Blog Posts

Every school has them – generous and inspirational staff members who give of their personal time to make a difference for others. Certainly, Terry Fox Elementary has many such wonderful caring people. And a standout among them is Joe Frew. Since his hire into the district 4 years ago, Mr. Frew (our school’s PE and ELL teacher) has helped our school community develop a powerful sense of identity and school spirit. Adored by students and respected by colleagues, his enthusiasm and hard work have helped to make this school a place where everyone feels welcome and included. Here’s why:

Every day, in every school and classroom, our teachers provide a world-class, innovative educational experience for over 19,000 students. Working in public education is challenging and rewarding, but at our district we truly believe that every one of our employees has the opportunity to help children learn, grow and succeed.

Passionate, innovative, dedicated - all describe Carissa Chapman. She is committed to continually developing opportunities for students to engage in meaningful experiences.  Whether she is out with our Green Team doing a community clean up or filming Captain Planet announcements or creating safe spaces in the school with the GSA, she’s got our students at the heart of everything she does.  

Connecting the Dots: Organizational Health & Safety on SharePoint

Working in health and safety, I often wonder if our reliance on acronyms helps or hinders clear communication. Our daily discussions are threaded with acronyms such as WHMIS, EFAP, NAOSH, NIOSH, CSA, OFAA, PPE, JOSHC, IAQ, WCB and of course OHS (or if you prefer, OH&S). I would argue that this dependence on industry lingo, points to the inherent challenge of articulating how the complex network of health and safety processes, work together as an interconnected system.

Mrs. Michelle Olson is Clayburn Difference Maker. Michelle, a quiet, unassuming, thoughtful teacher is a person who continually strives to make our school a better place to teach, learn, and work.

Our lovely StrongStart Facilitator, Ekta Thind, here at Blue Jay Elementary School truly embodies our District’s Mission Statement: Preparing and inspiring our students for a lifetime of success through Respect, Opportunity, and Innovation. Ekta, or Ms. Ekta, as she’s known to our children, their families, and our staff, has been supporting both our 0 to age 4 children in our wonderful StrongStart space, and our incoming Kindergarteners.

Ms. Mirjana Juric is Eugene Reimer’s Difference Maker. MJ, as she is known by many throughout the school District, is a long-time teacher in Abbotsford starting off her career at Clearbrook Elementary over twenty-five years ago. She continues her passion for teaching and learning at Eugene Reimer Middle School where she is the Home Economics teacher. She makes connections with all 650 students through so many avenues.

What does it mean to be a school community? The events of the last few weeks have been challenging and tested our resolve to remain a healthy and vibrant community. No school site has been thrown into this challenge more than the Upper Sumas Elementary staff. They have had to grapple with the stories of loss coming from their families because of the flooding and the prospects of being school-less as we recover from the relentless storms this past week. In this recovery and reconnection process for Upper Sumas Elementary, Principal Abby Chan described it in this way:

Shawn Mani is a model of servant leadership as teacher, athletic director, and social media coordinator at Abbotsford Middle School.

In the classroom, Shawn is a caring and compassionate advocate for all students in his class. Parents of previous student come back years later to share their awe of his dedication to teaching and his open communication with them. They speak of feeling included and involved in their children’s education because of his inclusive and open communication style shared by his teaching partner, Shelley Putman.

Last month was World Mental Health Day, a period aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues and organizing support for mental wellness. This year, the school district will continue to provide training and resources to support our health and well-being including the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, workshops on resilience from our benefits provider, and The Working Mind program from the Mental Health Commission of Canada.