Blog Posts

The EA Peer Mentor program started as a pilot three years ago and is now in its 2nd year of permanence. It currently has two full-time Education Assistant Peer Mentors, Connie Hampson and Alicia Kroeker, who support any/all EAs interested in the voluntary program. Upon registration, the two parties schedule their time together with the convenience of the mentees’ schedule in mind. EA Peer mentors collaborate with mentees to support them in their role and work together to help the mentee feel more confident, provide encouragement, and strengthen their skills.

We are looking forward to hosting Shared Learning 2023 at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School. The Shared Learning Conference committee has been busy planning for 60 engaging sessions for support staff, operations, teachers, and leaders. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Jean Clinton. Dr. Clinton is an experienced speaker that is well known for her engaging and informative keynote addresses. Dr. Clinton will share her knowledge about mental health and wellness, belonging, and human connection.

Noticing a shift in literacy instruction across the district? Wonder what is going on in the classroom down the hall?  

Imagine going to work every single day and failing to understand what your boss is saying, despite your best efforts. Worse yet, your colleagues don’t seem to be struggling at all. This could be how some of your students experience school. Next time you observe a student in your class who struggles to follow your instructions, who never seems to know what to do, who talks around and around what he wants to say, who misses jokes or sarcasm, consider DLD.

Any kind of move, be it moving to a new home or even moving to a new school, will involve some significant challenges. Moving involves change and change often includes discomfort and disruption to our lives. The COVID pandemic, flooding, fires, and extreme heat have all challenged us to make changes and adapt to new realities.

The Abbotsford School District's Early Years learning team has been working to ensure that as many children and families have access to early learning support throughout our community. The following services and programs are currently available:

The implementation of our competency-based curriculum is grounded in the Core Competencies. Personal, social, and cultural competencies are a vital part of the growth of students as they gain a deeper understanding of who they are and how they relate to others. As a Curriculum Department, we are working to include social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices in our learning opportunities to underscore the importance of core competencies and solid foundations for learning.

The way that students experience math is fundamental to how they view themselves as mathematicians. We want students to experience math in a way that encourages a willingness to engage in productive struggle, see that mistakes truly do result in learning, and become confident thinkers. Using concrete manipulatives is an integral part of building strong mathematical thinking because they deepen students’ conceptual understanding.

Rovi Sandhu, a grade six teacher at Chief Dan George Middle School, asks himself, "What can I do to ensure kids receive what they need?" Inspired by the book Street Data (2021), Sandhu put his inquiry question into action. He invited each student in the grade six pod to partake in an empathy interview, allowing them to share aspects of their lived experiences at school.

A class of McMillan grade 3 students holding ice cubes, a small group of grade 6 students at Fraser trying to figure out the flavour of a Jolly Rancher without looking, Bateman Career students making a cow from a blank piece of paper, Hansen Social Justice students studying a penny and then looking for “their” penny in a pile of pennies, a group of hairstylist students discussing being present when with a client, a group of Reimer students listening for specific sounds in their environment, a group of educators focusing their attention on their breathing.