Focus on Student Success through Collaboration

At Abbotsford Traditional School we have a strong commitment to student achievement. Academic goals of improving numeracy and reading comprehension are two of our focuses. Aligning staffing with school goals is a sure way of keeping our eye on success. At ATS we have a middle Math Department head and a middle English Language Arts department head who work regularly with their team to talk about curriculum, instruction, and assessment to do our best to ensure that our students learn to the best of their ability. The structure of our middle Math Department and middle ELA Department is quite simple: since every enrolling teacher teaches either Math or English Language Arts, that means each teacher is a member of the Math or ELA team. Departments meet every two weeks during our Friday morning collaboration time to discuss topics that apply to all classrooms – not just the nitty-gritty of daily teaching, but primarily on effective teaching practices, new approaches to curriculum, new ways for students to demonstrate their learning, collaborating on our district math and ELA assessments – SNAP for Math and the Vernon Reading Assessment for ELA. Teachers also discuss new learning, new resources, and professional development opportunities that will make our teachers more informed and more effective in guiding students in their learning. 

Over the years, our dedicated Math and ELA Department heads have led their staff through reviews and discussions of emerging resources, created collaborative middle school-wide marking sessions, planned instructional units together, and shared best practices and new practices, all of which ultimately align with our vision: We are a vibrant community of life-long learners, demonstrating shared values, building positive relationships, and celebrating our achievements. As our teachers maintain their connection to each other and work with and for each other, we have developed a strong commitment to each other and collectively have a greater impact on student success than we could have done working alone.

REG GABRIEL, PRINCIPAL
Abbotsford Traditional School