Dalkeith School
Educational Project
2008-2011
(Adopted by Governing Board on May 20, 2008)

OUR MISSION

Dalkeith School is a school where all children belong

OUR VISION

At Dalkeith School we are committed to providing a learning environment where all students will reach their full potential in a regular classroom setting and where every member of the school community is truly valued.

OUR DIRECTIONS FOR SUCCESS

ORIENTATION: Literacy

• Goal: To have all our students, upon graduation from Cycle three-H, reach their full potential in both reading and writing skills; as well as to be able to communicate orally in French.


• CURRENT STATUS
  i) We are in the process of developing a data base of reading and writing abilities of all our students in Cycles One, Two and as well as those students in Cycle 3 – G.
  
  ii) Through the use of our Ecole Montrealaise funding, we have been able to hire two facilitators, one for Cycle One and one for Cycles Two and Three, to evaluate the students' reading abilities. This will give us an indication of each child's reading level. These facilitators are also working with struggling readers to help increase their reading level.
  
  iii) We are currently investigating and purchasing reading programs to achieve consistency at all levels. We foresee this project taking three years to implement. Our focus for the coming school year will be in Cycle One, Cycle Two the following year and Cycle Three in the third year.
  
  iv) One of the programs which was recommended by our Language Arts consultant is the Nelson Benchmark PM. This is a comprehensive reading resource kit which includes thirty accurately levelled texts, each containing a prepared Reading and Assessment Record. This assessment resource offers accurate identification of the students' achievement and progress. As well, these kits can be used for the following:
  
  - providing students with constructive feedback
  - planning programs
  - reporting to parents/caregivers
  - developing school policies for literacy learning
  - presenting data for school accountability
  
  v) We are also currently in the process of purchasing library resources to compliment classroom activities.
  
  vi) As literacy is our main goal, we are exposing the students, as much as possible, to theatre and storytelling by outside groups.
  
  vii) We are encouraging the students to practice literacy, by having them take part in such activities as Student Storytelling, publishing their own stories, and presentations within the school, be it in the classroom or within the Cycle or even between Cycles.
  
  viii) As part of our goal is to have our students communicating fluently in French, the French and English classes, as much as possible, run parallel programs. The Robotics Program also goes a long way to encourage French conversation and expression, especially the competitions the students take part in. As well, the Jeune Entrepreneur Program in Cycle Three is an excellent vehicle to promote French conversation. Also, we schedule some of our field trips in French as another method of promoting French conversation and comprehension.
  
  OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE

We hope to keep and maintain our existing programs and activities and to add to them by including a facilitator to provide assistance to those students needing extra help in French, and to increase the students' exposure to French conversation by providing storytelling and theatre performances in French, as well as English.