Norway Jr.

55 Corley Avenue
Toronto M4E 1T8
Web Site

Norway Elementary School
MY SCHOOL REVIEW

Key Facts about Norway

Norway has a history of over 150 years

Norway has 280 students

JK to Grade 6 including special education

ESL and others indicators of ethno-cultural diversity is very low.

The schools sits high (at about 350) on the Learning Opportunity Index, yet does have pockets of poverty because of TCHC housing and artists and other low-income persons in the neighbourhood.

Well-rounded curriculum. Strong athletics program. Bring artists into the school. Itinerant music programs also offered.

Norway Community Comments:

Community outreach & Communication
• Barriers because of geographic layout of school and schoolyard
• Difficulty identifying where the front entrance of the school
• Community would like Norway School to be seen as a place to go in the community
• Outreach to the community to bring the community members into the school

Actions
• Need sign on property to say what is happening in school – TDSB signage on both Kingston Road and Corleigh
• Look at landscaping of school yard – could better differentiate a main entrance to the school- would be more welcoming - could use creative things like ‘footprints’ on the pathway to school
• Open house for community - book fair for all of community – all ages
• Gym accessible to all of community
• Develop programs for community –e.g. seniors book clubs- pet seminars – have scouts/cubs, want to expand to other community groups – bring the community together – teens use of facilities – basketball – exercise – so school not seen as a place to just hang out – but to be involved
• Lower/erase Permit fees - limited community use could/should be expanded – gym is very useable
• Security – vandalism – somehow to be more user community friendly

Community Building & Social Skills
All of these small efforts establish the concept of “School Ownership”
• Seen as core skills, needed for the realms of modern life and in employment, such as conflict-resolution
• Students learning how to deal with stress/anger and frustration to move away focus on own needs
• Learning the power of making a difference
• Parents and staff supportive of programs which emphasize inclusion of students with special needs
• Exposure to different languages

Programs and Structures
• More cross grade contact- integration between the grades
• Reading buddies & mentoring programs

Actions
• Bring back after school programs! (E.g. Science Projects, Sports, Arts- Animation, Cooking, Sewing, Keyboarding, Languages)
• Games- board games – double dutch – exposure to different things
• Recess revival” or some other semi-structured or co-operative games
• Recess pals (older children working with younger children)

Daycare & After School Care
• Need Childcare in the school – effects enrollment from area - families chose to put their children in other schools because there is no daycare in the school – Childcare needs to be seen as important part of the school
• The only local public daycare is closing
• Drop-in and Parenting Centre would be wonderful, but space is an issue. School was build to take a second floor.

Actions
• Parent willing spearhead process to establish daycare/afterschool care in the school

Eco Schools
• Want Norway to be an Eco school

Actions
• Parent volunteered to steer application to become an Eco School, will gather an Eco Team, students and parents.
• As schools are situated deliberately close to each other, develop alternative energy sources through common school grids and their solar panels.
• School garden – volunteer parents to watch gardens
• Reduce size of “Daily Student Agendas”
• Leadership opportunity for senior students
• Teacher sign off sheets for developing the concept
• Recycling food waste
• Worm composting
• Composting brought into curriculum
• Littlerless lunch, parent principal will talk to students about it, send letter home.

Curriculum
• Exposing children to more languages – cultures
• Reading programmes with mentoring – reading buddies.
• Education on different cultures and religion (UK e.g.) history course re religion to help teach tolerance and acceptance, use equity calendar to celebrate holidays
• Part of curriculum- geography – traditions of different cultures
• Politics & civics

Special Education
• Specific skills help, additional help through several methods, including student teachers.
• Help for students exceptional “above and below”

Actions
• Ensure that differentiated programming is possible for all students

Life Skills
• Nutrition
• Body Image awareness being addressed for Junior students in class
• Media literacy also incorporated into curriculum
• Financial planning

Actions
• healthy snack programme – or lunch programme – even it is paid for by parents
• money management awareness could be offered

Technology
• Teaching keyboarding

Actions
• Teach keyboarding to children at a younger age - resource needed for teaching keyboarding.
• Technology – all types – text message – cell phone – computers
• Although not available here yet, the $100 laptop (Sound Wave, Calculator, Word Processing)

Actions
• Launch business resource to establish a yearly purchase plan for incoming students to build an inventory of computers for every child. Funds could be allocated in part through the Parent Council.
• Mixed feelings about this technology. Many parents think there should be more exposure to technology and some think there is too much emphasis

Arts
• Arts as an essential part of basic education
• Have choir, Choral groups
• Have Public speaking
• Have a part time Music teacher

Actions
• Bring in community artists
• Consolidate a list of parent skills through the Parent Council
• Mosaic or mural in Primary area, stairwell - artist to help design
• Could share intergenerational skills, Musical Instruments

Athletics
• Offer a strong range of athletics and physical activity and this would compliment the curriculum

Actions
• Renew school wide house leagues with activities during Lunch hour – want focus on participation not merit points, non-competitive

Roadblocks

No visible - Front Door or Main Entrance to the school
Geography of the school and the yard – isolated – need to separate the grades on the playground