School Goal – Writing Focus

École Élémentaire Chalmers Elementary School is a dynamic and diverse school community of approximately 430 students in Kindergarten through Grade 7. Our school is home to both a French Immersion program and a Community HUB program. Many of our students speak languages other than English, with approximately 30% of our students learning English as an additional language.

Over the past several years, our school has focused on strengthening mathematics instruction through the Math Minds program. Last year, we also prioritized building a strong sense of belonging and connection within our school community. While we saw many positive outcomes from this work, our student learning data highlighted an area for growth in writing achievement.

Our Inquiry Question

How can we:

• Increase student engagement and enjoyment in writing?
• Improve student achievement in writing?
• Increase the number of students who are meeting or exceeding BC Writing Performance Standards?

Our Focus This Year

To support student growth in writing, we have identified writing as our school-wide learning goal. Throughout the year, staff have engaged in professional learning, collaboration, and inquiry focused on effective writing instruction.

In February, our staff participated in a school-based Professional Development Day dedicated to writing instruction. Teachers explored practical strategies to support students in developing writing skills across all grade levels and subject areas. We also partnered with literacy consultant Ms. Sandham, whose expertise in writing instruction has helped staff deepen their understanding of effective teaching practices and identify ways to better support student writers.

Next year, we will continue our work with Ms. Sandham as part of our school-wide writing initiative. Through this ongoing professional learning, staff will focus on evidence-based instructional practices that help students develop confidence, skills, and independence as writers.

What We Hope to Achieve

Through our school-wide focus on writing, we aim to help students:

• Develop a stronger understanding of the writing process
• Build confidence and enjoyment as writers
• Communicate their ideas clearly and effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Strengthen their writing skills across all subject areas
• Improve overall writing achievement across all grade levels

We look forward to working in partnership with families as we support every student in becoming a capable, confident, and engaged writer.