John de Graff School
Report to the Community June 2018
Our school has had a wonderful year!
Highlights have been:
Assemblies that have been created and presented by each grade level, finishing off with our Kindergarten Celebration Assemblies!
Music Monday Concert on May 7 featuring our talented students, playing the violin, piano and guitar, dancing, drumming and singing. It was a fabulous way to celebrate Music!
Pizza Lunches every month, organized by our Parent Advisory Council and many volunteers, with the money and orders counted by our Grade 5 students!
Grade 5 Year End Events - a Swimming and Sun Day at Lilac Resort, a Baseball Day at a Goldeyes Game and a Games Day and lunch (provided by PAC)!
Summer Field Day and Winter Snow Day with games and sports events led by our Grade 5 students!
Writing about “The Meaning of Home” and raising $1240.00 for Habitat for Humanity!
Petland Days, supported by PAC, that let us see and sometimes hold cute and unusual animals and other creatures!
Dancing on the Field featuring our favourite “Go Jets Go” dance!
Turtle Island Teachings and Storytelling thanks to our visiting Aboriginal Elders.
Grandparents Day……. So much fun!
Day of Pink Walk to focus on being kind and considerate of every person!
Learning Buddy projects and field trips, learning with our friends in other grades!
Library Technology Fun and Learning – coding, research, photography with the greenscreen!
Play using our creative ideas, nature and teacher and peer questions and connections! Working to Help Others in our Community – collecting clothing for Siloam Mission, toys for Toy Mountain and eyeglasses to donate to people in Senegal, Africa!
Being Outside and Appreciating Nature and all its Connections as we need to protect our Earth and keep it strong!
Our Visit from Barbara Reid, a fabulous author and illustrator using plasticine!
Our Visit from John Dunn, an adventurer and photographer of the Arctic, a unique part of Canada!
Our Artistic Work with Alice Kulyk to create art in the likeness of Norval Morriseau’s art and pottery pieces that were fired and glazed!
Our Volunteer Tea to thank our wonderful volunteers!
Field Trips to the Assiniboine Park Zoo, Mariash Quarries, Bunn’s Creek Park, Fort Whyte Nature Centre, Manitoba Museum, Deer Meadows Farm, The Winnipeg Public Library and Fraser’s Grove Park, Rossmere Bowling Lanes, Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba Children’s Museum, Wheelies, Shelmerdine Nursery, Assiniboine Park, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, The Forks, Bird’s Hill Park, Kildonan Park, Superstore. We value connecting learning as we visit other places and it’s lots of fun!
John de Graff Students Chosen to Drum and Dance at the Divisional Aboriginal Feast!
John de Graff Students Chosen to sing with the Divisional Choir at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Concert!
Our annual Christmas Concerts!
Kindergarten Gardeners tending to the flowers in our new planters in front of the school, thanks to PAC!
Our Grade 5 School Pet “Crumbs” in Room 15!
Grade 5 Farewell program and time to celebrate with our families!
Our Annual Terry Fox Walk and raising money for Cancer Care!
Stay and Play and Literacy Links Events for our preschool families, along with our Welcome to Kindergarten events!
The Installation of our Water Bottle Fill Stations! Thanks PAC for helping with the purchase!
Wonderful Student Writing, Art, Photos and Artifacts filling our display cases! School Plan: 2017-18
Our School Plan had 3 priorities this year. These priorities continued our work from the past several years. They were:
1. Writing and Reading Development
2. Math Numeracy Development
3. Creativity
Our motto of “Go the Way, Know the Way, Show the Way” also continued. This was enhanced through our bullying awareness work with students and our focus on being kind to others and supporting others. Our tradition of having all Grade 5 students have leadership roles in the school continued. Leadership responsibilities included leading school activities, being visible mentors to younger students, being patrols, preparing and running technology presentations, demonstrating their excellence in learning, writing and problem solving, being leaders for our special events and being Reading Buddies with younger students.
Excellence in Learning continues to be the goal at John de Graff.
Writing:
John de Graff continued working on our Writing Project under the guidance of Regie Routman and Nancy McLean. The work being done at John de Graff continued to be exemplary for developing children’s literacy understanding and ability. Many teachers and schools in River East Transcona School Division and other School Divisions visit and revisit our school to view and discuss the teaching and development of writing. We have taken a very close look at students’ reading as well and reading ability is being enhanced through this work. We have continued add book selections to our excellent classroom and school libraries. Our Writing Project has increased enjoyment, engagement and celebration of writing and we are very proud of our students.
Math Numeracy Development
In Mathematics we continued our work to have students understand numeracy and develop flexible thinking and problem-solving skills. From Kindergarten to Grade 5 our students are learning to understand and use math in increasingly sophisticated ways. Problems that are relevant to the learning in the class and are authentic and interesting are most engaging for students.
Demonstration of the understanding of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division occurred in concrete ways with objects, pictures and symbols. Students used personal strategies, estimating strategies and standard algorithms (or standard ways of solving an addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division equation) to solve problems. By the end of Grade 5, mental math strategies and numeracy understanding remain the most important concepts but we also expect that automaticity with basic math facts will be developing. Grade 4 and 5 students used iPads to enhance Math understanding, problem solving and sophisticated thinking.
Kindergarten and Grade 1 students continued to have math support from the Division’s Early Numeracy Intervention Project (ENIP) and two Numeracy Facilitators that worked with the teachers to have students be confident and knowledgeable in math thinking.
Creativity
Creativity is part of the classroom learning and activities at John de Graff. Creativity clearly showed up in Music and Art, but were also part of problem solving, writing, discussions about how to get along with each other, contributions to our community and the safe keeping of the earth and our environment. We want students to collaborate, put ideas together in different and unique ways and design ideas and projects that are creative. Creative thinking ideas we focused on were elaboration, originality, fluency and flexibility. Students have also been engaged in many creative ways in games and playing throughout the year.
Sustainable Development:
Connecting with nature and having positive attitudes and actions related to human and environmental care of our earth are the areas that have continued to be part of our learning this year. Taking a close look at how we can respect and admire the natural world around us has been enjoyable as well as educational. In addition to learning in authentic ways about living things, natural geographic features and facts about our world and beyond, being outdoors playing and being in contact with the natural world is important. This has been an ongoing goal for our students.
Knowledge and appreciation of Aboriginal culture, history and achievement
The Manitoba Curriculum and incorporating ideas in to daily learning is a focus in all classrooms. Our Divisional Aboriginal Connectors also led Sharing Circles and cultural learning.
Creating a Safe School Community:
Students are expected to follow school wide positive behaviours and the Divisional Code of Conduct. We continued our lunch expectations and worked on mini lessons with students to have safe, yet fun lunch periods. We refer to the lunch program as the “John de Graff Fancy Restaurant”.
Community and Pre-School Connections:
Our Community Connector, Mrs. Alodia Gabac organized Weekly Stay and Play mornings for preschoolers in our school area.
Our Parents and our Parent Advisory Council:
The staff of John de Graff School is very appreciative of our wonderful community and of the support and ideas that we received throughout the year. Thank you to our PAC Executive and organizers. The time, ideas and fundraising for many school resources and events and monthly pizza lunches for students have been much appreciated. The fundraising that was done throughout the year is being used for many things that enhance the school environment, student learning and fun! Thank you to all out families for your participation in the work and donations that go in to these purchases for our school!
Our School Plan Priorities in 2018-19 will continue to be:
1. Literacy Development 2. Creativity 3. Math Development 4. Knowledge and appreciation of Aboriginal culture, history and achievement
We also will continue to work on a positive school climate and behaviour, kindness, perseverance with work and thinking. The John de Graff staff will continue with our commitment to an excellent, inclusive learning environment with goals of nurturing motivation and perseverance, creativity, collaboration, high achievement, healthy lifestyles and fun!
Thank you to our wonderful students and our families! We really appreciate feedback from families about our school, learning, behaviour expectations and your children.
Have a relaxing summer!
The Staff of John de Graff School