We are very pleased to have prepared for you our very first school report with Baltimore School.  With this being our first year as administrators here at the school, we have drawn upon the information of past School Reports to gain greater understanding of where the school has come, and will use the information compiled in this report to plan the future for Baltimore. 

Baltimore School is committed to promoting enhanced academic achievement for all of our students so that they can become successful, engaged learners.  It is our belief that all students can learn at higher levels and that effort counts for a great deal.  By promoting academic achievement we hope to develop in students a joy of learning that will lead to a lifelong passion for problem solving and creative thinking.

This year end report gives a summary of student life and achievements here at Baltimore.  As you read this report we ask that you take notice of the ongoing activities, both academic and social, that will help mold your children into young men and women who are productive members of society.  It is the intention of all staff at our school to seek out and put into practice a healthy balance between curricular and extra-curricular opportunities whereby all students can become active participants and contributors in the Baltimore School community.

We would like to thank the members of our public for giving the interest that you have in wanting to see Baltimore School grow and become a leading school in educating the children of this province.  Together, let’s continue to build on our strengths and plan for solutions to our weaknesses. 
Sincerely,

Mr. Robin McGrath, Principal

Mr. Darrell Budgell, Assistant Principal

The Baltimore School Council wishes to congratulate the students and staff on a very successful completion of the 2003-2004 school year.  We acknowledge your accomplishments in academics, sports, music and many other areas.  It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to achieve your goals and you have worked very hard in that area.  In a time when there are so many distractions for students, it is inspiring to see that you have remained focused and continue to do so.  Keep up the good work.

Respectfully,
Darlene George
Chairperson

At Baltimore School we believe that

1. teaching/learning is a life-long process for all stakeholders (students, teachers, and parents) whereby all teaching/learning is student-focused, considering the individual needs and learning styles of each student.

2. a safe and caring environment must be evident in all classes and throughout the school; all stakeholders must be contributors to good school spirit and community pride.

3. establishing open communication and positive relationships foster an environment conducive to learning and for promoting respect.

4. teachers are knowledgeable in the courses they teach and will work with colleagues and  improve professionally in order to adapt to changing needs and demands in the classroom.

5. student achievement and learning are enhanced when students are prepared for school, are motivated and are taught using a variety of strategies. 

6. all stakeholders make use of available resources to offer a strong academic program enhanced with extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. 

Baltimore School is part of the Avalon East School District which has 66 schools, 30 600 students and employs 2600 full time permanent staff..  Our school offers Kindergarten to Level Three and currently has an enrolment of 421 students encompassing the communities from Brigus South to Cappahayden.  This year the school had a total of 30.25 teaching units which include administration, guidance, challenging and special needs teachers and classroom and specialist teachers.  Our support staff included two student assistants with a combined total of 10 hours per day, a maintenance-custodian, a custodian, two cleaners and a secretary.   In addition to school-based staff, we have access to district office staff including a speech pathologist, educational psychologist, enrichment teacher, learning disabilities teacher and itinerant teachers and program specialists. 

The following is a list of professional and support staff members and their assignments:

The table below shows a decline in our student enrolment over the past ten years due to factors such as lower birth rates, fewer employment opportunities and increased out-migration.  An even greater decline is projected for the future.

Baltimore School is committed to promoting enhanced academic achievement for all of our students so that all students can become successful engaged learners and productive members of society.  We offer the prescribed curriculum as set out by the Department of Education of Newfoundland and Labrador.  We have strived to make course offering to students at all academic levels so that they can achieve successes in their individual program.  We continue to prepare our students for the high standards that will be demanded of them once they leave school and enter an increasingly competitive job market in an information driven economy.

How well students achieve the objectives of various provincial programs is measured using criterion-referenced tests (CRTs). These tests compare what students are expected to learn, and to date, students have been tested on Language in grades 3, 6 and 9, Science in grade 6,  French in grade 9, and Math in grade 9.  Each test is made up of subtests that focus on different parts of the programs.  The results in the following tables  describe the average percentage of items correct on the test.   A score of Level 5 indicates a high level of achievement, while a score of Level 1 indicates a lower level of achievement.  All tests were written at the school and results were tabulated at the Department of Education. 

At the school level a team examines the results of these tests, along with our in-school results, to determine where our focus needs to be in order to best address our weaknesses and get a better understanding of where our students are strong academically.

Primary/Elementary CRT Results

The Writing component of the Grade Three CRT indicates that Baltimore School has 28 percent of its students achieve at Level 4 or above in the areas of Content, Sentence Fluency and Voice, which is at least ten percent better than other schools in either the province or District.  In all other areas our school also rated higher than students in the District and province.  This would mean that students at Baltimore are achieving high levels of success, and with our continued focus on Language, the improvement is expected to continue.

As with the Language results in Grade Three, the Grade Six results would indicate that students at Baltimore School are experiencing greater successes in Level 4 and Level 5 than other Grade Six classes in either the District or province.  However, as with the province and District, a great many of our students are still achieving at Level 2 and Level 3.  With a continued focus on Language we expect more of these results to improve to Levels 4 and 5. 

Intermediate CRT Results
 

Grade 9 Math results indicate that results for Baltimore School have increased in all tested topics for the year 2003 as compared to 1999.  This is very encouraging.  However, there is concern that students at Baltimore achieved below students in the District and province in each of the tested topics for 2003.  The average grade for students at our school was 45.8 percent.  Our school realizes that this is one of the areas where we must continue to improve and seek ways to increase student level of success.

Grade Nine Science results at Baltimore School are very similar to results of students in the District and province.  With a greater focus on Electricity and Diversity of Living Things we expect results to be strong as they were in the other topics tested.

Public Exam Results

What do our School Results Tell us?

Strategies For Improvement

The following are some of the strategies that have been implemented in order to improve student achievement at our school. 

During the Fall of 2003, all staff at Baltimore School attended a one day in-service at the school with the goal being to increase our understanding of, and delivery of, the Pathways  Program.  This was then followed by several staff meetings in which members of the staff who have much experience and training with Pathways answered any questions that needed to be clarified on the topic.  These meetings have indeed improved our adequacy in the delivery of this most important program.  Staff are now better trained in identifying students who need extra supports in order to achieve at their highest level.  The following table illustrates the current Pathways to Graduation offered at Baltimore School:

In conjunction with the First Steps initiative, primary teachers consistently evaluate progress Language Arts.

School Growth and Development Committee

Members: Darrell Budgell, Adrian Brennan, Julie Chafe, Dennis Mayo, Robin McGrath

The School Growth and Development Team’s role in the school is to oversee the growth and development of the “School Growth and Development Plan” and to work with all stakeholders to enhance the education of all students.  This year the team clarified the school’s goals and identified strategies to meet these goals. The “big picture” was then presented to the staff outlining links between goals and strategies and school committees and strategies/goals. Our “School Mission Statement” was displayed in the school cafeteria.  The School Growth and Development Team has worked with all stakeholders this year and have seen marked improvements in the areas of school discipline and delivery of programs.

Our goal for next year is to finalize the School Growth and Development Plan for the next three years. This will take place during one of the schools Professional Development Days in September or October. During the second part of this professional development day committees will begin work on action plans for the strategies agreed upon by all stakeholders. Next year the School Development Team will also be expanded to include more stakeholders to oversee the implementation of the school improvement plan.

Fundraising Committee

Members : Dolores Hynes, Jamie Jenkins, Dave Matchem, Sharon Brophy, Ed Foley

This group was formed to consolidate all fundraising in the school.  They acted as an interim group that looked at all potential fundraising activities and decided which should be passed on to School Council for application of approval. This group set up an application  process that all groups should follow when proposing any  fundraising.  Applicants completed forms that were screened by committee members in terms of necessity and priority.   For the coming school year this committee plans to ensure that the fundraising process is adhered to by all groups.  This will ensure that several fundraisers are not ongoing at the same time and that individual groups are only fundraising in times of need.   In
addition, this group also expects to prepare a major fundraising event on the same level as the Loyola Sullivan Roast this past year.

Special Services Committee

Members : Sheila Fennelly, June Mayo, Myra Brophy, Cynthia Aylward

The Special Services Committee was responsible for identifying the special services needs within our school for the purpose of making recommendations for enhancing such services. It is important to note that the term “Special Services” does not apply specifically to roles in the school (special education teachers, speech language, etc),  but to a process for building supports around all students in the school. Thus, for this process to be successful it must include examining the roles of all school staff.   The Special Services Committee worked towards improving the ISSP and Pre-Referral process throughout the school year. At the beginning of the year, school staff were presented with a half-day session on the importance of the ISSP process and  proper protocol. Several questions and topics were discussed and addressed by the committee.  The development of the Special Services team has resulted in great improvements in this area at Baltimore School.  Some improvements include:

1. All ISSP folders are stored in one location (centralized).

2. More time is given to Special Education teachers to focus on those students with greater needs and to complete assessments.

3. Teachers have been trained on the delivery of Pathways 2 supports in the classroom.

4. There has been an increased awareness of the ISSP process between teachers and parents due to the ISSP wall display.

After a very successful year the team has identified several methods to increase their effectiveness and to become more efficient. For the coming school year it has been suggested that medical ISSP’s be completed before classes begin in September; that teachers be made aware of, and trained, if necessary, with regards to all students with medical concerns; that students identified as needing testing in June have that testing begin in September; and that a policy be developed that would closely monitor the effectiveness of supports that have been planned for students in the school.  This policy would plan the monitoring of students by regular checks and through discussions at the ISSP meetings.  Teachers will be expected to check the ISSP file regularly to see what their students’ needs are and provide appropriate supports and accommodations within the classroom and on exams.

Academic Committee

Members: Mike Schulz, Mary Chidley, Margie Clowe, Susan Crane, Verna Sullivan, Doug Barron

The Academic Committee at Baltimore School was established in  September 2003 to improve and update the academic policy. Over the course of the year, they dealt with issues regarding the general attitude of schooling in the area and as a result have made several suggestions:  It was felt that students be placed on a three-year plan at the end of grade nine and that parents be made aware of the outcomes expected in each of the courses that their child has registered for; parents become more actively involved in the education of their children; teacher recommendations for the senior high course load should be strongly considered in the implementation of the high school course selection; and that the Academic Committee, along with administration, should be responsible for the awarding of scholarships.

Goals for next year include implementing the current academic policy (draft copy) with revisions and joining the CRT and Academic Committee to effectively discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our students. 
 

Peaceful Schools Committee

Members: Mike Walsh, Sonya Grandy, Sandra Lushman, Michele Maloney, Maria Chidley.

The Peaceful Schools Committee was formed to promote Peaceful Schools programming within the classrooms and within the school. 

Goals accomplished this year:

A. Peace Tree and Star Student (Primary / Elementary) 
This initiative was designed to promote peace in the classrooms and whole school.  Each week a specific theme was identified and a student was chosen from each class to be acknowledged for exhibiting the target behavior.  Every student was rewarded by years end.

B. Student of the Week (Junior/ Senior High)
Students and teachers could nominate students who had met any one of the following criteria:
Helpful to students and teachers
Environmentally friendly
Being polite and respectful to students and teachers
Making healthy choices
Being positive role models for other students 
Contributing to a positive school climate

Students were acknowledged over the P.A. system and on the TV monitors located throughout the school.

Peaceful School Solutions Worksheet
When students were referred to Guidance due to a behavioral incident, students completed a problem solving worksheet with the Guidance Counselor that explored:
   * the inappropriate behavior
   * the consequences of the inappropriate behavior
   * other choices which would have had more positive outcomes
   * what behaviors the student can practice in the future

Involvement from Community Groups

D.A.R.E :   Grade 6 students participated in Drug Abuse Resistance Education under the direction of Constable Corette Serna of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

B.R.A.V.E :   Grade 5 students participated in Bully Resistance And Violence Education under the direction of Constable Tonia Williams of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Making Waves (Senior High): A group of students were selected to attend the Making Waves Conference held in October 2003.  The focus of this conference was on healthy and unhealthy relationships.  On May 29, 2004, a conference was held at Baltimore School for students from Baltimore School, Mobile Central High School and Stella Maris Academy.  The students of Baltimore School and Mobile Central High facilitated this conference.  Planned Parenthood played a significant role in supporting our students through their sessions. 

Peer Drug Education: Students from the junior and senior high school were selected to participate in a two-day training session designed to educate them about various drugs and addiction.  This was arranged through Health and Community Services (Addiction 
Services). The students then prepared their own workshops for Grade 6, 7 and 8 students based on the information they obtained through the training sessions.  They were assisted with this process by School Staff and Social Workers participating in the project. 

Mural: Students participated in a contest to design a peaceful schools mural.  The winning poster was painted on the wall in the front entrance by students in the Art Club.

These programs all had a positive impact on the students at our school.  Students were eager to participate in Peaceful School activities, particularly the Star Student program.  There was an observable increase in positive behavior, self esteem and school spirit. 

Goals for next year :
Monthly Peaceful School assembly
Finalize Crisis Intervention Plan that was restructured during the year
Distribute Discipline Policy 
Expand Peer Mediation 
Set initial programming for becoming a member of Peaceful School International 

CRT’S/ Public Exams Committee

Group Members: Verna Sullivan, Dennis Mayo, Doug Barron, Susan Crane

CRT and Public Exam results were analyzed this year in order to improve our students’ performance in standardized tests in English, Math, Science, French, and Social Studies.  A number of meetings were held and teachers conducted a comprehensive analysis to determine strengths and weaknesses.

Committee members compiled a comprehensive District report dealing with strategies and effective techniques for improving performance and increasing students’ scores on tests.  The following teachers worked on the noted specific areas:

Dennis Mayo      Biology 3201, Science Grade 9
Doug Barron       Math 3204, Math Grade 9 
Verna Sullivan     Thematic Literature 3201, Language Arts Grade 9
Susan Crane      World Geography 3202
Dave Matchem     World Geography 3202
Roger Sheppard     World Geography 3202
Mike Schultz      French 3200, French Grade 9

There was an analysis of all items on the exams and teachers identified students weaknesses and strengths.  Strategies were then compiled to deal with the weaknesses and improve academic standing.  Participating in this group made teachers more conscious of fulfilling curriculum outcomes and stressed the need to be always aware of identifying weak areas. 

It is not possible to give a specific plan of action at this time for next year.  However
this years CRT’S and Public Exams will again be analyzed.  If there is a change in students weak areas, a new set of strategies will be implemented.  Our current report will be revisited and revised if need be.  Our goal is to see our students improving their performance so that our school does as well as or better than the district and province.  Baltimore’s students are very capable of high achievement scores.  Let’s plan for high results.

What areas have been addressed by the School Council?

Council Members: Darlene George (chairperson), Marilyn Oates (vice-chairperson), Lisa Duggan, Michelle O’Toole, Cindy Walsh, Janet Hynes, Theresa Hynes, Mrs. Dolores Hynes, Mr. Dennis Mayo, Katie O’Brien and Robin McGrath. 

For this upcoming school year Council expects to have several parent representatives fill the positions of those who have served their term as Council members.  In addition, we will be looking for two teacher representatives to take the place of Mrs. Hynes and Mr. Mayo, both of whom have completed their terms as Council members. 

The Baltimore School Council started this year with three main goals in mind: student achievement, class attendance and elimination of vandalism in the school. 
 It was evident from school based results that an emphasis needed to be placed on student achievement.  It was agreed that the focus on improving achievement needed to be reinforced in the home as well as at school.  There has been concern for the number of late arrivals at school and the high number of students who repeatedly fail to attend school, especially on Fridays.  To help curb this trend several steps were taken to improve our students opportunity to excel academically.  One step was to move away from the traditional prom that occurred every spring.  This practice was believed to interfere with instruction at one of the most pertinent times of the year, that being the semester of final exams.  A homework program was set up every day after school whereby students could drop into the school library and receive tutoring help from those hired in the Tutoring for Tuition program.  Several teachers have continued to volunteer their services both at lunch and after school.  Our awards ceremony at Graduation was changed so that a greater number of students could be acknowledged for their accomplishments in their respective courses.  Finally, five television sets were installed around the building with screens that continuously acknowledged our academic accomplishments and individual winners in District and Provincial contests.  Our students were showcased in our Newsletter and on school announcements in an attempt to instill pride in the worth of achieving our academic best.

Classroom attendance was believed to greatly contribute to lack of achievements at Baltimore School.  A system was implemented whereby parents of students who repeatedly failed to attend school consistently were contacted regarding this concern.  Staff were very consistent in awarding students a grade of 0% for exams missed without a doctor’s note.  A total of 56 meetings were held on individual students concerning their levels of progress and steps that could be taken to help them cope with the prescribed curriculum, thus giving them a more positive attitude towards schooling.  Students were offered a variety of extra-curricular activities to become involved in and develop a greater sense of ownership and pride in their school.

School vandalism was a concern that the entire school community wanted addressed.  Administration is happy to report that there were no damages at Baltimore this school year that could be attributed to vandalism.  All members of staff made a focused and consistent effort in ensuring that students were closely monitored at all times in the building.  Students were encouraged to have pride in themselves and their school and to display this pride  in their actions.

Each week the Star Student program acknowledged students from all grades for their conduct and the positive relationships they had with others in the school.

There were many other items this year for our council.  Council decided upon an organization of all fund raising events such that no particular focus group could directly interfere with initiatives that were planned school wide.  We discussed the reports from the Criterion-Referenced testing and teacher allocation for 2004-2005; and developed an application process for the fund-raising activities of the various groups within our school. 

Overall, we feel that it was a successful year and we hope that our goals will be further achieved in the coming years.  Thank you for your involvement and support.

Darlene George
Chairperson 

Guidance Department Overview

In September 2003-04, the Administration and the Special Services Team at Baltimore School identified a number of significant areas requiring attention.  These include the reorganization of student support services and the establishment of peace education programs to teach children and adolescents skills for solving their conflicts in a peaceful way. 

With regards to the student support services process, a number of steps were taken to restructure how students with learning difficulties are identified and receive services.  These include:
    * The Student Support Services Team was asked to meet on a biweekly basis to discuss students referred by classroom teachers. 

    * The team worked collectively to assess students throughout the school year.

    * With a great deal of financial assistance from parents in the community, assessment tools will be ordered and will be here for the start of the 2004-05 school year.

    * A Pre-referral Checklist was developed to assist classroom teachers with the pre-referral process.  This checklist will be introduced for the 2004-05 school year.

    * A documentation process was developed for Pathways to Programming and Graduation.

    * In-service was offered to all teachers on Pathways to Programming and Graduation. 

Creating a safe and caring school was another significant part of the Guidance Plan this year.  This was accomplished through a variety of programs introduced at the school level and through partnerships formed with a variety of community organizations.  These include:
    * Star Student program and Peace Tree for Primary/Elementary.
    * Student of the Week for Junior/Senior High.
    * Peer Drug Education Program for Junior/Senior High in partnership with Health and Community Services.
    * Making Waves Conference for Senior High.
    * The B.R.A.V.E and D.A.R.E programs for Primary/Elementary in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
    * A peace mural painted in the main lobby by students in the Art Club.
    * The Peaceful Solutions Worksheet which asked students to find peaceful ways to solve conflicts in our school.
    * The creation of a Safe and Caring School Committee under the direction of the Administration 

Outside of the two primary focus points for guidance services this year, a number of other programs/services were completed to support social and career development. These included individual and group counseling, developing behavioral management plans, consulting with other community agencies on issues such as mental health and diagnosis of learning disabilities, hosting a career fair, presentations by several post secondary institutions and the development of a draft crisis response plan .