Charles Bloom Secondary School is located in Lumby, BC and provides educational opportunities to students in Lumby, Cherryville and Lavington.
Demographics
345 students from grades 7 – 12
Characteristics and Supports
Charles Bloom Secondary School provides many learning opportunities to its students. Examples that describe the learning environment and supports at Charles Bloom are:
Core academics, most face-to-face, with some courses using distributed learning
Elective courses in woodwork, visual art, pottery, metalwork, automotive, and foods
District Forestry/Trade program that provides learning opportunities to Grade 11 and Grade 12 students – students spend 4-5 days per week in the woodlot learning safe working practices, equipment operation and repair. Students also explore Trade options through the newly introduced Trades Exploration course.
Strong partnership with Crossroads to provide Charles Bloom students as well as Crossroad students and opportunity to succeed
Strong Athletics Program
Fulltime Aboriginal Support Worker
Whitevalley School Support Workers who are supporting students in our school 2 days/week
Two programs that are working well at supporting students learning and ensurring success
ALPHA Program
A student support program focused on grade 8 and grade 9 students who are disconnected from school or not successful in a traditional classroom setting. The district provided 4 blocks of teaching time to operate this half-day program.
Students complete courses using self-paced distributed learning model and also focus on work experience and key life skills.
Middle Years Program
The program has 6 Core Teachers plus 3 Exploration teachers working with all the students. The program has been designed to provide common planning time for teachers so they can incorporate a theme / project-based learning strategies to help the students learn.
Charles Bloom defines success as:
Positive academic, social, and emotional growth of all students and staff
Students are able to assess their growth in the core competencies
Students feel connected, safe, and secure at school
Students are developing appropriate strategies and skills to have good mental wellness
What is working well at Charles Bloom:
Caring community of staff, students and parents
Interest based electives
Many senior Science and Math courses for the school size
Counselling support for our students
Student and staff willingness to try new ideas, learn from mistakes, and determine new ways “to do school
Blended learning opportunities (face – to – face, distributed) that provide students opportunities to take courses that can be completed in the timetable
Support systems to help students their mental wellness (school counsellors, Whitevalley School Support Workers, CYMH counsellor) and staff’s willingness to support student mental health, including SOGI group that meets Friday at lunch, and Girls and Boys groups that meet once a week.
Staff members using inquiry and project-based learning in their classes
Collaboration time (4 times in the year) for staff to discuss curriculum, assessment and instruction practices
ALPHA program that has increased disconnected student attendance, as well as, supporting students with the pace of the regular classrooms
Staff is developing a program to use throughout the school to help develop resiliency with our students.
Forestry/Trade Program housed at Charles Bloom
To build success Charles Bloom can:
Develop a growth mindset for our students, staff and community
Provide students with skills to help them improve their resiliency skills
Support innovation that enhances and/or improves student learning
Provide more opportunities for students to “show what you know” and to provide evidence of their findings
Determine the essential learnings for each curricular area
Improve students’ literacy and numeracy skills in all course areas
Broaden community partnerships
Ensure that all students have at least two staff members that are connected to them
Charles Bloom Secondary School is located in Lumby, BC and provides educational opportunities to students in Lumby, Cherryville and Lavington.
Demographics
345 students from grades 7 – 12
Characteristics and Supports
Charles Bloom Secondary School provides many learning opportunities to its students. Examples that describe the learning environment and supports at Charles Bloom are:
Core academics, most face-to-face, with some courses using distributed learning
Elective courses in woodwork, visual art, pottery, metalwork, automotive, and foods
District Forestry/Trade program that provides learning opportunities to Grade 11 and Grade 12 students – students spend 4-5 days per week in the woodlot learning safe working practices, equipment operation and repair. Students also explore Trade options through the newly introduced Trades Exploration course.
Strong partnership with Crossroads to provide Charles Bloom students as well as Crossroad students and opportunity to succeed
Strong Athletics Program
Fulltime Aboriginal Support Worker
Whitevalley School Support Workers who are supporting students in our school 2 days/week
Two programs that are working well at supporting students learning and ensurring success
ALPHA Program
A student support program focused on grade 8 and grade 9 students who are disconnected from school or not successful in a traditional classroom setting. The district provided 4 blocks of teaching time to operate this half-day program.
Students complete courses using self-paced distributed learning model and also focus on work experience and key life skills.
Middle Years Program
The program has 6 Core Teachers plus 3 Exploration teachers working with all the students. The program has been designed to provide common planning time for teachers so they can incorporate a theme / project-based learning strategies to help the students learn.
Charles Bloom defines success as:
Positive academic, social, and emotional growth of all students and staff
Students are able to assess their growth in the core competencies
Students feel connected, safe, and secure at school
Students are developing appropriate strategies and skills to have good mental wellness
What is working well at Charles Bloom:
Caring community of staff, students and parents
Interest based electives
Many senior Science and Math courses for the school size
Counselling support for our students
Student and staff willingness to try new ideas, learn from mistakes, and determine new ways “to do school
Blended learning opportunities (face – to – face, distributed) that provide students opportunities to take courses that can be completed in the timetable
Support systems to help students their mental wellness (school counsellors, Whitevalley School Support Workers, CYMH counsellor) and staff’s willingness to support student mental health, including SOGI group that meets Friday at lunch, and Girls and Boys groups that meet once a week.
Staff members using inquiry and project-based learning in their classes
Collaboration time (4 times in the year) for staff to discuss curriculum, assessment and instruction practices
ALPHA program that has increased disconnected student attendance, as well as, supporting students with the pace of the regular classrooms
Staff is developing a program to use throughout the school to help develop resiliency with our students.
Forestry/Trade Program housed at Charles Bloom
To build success Charles Bloom can:
Develop a growth mindset for our students, staff and community
Provide students with skills to help them improve their resiliency skills
Support innovation that enhances and/or improves student learning
Provide more opportunities for students to “show what you know” and to provide evidence of their findings
Determine the essential learnings for each curricular area
Improve students’ literacy and numeracy skills in all course areas
Broaden community partnerships
Ensure that all students have at least two staff members that are connected to them
Checking
School Culture for all
What Does the Data Say?
Checking
Scanning
Building Positive Relationships to Enforce Belonging and Improve Academic Performance
Connecting Within Our School and Community
Boys and Girls Groups
Scanning
Building Positive Relationships to Enforce Belonging and Improve Academic Performance
Connecting Within Our School and Community
Whether it is walking on the Salmon Trail, cleaning the creeks, picking garbage up around the community or volunteering at the Food Bank our staff and students are dedicated to leaving their community a better place than we found it.
Boys and Girls Groups
Counsellor and Vice Principal have taken time to develop positive relationships and amongst students and to develop resiliency skills.
Focusing
Building Resiliency to Improve Student Success
Using Evidence and Communication to Justify Answers
Supporting a Positive School Culture for all
Focusing
Building Resiliency to Improve Student Success
Teachers and support workers are wanting to in still in students the skills necessary to strive for success when they are faced with adversity. The school is going to spend the year teaching students about resiliency and giving them the skills to move themselves forward.
Using Evidence and Communication to Justify Answers
Focus for teachers is to use the literacy and numeracy assessments as a vehicle to educate students on the importance the “why” in their answers. Teachers have worked together to come up with strategies for ensuring that students are developing the necessary skills to be successful. This includes, critical thinking and problem solving.
Supporting a Positive School Culture for all
Ensuring that we have staff that are supportive of each other and what our school has to offer. All staff is working to make sure that all students have at least two adults that they are connected to, this includes our custodians, CEAS, ASW, secretaries, and teachers. We are also working to include other activities besides sports teams that allow students to be involved and connected: SOGI group that meets once a week, food safe program so that more students can be involved in our breakfast/lunch program, and clubs.
Developing a Hunch
Collaboration
Developing a Hunch
Collaboration
Teachers have agreed to work an extra 2 minutes each day so that they can have 4 blocks of collaboration time throughout the year. Teachers collaborate on the new curriculum, especially for grade 10-12 teachers, assessment etc..
One teacher is involved in a district numeracy project and shares her knowledge with staff as well as three teachers who are working together to develop skills for students in both Science and English.
Learning
What is Resicilency?
Learning
What is Resicilency?
Guest speaker in October that worked with the staff on what is resiliency and how to improve it in ourselves and in our students. Day of professional development with
Okanagan Learning Foundation worked with us to purchase the book, “Kids These Days”, by Dr. Carrington. A copy of the book was given to all staff, including EAs and bus drivers. The book gave staff some insight into why kids behave the way they do and how we as the adults can best support them to be successful.
Taking Action
Ensuring Students Do Their Best
Focus activities and supports for school culture
Taking Action
Ensuring Students Do Their Best
Pre assessment of students in grades 7-9 and then a re-evaluation of the same skills after employing research based literacy plans.
Focus activities and supports for school culture
SOGI group, and clubs for students to get together to share their passions. As well as the development of a BIPOC group working to ensure that all students feel welcome at Bloom and to educate students on the use of slur words.