Sangster Elementary

School Overview

School Identity and Context

Sangster Elementary is a Kindergarten to Grade 5 school built on the traditional lands of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. Sangster Elementary opened in 1958 in the community of Colwood, which is located along the southern coast of Vancouver Island. Our close proximity to Hatley Forest and Esquimalt Lagoon makes it the ideal setting for our Nature Kindergarten class and outdoor learning at all grade levels. Our students build strong connections to their natural surroundings and see themselves as caretakers of the forest and the environment.

Sangster Elementary has a strong sense of community based on the principles of respect, safety, kindness, all while having fun. These characteristics are woven into daily activities and our restitution practices. The small size of our school ensures our older students act as role models and then connect on the playground and in the classroom with our younger students. These positive relationships between students of all ages, help to build a strong sense of community within our school.

Our Learners

What do we know about our learners?

Our students enjoy attending school and being a part of the Sangster Elementary Community. Our student population continues to diversify as the Colwood community increases in population. The majority of our students are within walking distance of our school, creating a strong community feel. They feel connected to each other, the staff, and the learning environment.

Our students find success when universal design for learning is used and choice is provided. The students feel that their literacy and numeracy skills continue to improve on a yearly basis. Our parent and student community have a strong connection to nature and our surrounding environment. An area of growth for our school community, is utilizing diverse resources and seamlessly reflecting our diverse population in our learning environment.

Our student community recognizes they are learning about our local Indigenous communities; however, a challenge is to return to regular role model visits and Sencoten language learning.

What evidence supports what we know about our learners?

Our Student Voice

When asked how the adults at Sangster demonstrated belief in the future success of students, they regularly identified that the adults, cared, made them feel safe, respected them, and believed in them.
Grade 2-4 Student Voice in response to the following question:
How do adults in the school demonstrate they believe in your future success?

They take care of me at school
When I make a mistake, they say, “it’s ok. We can learn from this”
Using a different language helps me (Indigenous Program Assistant uses Sencoten)
Can cheer me up and cheer me on and help me with work jobs
Tell me that I can do anything I put my mind to
Sometimes I make mistakes, but they tell me to keep on trying
Talk to me and check in with me
Give me jobs they know I can do and feel good about
Tell me that doing my best is enough
Encourage me and support me
If I’m going through something hard, they listen and understand
Say, “you’ve got this” and “I believe in you”
Trusts me and helps me
Keeps challenging me
Say, “don’t worry. You’ve got this.”
Help me and give me suggestions

Focus and Planning

What focus(es) emerge as goals to pursue?

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Indigenous Education

Intellectual Development

Social Emotional Learning

School Goal 1

To create a learning environment in which all children feel welcomed and valued in our school and their classrooms, and to continue to create a strong sense of belonging with a focus on connecting to our place and our local Indigenous communities.

Strategic Plan Goal

Engagement

Strategic Plan Engagement Objectives

Further the goals of the Na'tsa'maht agreement following the objectives of 'One Mind' and 'One Spirit'.

Action Plan

We will be intentional in our instructional practice and utilize the Core Competencies to teach Social Emotional Skills, build connectedness and develop competencies
Use the Core Competencies to teach the Principles of Learning through connecting to our place and identifying the local animals and their characteristics, and then connecting them to the Core Competencies and students
Create Core Competency Posters utilizing the chosen animals and student artwork for use in all classrooms
Invite Elders and role models regularly into the school to share local knowledge
Incorporate local Indigenous language, Sencoten, into announcements, assemblies, and classroom activities
Examine resources in the classrooms and library to increase the percentage of students who feel “visible” in literature and resources
Examine the student and community connection to the Sangster name and ship mascot
Examine and evaluate our Code of Conduct
Examine and evaluate the physical space of our building from an equity lens and sense of student belonging

School Goal 2

To increase writing proficiency across grade levels and to increase number sense and numerical flexible thinking.

February 27, 2023

Strategic Plan Goal

Learning

Strategic Plan Learning Objectives

Provide opportunites for learners to develop critical and creative thinking skills.

Action Plan

- Hold a school wide write

- Develop and expand anchor charts to be used for teaching and assessment in classrooms as exemplars

- Develop Grade Level topics for writing assessments and develop rubrics which match the Proficiency Scale

- Provide collaboration time for grade level staff for writing assessment

-Complete school-wide inventory of math resources and manipulatives

- Create Teacher-survey for numeracy professional development needs

- Develop school-based numeracy professional development funded through ACT Funds

-Purchase manipulatives in support of professional development and as identified through the school-wide inventory

02/27/2003

How can the district support your goals?

Curriculum

International

Facilities

Finance

Na’tsa’maht Indigenous Education

Professional Development and Training

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Curriculum

Reflect, Adjust, Celebrate

Indicators of progress

Indicators of progress connected to Goal 1

Survey Results - We should notice an increase in The Student Learning Survey questions around Indigenous activities, First Nations language, and local First Nations; as well as an increase in the question of representation of culture/background on the equity survey.

Student Voice – when surveyed, students will be able to share an example of their connection to place (the environment or animals)

Students will identify and explain how they are like a specific animal and the connection to the Core Competency
When asked if they are connected to the School name/mascot – students will feel pride and connectiveness

Family Voice – Families will feel representation in the school and will feel connected to our school community

Indicators of progress connected to Goal 2

How will we communicate and celebrate our progress?

Progress and Evidence to date

School Goal 1 - 2023-2024

Drumming Circle

Throughout the school year we continued to create opportunities to meet our goal of belonging and connecting to place. We completed our mural and held an assembly and drumming circle to celebrate.

Sangster Mural

We completed our new logo. Student, staff, and family surveys with consultation of Indigenous Elders resulted in our school logo of a ship being replaced with a Cedar Tree. There are two options, one includes the animals that our students chose to connect with the core competencies.

Logo Cedar

Logo cedar

We increased our Diverse Books in the library, including being awarded the ACCT Foundation grant for Asian Canadian Heritage Month in May. Our Times Colonist Grant was also used to increase our diverse books in the library.
School-wide cultural programming completed through the library, whole-school assemblies, announcements, and classes. Programming intentional and in collaboration of Equity Team, Librarian, and ELL teacher.

School Goal 2 - 2023-2024

FSA data indicates an increase in our on-track and extending student population in both literacy and numeracy
Staff numeracy professional development held in April
Three collaboration times throughout the year were provided for staff, targeting numeracy, literacy anchor charts (primary), and school-wide write assessment. Staff met in grade groupings to create consistency and common understandings
Learning resources were purchased to fill the gaps in numeracy manipulatives and literacy

School Goal 1 - 2022-2023

We had an overall increase in the student learning survey data around Indigenous Learning

Grade 4 Learning Survey Graph

Students used our Core Competency Posters to express how they are connected to the animals and how they demonstrate the Core Competencies. Students expressed this in their CC reflections, at our assemblies and on the announcements. All classrooms have a set of the posters and every two weeks we highlighted a different CC and animal.

Collaboration Poster

Students were surveyed about what they value about Sangster/what makes Sangster special, how they connect to our place, and how they feel when they are at School
- They felt connected to the school, and our outdoor areas (particularly the many aspects of the forest)
- Students felt safe at school and happy to be here

Feeling at School

Students described what they valued at school and what made it special to them

Values and Special

Our families were surveyed and asked what they value about our school

Family Values

All students went through a logo redesign process and shared an example of a new logo and why they believed in it.

Student Logo Designs

As we continue into year 2 of our School Plan we will continue our logo process with the design and implementation next year
We began our diversity scan of our books within the library and classrooms. We have been purposeful in purchasing diverse and inclusive readers for our classrooms, literacy programs, library and office. We will continue this process in 2023-2024

Goal 2 Numeracy and Literacy

Math manipulative inventory in classrooms and resource rooms was completed. School Learning Resources funds committed to purchasing math manipulatives, resulting in consistency in math manipulatives
Two professional learning sessions provided for teachers to learn consistent numeracy teaching approaches and then use of math manipulatives in classrooms
Provided collaboration time for grade level teachers to co-assess our School-Wide Writes. Additional release time provided to learn about school writing anchor charts, and for some grade groupings to develop specific writing proficiency standards
We are beginning to gather data for numeracy and literacy yearly comparisons

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