Annual Report to the Community

September 2014- June 2015

Bridgewater Junior Senior High School

A note from the Principal

The mission statement of Bridgewater Junior Senior High

School reads as follows: Bridgewater Junior Senior High

School is committed to developing confident, life-long

learners in an atmosphere of mutual support and respect.

Intellectual, physical and social growth will be encouraged

within a positive and challenging environment.

This year we celebrated the 100th Year of Public Education

on York Street. We were proud to host a memorial to

Corporal Paul Davis in our courtyard. Our students have

taken time this year to reflect on how things have changed

in the past 100 years and also to envision what the future

might look like. We have worked hard this year to align our

work with what we know about student learning and our

changing world. This is reflected in our Continuous School

Improvement Plan.

This year we were pleased to offer the

Tell Them From Me Survey to Parents

and Students. The information

collected from these surveys is used

to help us plan for the future.

Families told us that they want open

lines of communication and increased

connections between the school and

the community. We plan to use this

feedback to identify and implement

ways to improve in these aspects of

how we do reach out to families here

at BJSHS.

Data and Results Professional Learning In Collaborative Learning Teams, our staff had the opportunity to meet

and review student progress, to learn about improving student literacy,

numeracy and engagement and how to use technology to enhance

educational opportunities among other topics.

Please remember, instructional minutes were added to each school day during the year so that staff could participate in collaborative learning teams

with no loss to overall student instructional time.

Specific areas of professional learning included: Bringing Science Alive at

BJSHS, Tackling Technology, Universal Design for Learning,

Socialization of Students with Intensive Needs in Our Community,

Scaffolding in Junior High English Language Arts, Mindfulness,

Curriculum Mapping, Student Engagement & 21st Century Learners in

Mathematics, Technology for Students on the Autism Spectrum and

specialized groups in Physical Education, Music, School Counselling and

French.

Centennial Graduating

Class of 2015

Continuous School Improvement

Continuous School Improvement is a process designed to help the school focus on positive changes: CSI ensures that

we include all students in school change, identify what we need to do differently for positive change, and ensure we

stay on track with our goals.

School Goals

During the 2014-2015 school year, Bridgewater Junior Senior High School worked on two goals as part of

our continuous school improvement plan:

Goal # 1: We will enhance instructional practice at BJSHS to best support and engage all students.

In focusing on this goal, Bridgewater Junior Senior High School worked toward developing a shared

understanding of curriculum outcomes and resources, improved communication in the areas of

assessment, teaching strategies, and timing of assignments. We also streamlined our Program Planning

Process.

Staff utilized Collaborative Learning Team (CLT) times to tackle this first goal, and learned a great deal

from each other about best practices in instruction and assessment. We continue to strive to meet the

needs of all students through our Program Planning Team and added extra Grade Level Meetings to

further open lines of communication about the success and challenges our students face.

Goal # 2: We will respect and celebrate diversity at BJSHS by promoting equality for all students in

every aspect of student life.

As we worked toward this second goal, we included & celebrated different cultural practices within our

school community, engaged in Professional Development in the area of mindfulness. Furthermore, the

school administration maintained a restorative approach to discipline and attendance. BJSHS was

honoured to be named a Nova Scotia International Student Program (NSISP) “Welcoming School” this

year and we look forward to embracing more international students in the coming years.

Bridgewater Junior Senior High School www.bridgewater.ednet.ns.ca

100 York Street Bridgewater, NS B4V 1R3 (902) 541-8260