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Backgrounder • Traditional School Review • April 2014 1

Schools

Traditional Traditional School Review • Surrey Schools

Traditional Excellence in a Modern Context

BACKGROUNDER

2013 2014 2015

TRI-SCHOOL WORK PLAN • Communication & Collaboration • Curriculum & Instruction • Operations & Coordination

SPRING 2013 Advisory Board, Parent & Staff Discussions on BC Education Plan & 21 Century Curriculum

APR 30/13 Parent Forum

APR 2013 Tri-School PD Day on Instructional Technology

AUG 2013 Tri-School PD Day

SEP 2013 Surrey Traditional School Class Re-organization

JAN 2014 Traditional School Report and Recommendations

MAR 2014 Recommendations Adopted by Board

APR/MAY/JUN 2013 Planning, Information & Consultation Meetings

MAY 26/14 Traditional School Celebration & Forum

Context District Directions BC Education Plan Social & Technological Change

“It is an exciting and dynamic time in education in the Province of British Columbia. Education stakeholders are currently involved in one of the most comprehensive curriculum transformations in years, with the BC Education Plan serving as a roadmap for the future. With the new curriculum framework (K-9) now available to explore by educators and parents, the process of transforming our education system is well underway. In the midst of such a substantive, system-wide change, the current context of ‘Traditional Schools in Surrey’ is being explored and the process of establishing a shared vision of 21st Century traditional schools has recently commenced.” (Traditional Schools in Surrey1, 2014).

1 Excerpted from Traditional Schools in Surrey: Current Context and Recommendations for Future Directions (Surrey Schools, Education Services, January 2014). The 13 recommendations outlined in the report, endorsed by the Traditional Schools Advisory Committee and the Board of Trustees, are an invitation to develop a shared vision and coordinate action in the service of exemplary Traditional Schools in Surrey.

“With the transformation

of the education system

in British Columbia

already in progress, it is a

crucial time to be actively

building a shared vision

of a ‘modern traditional

school’ in Surrey”.


Schools



While each of Surrey’s Traditional Schools has a unique culture and identity, all share the following principles: Consistent structured approach that

maximizes class time. A strong focus on academic achievement. Teacher-directed instruction. Regular skills assessment. An emphasis on solid literacy skills. A regular homework policy. A clearly defined Code of Conduct. A dress code. A safe environment. Parents as partners.

The Traditional School Review is intended to help teachers and parents develop plans for the changes ahead. Traditional Schools in Surrey have served parents and the community for 20 years and embrace the current challenges and opportunities to sustain Traditional Excellence in a Modern Context.

A Proud Tradition Cloverdale Traditional School McLeod Road Traditional School Surrey Traditional School


Schools



Current Initiatives

I. Communication and Collaboration a. Involve stakeholders in shaping a vision of excellence and common understanding of a modern

traditional school. Engage an external facilitator to help co-design and host parent and staff forums.

b. Invite DPAC and key parent representatives from each school to create opportunities for all parent voices to be heard.

c. Develop a “one-stop-shop” website outlining key information about traditional schools. While each school has a unique culture and identity, the website highlights common elements and shared beliefs, expectations and guidelines.

II. Curriculum and Instruction

a. Target support for Surrey Traditional Schools as part of the School District’s overall framework for the implementation of new curriculum.

b. Provide opportunities for teachers and parents to be informed about evidence-based instructional practices and district priorities:

• differentiated instruction and assessment for learning (AFL). • principles and research-base supporting Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). • strategies that support self-regulation in students. • role of instructional technology.

c. Involve Education Services Helping Teachers and the District Self- Regulation Team in planning and delivery, which may include parent information sessions, staff in-service workshops, site visits, website and other modes.

d. Apply for Innovative Learning Designs grants at each school to further explore the use of instructional technology.

e. Inventory evidenced-based interventions at all three sites. Learner Support Helping Teachers and Special Education Helping Teachers can provide guidance and support to both classroom teachers and LST teachers.

III. Operations and Coordination

a. Establish working group(s) to review and improve: • the phone-in registration process, exploring all options. • waitlist management practices (and establish consistent waitlist management guidelines

for all programs of choice). • consistent guidelines with respect to student dress code.


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An Invitation • May 26,2014 The Schools We Want Traditional School Forum 6:30-8:30 pm • Monday, May 26, 2014 District Education Centre 14033 92nd Avenue Join parents, teachers, staff and special guests on May 26, 2014 to commemorate 20 years of service and to help chart a course for the future of Traditional Schools in Surrey. Twenty years ago, on May 26, 1994, the Surrey Board voted to endorse a parent request to found a Surrey Traditional School. A small group of parents had a “…agreed on a common definition of an excellent school — high academic expectations, strong sense of discipline and commitment, significant parent involvement, a safe environment, a dress code, and an emphasis on the basics: literacy, numeracy, and self-expression” (Pippus, 1994). By June of that year, the first Parent Advisory Council was elected and Surrey Traditional School started in September 1994 with just over 200 students. Today, three schools, Cloverdale, McLeod Road and Surrey Traditional, offer K-7 education to over 900 students, and like sister schools in the District and beyond, continue to adapt to changes in the educational environment.

In times of change, it’s important to reaffirm the values and beliefs that hold us together as a community. Traditional Schools are not alone in the need to scan and review the changes in education and society. They do, however, hold a unique position in our district. Along with other schools of choice, they underscore the value of parents, teachers and staff working together to assure our children master the basic skills and knowledge for success in a changing world.

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