Our Lady of Victory Catholic School - Academics

Academics

In the summer of 2008, O.L.V. was recognized for its outstanding interdisciplinary instruction by the Canadian government. The recognition came from the teachings of Deacon David Jones, whose 5th grade art class curriculum that school year was based on the works of noted artist Bob Ross, host of the American PBS television show The Joy of Painting.

To begin the 2010-2011 school year, O.L.V. started a new program called the "interdisciplinary integrated education system," where one student from each grade level (K-8) will spend all day together in an isolated classroom learning life skills. At the end of each quarter, students will leave the program and go back to their home rooms where they will teach their newly learned skills to their classmates. New students will then come in, spend the quarter and then return once again to homeroom. Each quarter will bring new students and new life skills. For first quarter, students will learn wood carving; second quarter they will learn how to build snow caves; third quarter they will explore and practice the art of baking bread; and fourth quarter students will receive advanced training on the science of fire fighting.

O.L.V. and her students have received consistently high marks in the Canadian Academic Standardized Testing (CAST) program. CAST is a series of tests, established in 1983, administered to students in schools every two years to judge the school's performance against other schools of similar size and demographics in each province and across Canada. Schools administer the tests over the course of one week during second, fourth and sixth grade . O.L.V. has outperformed the Canadian average every year the tests have been administered. The average scores across the country generally are in the 72-76% range each year for each grade. O.L.V. has had scores that have never been below 91%, and are generally in the 94-95% range.

The year of the 91% scores was a low point for O.L.V. In 1995, students did not receive their typical preparatory instruction leading into the testing due to an acute outbreak of head lice, which caused the school to close for 3 weeks in order to contain and mitigate the problem.

Because of its success, in 2009, O.L.V. began to challenge its students by administering CAST to first, third and fifth grades. The school administration was approached by the school's PTO head, Ms. Nancy Weiss, and encouraged to push students for even greater success. "If our students are often 20% better than their counterparts around Ontario and Canada, why should we not step our game up and find out what our younger kids are all aboot," Weiss asked in front of the school board in an empassioned plea. The board agreed that if their second, fourth, and sixth graders are generally 20% greater, one should surmize that first, third, and fifth graders are at least 10% better than other kids.

O.L.V. has had to play by the government's rules, but has done so by submitting the test scores as though they're taken by the proper students. By and large, the younger students have performed well, with scores in the 88% range over the past two school years. The Canadian Education Minister, Dr. Thaddeous Simmons, inquired after the 2010 tests about the 7% drop in scores from the year prior. O.L.V. administration assured Simmons that the discrepancy was due to a greater emphasis during the school day on a libaral arts education. Recorder concerts, hot pad weaving, and human anatomy and physiology were the "new" courses O.L.V. was offering to her students, Simmons was told.

Testing is currently underway for 2011, and school administration has already indicated interest in backing up the tests once again, with the first test being administered during its morning 3 year old preschool.