Numeracy Residency at Sorrento

The first Numeracy Residency is taking place at Sorrento Elementary School, bringing a collaborative and innovative approach to math instruction. Numeracy Helping Teachers Christine Blacklock and Marlee Penner are working with three Intermediate classrooms, taught by Ange Nitschke, Madison Dickie, and Melissa Green, every Wednesday for eight weeks.

To support this work, vertical whiteboards and flexible learning spaces have been introduced throughout the school. These tools are central to the Building Thinking Classrooms framework by Peter Liljedahl, which encourages student engagement, problem-solving, and mathematical discourse.

This initiative supports the Intellectual Development priority in the District Strategic Plan, which focuses on helping students meet or exceed literacy and numeracy expectations while develop the competencies needed to become their most capable selves. By embedding expert support into classrooms and using research-based strategies, the Residency enhances both teacher practice and student learning.