News Stories

Statistics released by the Office of the Correctional Investigator last December were sobering for those concerned with the over incarceration of Indigenous people.

Almost 50 per cent of all federally-sentenced women are Indigenous and the combined men and women proportion has now reached 32 per cent and appears to be climbing.

Terry Fox Elementary has secured a $10,000 Food Grant from the Breakfast Club of Canada that will go towards the school’s breakfast and snack program for the 2022-2023 school year. Since 1994, the Breakfast Club of Canada has been working with partners from all sectors to help children access a healthy breakfast each morning.

Vaisakhi is a time of giving, and a group of Abbotsford students were inspired by this year’s celebration to do something meaningful. Eugene Reimer middle school celebrated Vaisakhi on April 14 with a school dance, a dhol craft (a dhol is a two-sided drum popular in South Asia), and performances by the Eugene Reimer School band. Students had plenty to celebrate, as this was the first in-person celebration since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020.

This week marks the first anniversary of the announcement of the discovery of over 215 children’s remains at Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, where the former Kamloops Residential School was located. Since then, Indigenous investigations across the country have found evidence of more than 1,800 confirmed unmarked graves at former residential school sites, with thousands more anticipated to be discovered in the months and years ahead. 

The Grade 5 students at Sandy Hill elementary didn’t know they were capable of such big things.

That was the resounding message from the kids as they filled 500 bags with personal hygiene products for refugees last week.

The Abbotsford Board of Education regularly meets throughout the school year. Agendas and minutes from the public Board Meetings can be accessed through the District's Electronic School Board. Below is a summary of highlights from the meeting. 

Presentations

Student Presentation: Students from Nights of Music

A few students who participated, accompanied by their school administrators, talked to trustees about their experiences playing for a live audience for the first time in over two years.

Event on May 5 for BC Children’s Hospital included Key Club and Kiwanis members

The Key Club at Yale Secondary School raised just over $6,400 for the cancer unit at BC Children’s Hospital by holding a indoor bike ride on May 5.

Twelve teams of six participants rode for 10 minutes each.

Teams included Key Clubs from Abbotsford, members of the local Kiwanis Club, and Yale Secondary staff.

The Key Club from Robert Bateman Secondary won the trophy for the most fund raised and Abbotsford School of the Integrated Arts won the spirit award.

Students and seniors who were matched in a flower project through an Abbotsford elementary school were finally able to meet in person on Friday (May 6) for its completion.

The project, Planting Intergenerational Promises, paired teacher Debbie Mar’s 22 Grade 3 students at Upper Sumas Elementary with seniors through Archway Community Services.

The program was done in partnership with the B.C. Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation.

Last week, students from across the district came together for a two-night special event at the Abbotsford Arts Centre to showcase a collection of their musical performances perfected over the year. In collaboration with the Abbotsford Music Educators' Association (AMEA), Nights of Music is a hallmark spring event for elementary, middle, and secondary students - and their families. Performances included concert band, jazz band, handbells, guitar groups, vocal jazz, and more.

Kids and families are set to benefit from more funding for accessible school playgrounds. More than 7,000 BC students will have access to new, safe and accessible playgrounds as the Province invests in the Playground Equipment Program (PEP) for the fifth year in a row to support healthy and active lifestyles.   

Mountain Elementary has been selected to receive funding for a new accessible playground within the Abbotsford School District. The playground will be designed, built and installed over the next year.