Table of contents

The School

Queen Victoria Public School is an inner-city school located south of King Street and east of Jameson Avenue. Our school serves approximately 1,100 students coming from more than 60 different language groups. Many of our students have arrived recently in Canada.

The Queen Victoria community is proud of our facility. Over the past few years through the efforts of the Environmental Green Team the school yard has been much improved with the addition of play equipment, a daycare play site, a natural perimeter garden and a butterfly walkway. Indoors, the school has become a wonderful gallery of framed student works of art, poetry and prose. We continue to expand these initiatives, creating an aesthetically uplifting and stimulating learning environment.

We are fortunate to be one of the Toronto District School Board schools involved in the fifth year of the Early Years Literacy Project. The Early Literacy Project focuses on the improvement of student literacy through a school wide approach. It is a comprehensive program that involves assessment, instruction, professional development and home/school partnerships. The key goal of the project is for all children in the primary grades to perform at grade level in all areas of the Literacy Program. At Queen Victoria the Literacy Project has taken on its own unique flavor as we have integrated it with a focus on the Arts, Technology and the Environment. Queen Victoria has been chosen to be the Arts Lighthouse school for our Family of Schools and is also piloting new technology for Special Education. Queen Victoria offers a great deal for the children of Parkdale. Teachers set high expectations for themselves and their students. Children have opportunities to participate and excel in a wide range of activities such as choirs, art and dance clubs, athletic teams, public speaking events, school council etc. The pride the children take in their school is evident in these words taken from our school song:

"Queen Victoria's where I go. I'm proud that it's my school and I want you to know Children from around the world come here to learn and grow. Queen Victoria's where I go..."

School Focus for this School Year

• Early Years Literacy Project expanded to go from Kindergarten to Grade 6, Reading Recovery program
• Integration of Arts, Literacy and Technology
• Expanded Library, Literacy and Technology Resource Center
• Numeracy: Jump Math initiative in Grades 3 - 6
• ECO School Initiative: Environmental Responsibility
• Support and intervention programs for children with academic, social and emotional needs
• Outreach to parents to support literacy and numeracy initiatives

Our Students (as of spring 2003)

Regular Instructional Programs

• Languages - English, English as a Second Language, and French
• Mathematics, Science and Technology
• Arts - Music, Visual Arts, Drama and Dance
• Social Studies, Health and Physical Education

Special Education Programs

A variety of special education programs and services are offered to meet the needs of all students, including students with exceptionalities, such as behavioral, communication, intellectual, physical and multiple learning disabilities. Student exceptionalities are identified through a formal review process undertaken by an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC).

The School Offers:

Language/Literacy

• Balanced Literacy Program (includes all necessary language components)
• Book Fair(s)
• Borrow-a-book Program
• Buddy system
• Daily independent reading
• Development Reading Assessment
• Early years Literacy Project
• Guest Author Program (guests from all walks of life read to learners)
• Guided Reading
• Literacy resource (remedial support from Resource Teachers)
• Parent information nights: literacy
• Reading buddies (with students from other grades)
• Reading Club
• Silver Birch Reading Program
• Storytelling workshop (adult storytellers interacting with students)
• Teddy Bears Picnic
• Wiggleworks (computer-based early literacy program)
• Library Partners in Action
• Literacy Coordinator
• Literacy Nights for Parents

English as a Second Language(ESL)/ English Literacy Development (ELD)

• ESL classes
• S.E.P.T. - Settlement and Education Partnerships in Toronto (Settlement workers assist newly-arrived families)

Other Languages and Cultural Studies

International Language and classes

Mathematics, Science and Technology

• Internet access
• Math / Science Investigations
• Networked school
• Jump Math Program and Jump Math tutors after-school
• Visiting scientists
• Computer Art Technology Studio

Arts Programs /Activities

• Visiting artists
• Music: Band, choir(s), recorder, steel band, strings
• Lighthouse School for the Arts
• Performing Arts Series

Health and Physical Education Programs

• Aquatic / Swimming program
• Physical Education: ice-skating
  

Social Skills and Leadership Programs/Activities

• Anti-bullying program
• Student Council
• Kindergarten play and social skills program

Equity Initiatives

• Inclusive resources in classrooms and library
• Student Council
• Equity Team

Food and Nutrition Programs/Lunchtime

• Breakfast program
• Snack program
• Supervised lunch program
• Cafeteria services

Community Activities/Supports

• Clothing exchange
• Faculty of Education students: University of Toronto, York University
• Parenting and Family Literacy Center
• Queen Victoria Partners for Early Learning Project (A Toronto First Duty Project School)
• Hope World Wide of Canada, Serve Canada

Before /After School and Co-/Extra-Curricular Activities

• Sports programs
• Co-educational House League Sports
• Student Council
• Interest groups/clubs: arts and crafts, chess, choir(s), dance, library, puppetry, sketching/painting, steel band
• After-4 Program(s): French, Math
  

Staff Development

• In-service: Arts, Early Literacy, Jump Math, Reading Recovery, Special Education

What the school is planning for this year............

We have developed the following plans for this year based on the feedback we have received from recent student assessments as well as feedback from parents and our local community.

Literacy Across The Curriculum

Assessment results for reading and writing over the last few years and more recently the EQAO results for our Grade 3 and Grade 6 students reflect the range of stages of English acquisition of our students. Many of our students speak a first language that is not English. In order to expand the experiences and level of achievement of our students, we will use the following strategies:

• Integrate the Arts, Literacy, and Technology
• Expand the Arts Series to include visiting artists
• Develop opportunities and workshops for parents to support the literacy initiatives
• Focus on Guided Reading and Independent Reading to give students the strategies, to apply to text they come upon independently
• Collaboratively engage in professional development, sharing of strategies and long range planning.
• Focus on Literacy throughout the curriculum
• ESL Reception for students new to Canada
• Encourage parent involvement in children's learning through parent conferences, newsletters, class visitations, parent volunteers, School Community Council, mentoring, Literacy Nights
• Use books, field trips, special events, poetry, non-fiction, etc. to expand and enhance student writing
• Encourage the use of technology to collect and interpret information
• Focus on a variety of strategies to develop research skills
• Provide a balanced literacy program in all of the classrooms Kindergarten to Grade 6
• Create further partnerships with local community groups and cultural organizations
• Develop stronger links with other Parkdale area TDSB schools

Mathematics

In response to our students' assessment results in mathematics, as well as parent concerns, our staff has met to discuss ways to improve our students' mathematics performance. We will focus on the following strategies:

• Collaborate with the School Council to provide parents with suggestions on how to link mathematics
• learned at school with home activities
• Provide homework strategies to support curriculum
• Continue to update the mathematics resources by purchasing math programs for Grades one and two classes.
Use more technology to develop mathematics skills
• Integrate reading and writing activities with math instruction and problem solving
• Expand in-school Jump Math program to be included in all classes Grade 3 to 6
• Jump Math volunteer math tutoring programs after school

Support For Student Achievement

• School Support Team will attempt to address the academic, social, and emotional needs of the children in greatest need
• Reading Recovery for students in Grade 1
• Wide range of expanded opportunities through presentations, visiting artists, theatre, special events and projects
• Grade and division meetings to create, maintain and expand the learning culture of the school
• Workshops for parents to explore ways to support student learning
• Queen Victoria Partners for Early Learning Project