Pro-d Linked to SIP

April 11, 2011 - WSS Professional Development Day - Jim Beeds and Suanne Wallin collaborated to involve staff in looking ahead to plan for professional development in the coming year. Part of the aim of the day was to link our SIP with pro-d, so that we have common initiatives and focus areas as a staff. All staff worked in departments to brainstorm themes, ideas and even presenters that might be effective in supporting our school-wide goals. Each department worked on the shared document simultaneously, and were able to watch it grow, as others contributed to the online document. Thanks to our WSS staff for coming up with some great ideas for pro-d next year!

SIP School-wide Achievement Goals

March 7, 2011 - Staff meeting - WSS Principal Sean Lamoureux presented a goal setting template for staff to complete in collaboration with their department members. The focus for this session was to develop broader goals based on student achievement in each of the subject areas. WSS staff did a great job of collaborating to identify areas of focus. In an effort in incorporate technology in an effective way, the staff used a shared template that was set up in google docs. The purpose, in part, was to create a continuous shared document that could be shaped and revised overtime by each staff member. The discussion and work was positive and productive as staff worked together to identify the key areas of focus for improving student achievement overall.

Attendance Attitude Acceptance - Grade 8 check-in

 Attendance, attitude and acceptance were the central themes of the grade eight check-in, which was held on the afternoon of Friday, February 11th at WSS. Students  were reminded about the importance of school attendance and how it relates to being successful in school. Mr. Cumming offered a challenge to all grade eights to keep striving to to do their best at WSS, to get involved at school, and to attend as regularly and punctually as possible. It was announced that students with the best attendance in the coming month would awarded movies passes. Ms. Wallin and Mr. Cumming also talked about the idea of having an positive attitude at school and in life and how that can lead to greater success in school. Acceptance, the final and most important theme, was discussed. The aim was to work on building a supportive and caring community within the grade eight student population,  as perhaps they will continue on to attend WSS and ultimately will graduate together as the class of 2015.  The students then took part in a survey that was created to learn more about the strengths, the needs and the concerns of our grade eight students so that we can continue to effectively support them during their time at WSS.

Westsyde SIP Goals 2011-2014

Welcome to our Westsyde Secondary School Improvement Blog! We would like the school improvement planning process to be as inclusive and as collaborative as possible. Our aim is to engage our staff, our students and our community  as we work together at enhancing the learning opportunities for our students in preparing them for a rapidly changing 21st century. At our next staff meeting, we will have the opportunity to participate in an online sharing session about the qualities and attributes we most value as a school. From here, we will select the main themes that   our SIP goals will be based on. We will also begin the process of surveying students, staff and parents about strength and growth areas for our school to focus on. Keep posted as we update you on the developments that occur along the way. We value your thoughts and insights as we embark on the important task of improving our school!