Blog Posts

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:

I had the pleasure this week of meeting with around fifty of Yale Secondary’s Leadership 12 students. They are an amazing and diverse group of go-getters who help to make their school and community better through service. In addition to the work they do, they are also curious about leadership and routinely invite leaders from various parts of the community to talk about their roles and perspectives on leadership. This week I was the invited guest. Among the things they wanted to learn more about were my background, how I became superintendent, as well as the joys and challenges of the job.

Auguston K-Gr. 5 students attended a storytelling experience called "How Raven Stole the Sun" on Monday, November 21. 

Thank you to the PAC for sponsoring this event for our students!

Thank you to all who were able to attend our Remembrance Day Assembly on November 9.

Many of you will know that I am a student of the World Wars, and that over the years I have written about the profound respect I have for our veterans who have put their lives on the line for the cause of freedom. As a teacher I carefully curated stories for my students about pivotal battles and Canadian heroes who helped to pave the way for the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. It was always a treat to welcome veterans into my classroom, and students always came away with a greater appreciation for the courageous lives of our service men and women, as well as the horrors of war.

Costume Day on Monday, October 31, was our first No Uni Day! Thank you to PAC Vice-Chair, Jessica Dowdall-Loewen, for taking pics!

We have had 62% sign up so far. This will stay OPEN in schoolcash until Nov. 4. Thank you for your support!

The students in Divisions 10 to 15 had a fabulous time visiting the school garden pumpkin patch and choosing a pumpkin to use for math and science activities. Special thanks to the parent volunteers who picked up the pumpkins and placed them in the garden. As well, thanks very much to the Auguston PAC for supporting this wonderful event. 

Auguston K-3 students had a special visit on Thursday, October 13, for Fire Prevention Week: https://www.nfpa.org/Events/Events/Fire-Prevention-Week

Harlem arrived at my school in September 2021 with a G4 file as thick as my fist. It stated that he had been in foster care for 11 years, rarely attended school, and could become violent if he became frustrated. He had been in foster care since birth and had been mainly homeschooled by his foster parents who did not value public school or his culture. When I first met him, it became apparent that we were not dealing with a violent or mean child but a soft-spoken, gentle, and curious boy.

As part of my personal inquiry into the student experience in our district, I have met with groups of students from each of our high schools over each of the last few years. Generally, I have asked our school leaders to ensure that the student group is diverse and represents a range in ages, gender, abilities, race and gender identities, etc. In a large high school, it is not difficult to get a diverse group, but I suspect it challenging to get a truly representative group of students who together can paint a fulsome picture of the student experience for me and the administration