Principal's Message
Valemount Elementary School is situated on the unceded ancestral lands of the Simpcw
and the L'Heidli T'enneh First Nations.
It is with a great sense of gratitude that we are able to live and work in this beautiful place. Our school has increased in enrolment and has 139 students in Kindergarten through Grade 7 this year, spread between six classrooms.
It is with a great sense of gratitude that we are able to live and work in this beautiful place. Our school has increased in enrolment and has 139 students in Kindergarten through Grade 7 this year, spread between six classrooms.
Since we are located in such a beautiful setting with mountains, rivers, and forests surrounding our community, we try to incorporate as many of these natural wonders into our school practice as possible. We do many outdoor activities with our students throughout the year. This could look like participating in bird watching at the marsh, rafting down the Fraser River, hiking up to Berg Lake, or sketching leaves in the nearby forest. We often take our students out to
experience nature and encourage everyone to connect with and learn from the land.
Our strategic plan is aligned with our School District’s four areas for school improvement:
• Truth and Reconciliation: Ensuring a healthier future for Indigenous learners and a system that acknowledges and teaches Canada’s true history.
• Equity of Access: Ensuring all students have the opportunity to learn and achieve their goals.
• Wellness: Fostering culturally safe, caring, inclusive learning communities where mental, physical, and overall health is prioritized.
• Learning: Growing literacy and numeracy achievement through engaging learning opportunities.
Our attention at Valemount Elementary is on growing the core competencies in our students. We focus on the building blocks of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and all of the personal and social aspects that contribute to a student who graduates with options. When staff gathered this year, they agreed that social awareness and responsibility, not unexpectedly for students of this age, remains an area for continued focus, as we see conflict on the playground and during less-structured times.
We believe it is important to teach students about the value of diversity and effective problem-solving strategies.
We also believe that the time is right to encourage more leadership and community connections in the form of intergenerational buddy opportunities with seniors, older students, and younger pre-school children. Both families and staff know that valuing students’ identity and increasing their sense of belonging is important. With a focus on Truth and Reconciliation, ensuring cultural learning opportunities for staff and students and using trauma informed practices are essential. We all value outdoor learning opportunities provided to students and hands-on learning that engages everyone in class, which aligns with Indigenous ways of knowing.
We believe that strong school + home + community connections are vital to student success, and we look forward to building these partnerships.