How are these defined?
- Engagement – one’s involvement in and enthusiasm for school e.g. “I believe schoolwork is important”.
- Hope – one’s ideas and energy for the future e.g. “I believe that I will graduate from high school”.
- Wellbeing – how one thinks about and experiences one’s life e.g. “What I think about my life now and how I think it will be in 5 years”.
We receive real time results and anticipate student problems before they happen with the use of a student survey in these areas.
We record individual results on our student report cards and discuss them at parent /teacher/ student interviews. Our Student Support Team immediately act on individual student scores that may appear to be of concern.
Like at our sister Nativity school, Mother Teresa Middle School of Regina, active student engagement is an essential part of the Gonzaga Middle School educational brand. “Student engagement, hope and wellbeing account for between a quarter and a third of the variance in student academic success” Gallup (2012).
At GMS, we measure and develop awareness of our students’ perceptions of these indicators of student success in attendance and school achievement.
Our students complete hope, wellness and engagement surveys three times per year. Their results are recorded in their report card and discussed with parents and staff. A strong working relationship between home and school is critical for hope development in students.
Make Student “Hope” Happen
At GMS we believe that hope matters, that it is a choice and can be measured, learned and shared with others. How students think about their future…“how they hope”, helps determine how well they will live their lives. At our school, we help connect today with tomorrow by actively engaging students in their own short and long term goal setting. We model hope and build pathways of personal action upon student strength. We count on our caring staff, volunteers and generous mentors who will help our students see a brighter future when life is challenging. By way of hope, engagement and commitment to our students we aim to change lives through education – one student at a time.
