The 2021-22 school year at ORS was greatly influenced by the influx of new students into our building, both in September and throughout the school year. Including Kindergartens, 29 of our students were new to us this year. Similar to other buildings, receiving new students created challenges for our staff and students, but in our small school, the impact was magnified because this meant that 36% of the students now in our learning community were unfamiliar to us.
Some of these students came to us due to ordinary family relocation, others looking for an academic fresh start. While our staff members performed their due diligence to prepare for our new learners, the process of truly including these students had far more to do with revisiting Maslow than teaching pedagogy throughout the beginning of the school year.
Staff made a conscious effort to truly get to know students by identifying where they were coming from, what they needed to feel welcome and how best to meet their needs. Of course, there was a great deal of variety in what these students needed and how they individually presented inside the school. Despite our training, we were not completely prepared for the challenges we faced. Thankfully, we had essential support available to make the transition for these students as smooth as possible.
Teachers took time to explain as best as they could to young learners how some of our new students communicated and how we might support their needs. In no time, our new additions’ youngest peers were greeting them in the hallway and including them when their Phys-Ed warmup overlapped with their gym time experiences. Their level of acceptance was further represented when individual students took time to talk to new transfers about their peers and introduced them by name before identifying their challenges or condition. The goal of helping our new students successfully transition into ORS is made possible with the aid of caring students in creating a welcoming environment.
Similar processes occurred throughout the school year in many of our other classrooms. Students who struggled with reading were coached by peers who were familiar with supportive technology. Young boys invited a reluctant learner to play at recess. Explosive incidents in classrooms were dealt with in such a way that fresh starts the next day were possible. The resiliency of students in some of these situations made some adults envious of their abilities.
The new students that were welcomed into our building also brought a variety of abilities that contributed to the school environment for all of us. Students who came to us for their final year in a K-8 school became school leaders in every sense of the word. They served as strong role models for peers, both socially and academically. There were similar occurrences in other classrooms. In total, three students new to our building this year were recognized as our recipients of the Mountain View School Division Award. Two other new students shared our school Leadership Award and three others in Grade 7/8 received various academic awards. Students meeting with success after transitioning into a new school is a feat that is made possible by the environment that has been created and should be celebrated as an entire school.
The development of this environment has been a conscious focus for years at ORS. As with all schools, we endeavour to provide an inclusive and safe environment, along with opportunities for students to grow. These opportunities include both traditional and new activities to maximize the impact on students. In a K-8 school, many of our activities and events are student driven. Younger students quickly recognize that they are benefiting from the work of others and that eventually they will be assuming a different role in their school.
Our continued use of a Science Fair allows our Grades 5-8 students the opportunity to meet Science outcomes while also developing organizational and teamwork skills. The judging process at our local fair and for some students at the Westman event, provided students with an interaction which tested them on many levels.
Our 20% change in teaching staff, regardless of the fact that it was only one person, resulted in the influx of new ideas and an individual with a background and experiences that had the potential to reach a new range of students. A new teacher, especially one with a diverse teaching history, obviously brings a fresh perspective to the classroom and school. By introducing us to Pecha Kucha presentations, he provided students with a new extracurricular opportunity which allowed them to interact with a community audience. The students he reached and the community members that were involved, further demonstrated a need to look outside of the familiar in order to provide a variety of opportunities for our students to grow.
Whether it was the new students and staff introduced to our school or the ones already familiar to us, people made the school year one to remember at ORS.