Blog Posts

Ready or not, 2025 is here! While I am not one for resolutions, I like setting personal and professional goals. A new year brings with it a sense of hope and opportunity. No matter what happened the previous year, a new year feels like another chance to step closer to a dream, an aspiration, or even start something entirely new.

One of the things I love most about this time of year is seeing the many ways we celebrate the season.  Visit any one of our schools and you’ll see snowflakes and Christmas trees and happy faces all around. If you are lucky, you might even catch sight of Santa and his elves. And it’s not just in schools and classrooms. The Abbotsford School Board Office is a veritable winter wonderland thanks to the goodwill and creative energy of our folks here. 

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) is a research-based instructional model designed to enhance the education of multilingual learners by integrating language development with content instruction. SIOP provides a comprehensive framework that helps teachers create inclusive and effective classrooms.

I spoke with an elementary student recently. He was a hockey fan and could easily recite NHL players' names. He knew their jersey numbers, the positions they played, and sometimes the number of goals and assists they scored. I suspect you might know a sports fan like this, too.

Most of us understand that time is a precious commodity. There is no going back when a moment, a week, or a year has passed. So how we spend our time ought to be a key consideration. What is more, the demands of life and career are such that it can often feel as if there is not enough time to do the things we want or need to do. Time pressure is real, and I am certainly not immune.

We are thrilled to share some of the exciting learning opportunities and resources we have developed for the 2024-2025 school year. Our Curriculum Team is dedicated to supporting educators in delivering high-quality instruction that positively impacts student learning across all grade levels.

A world-class, innovative, and individualized educational experience for every student. This is our collective vision, reaffirmed by our Board of Education this past June when they approved a new multi-year strategic plan. The vision is a powerful one, and my role as Superintendent is to help bring it to life.

The coming school year will be my 30th in public education.  It hardly seems possible, but I’ve double checked the math. It’s been an extraordinary journey so far, and I am beyond grateful for the wonderful experiences and opportunities that have been afforded me. Inspired by my friend and colleague Chris Kennedy, who is well known for posting lists on his Culture of Yes blog, I have decided to commemorate the occasion by posting a list of my own.

Since Spring 2023, our Digital Learning department has been diligently keeping abreast of all new developments in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and its impact on teaching and learning in K-12 education. We have been participating in various professional learning events, collaborating with Districts across the province and the country, and researching AI tools that could be responsibly and ethically leveraged by Abbotsford educators to enhance the learning experience for our K-12 students.