Blog Posts

There are no guarantees in life, but wherever you want to go or can imagine going, education is probably the best way there. How does a child in Kindergarten one day become an architect? How does a grade nine student become an arthroscopic surgeon or an agriculturist? How does one become an electrician or a chef? You guessed it - education. This is why I often describe education as the bridge to anywhere.

Recently the helping teachers and administrators from the Curriculum, LSS and Indigenous departments came together to experience and discuss the assets within our community. When we view diversity and culture through an asset-based lens, we work toward ensuring equity for all. Asset-based mindsets focus on the background, skills and knowledge that individuals and communities bring to each other. You may ask, why does an asset-based approach matter? Our district is becoming more and more diverse.

In today's digital world, network security is a top priority for school districts to consider. With cyber-attacks becoming more sophisticated and prevalent, it is essential to have a robust security system in place.  The Abbotsford School District already has such a system for our wireless networks and the ITC department has begun working on a project to leverage the same system for our wired network.

Language instruction helps build the cultural competence of individual cultures and those worldwide. When educators foster culturally sustaining inclusive environments, it creates opportunities for students of all cultures to thrive. When students see themselves within texts, language, and materials, this helps build engagement, trust, and a sense of belonging.

Did you know that we have a whole team of people here at the Curriculum Department ready to support you in learning more about Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction?

There has been much news around the latest AI Chat Bot called ChatGPT. Some people call it a game changer; others have concerns about society’s reliance on technology to do our thinking for us.

At the Information Technology (IT) Department, we have been playing around with the platform and have even successfully used it to create, modify and troubleshoot some of the scripts we use for basic automation tasks.

For fun, I wondered how well ChatGBT might know the K-12 system. So I asked it a few questions. Here are its answers, which took approximately 2 seconds to create:

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.