22-23 Being Community

Being Community

Being Community starts with an inclusive Catholic educational community. We seek to be positive community members and develop relationships among all stakeholders. Our many partnerships (both locally and globally) provide our students with the opportunity to develop diverse worldviews and perspectives in order to address political, ecological, social, and economic issues that are crucial to living in a contemporary, connected, interdependent, and sustainable world. Through the Catholic lens, students develop an appreciation for the diversity of people, perspectives, and the ability to envision and work toward a better and more sustainable future for all.

Being Community

We will listen to accompany and ensure all voices are heard.

  • How do we listen to context?
  • How do we listen to creation?
  • How do we listen to communal voices?
  • How do we listen to build trust?
  • How do we see the unseen?

Ensuring Equity

Equity Goal: We will listen to all voices, in particular to diverse voices, building appreciation for perspectives of those who are marginalized.

  • Demonstrate intentional efforts to solicit voices of students, families and colleagues, especially those representing perspectives that often reside on the margins
  • Co-create the caring conditions and relationships required for our most vulnerable and marginalized PVNCCDSB community members to feel safe to share their voices
  • Use intentional, thoughtful and affirming language that values and protects relationship
  • Celebrate differences

Learning Actions to Create a Culture of Belonging

  • Self and School community reflection - informed by Medicine Wheel Pedagogy Locate (self and community) in the journey toward Truth and Reconciliation.
  • Develop an Indigenous Education Plan (responsive to location)
  • What learning for which group? Student learning ideas by division/grade
  • Continue to build and nurture relationships with First Nation, Metis and Inuit communities

  • Foster partnerships that provide multiple perspectives when teaching and learning math (e.g. Indigenous ways of knowing)
  • Encourage collaborative professional learning within and between divisions
  • Foster the sharing of best practices and instructional approaches used by teachers

  • Promote the use of literature that represents the many diverse voices within our community

  • Continue to foster ongoing communication between PVNCCDSB and its child care partners.
  • Work with Consolidated Municipal Services Managers in our 4 regions to support the implementation of a responsive child care program that meets the qualifications under the Canada-wide child care plan.
  • Develop an Early Years Leadership Plan that meets our duty to cooperate as directed by the Ministry of Education.
  • Present updates at regional, municipal tables.
  • Present face to face PD in a community of practice model.
  • Twice yearly facilitate a Early Years Advisory Committee consisting of OECTA, RECE, SLP, Consultants, Community partners.

  • Foster partnerships with local skilled trades to support understanding of the connections between curriculum and real life applications
  • Promote FemSTEAM - Mentor opportunities with classes
  • Provide opportunities for students to engage in skilled trades and technology through Student Success initiatives
  • Foster the sharing of best practices and instructional approaches used by teachers
  • Foster partnerships with Pathways to Stewardship and Kinship Project

  • Intake meetings, welcome and reception in schools for new families
  • Work with secondary school staff to provide meaningful extra curricular offerings (e.g. afterschool, during lunch)
  • Bring all students across the board together in partnership with NCC
  • Provide students opportunities to engage within the community
  • Connect student council members and multilingual student during lunch
  • Engage students in pathway choices and in selecting credits that reflect potential
  • ELL team will engage in PD sessions that will continue to build awareness on working with MLL (e.g. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy)

  • Engage schools in 2022-2025 PVNCCDSB Pastoral Plan
  • Accompany teachers in implementation of Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ
  • Continue to engage in synodal discussions to ensure all student voices are heard.
  • To invite families, school members, parishioners and representatives from the broader community to share their vocation stories, as identified in the third goal of our Board Pastoral Plan.

  • Administer the School Climate and Student Identity surveys and analyze the results including comparisons to previous years of the surveys

  • Root inquiries in student voice and choice
  • Establish connections with community experts and organizations in inquiry areas

  • Further develop partnerships for Experiential Learning opportunities (Cooperative Education, OYAP, SHSM, Dual Credits and Community Connected Experiential Learning Proposals)

  • Provide relevant resources, tools and strategies for school staff to proactively identify and reduce barriers to inclusivity and learning
  • Focus on building an organizational culture of belonging through professional development opportunities and alignment of resources

  • Focus on building an organizational culture of belonging by continuing to champion the intersections of mental health and equity for students, staff, and families.
  • Support educators in implementing and expanding teaching approaches that bolster mental health and mentally healthy classrooms (e.g. SEL, growth mindset)

Strategic Priorities

Inspiring Faith to strengthen the foundation of Christ in our Catholic schools and spark a call to service in the greater community.

  • We will enhance connections between the home, school, parish and community in order to provide outreach and see the face of God in each person we serve.
  • We will find unity in the body of Christ and see God in the natural environment through Liturgy and the Mass.
  • We will use various resources including Auditing our Catholic Schools and A Pastor’s Journal to identify ways that we can continue to be the Christ light for others and build community through symbols, words and actions.

Valuing Relationships to empower our students and staff as we work together to realize the great promise of Catholic Education.

  • We will create an environment in all workplaces that has at its core “the art of accompaniment,” keeping Jesus at the centre of our community as we model ministry, acceptance and love.
  • We will foster a sense of respect for the unique expertise and strengths of each individual, acknowledging and celebrating the efforts of our students and staff and working to ensure they feel valued, empowered and supported.
  • We will demonstrate servant leadership by creating inclusive learning and work environments grounded in gratitude and empathy for the work that we do and the people we serve.

Nurturing Mental Health & Well-being to create healthy environments in which we work, learn and teach, understanding that we have to be well in order to learn, to teach, to lead, to support and to fulfill the demands of each of our roles.

  • We will engage in professional development for creating healthy interpersonal relationships/ partnerships, workspaces and classrooms. 
  • We will enhance collaborative efforts across our organization directed at working as a cohesive team to bring about ideal work and learning environments. 
  • We will strive to be open, humble, and receptive to opportunities for learning and personal growth that build our individual knowledge.

 

Providing Excellence in Teaching and Learning to maximize student engagement through effective assessment practices, deep inquiry learning, student voice and choice.

  • We will teach students to think critically, ask questions and communicate their thinking.
  • We will continue to support deep inquiry learning and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to ensure all students can achieve success.
  • We will focus on student strengths and identify areas for growth using assessment for, as and of learning.

Ensuring Equity to create a culture of belonging that promotes spiritual, emotional, mental and physical safety through advocacy and aspiring allyship.

  • We will provide staff with the necessary space and time to engage in reflective dialogue, identify personal learning goals and engage in learning through an equity lens.
  • We will review curriculum resources through a culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy lens to critically evaluate the resources we use to ensure materials represent diverse perspectives.
  • We will use the Student Census Survey Data and Equity Continuum Resource (OISE) to inform our Catholic Board and School Improvement goals on an annual basis.

Expanding Technology to enable staff and students to apply, analyze, evaluate and create their thinking and learning in creative and innovative ways while encouraging staff and students to develop new ways of using technology.

  • We will provide all students with appropriate technology and implement a balanced inquiry-based model of online and in-person learning so that students can clearly make their thinking visible and use technology where most impactful.
  • We will facilitate ongoing learning and increase the confidence of educators and students with up-to date, real-world applications and technologies that meet industry standards and will support our students well into the future.
  • We will ensure students and staff are provided with a growing repository of applications, programs and learning opportunities that meet safety and privacy requirements as they competently employ technology to demonstrate their thinking and learning.