Our student population and community are diverse. We have 10.4% of our students who self-identify as having indigenous ancestry; and 9.9% have a ministry designation identifying exceptionalities and are needing some form of social-emotional and/or academic support and/or accommodation.
In the Grade 4 Foundations Skills Assessment, 58% of our learners are on track in the Reading Comprehension area of Literacy, which is up from 45% last year
Over the past year, staff have identified reading as an area of improvement needed and as such there has been staff learning and collaboration in this area. Staff and students participated in a reading inquiry that focused on student engagement in reading.
Through a series of activities promoting reading engagement, students reading engagement levels increased and students shared that they enjoy working in small groups for reading instruction.
As a staff, we understand that our learners at John Muir are visual and kinesthetic learners who learn best with the use of visuals and learn by doing. Outside nature and play-based learning help our students learn and is a focus for our school. We know that our students learn best when they have a learning environment that is calm and predictable with routines and schedules.
We know that relationships with adults are key and that students need to have connection and feel safe and supported. Our staff works well as a team wrapping around students to support their learning - social emotional, self-regulation and academic, as needed.
When writing end of the year student Points of Progress, teachers reported that their class reading proficiency levels were similar to 2023. 85 to 90% of the students were either developing or proficient.
We know that parent involvement in students learning to read is paramount. We need to build parent engagement and awareness on the importance of learning early reading skills. With student reading engagement at school and home, students will have the foundation for the success of reading.
