Blog Posts

As a school, Godson has collectively invested in embedding Indigenous culture throughout our programming. In addition, we are fortunate to have a cultural Indigenous Support Worker, Chandra Antone, who maintains her steadfast devotion to bettering the school culture and celebrating Indigenous ways of life, culture, and knowledge.

At Margaret Stenersen Elementary School, there is a big and beautiful tree that some people want to cut down. The tree is a cedar and I LOVE IT!!! It is peaceful and I do not want it cut down. There are lots of trees at our school but this is the biggest. You are going to break our school’s heart. So many students play there. It is an old-growth tree and it holds all the school’s secrets. - Arija J., Grade 4

Weekly article:

This weeks’ article looks at educators’ abilities to help students foster an intrinsic desire to learn—rather than focussing on extrinsic rewards to accomplish a task. The following four strategies of intrinsic learning have been highlighted by the researchers:

At Kandal, we are committed to strengthening our family partnerships in our school community. It’s no secret the more parents are involved in their children’s lives, both at home and school, the more they will be in the ‘know’ about how best to support their children. To this end, our kindergarten and grade 1 teachers and our English Language Learners (ELL) teachers initiated the “Parents as Partners” program.

This weeks’ article looks at ways in which schools can be culturally responsive in how they celebrate Ramadan. As Canadians, we are fortunate to live in such a culturally diverse country, rich with worldly perspectives. Godson is no exception to this and the diversity throughout our demographics helps our children be more accepting and understanding of the beliefs, customs, and traditions of various cultures. Enjoy the read!

Keeping the district’s focus on equity in mind, the Dr. Thomas A. Swift Elementary school community has taken on a small project of our own. Together with a couple of other elementary schools, we are using picture books to dive into topics of diversity and equity.

In our school district's four-year strategic plan, we have targeted improved early learning as a means of impacting student success. At Mathxwí Elementary, all primary classrooms have committed their year to explore practical ways to improve early literacy learning.

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

This weeks’ article focusses on creating a sense of belonging at school. Students learn best when they feel a sense of connection, safety, and belonging to their school. As such the article provides several examples of the importance of developing lessons and classroom structures that deepen school connections for students. Congruently, the article illustrates practical applications suitable for all educators and grade levels.

Sense of Belonging

We walk into our schools each day and meet with faces, a multitude of beautiful faces behind which there are stories, personalities, interests, skills, hopes and values. And each day, we are lucky enough to have these children share pieces and layers of themselves in what might seem like surface-level interactions. A welcoming smile can draw someone in and engage them in conversation, and taking some time to listen to a child's story gives insight into their identity and, in turn, gives them the confidence they need to share with others.