annual report to the community june 2015 ridgewater junior ... · scaffolding in junior high...
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Annual Report to the Community
September 2014- June 2015
Bridgewater Junior Senior High School
A note from the Principal
The mission statement of Bridgewater Junior Senior High
School reads as follows: Bridgewater Junior Senior High
School is committed to developing confident, life-long
learners in an atmosphere of mutual support and respect.
Intellectual, physical and social growth will be encouraged
within a positive and challenging environment.
This year we celebrated the 100th Year of Public Education
on York Street. We were proud to host a memorial to
Corporal Paul Davis in our courtyard. Our students have
taken time this year to reflect on how things have changed
in the past 100 years and also to envision what the future
might look like. We have worked hard this year to align our
work with what we know about student learning and our
changing world. This is reflected in our Continuous School
Improvement Plan.
This year we were pleased to offer the
Tell Them From Me Survey to Parents
and Students. The information
collected from these surveys is used
to help us plan for the future.
Families told us that they want open
lines of communication and increased
connections between the school and
the community. We plan to use this
feedback to identify and implement
ways to improve in these aspects of
how we do reach out to families here
at BJSHS.
Data and Results Professional Learning In Collaborative Learning Teams, our staff had the opportunity to meet
and review student progress, to learn about improving student literacy,
numeracy and engagement and how to use technology to enhance
educational opportunities among other topics.
Please remember, instructional minutes were added to each school day during the year so that staff could participate in collaborative learning teams
with no loss to overall student instructional time.
Specific areas of professional learning included: Bringing Science Alive at
BJSHS, Tackling Technology, Universal Design for Learning,
Socialization of Students with Intensive Needs in Our Community,
Scaffolding in Junior High English Language Arts, Mindfulness,
Curriculum Mapping, Student Engagement & 21st Century Learners in
Mathematics, Technology for Students on the Autism Spectrum and
specialized groups in Physical Education, Music, School Counselling and
French.
Centennial Graduating
Class of 2015
Continuous School Improvement
Continuous School Improvement is a process designed to help the school focus on positive changes: CSI ensures that
we include all students in school change, identify what we need to do differently for positive change, and ensure we
stay on track with our goals.
School Goals
During the 2014-2015 school year, Bridgewater Junior Senior High School worked on two goals as part of
our continuous school improvement plan:
Goal # 1: We will enhance instructional practice at BJSHS to best support and engage all students.
In focusing on this goal, Bridgewater Junior Senior High School worked toward developing a shared
understanding of curriculum outcomes and resources, improved communication in the areas of
assessment, teaching strategies, and timing of assignments. We also streamlined our Program Planning
Process.
Staff utilized Collaborative Learning Team (CLT) times to tackle this first goal, and learned a great deal
from each other about best practices in instruction and assessment. We continue to strive to meet the
needs of all students through our Program Planning Team and added extra Grade Level Meetings to
further open lines of communication about the success and challenges our students face.
Goal # 2: We will respect and celebrate diversity at BJSHS by promoting equality for all students in
every aspect of student life.
As we worked toward this second goal, we included & celebrated different cultural practices within our
school community, engaged in Professional Development in the area of mindfulness. Furthermore, the
school administration maintained a restorative approach to discipline and attendance. BJSHS was
honoured to be named a Nova Scotia International Student Program (NSISP) “Welcoming School” this
year and we look forward to embracing more international students in the coming years.
Bridgewater Junior Senior High School www.bridgewater.ednet.ns.ca
100 York Street Bridgewater, NS B4V 1R3 (902) 541-8260