Wolfville School Advisory Council

Annual Report 2010-2011 School Year

Mission/Belief Statement: (taken from SAC By-Laws)

The Wolfville School Advisory Council shall provide support to the school and to parents so as to ensure that students are given every opportunity to become responsible citizens through the promotion of inquiry, critical thinking and participation. To that end the WSAC shall: (1) promote a sense of community and involvement between home and school; (2) provide a forum for discussion of issues that impact our school; (3) present a united voice to government on matters of education; (4) protect the education rights of all children regardless of ability, background or circumstance.

SCHOOL PROFILE
Student Enrollment: (as of September 30, 2010) 411 students (189 junior high / 222 elementary) Staffing: 41 total staff and teachers 9 elementary teachers 7 junior high teachers 5 resource teachers 3 specialists 12 educational assistants 1 librarian 2 administrative assistants 2 administrators Contact Information: Wolfville School Office: 542-6050 o Eric Trahan, Principal

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Membership Parents: o Lisa Speigel/Heather MacKay o Michele Bateman o Mikaela Vidmar Perrins o Janet Roberts Staff: o Shelley Moore, Elementary Teacher o Vacancy - Junior High Teacher o Janice Bosweld-Shaw, Non-teaching Staff o Eric Trahan, Principal (non-voting) Students: o Maddie Stewart/ Mitchell MacNeil, Elementary o Hannah Dunn/Leah Alkenbrack, Junior High Community: o Cst. Craig Warren, RCMP, Town of Wolfville Meeting Dates: September 28, 2010, October 28, 2010, November 23, 2010, December 13, 2010, January 20, 2011, February 24, 2011, March 22, 2011, April 19, 2011, May 17, 2011, June 13, 2011.

o Ruth MacLeod, Vice-Principal o Administrative Assistants

Myrna Swinamer Prudy Fox Brenda Davison o Janet Roberts, SAC Chair

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE

Fellow Educational Stakeholder, I am pleased to provide my reflection on what has truly been a very busy, productive and successful year. I also appreciate the opportunity to thank the many individuals and businesses who have supported our students and programs this year. The level of support from the community of Wolfville is truly remarkable and I feel very fortunate to have been part of it. This annual report, prepared by our SAC, serves as a testament to the quantity and quality of the academic, athletic, and artistic opportunities that were available to our students in 2010-2011. The 2010-2011 school year saw many significant changes to our school. We transitioned from a P-9 school to a P-8 school for example. Along with that, we changed from a Junior Model to a Middle School Philosophy. As a result, we made changes to our timetable, introduced Teaming, Exploratories, Block Scheduling and an Advisory Program. We graduated grade 8 and 9 students to Horton for the very first time. We also welcomed grade 6 and 7 students from LE Shaw and Gaspereau. School staff, with the support of our SAC, also worked collaboratively on our three identified school improvement goals: a) Meeting the Learning Needs of all Learners b) Writing P-9 and c) Anti-bullying. Most, if not all, action steps were accomplished thanks to the commitment of students and staff that are in full support of our accreditation goals. Our next step will be to identify new strategies and time-lines once the data is gleaned from the student, parent and staff surveys that were recently distributed. Finally I wish to thank our SAC members for working together in the best interest of students and keeping the best interest of students at the forefront of all of their decisions. Our school community is very fortunate to have such a strong and vocal SAC executive. Eric Trahan, Principal Wolfville School

CHAIRPERSONS MESSAGE
To the Wolfville School Community, School Advisory Council members have had a busy year: 2010-11 was Year 1 for implementation of our School Success and Improvement Plan, it was the planning year for our transition to become an elementary/middle school in the fall and we dealt with a wide variety of other issues on behalf of our school community. Progress reports on the implementation of strategies outlined in our school success and improvement plan were a regular order of business. SAC members provided input and feedback to be considered as part of the process. The transition process for Wolfville School to become a combined P-5 elementary and a 6 8 middle school in September included both information gathering and information sharing. SAC members arranged and facilitated consultation with the groups we represent to ensure all concerns and ideas were put forward for consideration. In addition to these two over-riding issues, the SAC maintained a full agenda. Our activities have included: y hosting the Hon. Ramona Jennex, Minister of Education, at a special SAC meeting in February. At that meeting Minister Jennex re-confirmed the governments commitment to funding for capital improvements for Wolfville School. Our thanks to the Minister for her support and her interest in our students. y arranging for officials from the AVRSB to provide briefings. Information sessions on the School Transition Process and Student Assessment and Expectations helped inform SAC members so we are better able to participate in discussions and decisions affecting our students. advocating on behalf of our students. Due to limited RCMP resources, the DARE program was only available to a few AVRSB area schools this past year. The SAC approached the RCMP with a special request that DARE be delivered to our students. We were delighted to receive a positive response and thank the RCMP for their support. Also, in response to student concerns about water quality in the school, the SAC worked with the Town of Wolfville to have the necessary water quality testing done. Procedures are now in place through the AVRSB to ensure that the quality of drinking water in the school is maintained. Thanks to the Town of Wolfville for its assistance in resolving this important issue. communicating with our school community on issues of importance to our students education. Education funding levels and the delivery of quality education continue to be of concern. offering support for school initiatives such as the transition process, the school success planning process and partnering with members of the local community to raise money for benevolent funds to assist our students. reviewing the SAC agreement and bylaws. To bring these documents in line with Wolfville Schools new structure as an elementary and middle school beginning in the fall, these documents have been amended, and submitted for approval by the AVRSB and the Minister of Education.

y y

SAC members have been dedicated representatives for their respective groups and for this I extend my thanks to each of them. I also extend my thanks to Mr. Trahan and Mrs. MacLeod for their assistance and for graciously accepting our comments and suggestions. We thank the school board, under the leadership of Chair Lavinia Parrish Zwicker, for their cooperation and support. I would like to thank the many other members of our school community whose encouragement and contributions have supported the SAC team as we continue to serve on behalf of Wolfville School students. It is my pleasure to share this summary of the many activities and achievements of students at Wolfville School. Janet Roberts, Chair

SCHOOL SUCCESS & IMPROVEMENT PLAN GOALS

Goal #1 School Performance: By June 2013, the Wolfville School community will indicate an improvement of 10% in satisfaction regarding student behavior and bullying as per DOE (Department of Education) survey results. Goal #2 School Performance: By June 2013, the Wolfville School community will indicate an improvement of 5% in satisfaction regarding meeting the learning needs of all students as per DOE (Department of Education) survey results. Goal #3 Student Achievement: By June 2013, 90% of the students at Wolfville School will meet or exceed expectation in all aspects of writing as measured by the Provincial Assessments.

SCHOOL SUCCESS & IMPROVEMENT PLAN THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS 2010/11

The 2010/11 academic year was Wolfville Schools 2nd Year of the School Accreditation Process cycle and the first year of implementation for the strategies identified in the School Success and Improvement Plan. The SAC made it a priority to stay informed about the Goals, Strategies, Action Steps and the various activities being carried out as part of this process. School Success Plan updates were a standing item on the SAC meeting agenda for the year. SAC members regularly engaged in discussion of the work being done, shared suggestions and provided input in an effort to assist the committees with their work. It is our understanding that staff has made good progress on the strategies for all three School Success Plan goals. Staff will review these strategies looking to improve current ones and develop new ones in light of the results from this years data collection/survey. The SAC, and all members of the Wolfville School community, look forward to reaping the benefits that come to our students and our school community as work continues.

Educational Highlights and Enrichment Activities

o Science Fair / Subject Fair. Students from both the elementary and junior high participated
at this years combined Science Fair / Subject Fair. Students who were selected to advance to the Regional Science Fair performed very well: nine elementary students received divisional awards: 3 bronze, 3 silver and 3 gold, and 2 students won Special Awards in the grade 4 6 category.

o Annapolis Valley Music Festival. Many of our students performed at the festival in both
group and individual categories. Four school choirs, five concert bands and the jazz band all made the school proud by delivering excellent performances.

o Yoga for Kids was offered from January to May to elementary and junior high students.
Approximately 30 students took advantage of the opportunity to learn relaxation and stress management techniques.

o Math-On Math Competition. A group of 12 students from grades 7 9 participated in

Math-On; a math competition between AVRSB area schools held at Acadia University. Wolfville School students took first and third place!

o The NSSAF Scholar Athlete Awards, for achievement in academics, athletics and
sportsmanship, were received by Emma Rozier and Sam MacDonald.

o Junior High Art students participated in an Arts Infusion project titled Pride of Home.
Thanks to an ArtSmart grant, students worked with local artist, Terry Drahos, for 3 weeks. During that time, they explored Wolfvilles rich architectural elements, prepared drawings and created 3D scale models of historic buildings.

o As part of a school-wide anti-bullying campaign students showed their support for the
stand up against bullying movement in September and enjoyed a presentation of Bully in the Purple Pants in May.

o Music therapy was offered to 12 grade P-7 students weekly for 8 months. o Volunteer Acadia University students and members of our local community provided
valuable support for our students who use the services of our resource department.

o Face aux Questions. Teams of junior high students participated in Regional Face aux
Questions Competition Core French category. The grade 9 team gave a strong performance with only 3 members, the 2 grade 8 teams won first and second place and the grade 7 team took first place.

o Math Enrichment. Once per week, 9 grade 7 math students attended Acadia University and
under the supervision of professors, worked on Math activities and concepts that went beyond the regular curriculum.

o Science Enrichment. A group of grade 8 students attended Acadia University where Science
Professors offered introductory sessions into several science fields including geology and physics.

Educational Highlights and Enrichment Activities

o French Public Speaking. Three elementary students participated in the regional French
public speaking competition Concours dart oratoire 2011. Two Wolfville School students advanced to compete at the provincial level where one of our students won 1st prize overall for Nova Scotia.

o Our students understanding of equity issues was enriched with a special presentation of
Shoulder to Shoulder by AVRSB RCH staff.

o Grade 6 students put on an all-day Cultural Fair in the library which was visited by all
elementary students.

o Computer Science Enrichment. An Acadia University professor came to Wolfville School to

offer a group of grade 9 students introductory sessions on web page design. Students then went to Acadia to work on creating their own websites.

o Earth Day was recognized by elementary students by participating in a clean-a-thon to

encourage responsible stewardship of the environment and local community.

o Two special events were hosted to provide students with environmental education: Cyclists
travelling throughout Canada as part of the Otesha Project visited the school in October to speak with students about making environmentally healthy and sustainable choices; and the `Litterless Road Show` presentation on environmental issues was shared with students in grades P 4 in April.

o Our library hosted the Writers in the Schools program. Funding was provided by the
School, the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia and a SEED grant. Five writers visited the school, allowing all students from primary to grade 9 to attend a presentation or workshop with a Nova Scotian author. Authors works range from history to graphic novels.

o Active, healthy lifestyles were encouraged through numerous physical activities such as
skating at the Acadia arena, indoor soccer, curling, bowling and an elementary field day.

o Paula Rockwell from the Acadia School of Music gave junior high students a presentation
on interpretative dance, theatre and monologues based on Shakespeare.

o A group of grade 8 students participated in a Language Arts enrichment project through

which they published a yearbook for graduating students.

o Grade 6 students were fortunate to receive D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
training through the RCMP. Special thanks to Constable Jeff Wilson of the Wolfville RCMP detachment.

o Grade 9 students participated in a variety of interesting work placements on Take your

Student to Work day.

o A cooking to learn program offered a life skills based learning opportunity for select
students. The program provides a hands-on approach to practical skills and reinforces the lessons being taught in the classroom.

Educational Highlights and Enrichment Activities

o Once a week, Adapted Physical Education programming was offered to identified students.
The sessions were delivered by volunteer Acadia University students.

o A team of Junior High students put in a strong performance, taking third place against
teams from throughout the AVRSB area in the Canadian Legions annual Call to Remembrance competition.

o Wolfvilles Deputy Mayor, David Mangle, was a guest speaker in the junior high. He
addressed students on the topics of working together, community engagement and citizenship.

o Music Enrichment. An introductory band camp was offered to grade 6 band students.
Participants had the opportunity to get individual instruction and improve their technique and musicality under the expertise of members of the Acadia University Wind Ensemble.

o Junior High Homework Club was well-attended every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for
1 hour after school. Students had an opportunity to grab a snack and get their homework done, or take advantage of the teacher volunteers to get some extra help when needed.

o Grade 8 students enjoyed the opportunity to tour the HMCS Halifax, the only historic
Corvette in the world, as part of their studies into World War II. The HMCS Halifax operates as a floating museum at the Port of Halifax.

o Grade 1 and 2 students combined a history lesson with a field trip when they attended the
cutting of the Christmas tree that the Nova Scotia government sent to Boston. Students learned history of Nova Scotia and received a book while at the tree cutting ceremony.

o In cooperation with the VCLA Valley Community Learning Association , students and
their families were invited to write and publish a story book. Participating students named their in-house publishing company the Mud Creek Press and the logo was designed by Wolfville elementary student Lydia Wilks. Over 50 books were published during the year.

o Our Librarian introduced grade 4 and 5 students to Tumble Books, an on-line collection
of talking picture books. Students may use the site as a reading option during library time.

o A student teacher from Acadia included a unit on community engagement and poverty as
part of the grade 9 language arts program. As one component of their activities, students organized a school-wide food drive and were proud to collect a pick-up truck-load of items for the local food bank.

Wolfville School Partnerships

o Town of Wolfville o Acadia University faculty and administration o Acadia University Education Department o Acadia University students o Annapolis Valley Regional School Board o AVRSB Health Promoting Schools Program o School Advisory Council o Junior High Student Council o Home and School o Playground Improvement Committee o Band Parents Association o RCMP o Wolfville Area Inter Church Council o Breakfast for Learning o Wolfville Save-Easy o Women of Wolfville WOW o Wolfville Community Fund o Wolfville Lions Club o St. Andrews United Church o The Nova Scotia Educational Society - SEED program o Writers Federation of Nova Scotia o Nova Scotia Teachers' Union o VCLA - Valley Community Learning Association o Crescendo concert performers: The Spinney Brothers, the Horton Boys Choir, the Acadia
Percussion Ensemble

o A number of local organizations and businesses who support our students, activities and
initiatives throughout the year. Special thanks this year to Wolfville Mud Creek Rotary.

o The many members of our community who give generously of their time, talent and
energy, as well as provide financial resources when needed, to support our students and our school.

Special Events and Accomplishments

o The School Advisory Council was pleased to have N.S. Minister of Education, the Hon. Ramona
Jennex, attend our February meeting at which time she reconfirmed the governments commitment of $4.6 million for capital improvements for Wolfville School.

o Wolfville Junior High was the recipient of the Canadian Cancer Society Nova Scotia Division
Youth Group Award in recognition of their significant fight against cancer. Student representatives were honoured at a special celebration in Halifax for their outstanding work raising funds through Head for a Cure, by engaging the entire student body and for including cancer awareness education.

o Breakfast Club. A nutritious breakfast program was offered five mornings a week before school.
We were especially fortunate this year to have volunteers from the community, including Acadia nutrition students to prepare and serve breakfast to our students.

o The Wolfville School L.I.F.E. (Learning Is For Everyone) fund continued to address needs of
students. This fund is used to address specific student needs related to learning and ensure that a lack of financial resources does not prevent a student from participating fully in school.

o Remembrance Day assemblies were organized and led by students in both the elementary and
the junior high. We were pleased to have a Veteran Legionnaire attend as our special guest.

o The Home and School organized the annual holiday bazaar giving students an opportunity to
do some independent shopping while raising funds to support families from our school community who are in need during the holiday season.

o In October, the Wolfville Mud Creek Rotary, Wolfville Lions Club, Wolfville Save-Easy and our
school community worked together on the `Food for Thought` campaign in support of the principle that no student should go hungry. Funds were raised to provide healthy snacks and lunches to students who need them.

o All students performed in very successful music concerts our three elementary choirs
performed in December and June, and all six bands performed in December, April and June.

o The Home and School partnered with the AVRSB to purchase sound field systems for the
elementary classrooms. The Home and School also provided funds for staff and teachers to purchase equipment and supplies in support of school based activities.

o School staff held a luncheon reception to recognize the valuable work done by the many
volunteers who give generously of their time and talent in support of our students throughout the year.

o Students in the Jazz Band and the Grade 6 Girls Glee Club performed with other local musicians
in Crescendo; a concert held at the Atlantic Theatre Festival to raise funds for the band program.

Special Events and Accomplishments (continued)

o The Playground Improvement Committee dedicated the newly upgraded school playground as
the Dana Patterson Memorial Playground. The efforts and financial contributions of parent volunteers and many local individuals, organizations and business were recognized. The newly improved playground is enjoyed daily by our students and by others in the community.

o In June, the Wolfville Mud Creek Rotary presented Mr. Trahan with a generous cheque to
ensure that breakfast, snacks and lunch will continue to be available to students who would otherwise go without; making sure that no student should go hungry at Wolfville School.

o In February, during national staff and teacher appreciation week, the Home and School hosted
a luncheon and held other activities in the school to express our appreciation of all staff and teachers.

o Staff participated on committees to begin the implementation of strategies outlined in the

School Success and Improvement Plan. (See the School Success Plan section for more details.)

o In December, Concert Band students performed in a joint public concert at the Atlantic
Theatre Festival with the New Horizons Community Band.

o Elementary students involved in the Green Team continue to play a key role in supporting
our recycling program.

o Grade 6 Girls Glee Club performed at the Al Whittle Theatre in June along with other local
artists in support of the Broken Leg community theatre group.

o Our students undertook a number of initiatives to raise funds for charity.

~ Terry Fox Walk for cancer research ~ Hop for Muscular Dystrophy ~ Unicef ~ Junior High students held Head for a Cure for the 6th consecutive year, raising funds in support of the fight against cancer. ~ Clarity Crew students participated in Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research. ~ Special fundraisers were held monthly in the elementary in support of the IWK. ~ Food and money are raised to support the local Food Bank by the Loving Tree in December and through donations at junior high dances and other school events.

10

Extra and Co-curricular Highlights

Students from grade 6 to 9 participated in the Clarity Crew a leadership training program. These students provided support for a number of school-based activities and events. Halifax along with other performers from throughout Canada and the United States. Our students gave very successful performances and represented our school with maturity and dignity. o An Acadia University Counselling student worked in the school with both elementary and junior high students. He made excellent connections with students by conducting class visits and presentations, and provided both individual and group counselling sessions. Students in grades 4 to 6 were offered a 4-week series of introductory sessions in archery skills. A team of students, with support and leadership provided by a parent volunteer, trained for and participated in the First Lego League competition. Our students did a great job representing our school at this years competition which had the theme of biomechanics and was held at Acadia University. Grade 4 to 6 students joined the Reading Tree Book Club. They met with our Librarian once a week to participate in discussions and activities related to books they were reading. Selected books were from the list nominated for the Hackmatack Childrens Book Awards. Junior High students, supported by several elementary students and Wolfville School alumni, had a very successful 3-day run of the Musical Production Hercules. The show involved 50+ students in cast and crew all of whom did an exemplary job. Before-school intramural sports were offered for students in grades two to six every Wednesday morning. They were very popular and consistently well attended. Intramural sports for grades 7 to 9 were held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings as well as during three lunch hours each week. Activities included basketball, dodge ball, soccer, volleyball, handball and floor hockey. Inter-mural sports. Our school continues to support a no-cut policy for our grade six to nine inter-mural sports program. We are pleased with the high number of students who participate and are proud of their performances and their consistent display of fair play. We have two teams each of both boys and girls for soccer, basketball and volleyball, one team each of softball, badminton, table tennis, track and field and cross country running. The Home & School hosted our Annual Fun Fair; our largest social event and fundraiser of the year.

o Grade 9 Band and Concert Band students attended the Atlantic Band Fest Music Festival in

11

Extra and Co-curricular Highlights

o The Wolfville Community Fund provided financial support for an after school art class. A group of students in grades 5 to 8 worked with local artist Rhonda Brennan over a 10 week period this past spring to explore a variety of art forms. A group of interested students formed the Grade 6 Girls Glee Club with the support and coaching of music teacher, Mr. Nelson. Junior High Student Council organized the annual graduation prom with a New York City theme. This years prom included students in grade 8 and grade 9 as both groups of students move to Horton next year. Wolfville School hosted the Junior High Boys Annual Invitational Basketball Tournament. Everyone involved had a great day. Partnerships with Acadia University continue to support physical education. One example is that the Acadia mens and womens basketball teams used our gym for practices when theirs wasnt available during exams and our track and field teams use the Acadia track for training.

12