• Community Connections: Explore the possibility of creating a museum within JMH in partnership with Local Historians, to create ways to live and share our history.• Citizenship: Through activities such as Trick-or-Eat, Mr. JMH, Walk for Water, and Skype sessions, Interact/World Issues students link themselves to the world and provide awareness and support on a global level.• Wellness: In a province where physical activity has become a focus, our physical education program is able to offer authentic learning experiences. With the assistance of a alumni, the new metabolic conditioning lab encourages students to exercise in way that mimic the movements of daily life. Outdoor Pursuits classes encourage students to enjoy the natural beauty of our province. 7. Maker SpaceASDN has partnered with Brilliant Labs to create a Maker Space at James M. Hill. The point of the Maker Space is to provide students with a means to extend learning through: intense, meaningful, problem solving, and creativity developing social responsibilities deeper penetrative learning, collaboration and innovationThe Maker Space makes this possible by providing a huge array of tools and technology to students and teachers to design and produce through tinkering. The Maker Space isan exceptional opportunity for exploring the highest orders of Bloom’s Taxonomy.J M Hill will investigate the incorporation of the Maker Space into the curriculum. Teachers will be given the opportunity to collaborate and work together to find projects ortasks that cross curricular boundaries, using the Maker Space, that harness the energy creativity and technical process of our students.
S.I.P.SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
S.I.P.James M. Hill Memorial High SchoolSchool Improvement Plan 2013/2014Mission:James M. Hill Memorial High School will pursueEXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING through an inclusive offering of academic, technological, and extra-curricular endeavors. Theschool’s mission will be accomplished within a safe, positive environment that fosters intellectual growth, health and wellness, artistic ex-pression, community partnerships, good citizenship, and life-long learning for all.Preamble:James M. Hill Memorial High School (JMH) is a grade 9-12 school with a student population of approximately 680 students. The major feederschools to the JMH system are: Dr. Losier Middle School, Nelson Rural School, and Miramichi Rural School. As well, JMH continues to draw asmall contingent of students each year from the neighboring French District, Baie Ste-Anne School. In recent years JMH has welcomed andhosted an increasing number of international exchange students from China, Korea, Germany, Colombia, Mexico and Brazil.The teaching staff at JMH consists of 43.0 FTEs. Included in this number are: 3 Administrators, 2.0 Guidance Counselors, 3 Methods & Re-source Teachers, and 35 Classroom Teachers. The Teaching Staff at JMH continues to be one in transition as more new teachers have beenhired to replace retiring teachers. Currently there are 14 Educational Assistants (EAs) on staff.Community and parental partnerships continue to grow through collaboration with the Parent School Support Committee (PSSC), The JMHAlumni Association, Local Service groups, and the Business Community. JMH continues to grow in the area of technology. The school is cur-rently equipped with over 50 SMART boards. At least 35 classrooms have been equipped with sound field systems. In addition to the 7 ex-isting computer labs, JMH is equipped with several portable Netbook labs that can be used in any regular classroom.The JMH website continues to be a major link between the school, community and home. Morning announcements are broadcast eachmorning via Smart Boards and then archived on the school’s website. James M. Hill is one of a few schools in the province that is equippedwith a thick wireless infrastructure. The possibilities this brings are constantly being explored and this year would appear to hold particularpromise in that regard. All shops have received new equipment and all shop programs continue to actively seek community partnerships andprojects.
Specific Goals : NumeracyThe only standardized numeracy assessments available for analysis are district-wide assessments in grade nine Mathematics, Grade 10 GMF and Grade 10 NRF. These assess-ments are provided by district personnel and are included as questions on the exams set by the school. The results of these assessments can be compared with the results ofthe provincial grade eight Mathematics assessment, written by the same students while at middle school.The results of current grade nine and 10 students on these assessments are demonstrated in the tables that follow.Graphs showing the results for JMH students while still at feeder schools (grade 8 Provincial Math Assessment) as compared to the same students’ results on the district wide Math assessment inGrade nine and 10. For the class of 2017 the Grade nine results are shown for the first half of the year only. For the class of 2016 the grade 10 results are shown for the first half of the year only.(Unfortunately the results from the half-year point were not available at the time of printing. Results will be added when available. Final results for the year will be blended into one mark for di-rect comparison purposes.Analysis of the strand data from district wide assessments has led the Mathematics department to believe that polynomials are, once again, an area that requires focus. Thenumeracy goal then pertains to polynomials and strategies for addressing student learning of polynomials and related concepts over four years of high school. This goal in-volves the development of a scaffolded, cumulative assessment that will work to ensuring greater retention and understanding over time. Appendix A contains the details re-garding the Numeracy goal.
LiteracyThe primary means by which the school monitors performance in English Language Arts is the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) in writing and reading. This as-sessment is delivered to grade nine students during the January exam block. Data is also available for the success rates of students who have rewritten this assessment afterhaving been unsuccessful on their first attempt. This assessment is a requirement for graduation and therefore is particularly high stakes for some.This is the only standardized Language Arts assessment during the high school years. As such it is difficult to gauge student growth and development. Analysis of the data fromDistrict wide and provincial assessment in grade seven and eight shows where students are when they arrive at James M. Hill. At the very least then, the ELPA data for thosesame students shows that growth remains constant and in some instances accelerates once students arrive at James M. Hill.The class of 2016 shows substantial improvement over the results for reading and writing from the feeder schools. The results for the class of 2017 Demonstrate an even stronger performanceincrease over their feeder results.The table above shows the trend established with the class of 2016 (current grade 10’s) ELPA results as compared to the feeder results for those same students. The trend forthe class of 2017 (current grade 9’s) is similar demonstrating significant gains made in both reading and writing over the feeder school results. Whereas both of these graphsare comparisons of cohorts vs. themselves, the results here would indicate significant growth in both the reading and writing skills for our students entering grade 10.Analysis of 2013 ELPA strand data has led the Language Arts department to the conclusion that ELPA results could be impacted significantly by a focus on the higher levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy on a daily basis. In addition a focus on critical reading is also called for. An intervention program called Read 180 is also being embraced this year with 5 ofour literacy specialists trained in its use. It is hoped that these strategies will foster significant gains over feeder results. Appendix B contains the specific Literacy goal details.ScienceThere are no standardized assessments available for science at the middle or high school level. Therefore the monitoring of growth in science is more difficult than numeracyand literacy. Last year, the Science department established their own baseline with students entering the school. Monitoring can now take place over the coming years. Giventhat there are several routes that may be navigated in the sciences, content has taken a back seat when monitoring growth. Arguably, content is second to context in terms ofsuccess in sciences.Science lends itself well to monitoring when the scientific method and attitudes are the focus of assessment. As a student progresses through high school, the expectation isthat their grasp of this aspect of science should improve. For that reason, the science department is now in year two of implementing an assessment to determine growthagainst a baseline for scientific “context” in grade nine. This will be followed for an additional two years beyond the present. It is expected that growth will be positive and con-tinuous from grade 9 through 12. Appendix C outlines the Science goal in detail.TRIADSeveral schools in New Brunswick were selected and grouped for a learning experience called TRIAD. Each group of three schools (TRIAD) was invited to network and learnfrom each other with respect to inclusive practice. The goal for James M. Hill Memorial School in this regard involves those students who find themselves on the edges of thehigh school mainstream; those students who have no peer groups and those who can’t seem to find their place in the social fabric of the school.A meeting is scheduled at each school throughout the year, attended by teams of administrators, guidance and resource personnel. It is anticipated that this process will aid inthe school improvement planning process for each school as strategies in place in other locations are contextualized and brought home. The Inclusion goal as defined by theTRIAD work is detailed in Appendix D.Ongoing WorkJames M. Hill is continuously working towards improved performance on a number of fronts. These occur in the background at all times and, although not artic-ulated with a specific goal, contribute to the success of our students and staff. These include: Teachers will remain current in their teaching and in their methods of instruction. Students will be expected to work to the best of their ability. 21st Century Learning initiatives and opportunities will be explored and implemented. Student Centered course offerings will include: Level 1/2/3 courses, French Immersion Program, Comprehensive University preparatory courses, Family Studies/ Industrial/ Technology courses, On-line courses, Co-Operative Education programs, Special Education plans, Enrichment and or Remedial pro- grams. , Literacy interventions will continue to be implemented including the Read 180 program with the aid of funding from PETL.
The use of technology will continue to be integrated into the teaching and learning process. One class has already made the jump to being completely digital. This initiative will be supported by a move to a limited Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. Support Services will continue to be offered through the school’s SST, Guidance Counselor, Intervention Worker, Dept. of Social Development, Mental Health, Alternate Site Program, Positive Learning Environment Co-Coordinator, Peer Mediation, and Addictions Counselor. A ½ hour Study Block will continue to be implemented each afternoon at which time students may do homework, read, write and where opportunities for tutoring or enrichment will occur. That same time will be scheduled such that a team of teachers will be released to engage in the PLC process on a rotating basis. The Boomerang Project will continue to be implemented at the grade 9 level. Involvement of these students in a more ongoing way will be investigat- ed. Excursions to Middle School feeders will be investigated to create a transition bridge (teams, groups etc.). Attendance and tardiness will be closely monitored and reported on. A new attendance incentive that rewards good attendance will be introduced. Likewise a new attendance policy is anticipated from the District. Improvements to the physical plant will include regular inspection and action reports on items of safety, maintenance, and cleanliness. A process for the timely inspection and reporting will be created. Emphasis on a comprehensive extra and co-curricular program will continue. Anti bullying efforts will continue with Pink and Blue shirt days as well as other provincial initiatives. Guidance services will continue to be student-centered. Re-design of Methods and Resource department and roles to reflect the spirit of the Porter/Aucoin Report and to best serve the students of JMH. Pyramid of Intervention for both academics and behavior continues to guide Student Services. Behavior planning training will be carried out for Guidance and ESTR personnel. Increase frequency of reporting to parents through the use of quarterly reports. JMH continues to work towards self-sufficiency with respect to the PLP process. Currently the Resource teachers are managing the lions share of the maintenance. In the coming year, much of this will be transferred to teachers with Resource support. Continue to look for ways that JMH can be more inclusive to all.
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