School Learning Focus for the 2025/2026 school year
| School Learning Focus for the 2025/2026 school year | Our focus is to enhance student engagement by creating a "Caring Community of Learners" that embraces a commitment to community and school service. Although this is targeted for all students, it is aimed at meeting the needs of students that are not yet meeting expectation and need support in building their self-esteem through serve to others. Our focus is to enhance our students’ pride by creating a strength-based mindset ("Marlin Strong") that encourages students to embrace their authentic self and our diverse culture, leading to a strong sense of belonging and agency in their learning. This is targeted for all students, but is aimed at meeting the needs of students that do not feel a sense of belonging at McNair in classrooms, in the building and in the community. Our focus is to strengthen grade 8 student engagement, achievement, and confidence in literacy and numeracy that fosters and encourages students to extend themselves in their learning across the curriculum with a commitment to improve foundational reading, writing, and numeracy skills through intentional instruction, timely intervention, and meaningful opportunities for practice and apply. |
| Evidence-Informed Rationale (WHY) | Students who experience difficulty engaging, lack a sense of belonging, and don’t have foundational skills in literacy and Numeracy are at greater risk of disengagement and widening achievement gaps over time. Evidence indicates that early and ongoing, targeted intervention in engaging students in school, creating a sense of belonging and improving literacy and numeracy skill are effective ways to narrow achievement gaps and promote educational equity. Data-driven instruction, timely support, and flexible intervention models help address learning needs before challenges become entrenched, particularly for students who do not have formal designations but still require additional support. When schools provide protected time within the instructional day for focused skill development, students are more likely to demonstrate growth, confidence, and persistence in learning. |
| Priority Learners | Although this focus is designed to support all students, it is primarily aimed at meeting the needs of those who are not yet meeting expectations and require additional support. In literacy and numeracy, our priority learners are the youngest students at McNair, Grade 8s. By strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy skills during students’ in their first years at McNair, we create a strong base for success throughout their five years at the school and beyond. Early, targeted support helps build confidence, close learning gaps, and establish effective learning habits that positively impact students’ long-term academic achievement. |
| Baseline Data | Baseline evidence at McNair indicates a range of student performance in literacy and numeracy, with a growing number of students entering the school—particularly at the Grade 8 level—not yet meeting provincial expectations in foundational reading, writing, and numeracy skills. These gaps can impact students’ ability to fully access the curriculum across subject areas and may contribute to decreased confidence and academic engagement as students progress through secondary school. Baseline indicators related to student belonging and engagement reflect that while many students report a positive connection to the school community, a subset of learners—often those experiencing academic difficulty—demonstrate lower levels of participation, self‑confidence, and sense of belonging. These students are more likely to disengage from learning tasks and require additional support to build meaningful connections to their learning and the school community. Together, this baseline performance highlights the need for intentional, early intervention focused on strengthening literacy and numeracy foundations while simultaneously supporting student engagement and belonging. Addressing these areas concurrently provides an opportunity to reduce learning gaps, increase student confidence, and improve overall outcomes for students during their first year at McNair and throughout their secondary school experience. |
| Action Statement (HOW) | To advance this focus, teachers and support staff at McNair will take intentional, coordinated actions that strengthen literacy and numeracy skills while promoting student engagement, belonging, and agency. Use data to identify and support priority learners. Deliver targeted literacy and numeracy instruction. Leverage Flextime and Resource supports strategically. Foster student agency through goal setting and reflection. Create inclusive and engaging learning environments. Collaborate as a professional learning community. Through these actions, adults at McNair will provide consistent, responsive support that strengthens foundational skills, builds student confidence, and enhances engagement—particularly for Grade 8 learners—laying the groundwork for success throughout students’ five years at McNair and beyond. |
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| Evidence of Impact | |
| Alignment Statement |
Updated:
Friday, April 17, 2026