and may become represented in the school.

Our current plans:

• Creation of multi-cultural food choices in the canteen.
• Continuation of our Global Read Aloud projects.
• Creation of family-led teaching topics and school connections.
• Inclusion based individual educational planning using the work of Shelley Moore.          
• Creation of positive play models through play-based board gaming.
• The creation of social-skills learning opportunities to address students with lagging skills.

Mastery: 

Creating a culture of learning and well-becoming by the use of the most effective teaching and learning strategies with a solid curricular base, implemented with technical savvy.

Our current plans:

• The use of data driven response to interventions through class profiles and other data sets. (EYE, Academic Data, OurSchool Survey, School AER Data, Past-R)
•  This goal is being developed in part through collaboration with the LRSD Divisional Learning Team in the creation of an EYE application for teacher data collection.
• Work with the Divisional Learning Team to create job embedded professional development of the Ziggurat - CAPS system to ensure teacher understanding and increase confidence and independence in planning for students living with Autism.
• Use of the "Teaching Sprints" professional development model to improve student and teacher learning.
• Collaboration with the Learning Team as new members of the Numeracy Project to improbe teacher pedogogy.
• Promotion of school portals for the development of 21st Century communication to parents. 
• Migration from former systems to Outlook to improve teacher collaboration.
• The integration 21st Century Skills into current pedagogy specifically the use of assistive technology such as Immersive Reader and other tools seen in OneNote.
• Creating connections with communities around the world through Skype.

Generosity: 

Creating a culture of inquiry and responsibility through a focus on using student and staff skills and talents to invoke student voice within our school community, to create acts of generosity of spirit and an understanding of the importance of activism and community environmental wellbeing.

• Creation of a school wide composting and composting education program. 
• Creation of a 7/8 Leadership Helper Program.  (Raking and shoveling in neighborhood, Recess Buddies and Gym Helpers.)
• Sustainable Development Greenhouse Project (Planning Phase)
• Creation of Service Learning Activities where students develop skills and use talents to make positive change in the world.

Independence:  

Creating a culture of caring and collaboration through the reduction of bullying and the improvement of community understanding of mental health and how it effects our everyday lives.

• Exploration of how we assign Learning Behaviours and their age-appropriate meaning on our provincial report card.
• Creation of targerted Social-Emotional groups.  (Friendship Programs, Girl Groups, Taking Care of Each Other)
• Creation of a Wellness Club for staff and students.
• Use of mental health improvement strategies as imbedded practice. (Mind-Up, Project 11, 7 Teachings and Moral Intelligence).
• Development of mindful music programming.
• Expansion of Roots of Empathy and other programming to encourage empathy.