School Goals

2024-2025 School Goal

École Élémentaire Devon Gardens Elementary School is a vibrant and diverse school of approximately 360 students, organized into 17 divisions. Our school offers two choice programs: Montessori (K-3)and French Immersion (K-7). Just under half of our students (48%) are in the French Immersion program. Many of our students speak languages other than English and/or French, with approximately 1/3 of our students identifying as English Language Learners.

For the past several years, our school goal has focused on Writing. We have made good progress with this goal. This year, we are embarking on using the Math Minds program, school wide, and are transitioning to focusing on Numeracy as our goal area. Our students are needing some targeted intervention in this area, highlighting the need for a more cohesive approach to teaching and evaluating numeracy skills.

The Math Minds program appealed to staff as it offers a cohesive approach, focusing on general improvement in mathematics performance, with emphasis on computational fluency, conceptual understanding and problem solving. Having this program available in both French and English was also something that appealed to us.

Research on the use of the Math Minds program, as shared by our District Math Coordinator, indicates that use of the Math Minds program creates excitement and curiosity, helps students organize their thinking and articulate what they learned, fosters a feeling of internalized competence, confidence and a willingness to take risks.

Our Inquiry Question:
Will providing math instruction through a structured approach using the Math Minds program lead to better understanding (for students and teachers) and improved mastery of mathematical concepts?

Will this approach:
– increase student engagement in and enjoyment of math?
– deepen students’ understanding of key number concepts?
– improve student achievement in math?

We will be focusing on explicit and clear math instruction using the Math Minds program. Key areas of student learning to focus on will be helping students:
– develop mental math strategies and abilities to make sense of quantities and patterns;
– develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving;
– use mathematical vocabulary and language to contribute to mathematical discussions;
– represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms;
– connect mathematical concepts to each other and to other areas and personal interests;
– assist students to develop the self-advocacy skills required to seek feedback, get help or request other ways to show their learning;
– celebrate their progress and achievements to boost their confidence and motivation