Our Focus for the 2024–2025 School Year

Inquiry Question:
How will a focus on math routines, growth mindset, and rich numeracy tasks improve student confidence and competence in mathematics?

Our Actions

• Dedicated time during each staff meeting to think, learn, share, and reflect on our school story.

• Collected staff and student voice through surveys to guide focus and determine next steps.

• Participated in a Numeracy Inquiry Grant.

• Engaged in professional learning opportunities centered on numeracy.

• Participated in a Collaboration Enhancement Project with a numeracy lens.

• Worked alongside District Teacher Consultant, Janice Novakowski, to support staff learning.

Staff Reflections on Their Professional Growth

At the beginning and end of the school year, staff completed surveys to assess their comfort and confidence in teaching math. Results showed growth in both areas:

• Comfort in Teaching Math
  Increased from 67% (September) to 70% (June).

• Confidence in Assessing Math Understanding
  Increased significantly from 50% (September) to 80% (June).

These shifts reflect a positive trend in staff capacity and confidence. 

Staff Observations of Student Confidence and Competency in Math

Two formative tools were used throughout the year to assess shifts in student attitudes and skills:

• Open Number Line Activity
  In September and June, staff placed post-it notes on a number line to reflect student confidence in applying math knowledge. Yellow notes (September) and green notes (June) provided a visual representation of growth. All staff reported increased student confidence.

• Strength/Stretch T-Charts
  Staff identified individual student strengths and areas for growth using colour-coded post-its in September and June. Observations showed increased evidence of applied strategies and conceptual understanding.

Selected Staff Comments:

• “Students are starting to use multiple strategies to solve problems.”

• “They're applying math knowledge to real-world situations.”

Our Next Steps

• Continue deepening our understanding and use of rich numeracy tasks.

• Strengthen and embed common math vocabulary across all grade levels to support a shared language.

• Create more opportunities for meaningful staff collaboration.

• Facilitate dialogue around developing and sharing school-wide math resources.