Growth Plans 2004 - 2005
On August 9, 1993 , As-Sadiq Islamic Schools became incorporated under the direction and leadership of Syed Muhammad Rizvi and Dr. Liyakatali Takim. At that time the impetus for the establishment of a private denominational school came from the Jaffari Community's concern that their children were beginning to lose contact with their cultural heritage, traditions and their Islamic values.
The objects for which the corporation was incorporated were:
- To establish, maintain and operate in the Province of Ontario denominational Schools aimed at educating children at the nursery, kindergarten, elementary and secondary school levels through a curriculum closely complying to the public schools academic goals, achievement standards and teacher qualifications.
- To impart religious and moral education according to the principles of the Jaffari Islamic Faith.
- To promote in the student body, the universally accepted values of tolerance, mutual understanding, peace and good citizenship.
On September 2, 1994 As-Sadiq Islamic School opened its doors for the first time at an opening ceremony attended by members of the community, the Board of Trustees, the Mayor of Vaughan, the President of the World Federation and many prominent persons from the broader community. Initially the school offered classes from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 2. A playcare program for the four and five year olds was also available for families whose children required full time attendance. During the next four years classes from Grades 4 – 8 were added to meet the school's growing needs. Local teaching staff were used to develop programs in Arabic, Quran, Islamic Studies and Fiqh.
In 1998, As-Sadiq Islamic School became the first Shia school in North America to offer a curriculum which included a full program of academic studies and religious studies in an Islamic environment.
In 2003 the Board of Trustees decided to introduce a Montessori component to the school to educate children from two and one-half years of age to six years of age. At the conclusion of Casa I and II programs graduates are enrolled in the regular school Grade 1 – 8 stream which is based on the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum.
Introduction A school improvement plan is a road map that sets out the changes a school needs to make to improve the level of student achievement, and shows how and when these changes will be made.
School growth plans are selective: they help principals, teachers, and school councils answer the questions “What will we focus on now? And “What will we leave until later? They encourage staff and parents to monitor student achievement levels and other factors, such as the school environment, that are known to influence student success. With up-to-date and reliable information about how well students are performing, schools are better able to respond to the needs of students, teachers and parents.
One of the first steps-a crucial one-in developing an improvement plan involves teachers, the school council, parents, and other community members working together to gather and analyse information about the school and its students, so that they can determine what needs to be improved in their school. As the plan is implemented, schools continue to gather this kind of data. By comparing the new data to the initial information on which the plan was based, they-and the community-can measure the success of their improvement strategies.
Real change takes time. It is important that all partners understand this as they enter into the school improvement planning process. Incremental improvements are significant, and they should be celebrated, but they do not constitute lasting change. School improvement plans are therefore best designed as three-year plans:
- year 1 is taken up with planning
- year 2 is the first year of implementation
- year 3 is the year in which implementation continues.
During initial deliberations, or as time goes on, the school may wish to extend the plan for additional years to ensure that its focus is maintained and progress is being made in reaching its goals. In any case, school improvement plans should be considered working documents that the school uses to monitor its progress over time and to make revisions when necessary to ensure that the plans stay on course.
In developing the school's growth plan, the principal, staff, school council, parents, and other community members work through a variety of activities focused on four areas of priority: curriculum delivery, school environment, parental involvement and the Islamic perspective.
- Adapted from the Education Improvement Commission, November 2000
In the fall of 2004, the Board of Trustees approved the recommended process for developing a school growth plan. A Steering Committee was established to provide direction to this process and a survey was prepared to solicit input from the whole community.
The response from the parent survey was very positive with 57 out of 100 families replying by the end of the first term and with many parents providing personal comments on school related issues and concerns. The data was summarized and an analysis provided the school with a list of strengths and weaknesses as perceived by the parents. This information was subsequently used during a series of workshops by teaching staff and parent representatives including the PTA to establish improvement priorities for the 2004 – 2005 school year in three broad areas:
- Enhancing the Islamic Perspective
Priority: The review of the Islamic Studies/Fiqh, Quran and Arabic programs will be used to devise strategies to enhance the Islamic perspective.
- Improving the School Environment and Enhancing Curriculum Delivery
Priority: The school will focus on high levels of student achievement through an emphasis on learning activities.
- Increasing Parental Involvement
Priority: The focus will be on providing parents with strategies to help students learn at home.
Action Planning Committees: For each improvement priority, an Action Planning Committee has been established. Each committee is responsible for maintaining a planning chart which will be uploaded to this site and revised on a regular basis as a means of keeping our community informed of its work.
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