(Staff) Moving forward, what can the school division do to strengthen support of student learning? (Staff)

We are entering a time where mental health issues are increasing and going to continue to increase and we need to think about how we can connect with community resources to help us meet the needs of our students. So many expectations are put on school communities to meet "all" student needs. We simply can't keep expecting more from teachers, admin and division. I would like to see how our community and the division can come together to find creative ways to provide mental health supports for students and families. We are stretched so thin and if this type of demand continues to be placed on us, I worry it won

Provide strong literacy and numeracy learning opportunities and mentorship for beginning teachers so they understand what best practices are in these areas.

The students need their families. Increase integration of parent involvement.

Class sizes are excessively large. It would be nice to have reasonable sizes so the needs of the students can be better met. If you have a class of 35 students, there is no way to meet all the ELL needs, lagging skills, behaviours, and advanced learners, while also effectively teaching to the core. Many students are being lost in the mix, even with everyone on board trying to assist. The classes are just too big and too complex.

Make wellness a fourth pillar in our division goals. This would demonstrate it as a priority for all and a goal we strive for. Especially after COVID.

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Examine professional learning days and see how they can be consolidated to provide more depth and rich learning for teachers. The calendar moving into the next school year doesn't seem to reflect opportunity to dive deeply into professional learning.

Increased and consistant availability of school counsellors to students.

More visible diversity in staffing decisions.

Focus on formative assessment with students, value the process of learning, continue to move away from marks and grading to portfolio based evidence of learning, reflection and growth via continuums and rubrics

Exploration of outdoor learning spaces and sensory (input/output) opportunities.

Teachers are burning out at a rapid rate; is there a way we can look at providing two wellness days during the year? Could we utilize a collaborative day to provide only mental health options for teachers. This would provide them the opportunity to take a deep breath and focus their mental health, allowing them to better meet the needs of students.

Strengthen and support teacher capacity with student engagement and choice in learning.

More work around marginalized communities (anti-racism, anti-oppression, embracing diversity (LGBTQ)

implement better practices to support LGBTQ students

Give permission, PL, and resources to schools to develop activities, mechanisms, events, structures, strategies, etc that allow staff and students to build positive and strong relationships early in the school year. This is why alternative schooling "works" so well. Some of the same strategies can work in traditional schools. If these relationships are in place early with students and families SOME students could continue in traditional schooling.

more conversations around digital citizenship in all classrooms

Making sure no one gets left behind

More hands on learning

Smaller class sizes

Communication with parents in regards to children's progression

Find ways to allow staff to have less supervision times. With cohorts in elementary for recess, we seem to never get much for breaks to reset and prepare for the next classes. Getting creative with supervision coverage that allows teachers some time in their classrooms alone would make a huge difference for us to be able to be the best teachers we can be for our students.

actively work to address systematic racism in our schools

Updating resources

More EA support in elementary schools - help build strong academic/social/emotional foundational skills for later grades

Technology - assumptions are made that students are good with technology but in reality they struggle with productivity with technology while excelling with gaming and social media. They do not always understand or are able to deal with what is posted on social media - more digital citizenship and considering the source of information and it's reliability

continue to support literacy and numeracy initiatives-- money for resources and PL to support implementation

Get more outdoor learning spaces. The next challenge coming at us (after COVID) is an immense mental health pandemic. We are currently ill-equipped to handle this, due to massive gov't cuts over the past years. Teachers will need training on this. The ratio of 1:125 mental health worker to student won't help us either. So, we need to get flexible with what SEL strategies we can realistically teach and model for kids. Getting outside is one of them. Flexible seating and tables that can be moved in and out of schools.

Wellness and mental health supports for students and staff

Look into various ways to provide more wellness supports to schools. We are on the edge of a mental health crisis and we are lacking ability to stretch our current supports any further.

Our administrators are burning the candle at both ends. They have been SUPER supportive, but we worry about them and who is taking care of them?

Advocate for curriculum that is propelling us forward towards what we know to be good teaching practices. Consider how to roll out with putting further strain on those who are already nearing burn out.

Don't expect teachers to "prepare" students for middle or high school. Expect these teachers to meet them where they're at - each teacher should focus on the needs of the students they have not ones they might expect based on previous years.

really communicate the extensive list of programming/opportunities available for students at all levels

Flip the support model. More elementary supports.

Evaluate our class sizes and need for EAs

have central office personnel and board members visit the schools more frequently - during the school day- to see and understand the unique needs of each school so they can be better supported in their endeavors to support students

Smaller class sizes. A high school class of 38 with 8-10 students who need individual support and ISPs is leading to burnout fast. Our students deserve better. Our staff deserve better. Our families deserve better. This is not an acceptable working condition. Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions. If a class period is 80 minutes and there are 38 students in the class, the teacher could ideally connect with each student for a max of 2 minutes. This makes meaningful learning a challenge.

Fight back! The division knows how important proper funding and curriculum is. Call out the government when they make knowingly false statements about waste, deficiencies or inefficiencies in the school system.

Time - to bridge gaps teachers need time with students

We need to aid our students in overcoming the gaps that school closures caused over the past 2 years, especially in early literacy. We need to evaluate our funding resources for hiring EAs and employing more assessment professionals. We need to bring volunteers parents back into the classrooms more regularly to help relieve the pressure.

Look critically at teacher workload when adding tasks. Ask if this will support student relationship building and student learning?

provide more opportunities for students to learn outside

The best thing you can do for students is give them a teacher who is passionate. Please.

We make the assumptions that students innately know HOW to use technology, when in fact, they struggle with using it intentionally. It is concerning that my high school students have never learned how to type. This concerns me because they need to be able to write/type/communicate effectively and in an efficient manner. This also connects to assuming students innately know HOW to use other platforms- they don't. We need to spend more time teaching them how to use technology productively. Streamlining to TEAMS and Office has helped with continuity.

Demand a better curriculum that supports 21st century learning

Small classes and targeted interventions.

Find ways to continue the universal support of all learners. If something will help one students chances are it will help many more. Also, not to restrict supports. For most students a support that is not needed will be a hinderance and therefor it is not something we need to gatekeep on with the idea "those kids are going to get off easy" by using a support.

Continue to focus on providing resources, pd, etc. for quality teaching practices that support student growth and engagement in learning.

recognize the learning that has come from the experience of the pandemic and build on it, rather than solely focusing on the gaps and lost learning that has happened. There has still been learning occurring, but the value of it won't be realized unless we recognize it, name it and hold value of it

Continuing to not support the new curriculum

provide more opportunities for meaningful and sustained professional learning for staff- to equip them with further knowledge and skills to meet the needs of our everchanging demographics

Flexibility needs to stay, compassion for those going through difficult things needs to stay, mental health needs to be a focus, now more than ever.

consider revamping report cards to reflect these times when we need to be flexible with our expectations

Encouraging teachers to keep up with Teams, making sure that we are utilizing the resource for students that are out sick, or out on quarantine.

Advocate for a curriculum that reflects our 21st century classrooms; diverse, of various cultures and perspectives; full of critical thinking; inclusive.

Remember that the whole student is important. It is not just about what they know but about their mental and physical health. The processes of trying to get students back to "where they are suppose to be" is going to be a marathon and if we try to treat it like a sprint we are doomed to fail.

Continued support of teacher well-being and mental health. Encouraging of taking sick days when sick... the pandemic has support this one.

focus on the long game\

increase supports in terms of people-- more people (EAs, counselling, SSWs) in the building means more students receiving support-- and it lightens the HEAVY load that the existing staff currently has

Building awareness and resources to support the emotional well being of our students and staff.

encourage and supervise classrooms... knowing when a teacher needs a break or a change of assignment

Unstructured free play is essential for a developing child's intellectual, physical, emotional and social development. Cutting recesses to 10 minutes in elementary is so **** ** the kids. They need TIME to play many times a day. This goes for Elementary and Jr High. Even high school need TIME to move, reset, interact with peers and get ready for learning.

increase time spent in school and less time away from instructional days due to PL and vacation times

Smaller class sizes to support more one-on-one learning

Ensure support staff are trained to work with identified students - especially those who are high risk for harming others and themselves.

-pull out programs to enhance students learning/academic down falls/where students are supported in small group instruction and to be able to feel success out of the class as opposed to a push in learning style where the students may feel looked upon by their peers while they are learning/working in a full classroom setting

Focus on what is important. We are living in a world where information is no longer a commodity. How to learn and think is the real value. So if students miss out on content its not a big deal focusing on the processes that will allow them to be successful is what is important.

Continuation of boost programming. More individualized support

Positive, successful, consistent, and safe learning experiences need to happen in the early childhood years. Support for this population is crucial.

We need to get more resources in place to help our students with mental health issues. So many are feeling disconnected from the weight of the pandemic.

create programs that are responsive to the needs that we see arising over and over again by high school - we have to try something different for the problems that are not changing

Cohort models need to be looked at closely to see if there is a way to provide more social interaction opportunities for our students.

Teacher well-being is extremely important to maintain strong support of the students and their learning. Small changes like allowing us the choice to work from home on virtual PD days and putting less on our plates in terms of additional requirements of staff above and beyond our jobs of supporting students in the classroom would really help teachers perform their best in the classroom.

Consider programming for higher needs students. Does inclusion fit all?

see a return to funding of the previous counselling model

Class sizes are extremely important given the growing expectations for families, students, and staff, as they navigate learning in this new context

Really ask yourselves WHY support staff like EA's and literacy team leaders are always the first to get cut when a budget is tight. Their support is essential and invaluable!

-EA support for academic learning in addition to behavioural concerns

Set priorities for our current context...less is more. Consider what staff already have on their plates. The new curriculum is another thing. What can be removed?

continue to take care of the staff and their wellbeing- as they are the ones taking care of the students and putting their learning first

Continue to be more understanding of the diverse qualities that students needs can have and that there is no 'one size fits all' solution to learning.

A good long term plan

-a FULL time teacher counselor at all levels of education (elementary, middle & high); in EACH building

Focus on keeping class sizes down and building meaningful supports for our students.

Ensure that mental health supports are a priority for not only students, but staff too.

Continue to support staff with the pieces they need to be able to provide the best they can to students and the community.

Putting wellness as a priority to ensure everyone is well and 'fit' to do their best

-class sizes need to maintained at a optimal number (at all levels of learning, elementary, middle & high school)

Continue to be flexible and responsive to our students needs.

A more consistent system of transition meetings and information passed from middle school to high school. Perhaps this means providing a greater understanding of high school programming for the high school system so that middle schools understand the options and best fit scenarios for kids.