Instructional Capacity

<p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Carole Fullerton is always a fun and welcomed guest at our school, bringing positive energy and enthusiasm wherever she goes. Her work has been instrumental in helping increase numeracy levels through practical, student-centered strategies. She also supports teachers by building instructional capacity and strengthening confidence in math instruction. We always value the learning, collaboration, and joy she brings to our school community.</span></p><table class="editor-table" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col style="width: 50%;"><col style="width: 50%;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/5b2c1fbd-908b-4103-94cd-817269a29626?fingerprint=ppb20260506222624" alt="Math made fun with Carole" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/f6484c7f-6a8e-4c04-9d22-9f0b590e3b9f?fingerprint=ppb20260506222622" alt="Math made fun with Carole 2" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Julie Knevel delivered an amazing workshop focused on 6 Minute Solutions and how to effectively leverage the program to strengthen reading comprehension. She clearly explained practical strategies that teachers could immediately apply in their classrooms. The session was engaging, well-structured, and grounded in real instructional practice. Participants left feeling confident and inspired to use the program more intentionally to support student learning.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/f5924b73-ca16-4513-9765-9f126b883548?fingerprint=ppb20260506221334" alt="6 Minute Solution to Leverage Reading Comprehension" width="493" height="369" style="width:493px;height:369px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Literacy Bins grew out of the hands-on work happening at Chilcotin Road during the 2024–25 school year and were developed by Marianne and Erin, with support from our SLP, Charlotte Lundeen. They’re grounded in the same adapted core assessment we’re now using across the district. The bins follow a phonics-based sequence (aligned with UFLI), with each skill building on the next, and include ready-to-use decoding, encoding, and reading activities. The skills themselves are curated—not created by us—which means teachers can trust they’re aligned with strong literacy practice. What makes these bins so useful is their flexibility: teachers can target a specific skill for intervention, easily track progress, and then adapt or personalize activities to match their teaching style. They’re especially helpful for K–6 classrooms, new teachers, and LSTs looking to build strong, functional literacy foundations through a consistent connection between assessment and instruction. Marianne, our Helping Teacher, is available to model and co-teach using the bins, with sample kits ready to go (both in print and digital formats on the Teams literacy portal). Erin, in her IEC role, will help connect teams, and Marianne will follow up to support ongoing use in classrooms.</span></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">HR, PVP and some CCTA staff have been actively engaged in numerous recruitment efforts to date. In person events include Lakehead - Thunderbay, Lakehead - Orillia, University of Alberta, Windsor University, UBC and VIU. In person events allow interested teachers to shop the districts they may be interested in working in - which means there is a lot of talking to a lot of people in a 4-5 hour time span. Making quick connections is necessary as is follow up to keep potential applicants interested. In contrast, the online events that we have hosted this year (including a showcase with Make a Future and a 3 day French Teacher Fair with Destinations Canada) require a presentation that grabs the interest of potential applicants as well as answers any potential questions, in roughly 30 minutes or less. People sign up because they are curious - they join us from around the world. These are difficult platforms because we don't see the audience. Follow up is critical.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">On April 30th we are participating in the BC K-12 Education Job Fair with Apply to Education. In this joint effort, HR, PVP and CCTA will engage with interested applicants from across the country. This is an economical way to engage with applicants we may not otherwise reach. This is a competitive online fair with numerous BC School Districts engaging with the same applicants.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">With anticipated vacancies for 2026/27 school year, we will be hosting an online District Showcase in early July (to showcase external positions) with registration moderated by Apply to Education. This type of dedicated event has proven to have a good rate of return (investment to hire ratio) when reviewing previous events we have hosted.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay tuned for future updates!</span></p><table class="editor-table" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col style="width: 50%;"><col style="width: 50%;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/18e7692e-63ea-467a-acd2-75a4db53c3ff?fingerprint=ppb20260415042246" alt="Recruitment Update2 Jennifer Loewen" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/725010ce-5079-4b3d-a8aa-210381f812d6?fingerprint=ppb20260415042243" alt="Recruitment Update1 Jennifer Loewen" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In Student Support Services, we’ve been spending time really looking at how we work together as a team.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s been a focus on understanding our impact—not just in the work we do, but in how we show up with each other and with schools. That’s meant having some honest conversations, supporting one another, and being open to adjusting our practice when needed.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We’re also seeing more and more collaboration across our team, with a growing understanding that it’s not about what any one of us brings, but what we bring together. People are reaching out, sharing ideas, and leaning on each other’s strengths in a way that is making our work stronger and more consistent.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This connects directly to the idea of compassionate systems—where we recognize that how we support each other as adults matters. When our teams feel supported, connected, and valued, that carries through to the schools and students we serve.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This work is helping build a culture where people feel comfortable asking for help, sharing thinking, and working through challenges together—and that’s making a difference.</span></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mrs. Harrison writes: "I focused on Carole Fullerton's resource "Sums and Differences", as she had been in my class in late January, modelling intentional strategies for addition and subtraction. Building mathematical competency in students is part of building my own instructional capacity. She showed me ways to differentiate math activities to a strength-based model. Nara Riplinger shared a video of Carole Fullerton's with me a bit ago and I viewed it as well as began reading Carole's book".</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/26b2bdd9-fdb5-46c8-a1b4-803be04259e5?fingerprint=ppb20260306034250" alt="Teachers engaging in Pro D doug brown" width="555" height="708" style="width:555px;height:708px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Some teachers of Chilcotin Road Elementary gathered together to explore the world of UFLI. Mrs. Hutchinson writes: "I spent my Pro-D day learning about the UFLI Phonics program and exploring how it supports systematic, explicit reading instruction. The training deepened my understanding of how to strengthen students overall literacy skills through consistent routines and targeted practice. I am looking forward to implementing these strategies in my classroom to better support early readers".</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/7b0558e8-556c-47f4-8330-8c8ca87bb159?fingerprint=ppb20260306032945" alt="Instructional Capacity Pro D doug brown" width="507" height="676" style="width:507px;height:676px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Some teachers participated in session 2 of the 4 seasons of Indigenous Learning. This module was about connecting with the land and working on building that connection through talks with the land in the traditional languages. Land plays an important role and brings connection, connecting all things together.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/40be389e-f324-455d-a43f-f0ba2479386e?fingerprint=ppb20260306032138" alt="Chilcotin Road Engages in Pro D doug brown" width="641" height="324" style="width:641px;height:324px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Teachers from Chilcotin Road Elementary were engaged in Bryan Gidinski's Layered Literacy Pro-D. They were given the tools to immediately implement new strategies in the classroom that would enhance literacy learning. Specifically their writing output from students.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/41c54c65-61eb-4363-8923-bb5ccffce66c?fingerprint=ppb20251217033943" alt="Layered Literacy doug brown" width="293" height="391" style="width:293px;height:391px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Many SD27 educators recently participated in a four-week Outdoor Learning course designed to strengthen Social Emotional Learning (SEL) practices. Each 60-minute session offered practical strategies to support student wellbeing through nature-based experiences.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the four weeks, educators explored:</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-Mindfulness and self-awareness through sit spots, nature observation, and journaling.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-Social awareness and communication through cooperative outdoor play and group activities.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-Emotional regulation and perseverance through outdoor challenges that require patience and problem-solving.</span><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-Ethics, stewardship, and community-building using Indigenous pedagogies and land-based learning.</span><br><br><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This learning series expanded instructional capacity by equipping teachers with simple, powerful routines that connect SEL and the outdoors—strengthening both classroom practice and student engagement.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/8bc725e3-8479-48f0-ba37-56d1d04107f5?fingerprint=ppb20251217034956" alt="Outdoor SEL kimberley ikebuchi" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/e2c06472-82a6-4430-bb57-6126fd91a38d?fingerprint=ppb20251217040405" alt="Outdoor SEL 2 kimberley ikebuchi" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A team of us got together to learn more about Autism and girls. Super valuable information especially for this team of educators. Thank you Kristy Petroni for leading us this morning.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/239fc7cd-27a4-4c6d-add2-b50780547c23?fingerprint=ppb20251217033808" alt="IMG 3642 doug brown" width="362" height="271" style="width:362px;height:271px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Carole Fullerton has played a large role in helping to transform numeracy in Chilcotin Road. Big thank you to teacher Tarla-Rae Sayenchuk for her willingness to be vulnerable and allowing a fellow professional to come into her learning space and help guide instruction. 9 Educators from around the district came to observe the Fullerton Magic.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/86cb55a8-7526-413e-a55e-5523d53f59b9?fingerprint=ppb20260208031027" alt="Chilcotin Road Friend visits again2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/da762e1e-c4f4-4cac-843c-12b0d61bcaa2?fingerprint=ppb20260208031026" alt="Chilcotin Road Friend visits again1doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Staff gathered at the beginning of the year and we learned together how to easily do some fun circle learning outside. Thank Educo for teaching us some fun new handshakes that teachers could share with their classes.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/eaa43735-e799-494a-8ad6-101b22fb0a09?fingerprint=ppb20260128053413" alt="Learning Simple Circle Activities2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/2dd8ccec-306e-4ab8-967a-6217056549df?fingerprint=ppb20260128053412" alt="Learning Simple Circle Activities1 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Carol Fullerton working with staff and students, helping to strengthen Numeracy at Chilcotin Road. As part of our School Plan for Learner Success, we believe that strengthening our teams capacity to engage students in new ways will increase and strengthen our students overall Numeracy scores and engagement. Who would of thought that all it would take was a box of Cheerios to make math fun.</span></p><div data-lexical-layout-container="true" style="grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; display: grid;"><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><img src="/images/0e38bc1b-e48e-55ac-ba25-29d31851fac0?fingerprint=ppb20251217033715" alt="ebh8k9zg.jpg" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit"></p></div><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><img src="/images/0a834ff2-ab26-5993-80c4-9ee8119e7fba?fingerprint=ppb20251217033659" alt="sd3go1u2.jpg" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit"></p></div></div>