Chalmers Street PS – School Learning and Improvement Plan (SLIP) 2024–2025

At Chalmers, our School Learning and Improvement (SLIP) work is guided by three key areas: Literacy, Math, and Wellbeing. We are proud of the progress made this year and remain committed to continuous growth for every student.

Literacy
We are working toward the shared goal that all students will be able to read by the end of Grade 2. Encouragingly, the number of students requiring placement in the Empower reading intervention program has dropped from 35 in 2022 to just 10–12 in 2024. All Kindergarten to Grade 2 teachers are now trained in Acadience, and additional programs such as Heggerty, UFLI, and Syllasense are being used to support early readers. While Grade 3 and 6 scores show modest improvement, many of our youngest learners are still not meeting key benchmarks. To address this, staff are forming small instructional groups using data-driven approaches and focusing on writing development in Grades 3 and 4 through strategies like The Writing Revolution and daily bell work.

Math
Math learning at Chalmers is becoming something students look forward to. Student surveys show a major increase in positive attitudes: Grade 6 students reporting “Math is one of my favourite subjects” rose from 25.9% to 54.3%, and Grade 3 from 45.7% to 63.5%. Our EQAO results reflect this momentum, with both Grade 3 and 6 achieving their strongest outcomes in recent years. This progress is linked to consistent teaching practices, support from Coach’s Corner, and specialized staff interventions. While overall scores remain below board and provincial averages—particularly in Knowledge & Understanding and Application—our trajectory is one of growth and optimism.

Wellbeing
We believe students learn best in safe, caring, and inclusive environments. At Chalmers, wellbeing is supported through programs like Zones of Regulation, WITS, Cougar Agreements, and Growth Mindset practices. Equity and school culture are at the heart of our work, with student leadership clubs, Earth Day cleanups, Autism Awareness initiatives, Terry Fox Walk, intramurals, mentorship from Glenview Park SS students, and cultural learning opportunities such as the Walk for Wenjack, Black Brilliance Gallery Walks, and Haudenosaunee dancers. Family engagement is also thriving—80 families joined us for Math and Literacy Night, STEMovation, School Council has grown from 7 to 14+ members, and our pilot Multilingual Storytime was a great success.

Next Steps
Looking ahead, we are focused on building on these successes. For 2025–2026, our goals include:

  • Strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy through consistent small group, tiered instruction.

  • Ensuring high expectations and student voice are at the center of learning.

  • Providing dedicated time for teachers to refine group formation strategies in literacy and math.

  • Enhancing monitoring and feedback to keep instruction aligned and effective.

With our dedicated staff, engaged families, and supportive community, we are confident that Chalmers will continue to grow and thrive. Together, we are creating a learning environment where all students can succeed and belong.