Prince Charles »

The Prince Charles staff is  a diverse group of individuals comprised of new teachers  who are both relatively new to teaching and to the Prince Charles community,  and experienced teachers who’ve taught at the school for several years (including several decades) and know the school community, its history and its families well .  Long time residents and school staff agree that the Prince Charles  school community and student population has noticeably changed over the past 5 – 10 years. Whereas students once came from a stable community of homeowners who raised their children in the same home, on the same street, from childhood until adulthood, such is no longer the norm.  Our student population, while predominantly stable, also consists of an increasing number of families on the move due to economic and familial instability.  Recent immigrants to Canada are also moving into our community  due to the affordability of rental suites and the cultural connections offered in the Central City area.

 Many of our learners are children and grandchildren of Prince Charles’ alumni; the grandparents of the latter  attended the school when it opened in 1955 through to the 1960s and many of our students’ parents attended in the 1970s and 1980s.   Many of these original alumni have remained in their home  and continue to attend events at our school as the grandparents of our current students,  including PAC meetings. Some  of their children (now Prince Charles  parents) have settled in the community in which they grew up and many are living in the original family home. This multigenerational aspect of community provides an endearing and nostalgic element to our school. 

With a school population of approximately 350 students, approximately 55 of our learners (or 16%) are of First Nations heritage. First Nations family origins have been  traced to almost every current province and territory in Canada.  

An increasing number of our learners are first and second generation Canadians, recent landed immigrants or refugees. Multiple languages encapsulate the diversity at Prince Charles Elementary.  Languages spoken by our students and families include: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, Punjabi, Hindi,  Urdu, Farsi, Dari, Arabic, Somali, Russian and Polish, amongst others. In addition to having arrived in Canada with little to no English, some of our newest refugee students have little to no school experience and have experienced difficult circumstances  leaving their homeland and living in temporary camps.

Staff recently spent time on a professional development day collaboratively discussing and recording “what we know about our learners”.  Although  staff worked in groups, their findings were very closely aligned.  Using the recorded feedback from all staff (enrolling, non-enrolling, and support staff), we have come to know our students as:

• culturally diverse (in language skills,school readiness,  values and attitudes toward learning)
• active, eager children who enjoy being at school
• helpful at school
• accepting, tolerant and forgiving
• hardworking when the learning task is attainable
• seeking emotional support from adults in the school
• seeking social connections
• residing in a wide range of family situations
• residing in a wide range of living conditions
• having fewer than average  experiences in the world outside the immediate community
• benefitting from extra supports:  LST, ELL, CYCW time, counselling time, breakfast and lunch programs, community schools after school programs and opportunities, extra-curricular activities,  summer camps, etc.

Many of our students:

• have difficulty learning
• engage in excessive screen time
• are overtired
• are hungry
• live in poverty and instability
• demonstrate moderate to high levels of anxiety
• have experienced trauma
• have difficulty with emotional self-regulation and problem-solving skills
• act out and can be physically aggressive 
• live in under resourced family situations

Evidence that supports what we know about our learners includes the following observational and tangible data:

• high attendance/participation in our breakfast and lunch programs
• waiting lists for community schools’ lunchtime and after school programs
• solid participation on teams and in extra-curricular activities
• students’ willingness to help classroom teachers, our Teacher-Librarian, office staff
• number of students requiring additional academic support
• conflict on the playgrounds/fields during recess and lunch
• students having difficulty managing their emotions
• weak  problem solving skills (impulsivity)
• dependency on adults
• anxiety impeding learning and social interaction
• increasing counselling requests
• demonstrated need to establish a sensory room for overstimulated or overly stressed/anxious students
• students falling asleep at school
• expressed hunger 
• expressed insecurity
• patterns of frequent absences/significantly late arrivals (eg. after 9:30 am
• increasing transiency
• signs of poverty

Consensus was reached amongst staff that our learners would benefit from Social Emotional Learning being our primary area of focus.  Learning cannot fully be embraced until children are socially and emotionally secure in their environment and with each other.

Our specific inquiry question is as follows:

“How will using S.E.L. teaching strategies and tools impact student perception of personal safety and peer relationships?”

Second Step Program

During the fall of 2016,  Second Step Program kits were purchased for all grades from Kindergarten to Grade 7.  Staff discussion during the spring of 2016 culminated in an expressed desire and need to be on the same page and using the same language with our students, knowing that SEL would be our primary area of focus at Prince Charles.  A SEL committee was established and the committee met regularly to discuss the program and its implementation.  During a Non-Instructional Day, focus was on staff discussion related to “Who Are Our Learners?”  Staff worked in groups and then as a whole to develop a profile of who are learners are.  As a staff we need to remind ourselves  that while we can support families and provide resources outside of the school setting to some degree, our most significant impact would be made during the school day.

 The program foundation focuses on four key areas: Tools for Learning, Emotions, Empathy and Problem Solving, all areas that many of our students have challenges with. Second Step lesson goals were integrated into curriculum, assemblies and outside play.  . Staff worked in grade groups and as a whole to explore the program and implement lessons. Student and staff discussion and reflection has been an integral part of our professional learning.  Knowing who our students are and their needs allowed for a level of personal and professional learning for staff.

WITS (K-3) and LEAD (4-6) Programs

The WITS and LEAD programs provide  a developmentally appropriate,  relevant approach to further integrate problem solving skills into our SEL focus.  Professional learning and resources are easily accessible online.  The acronyms are not only easy for students to learn, but also for our lunchtime supervisors who would benefit from a framework to help children resolve conflict at lunchtime.  We know that a significantly higher number of problems occur during this  typically unstructured time of the day.

Trauma Informed Practice

In knowing our students and families, we are aware of the fact that many students have experienced trauma.  Understanding that “all behaviour is communication” has allowed us to view students’ challenges with behaviour and social and emotional self-regulation through a different lens.  On our September 25th Non-Instructional (Planning) Day, counsellors Catherine Prentice and Tom Lewis will present a workshop on trauma.  Ian Rieveley,  District Behaviour Specialist,  and Taunya Shaw, District SEL Helping Teacher, have also been a supportive resource for staff.

Cultural Understanding 

With our very diverse student population, cultural beliefs and practices differ greatly, especially with respect to school involvement and roles and responsibilities.  We must be culturally sensitive to historical experiences and cultural norms that may impact students socially, emotionally and academically.  District Multicultural and SWIS workers, and our Aboriginal Education department have poignantly relevant information to share that enables us to further understand who are learners are. 

Supplemental Professional Learning

The Zones of Regulation

Mind-Up

The Virtues Project

Calm, Alert and Learning

Analyze and Interpret Data from Student Surveys 

In May, 2017 a school wide survey was competed by all students from Kindergarten – Grade 7.  The primary survey consisted of 10 questions that focused on students’ perceptions of personal safety, peer relationships and access to support. Response choices for each statement included “Always” (happy face), “Sometimes” (neutral face) and  “Never” (sad face).  Intermediate students responded to 28 questions that addressed perceptions of personal safety, ability to self-regulate and peer and adult relationships.  Response choices were “Always”, “Sometimes” and “Never”.  In addition, students responded to 14 “yes/no” questions that addressed  experiences of physical aggression, intimidation, cyberbullying and discrimination.

Student responses have been tabulated and percentages attached to each response.  On our September 25th Planning Day, staff will receive a copy of the tabulated data.  We will, as a staff, analyze and discuss the results, looking for areas of prominence. While we cannot ensure the collected data is entirely accurate, we can use our students’  collective  voice to infer what their perceptions are and how they feel while at school. This data (and student voice) will drive our SEL planning, instruction, lesson emphasis  and conversations with students and each other as colleagues.  

The SEL committee will continue to meet regularly to discuss  teacher feedback, successes and challenges of the Second Step and WITS/LEAD lesson implementation, review supplemental resources and plan for upcoming primary/intermediate meetings and professional development connections.

Following the introduction and teaching of the WITS and LEAD acronyms, lunchtime supervisors will have a weekly check-in with administration (every Friday) to share their observations of students’ problem solving and self-regulation skills. Are they experiencing a decline in physical aggression and conflict outside? Do they notice an increase in specific students attempting to employ strategies to resolve potential conflict? 

Students will receive the same student survey again in May, 2018.  While our student population will have changed slightly, the data should still provide us with an informative picture of how our students perceive their school community with respect to  personal safety and peer relationships.  

It is our belief  that infusing self-regulation into our daily classroom and school life will, over time, provide students with better problem solving skills and increase feelings of safety, belonging, confidence and success.