During our May 19th Professional Development Day staff worked in collaborative groups to summarize student responses to questions about belonging and learning.

Students were asked the following questions:

Do you feel like you belong at Homma? How do you know you belong?

How do you help others belong at Homma?

How does belonging help you learn?

How do you approach learning when it is hard? Do you know what helps you learn?

What do you need at Homma to help you with your learning?

Staff looked for themes in the responses as well as connections and possible next steps. The majority of students see Homma as offering a welcoming and accepting learning environment. The majority feels like they belong. Staff noted that there were some challenges around friendships (being included or feeling rejected by peers). There was also a strong connection to staff and peers. Students indicated that staff are friendly, caring and helpful. There were many examples of kindness, gratitude and respect in the responses shared.

Staff noticed that students feel like they can be successful in their learning at Homma because people believe in them. They also noted that there is a significant focus on grades/assessment and that this could be leading to some students feeling overwhelmed. Staff also identified the importance of differentiation so that all students can be successful.

Possible next steps identified by staff.

- Increased differentiated instruction

-Continued collaboration with school counsellor to support social/emotional learning (e.g. EASE lessons)

-Help students to become allies in building communities

-Deeper understanding of proficiency scales