Blog Posts

Yale has a history of strong support for its Indigenous students. As a staff, we acknowledge the need to learn more about Indigenous culture in the spirit of being culturally sustaining.  

Does this dialogue sound familiar...?  

Parent: “What did you do at school today?”
Student: “Nothing.”

At W.J. Mouat, we are lifting the veil of what happens at school through our weekly Spotlight on Learning series and our yearly Celebrations of Learning, which demonstrate both the intellectual and human/ social nature of learning. Check out the 58 different contributions!

At Abbotsford Traditional School, Lewis Van Dyk, had the opportunity to implement strong inquiry opportunities in the classroom in his first year at the school. In 2021 Abbotsford Traditional School first offered an Engineering 11 course.  When Mr. Van Dyk took over the course, he focused on mechanical engineering and implementing the engineering design cycle through inquiry. Mr. Van Dyk focused on developing student design skills, as well as how simple machines work and the advantages that they have.

Aldous Huxley said that “words can be like rays. When they are used properly, they are able to get through anything.”

At Rick Hansen Secondary, I have had the great privilege of working to develop new Creative Writing courses that satisfy English credits for grade 11. For those students who love to read, are curious about writing and publishing, and need a creative outlet to express their thoughts, worries, and experiences in ways that are not visual—photography, visual art, theatre—Creative Writing 11 has become a haven.

When asked to reflect on a classroom, most of us will envision rows of desks facing a blackboard where a teacher stands. For decades, this image has represented the learning space for millions of students and yet excludes how we learn naturally and daily in non-school environments. True knowing and understanding mean being able to transfer knowledge from one setting to another. This requires a varied approach to teaching and learning, ultimately creating the opportunity for our students to explore their passions.

Student success is a focus of the Abbotsford School District. The desire for student success permeates through all levels, from senior management to building administrators, classroom and support teachers, education assistants, and students. At Abbotsford Traditional School (ATS), we have a reputation for preparing our students for the expectations and rigours of university–academic student success. This is one kind of student success. Another kind of student success is accomplishing academic achievement in parallel to student well-being.

The teaching and support staff at Rick Hansen are actively pursuing their commitment to student achievement and understand that getting a pulse on the mindset of the current teaching climate is an essential factor in this pursuit. As every teacher in our school community is trained in Inquiry-Based Learning, they know that IBL is the best vehicle to not only hear from as many of their colleagues as possible but also to create in-house ideas, strategies, and solutions for everyone can buy into.

Two months into our new school year, we are well underway in intentionally making Yale a more equitable, culturally inclusive, and responsive school through the lens of equity, anti-bias, and anti-racism. As we listen to our students, one thing that they keep telling us is that they value positive relationships with Yale staff. Our students want to belong to a school community where staff know their students, and where every person’s individuality is acknowledged and respected.

When asked to reflect on a classroom, most of us will envision rows of desks facing a blackboard where a teacher stands. For decades, this image represents the learning space for millions of students and yet excludes how we learn naturally and daily in non-school environments. True knowing and understanding mean being able to transfer knowledge from one setting to another.

In May this year, six Grade 11 WJ Mouat students participated in a Mental Health Forum hosted by the Abbotsford School District. They were tasked with reviewing the YDI (Youth Development Index) survey results for WJ Mouat and to come up with an actionable plan to help improve student well-being and mental health at their school.