Running head: DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ACTION PLAN

Detailed Description of Action Plan

Alana Parsons

University of Calgary
Objective

It is my hope that my chosen project will be implemented within the parameters of

ANONYMOUS School. The first objective of this project is to promote Comprehensive School

Health (CSH) and overall wellness within ANONYMOUS School. With an ultimate goal in

mind to promote the improvement of each child’s mental health and wellbeing. The second main

objective of my chosen project is to build resiliency and foster positive relationships within the

students. My last objective is to hopefully build qualities within children that are transferable

outside the classroom, into the playground, home and communities. This project will teach

children, through its links to curriculum, how students can implement the S4 program organized

by the Calgary Police Service.

I believe that part of implementing my project must include teacher professional learning

around the S4 cornerstones. Furthermore, this must include student education on the S4

cornerstones. This will occur during morning health class on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. Once

students are educated, under discretion of the homeroom teachers, the project may be launched.

The project will assign the grade five/six classroom with a comment box and questionnaire

sheets for the students to fill out throughout the school day mimicking a “kindness box”. The

comment sheet asks students to identify the name of the observed student, which S4 cornerstone

they observed and what occurred in the observed action. I do believe that it is important for the

classroom teacher to read out the observed actions during agenda time at the end of the school

day. I further believe that reinforcing positive behaviours daily will encourage positive student

relationships, as students will feel as if their positive actions are being recognized. Thus, be

encouraged to follow behaviours aligning with the S4 cornerstones of significance, success, self-

awareness and service. (Calgary Police Service, 2017)

 This project aligns with the determinants of health, outlined by the Joint Consortium for

School Health. (Joint Consortium for School Health, n.d)

 Social and Physical Environment: The incorporation of the S4 cornerstones into each

students daily life will improve the overall social environment of ANONYMOUS School.

This will promote an inclusive school community, where all students feel welcome while

they develop skills to promote positive relationships with their peers.

 Teaching and Learning: As the grade 5/6 students are encouraged to recognize the positive

behaviors within their classmates, they are placed in a leadership role. Students in in lower

grades can learn from the older students participating in the program.

 Healthy School Policy: It is my hope that this will promote overall mental well-being within

the students at ANONYMOUS school. This project is meant to create a safe and inclusive

space for all learners.

 Partnerships and Services: By having a partnership with the Calgary Police Service, there

are opportunities for classroom visits from Police Officers. This will help establish a

deepened relationship between students, community and the Calgary Police Service. This

will also help students understand the positive work done by the Calgary Police Service, and

their support for the Calgary community.

Opportunities

I recognize that ANONYMOUS School already acknowledges the importance of the S4

program. The S4 program is recognized because ANONYMOUS states “[a]ll members of the

school community will work to maintain and enhance the four quadrants of the S4 Circle”

(Calgary Board of Education, 2017, p. 4). As this is recognized on a schoolwide level, I feel

as if my proposed project needs to be implemented in the micro-classroom level. However, I

 believe that the implementation is lacking on an individual classroom level. It is my hope that

I would have full support of the principal, and the homeroom teachers in the Grade 5 and 6

classrooms. I believe that there could be more open opportunities for ANONYMOUS school

to implement this CSH project. Currently, I am not aware on any other upcoming events that

are connected to my proposed CSH project. However, I am hoping for further support from

the classroom teachers in grade 5/6, and eventually other teachers in the school.

Threats

 Lack of staff and administrator support: One possible threat to this project is the lack of

staff and administrator support for my proposed project. I believe that in order to have staff

and administrator support, I would need to educate personnel on the importance of students

recognizing the S4 cornerstones within their students. Once the project has plans to run

throughout every classroom, I believe it can be difficult to ensure every teacher is

implementing recognition box within their classroom on a daily basis. To effectively carry

out this project, every homeroom teacher must be on board and implementing this on a daily

basis. One solution for this threat may be to provide the administrators and other teachers

with proven research, and possibly other examples where a similar program was

implemented in another school. Another solution would be to have periodic professional

learning meetings where teacher share successes and areas for growth within the project.

 Lack of Student Dedication: Students may not take this project seriously, without the

proper education. Furthermore, it is important for the classroom teacher(s) to set out strict

guidelines on how students recognize the S4 behaviors. Children in younger grades might

additionally require more extensive education and modelling of the behaviors associated with

of the S4 cornerstones.
 Time: Although I argue that this proposed project will not require a great deal of extra time

to be executed, I believe that time management needs to be assessed before implementation.

One issue that may arise is that students may take time away from their work in order to

continually fill out forms to place in the box. It is important for teachers to reinforce that this

box is not to be a distraction or used as a means for avoiding tasks.

Individual Strengths

I have attended a professional development session on Executive Functions, and which further

deepened my understanding on maintaining healthy student relationships. Additionally, I can

bring the skills and knowledge that I have learned through engaging in an online professional

development session on “Promoting Empathy and Social Skills Development”. I have learned

how teachers can teach and encourage children to positively interact with their peers in the

classroom. As a pre-service teacher, I believe that I bring many new skills and most recent

research learned in the university setting about fostering positive student relationships in schools.

Individual Weaknesses (Areas for Improvement/Growth)

On the other hand, being a pre-service teacher means that I do not possess as much hands-on

experience in the classroom. Likewise, I do not have a personal relationship with personal within

the Calgary Police Service organizing the S4 program and would need to rely on administrative

assistance. Furthermore, being a pre-service teacher means that I have limited relationships with

other fellow ANONYMOUS teachers which might mean there could be difficulty in gaining

their acceptance for implementing my project in their classrooms. In order to overcome this, I

can rely on the help of my administrative staff and Principal to reinforce the positive intentions

of my project.
Research

I believe that this project closely mirrors some of the same aspects of a “kindness box”, that

teachers can implement within their classroom. One difference is that my project directly aligns

with a local service, the Calgary Police Service. There is some research that shows the benefits

of implementing a kindness box within the classroom. One research in particular discusses that

Students can drop brief notes about acts of kindness witnessed into a “kindness box”, to further

promote positive social interaction and prosocial behaviour. (Weinstein, Curran, & Tomlinson-

Clarke, 2003, p. 271) I believe that my box is more effective than a “kindness box” as it ties

directly with partnerships and services outlined in the CSH approach.

I was unable to find information on schools in Calgary that participate in the S4 program.

However, they stated that “S4 is a partnership between the Calgary Police Service, Calgary

Board of Education, Calgary Catholic School District, and Mount Royal University’s Centre for

Child Well-Being.” (Calgary Police Service, 2017) It is my assumption that the schools

participating in the program have seen positive effects.

Curricular Connections

My proposed project is set to initiate in an elementary division II setting. This project has

connections to curriculum for division II. However, the project is also transferable to a division I

setting, with outlined curriculum connections as well. Students should be able to demonstrate

some of the listed curricular outcomes below to be positively recognized by a fellow student. The

rest of the curricular outcomes listed below will be met throughout the completion and execution

of this project.

Division I Curricular Connections

 Health and Life Skills K - 9 (Alberta o Relationship choices: Students will

Education, 2002): develop effective interpersonal skills
 that demonstrate responsibility,
respect and caring in order to
establish and maintain healthy
interactions. (Alberta Education,
2002, p. 3)
o R–3.1 recognize the effects of sharing
positive feelings on self and others;
e.g., express appreciation to self and
others. (Alberta Education, 2002, p.
14)
o R–1.5 identify the characteristics of
being a good friend; e.g.,
consideration of feelings, kindness,
listening. (Alberta Education, 2002, p.
17)
o R–3.5develop strategies to build and
enhance friendships. (Alberta
Education, 2002, p. 17)
o R–2.5 demonstrate ways to show
appreciation to friends and others.
(Alberta Education, 2002, p. 17)
o R–3.6 demonstrate inclusive
behaviors regardless of individual
differences or circumstances; e.g.,
physical, emotional, cultural,
economic. (Alberta Education, 2002,
p. 17)
o L–3.7 assess how individual
contributions can have a positive
influence upon the family, school and
community. (Alberta Education,
2002, p. 25)
 Social Studies K-3 (Alberta Education,
2005):
o K.1.2 appreciate the unique
characteristics, interests, gifts and
talents of others
o K.2.3 appreciate how their
participation in their communities
affects their sense of belonging
Division II Curricular Connections
 Health and Life Skills K - 9 (Alberta
Education, 2002):
o 1.1.2 assume responsibility for their
individual choices and actions.
(Alberta Education, 2005, p. 3)
o 2.2.3 appreciate the importance of
collaboration and living in harmony.
(Alberta Education, 2005, p. 5)
o 2.S.6 develop age-appropriate
behaviour for social involvement as
responsible citizens contributing to
their community, such as: participate
in activities that enhance their sense
of belonging within their school and
community (Alberta Education, 2005,
p. 6)
o 3.S.6 develop age-appropriate
behaviour for social involvement as
responsible citizens contributing to
their community, such as: participate
in projects that improve or meet the
particular needs of their school or
community. (Alberta Education,
2005, p. 6).
 English Language Arts (Alberta
Education, 2000)
o Kindergarten: 1.1 Talk and represent
to explore, express and share stories,
ideas and experiences. (Alberta
Education, 2000, p. 8)
o Grade 1: 1.2 listen and respond
appropriately to experiences and
feelings shared by others. (Alberta
Education, 2000, p. 12)
o Grade 2: 1.2 connect own ideas and
experiences with those shared by
others; record ideas and information
in ways that make sense. (Alberta
Education, 2000, p. 12)
o Grade 3: 3.1 use self-questioning to
identify information needed to
supplement personal knowledge on a
topic. (Alberta Education, 2000, p.
49)
o R–6.5 develop and demonstrate
strategies to build and enhance
 relationships in the family; e.g., being
honest, expressing empathy. (Alberta
Education, 2002, p. 18).
o R–5.4 practise effective
communication skills; e.g., active
listening, perception checks (Alberta
Education, p. 15)
o W–5.8 promote safety practices in the
school and community. (Alberta
Education, 2002, p. 10).
o W–6.9 evaluate the impact of
personal behaviour on the safety of
self and others. (Alberta Education,
2002, p. 10)
o W–4.7 describe and demonstrate
passive, aggressive and assertive
behaviours; e.g., assertive strategies
for use in dealing with bullies
o W–5.7 identify personal boundaries,
and recognize that boundaries vary
depending on the nature of
relationship, situation and culture
 Social Studies 4 (Alberta Education,
2006):
o 4.S.1 evaluate, critically, ideas,
information and positions from
multiple perspectives (Alberta
Education, 2006, p. 9)
o 4.S.6 develop age-appropriate
behaviour for social involvement as
responsible citizens contributing to
their community: initiate projects that
meet the particular needs or
expectations of their school or
community. (Alberta Education,
2006, p. 10)
 Social Studies 5 (Alberta Education,
2007):
o 5.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral,
written and visual literacy: respond
appropriately to comments and
questions, using language respectful
of human diversity; listen to others to
understand their perspectives.
(Alberta Education, 2007, p. 10)
 Social Studies 6 (Alberta Education,
2007):
o 6.S.6 develop age-appropriate
behaviour for social involvement as
responsible citizens contributing to
their community, such as:
demonstrate commitment to the well-
being of their community by drawing
attention to situations of injustice
where action is needed (Alberta
Education, 2007, p. 7).
 English Language Arts (Alberta
Education, 2000):
o Grade 4: 2.1 use ideas and concepts,
developed through personal interests,
experiences and discussion, to
understand new ideas and
information. (Alberta Education,
2000, p. 19)
o Grade 5: 1.1 read, write, represent
and talk to explore personal
understandings of new ideas and
information; use own experiences as a
basis for exploring and expressing
opinions and understanding. (Alberta
Education, 2000, p. 10)
o Grade 6: 3.1 decide on and select the
information needed to support a point
of view. (Alberta Education, 2000, p.
50)