TOWARDS 20/20
STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE APRIL 2018
CONTENTS Eight Directions.................................................................................................... 4 Embracing Overlap............................................................................................... 5 Towards 20/20 Celebrations ................................................................................ 6 HSC Panwerx ................................................................................................. 6 Lawson Hall Renovations ................................................................................ 7 Grade 2 Mouse Library.................................................................................... 8 Story of a Limit............................................................................................... 9 PBL Canada Conference ............................................................................... 10 Blackbaud K-12 User Conference .................................................................. 11 Montessori Five Great Lessons ...................................................................... 12 Growing Biodiversity at HSC ......................................................................... 13 Directions in Action ........................................................................................... 14
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EIGHT DIRECTIONS 2
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Global and Local Connectedness
Entrepreneurial Spirit
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4 Joyful and Engaged Students
Personalized Authentic Learning
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6 Strong HSC Community Connections and Engagement
Resilience and Wellness
All supported by... 7 Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration
Collaborative and Innovative Faculty and Staff
STRATEGIES
ANNUAL OVER SIX YEARS
ACTIVITIES ONGOING
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8 Financial Sustainability and Accessibility
EMBRACING OVERLAP Another school year is well underway and we have been busy implementing initiatives and activities to build our community, create opportunities and foster a sense of joy about learning in each of our students. Through the objectives of our strategic plan, Towards 20/20, we are working together to create initiatives that make our campus a better place to come to school and work. HSC staff, students, alumni and supporters make up an enthusiastic team interested in preserving our College’s legacy and building a brighter future for the students of today and tomorrow. This update celebrates a handful of the many exciting projects that have taken place on campus since September and provides insight into some of the strategies that are currently in motion.
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TOWARDS 20/20 CELEBRATIONS HSC PANWERX This year the College introduced new courses in the Senior School: Hospitality and Tourism (Culinary Arts) Grade 11 U/C and 12 U/C. The course enables students to develop and expand knowledge and skills related to hospitality and tourism. Students learn about preparing and presenting food, evaluating facilities, controlling inventory, marketing, managing events and activities and developing customer relationships. Panwerx is HSC’s student-run catering company that opened in 2017. The culinary masterpieces created by this team have been showcased at holiday dinners for the board and Leadership Team, as well as for the guests of HSC’s Fashion Wish.
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LAWSON HALL RENOVATIONS We believe positive food culture is linked to academic performance and a student’s well-being. In September, we unveiled our newly renovated Lawson Hall and introduced our new food services program. Working with consultants from Dana Hospitality, we enhanced our menu and offerings. Meals are prepared from scratch using local Ontario ingredients. All of the food we produce is high in whole grains, naturally low in sodium, prepared using healthy cooking techniques and portioned appropriately. We strive to ensure that every student eating in Lawson Hall has access to nutritious and safe food. As part of our allergy awareness program, common food allergens used in recipes are noted with every meal served.
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GRADE 2 MOUSE LIBRARY After reading Daniel Kirk’s book Mouse Library, Grade 2 teachers Lisa Mitchell and Barb Reade gave each student a small stuffed mouse. The toy served as a reminder to the students that they could do whatever they put their minds to, but it turned into a beacon for imagination. Students wrote books for their mice on 2”x2” sheets of paper and soon realized that they didn’t have anywhere to store the books for their mice. After attending the PBL Canada Conference hosted at HSC, Mrs. Mitchell posed the question to the students themselves, and the Mouse Library came to life. The Grade 2 students interviewed several HSC specialists and used the data they collected to build a four-storey library complete with lighting, a fireplace, artwork, laser cutter, elevators, rooftop patio, computer lab, mindfulness zone, gender-neutral washroom, maintenance shed and living museum. Click here to read how the Grade 2 students checked off all eight elements of a Gold Standard PBL project.
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STORY OF A LIMIT On November 23, 2017, Grade 12 math students visited the Grade 4 and M9 classrooms to teach the younger students a little bit of calculus. The Senior School students had been studying the concept of limits and teacher Michael Moore proposed the challenge of simplifying the concept for the younger audience. The Grade 12 students took the knowledge they had and created a variety of videos, presentations, games and story books to illustrate the concept and educate the Grade 4s and M9s.
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PBL CANADA CONFERENCE HSC fully embraces the project-based learning (PBL) pedagogy because it helps us develop joyful, engaged students. We are committed to shifting practices and methodologies from a teacher-directed, content-oriented environment to one that is strongly influenced by student inquiry, creativity and innovation. Students learn through inquiry and problem-solving—they are presented with scenarios to research, or given the opportunity to delve into their own interests. The learning goals are the same for each student, but the process of exploration is as unique as the learner. In August 2017 we hosted the first annual PBL Canada Conference in partnership with the Buck Institute for Education. Education professionals from across the country joined us on campus to learn how to implement the standards of project-based learning. Click here to see what we have in store for the 2nd annual PBL Canada Conference, taking place August 20-22, 2018.
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BLACKBAUD K-12 USER CONFERENCE On November 16 and 17, 2017 HSC hosted Blackbaud users from across the country at the Blackbaud K-12 User Conference. The conference was coordinated by our Manager of Whole School Connected, Batula Grant, who was also a keynote speaker at the event. This was the first annual Canadian conference by Blackbaud. Over 100 participants from 40 schools enjoyed two action-packed days of idea sharing, networking, hands-on training and education about best practices. The conference was created for schools that are currently using, or exploring the use of, Blackbaud’s K-12 “ON” product solutions. HSC has been recognized as a leader in these products because of our early implementation and the enthusiasm of our Whole School Connected team. The conference included keynote addresses from Blackbaud specialists, as well as breakout sessions with education leaders who are using the products with great success.
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MONTESSORI FIVE GREAT LESSONS Every year, Montessori students in M 6-9 explore topics based on the Montessori pedagogy’s Five Great Lessons and create projects that are extensions of their curiosity and imagination. The Five Great Lessons are broad concepts: History of Math, History of Writing, Creation of the Universe, Timeline of Humans and Timeline of Life on Earth. These topics provide students with a big picture of the world, life, and the student’s connection to them. The lessons become a springboard for deeper exploration. Students identify their individual interest and pose problems to research. The projects that were presented during International Montessori Week (February 28 to March 2, 2018) explored varied topics based on student interest in connections. For example, writing exploration varied from Morse Code to hieroglyphics and the diary of Anne Frank. Each project demonstrated the imagination and passion that only selfdirected learning can deliver.
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GROWING BIODIVERSITY AT HSC HSC students have been working hard to find ways to improve biodiversity on campus. Middle School teacher John Hannah, and several Middle School students, kicked off the school year by hosting an environmental mentorship experience in the Junior and Montessori Schools. The young students began a biodiversity inventory of our HSC campus by getting outside and exploring their environment, even capturing their findings with the iNaturalist app. The concept for learning is an extension of the popular #kindergartenbioblitz movement. The College also hosted its second annual Biodiversity Fair on December 15, 2017. Twenty-three projects were showcased by 78 students. Using problem-based learning techniques, students researched the question: “How do we make HSC more biodiverse?� They researched topics they were passionate about and introduced solutions to make campus a happy place for plants, birds and animals.
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DIRECTIONS IN ACTION
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Early Education Music Classes
HSC Fashion Wish
CAIS U15 National Soccer Championship
College-wide Giving over the Holidays
This collection barely skims the surface. Click here to read a more comprehensive list of directions in action.
Hot Jazz on a Cool Night
College-wide Flex Time
Junior School Spotlight Series
Middle School France Exchange 15
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Montessori Spaghetti Dinner
Ram the Rink
HSC Science Fair
Wellness Week
Winterfest
Alumni Reunions
World Issues Conference
Community Hockey Tournament
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Hillfield Strathallan College | 299 Fennell Avenue West, Hamilton, ON L9C 1G3 | P. 905-389-1367 | F. 905-389-6366 | www.hsc.on.ca