Transforming Literacy Success

The Learning Bar announces new workshop focused on supporting school leaders create and sustain a supportive and healthy work environment

NEWS

The Learning Bar announces new workshop focused on supporting school leaders create and sustain a supportive and healthy work environment

Transforming Literacy Success

The Learning Bar has introduced a new workshop for education leaders and educators looking to build and nurture a systemic culture of wellness. The workshop entitled ‘Leading a Systematic Approach to Well-being’ recognizes the critical link between educator well-being and student outcomes. Led by Gail Markin, a renowned educational consultant with over two decades of experience, it is designed to complement and enhance existing well-being and professional development programs within educational institutions.

Along with a framework for integrating well-being principles systematically across all levels of school operations it builds upon the core concepts of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and other well-being initiatives and offers actionable strategies that can be seamlessly integrated into current programs. This approach ensures that efforts to promote well-being are cohesive, comprehensive, and reinforce the institution’s overall goals for educator and student wellness.

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Thanks for joining us at Insights 2023: Rebounding & Rebuilding Systemwide Well-Being

NEWS

Thanks for joining us at Insights 2023:

Rebounding & Rebuilding Systemwide Well-Being

Thank you to all of those who could join us at Insights Alberta, ‘Rebounding and rebuilding systemwide well-being.’ It was a great day where many of our guest were able to share their experiences and learn new strategies to inform effective supports!

A special thank you goes out to our gracious host Rocky View Schools, what a wonderful location for the event and a great team to work with. We’d also like to thank our speakers Karen Power, Lori Meyer, Gail Markin, Jason Kupery, Shane Cranston, and Erika Publow, and panelists Jonathan Kaiswatum, Reg Klassen, David Dyck, and Mike Borgfjord. Their tireless work to support students and staff is inspirational.

If you would like to see the speakers and their presentations please click here. We will also be sharing details on further events and resources related to student and staff well-being shortly.

This is an exciting and challenging time in education and we are committed to working alongside you to give all children the opportunity to thrive.

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News Article- Insights Fall 2023

NEWS

Register now for Insights Alberta 2023

Theme - Rebounding and rebuilding systemwide well-being

We have dynamic education leaders from across Alberta who will talk about how they are rebuilding confidence in the school system and reigniting their relationship with the school community.  Join us as they share their experiences of how they are leveraging data to build new strategies to support the mental health of students and staff.

  • Harness the Power of Data: Discover first-hand how education leaders are utilizing data not just to monitor trends, but to advance a new vision of education. A vision that, in the wake of COVID, prioritizes the mental health of both students and staff, enhances overall well-being, and adapts flexibly to an evolving landscape of education.
  • Access Exclusive Strategies: Delve into a deep-dive panel discussion to unravel challenges faced by today’s leaders and hear what data-driven strategies they are implementing to improve school culture.
  • Optimize Funding Opportunities: Learn how other districts have tapped into provincial funding to support their well-being initiatives.

This is a great opportunity to connect with other thought leaders, share best practices, and discuss strategies to enhance support systems across your school or district. Your expertise and contribution make a difference. Join like-minded colleagues in our shared goal of advancing education.

We are expecting a full house and seating is limited so register early!

If you have any questions please feel free to email us directly.

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Manitoba Education and Early Childhood invests in child success with the Early Years Evaluation

NEWS

The Learning Bar is proud to be working with Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning to support their vision to ensure all children and students succeed, no matter where they live, their backgrounds, or their individual circumstances. The government will be using the Early Years Evaluation over the next three years to support the recommendations laid out in Manitoba’s K to 12 Education Action Plan to improve literacy and healthy childhood development outcomes.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the government to achieve their vision,’ said Colette Wasson, CEO of The Learning Bar. “Working closely with school administrators and educators, we know that the student, classroom, school, and district level data will provide invaluable insight to inform individual student interventions, school planning, and provincial policy decisions.”

The Learning Bar is already working with many of the school districts in Manitoba, including the Frontier School Division, who have recognized the positive impact and success of the assessment on their Kindergarten students. We are excited that this three-year contract with Manitoba most importantly will give all children the opportunity to thrive.

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Insights Symposium 2023

NEWS

Thank you for attending Insights!

We want to thank all those people who attended Insights 2023. We were pleased to see so many education leaders sharing their data stories and their impact on student outcomes. We hope this event gave you the opportunity to learn from, network, and hear strategies that you can apply to your own school environment.

A special thank you goes out to our gracious hosts in each location, the Frontier School Division in Manitoba, the Calgary Board of Education in Alberta, and Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board in Ontario.

Use the links below to see great presentations from our customers in

We hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did and we hope to see many more people over the next few years. Watch this space to find out when the next event is taking place!

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United Way 2022

A new partnership with United Way Regina

Unlocking a world of possibilities for more children across Canada

United Way 2022

The Learning Bar is proud to announce a new partnership with United Way Regina. On July 11, the first summer literacy camps developed between the two organizations launched at the Standing Buffalo Dakota School, Fort Qu’Appelle, SK. Fifteen students participated in the camps, designed to help children develop foundational reading skills. 

“We have witnessed such great success over the last two weeks. Children are truly engaged in learning how to read and more confident in their abilities. The reality is that 45% of children in Regina enter kindergarten not knowing letters and 26% are unable to read proficiently by the end of Grade 3,” said Robyn Edwards-Bentz, CEO, United Way Regina. “Our mission is to move the needle on early childhood literacy rates.”  

This figure is not unique to Regina, across Canada many provinces and territories are struggling to achieve better results. “For over 20 years our literacy rates have remained stagnant,” said Dr. Willms, Founder, The Learning Bar. “We have the power to change this by properly supporting educators. Unlike other camps, educators have the opportunity to build on their existing skills, increase their understanding of The Science of Reading, and are actually shown how to apply this in the classroom. The motivation, engagement, and achievement of these students speak for themselves.” 

The success of the summer literacy camps means the partnership between United Way Regina and The Learning Bar will continue to grow in 2023. ”Expanding and offering these camps to more divisions and schools throughout Saskatchewan is another step in our vision to reach more children.  We will continue to support school leaders and educators who are working so hard to improve early childhood literacy,” said Colette Wasson, CEO, The Learning Bar.  

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A child learning tor ead

Access our new Learning-to-Read to Reading-to-Learn Research Paper

Discover the optimum scope and sequence of skills children need to learn to get them on track to read by Grade 3

The successful transition from Learning-to-Read to Reading-to-Learn during the first three years at school is critical to students’ long-term success and yet despite living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, at least one-quarter of our children are struggling and vulnerable because they cannot read by Grade 3.

Clearly, we need to look at our approach to how we are teaching kids to read in kindergarten to Grade 3. We need a new plan to help our students recover from the pandemic or they, and we as a country, will continue to fall behind.

Download this paper developed by Dr. Doug Willms and the research team at The Learning Bar to learn the process of how children learn to read, based on recent research on the science of reading. It follows a three-phase model presented by Castles, Rastle, and Nation.[i] It extends their work by delineating the scope of each phase, defined in terms of a core set of skills, and proposes a sequence for teaching these skills. It concludes with a discussion about how the proposed scope and sequence align with common curriculum standards.

We can change results and quickly get children back on track, but we must make the development of children’s reading skill during the primary school period a priority for all schools. It will also require concerted investments to support educational leaders and teachers.

[i] Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19, 5–51.

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Our Team - Dr Doug WIllms Classroom

Dr. Doug Willms was awarded Professor Emeritus distinction at this morning’s UNB Graduation.

Our founder, Dr. Doug Willms was  awarded Professor Emeritus distinction at this morning’s UNB Graduation. The University of New Brunswick has awarded Professors Emeriti distinctions to four of its retired professors who have served the university with great distinction. Doug is one of four professors to received this prestigious award. Click here for more information:

https://www.unb.ca/graduation/emeriti.html#willms

Congratulations Doug, we are all so proud of you!

Our Team - Dr Doug WIllms Classroom
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The OurSCHOOL survey now meets the legislative requirements of Ontario’s Anti-Racism Act; PPM 144: Bullying Prevention and Intervention; and Anti-Racism Data Standards.

Canada’s largest school climate survey now meets the legislative requirements outlined by the Government of Ontario. To help school divisions achieve their equity and inclusivity goals, The Learning Bar has added 13 new demographics to the OurSCHOOL secondary student survey.

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DEMOGRAPHIC DRILLDOWNS

۰ Grade
۰ Sex
۰ Sex Inclusive
۰ Gender Identity
۰ Language Spoken at Home
۰ Grade Repetition
۰ Immigrant Status
۰ Indigenous Status
۰ Disability
۰ Change School
۰ Race
۰ Religion
۰ LGBTQ2S+

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DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

۰ Socio-Economic Factors
۰ Age
۰ Sexual Orientation
۰ Gender Expression

۰ Ethnic Origin
۰ Canadian Identity
۰ LGBTQ2S+ Ally
۰ LGBTQ2S+

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DEMOGRAPHIC DATA PROJECTS ITEMS

۰ Language First Spoken
۰ Indigenous Identity
۰ Canadian Status
۰ Disability
۰ Sexual Orientation

One survey… multiple solutions

Out of the box, the OurSCHOOL student survey reveals insights into the climate of inclusivity, diversity, and equity within your division. Students’ differing experiences of engagement, sense of belonging, bullying, safety, and well-being tell a rich and compelling story.

Click here to find out more about the suite of powerful reporting on School Climate Measures, Demographic Factors, and Demographic Drilldowns.

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Becoming a reader in 75 days

Learn how to strengthen your childs’ reading skills in 75 days!

We are proud to announce a new course for parents and caregivers of children aged 4 to 6 who want to learn the core strategies for supporting their child in becoming a reader. 

This course ‘Becoming a reader in 75 days’ equips caregivers with the knowledge and sequence of foundational reading skills and provides fun and engaging activities for teaching children at home.

Click here to find out more.

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