Measures of Student Achievement and Success
Centennial P.S. is committed to academic excellence. We measure student performance in a variety of ways including: ongoing teacher observation, checklists, anecdotal records, formal and informal assessments and evaluations, conferencing with individual students, ongoing communication with parents, student portfolios, oral and written presentations, peer and self-evaluation, group discussions. Our senior kindergarten teachers use the Early Literacy Observation Tool (ELOT) to assess the literacy development of their students. Primary students’ reading skills are assessed using the PM Benchmarks and junior students using the CASI (i.e. Comprehension Attitudes Strategies Interests) and the Alberta Diagnostic. Students participate in the EQAO Language and Mathematics testing at the grade 3 and 6 level. Every student has the opportunity to perform at least once each year in front of the rest of the school during our Arts Assemblies. These assemblies give students the opportunity to demonstrate their public speaking skills, their musical abilities and/or their drama skills. We use a school-wide approach to which encourages students to demonstrate integrity, empathy, respect, perseverance, acceptance, responsibility, appreciation, fairness, cooperation and optimism. Character Education is integrated into curriculum lessons and activities throughout the school on a daily basis as these traits have been identified as being key to student success and exemplary citizenship.
Centennial students have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports at the class, intramural, division and/or board level. These sports include: basketball, soccer, cross country, track and field, volleyball and skating. The students who take part in these events exemplify the values and the successes of all the students at Centennial School. Several of our sports teams have been very successful over the past two years, bringing home gold medals from District tournaments in soccer, basketball and volleyball. Each year our students are recognized formally with trophies at our awards assembly for demonstrating the following characteristics: friendship, leadership, citizenship, athletics, academics, effort, perseverance, community building and participation in extra-curricular activities. Centennial School is a special place, where students, staff and community encourage success in a safe and nurturing environment.
School Improvement Plans and Initiatives
Centennial’s school improvement initiatives are ongoing and include the following:
Literacy
Language development and language skills are the essential building blocks of all literacy and numeracy skills. All teachers (classroom, ESL, LRT, LST) and support staff (ECEs and EAs) take an active role in teaching Language Arts during specified times, following a Balanced Literacy approach that includes the following components: read alouds,
shared reading/writing, guided reading/writing, and independent reading/writing. All students are present in the classroom for the shared reading/writing component. Some of our system class students are also integrated into our regular classes at this time.
This year as part of our School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (SIPSA), we are encouraging students to share their thinking and to support their ideas with evidence. To encourage connections and deeper thinking, our school has developed a guiding question to which much of our learning will be anchored throughout this school year:
What does it mean to be a responsible Canadian citizen when it comes to the environment?
The Early Literacy Program and the Ottawa Reads Program provide additional literacy development opportunities to our early primary classes as does our Borrow-A-Book and Reading Buddies programs. Our students participate in the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading programs each year as well. Our staff members take advantage of the many literacy and technology integration workshops that are offered on a regular basis and work hard to incorporate what they learn into their teaching practice.
Our Junior division is working on an environmental project with a focus on critical thinking. The project integrates several academic subject areas in English and in French and will also include several field trips throughout the school year to Mud Lake to study conservation and the impact we are having on our environment. We would like to thank
Nature Canada, who is our partner for this exciting project, for providing some of the funding and environmental expertise.
Numeracy
In Mathematics, we focus on developing skills in the areas of problem solving, the application of concepts and the communication of mathematical knowledge. Math manipulatives are used by both primary and junior level students on a daily basis to help develop a better understanding of math concepts. We are once again participating in the Tutors in the Classroom program to provide students with additional support. All of our classes, grade 1 to 6, use the same math program to ensure continuity between grades. We also help students make the connection between abstract concepts and real life by providing students with many hands on experiences.
Daily Physical Activity
Centennial is its third year of a 3 year commitment to be a Healthy Active School (HAS); our teachers understand the important role that daily physical activity plays in the physical and mental health of children and in their ability to maximize their learning opportunities. As such, they are committed to ensuring that each child participates in twenty
minutes of sustained physical activity each day and eagerly seek out opportunities to further develop their knowledge and expertise in this area. We are also committed to raising awareness and promoting healthy eating habits among students and staff.
Character Education
Centennial has always stressed the importance of good character and citizenship with its students. Whether it’s as an individual, a class or on a school wide basis, our students are involved in a number of activities that build character and citizenship. These activities include: Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Program, Toonie Tuesday, charitable fundraising and participation in environmental initiatives.