Our Focus

Our Focus in 2022-2023

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have been a main focus of our work this year.  True to our school's mission statement, we strive to do our best by creating an inclusive learning community through supporting and caring for one another.  At RHS we recognize and celebrate that our school, like our country, is a diverse society.  We encourage all members of our school community to accept, learn about, communicate with and understand all people in our school.  Everyone belongs.  Everyone is welcome.

We have provided opportunities in and out of the classroom to support students to develop a sense of connection, belonging, and positive personal and cultural identity.  We have also continued to provide opportunities to expand students' knowledge about Indigenous Peoples' history, perspectives, and learning approaches.

Our Focus in 2021-2022

Up until now our school's primary focus has been on the development and implementation of our RHS Learner Profile.  RHS staff have been supporting students in their understanding, reflection and self-assessment of their communication, creative and critical thinking and personal and social competencies.  While we continue our work in this area, this school year we shifted our focus in response to the Re-Imagining Secondary student focus groups we conducted last spring and in our work to align our focus and goals with the Richmond School District’s Strategic Plan.

In spring 2021, we hosted in-person focus groups facilitated by staff with student representation across all grades and programs.  Our students had a lot to say about their learning and social-emotional health and the following themes were identified:

•  Relationships and interaction with peers were missing and is very much an important part of students' learning.
•  There was a direct link between in-person learning and student engagement and motivation.
•  Students were very aware of their optimal learning conditions and learning needs.
•  Collaboration and structure were important elements to students' learning. 
•  Students appreciated the opportunity to be able to share their thoughts and perspectives.

We shared these findings with staff and aligned them with the district’s Strategic Plan to identify 2 areas of focus:

Strategic Priority 1:  Inspired Learners - We will provide welcoming and engaging school environments where all can thrive.  We aim to inspire everyone in our educational community to be lifelong learners.  Understanding the responsibility to expand students' knowledge about Indigenous Peoples' history, perspectives, and learning approaches, RHS staff have focused on Goal 3 by embedding these components into their planning and practice in authentic and meaningful ways.

Strategic Priority 5:  A Connected Learning Community - We will model collaboration and put in place the opportunities, tools, and techniques needed for our communities to connect and work together.  Collaboration with students, teachers, staff, parents, and community partners are crucial in the work that we do.  While we have structures in place for opportunities for TEACHERS AND STAFF – such as SCC, EF Meetings, Staff Meetings, and for PARENTS through PAC, we lacked anything formal for our STUDENTS.  Our staff have focused on Goal 3 working to ensure that our students’ voices and perspectives are valued, encouraged and embedded. 

Our Focus since 2017
Beginning in 2017, we began to work with students, staff and parents to develop and define the attributes, competencies or ‘learner profile’ of all RHS students. That is, what are the skills and competencies we want to develop in all learners, across all curricular areas, that will best prepare students for success in school and in life? This can also be framed by wondering what is the purpose of school?  What do we want for all students?

Here is a comprehensive summary of our work to date (July 2020):

https://expandmythinking.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-is-purpose-of-school.html

We are an incredibly diverse school and our students are on different pathways; however, we believe that discussing, defining and exploring the attributes, competencies or ‘learner profile’ of all of our students is a worthy endeavour.  That is, what are the characteristics and competencies of an “educated citizen” in the 21st century we want all our students to know and develop? In a rapidly changing world, rather than preparing students for 'something', perhaps we need to prepare students for 'anything'?

Once this significant task was completed with students, staff and parents, we can choose to concentrate our efforts on strengthening specific attributes as necessary, for example, focusing on critical thinking strategies or communication skills or resiliency, as needed each year.  In 2019-2020, we focused on building resiliency in all of our students, and this proved timely as a pandemic hit our country in March of 2020. It should be noted that this work will connect very well with the creative, critical and reflective thinking, communication and collaboration, and personal and social Core Competencies in the revised B.C. curriculum as well as with the International Baccalaureate Programme’s Learner Profile. Similarly, many educational jurisdictions have been grappling with identifying 21st Century Competencies, including Ontario and noted experts like Michael Fullan and the Six Cs. This focus also helps answer the important questions all students and teachers should reflect on regularly: ‘‘What is our purpose?” and “Are we being successful?” and “How do we know?”

Our current guiding inquiry questions:

Will the regular use of the language in the RHS Learner Profile help teachers and staff have clarity on our core purpose?

Will 'competency-based' teaching and the use of common language across all curricular areas help students understand, reflect on and describe their learning journey, regardless of their passions, interests or post-secondary pathways?