Collective Responsibility

We are more effective when we work collaboratively and seamlessly to support student needs. We are ALL responsible for working together for the success of ALL students. Improving communication and access to common information, establishing effective instructional and support teams, and focusing on wrapping around and strengthening the core relationship of teacher-student-families will improve student success. 

We have developed a Framework for Collective Responsibility that will help guide the work we do from creating, implementing and monitoring School Plans for Learner Success, Local Education Agreements with First Nation communities, Individual Education Plans (IEP), and interventions by School-Based Teams (SBT). Common district assessments, with results made available in a timely and user-friendly format, support collaborative learning conversations by teams. Collective responsibility is a theme that emerges across all the other focus areas as we all do our parts toward common goals.

Explore the ways our district is exercising collective responsibility this year!

Food Program at Cataline 

Cataline Elementary

In a continued effort to ensure all students at Cataline Elementary have something healthy to eat at school, parent volunteers, PAC members, and students prepare a school-wide lunch twice a month for all students to enjoy. Today’s lunch - a taco bar.

This school-wide lunch was in addition to the on-going breakfast and lunch program at Cataline Elementary supported by the Feeding Futures grant and PAC initiatives. Breakfast and lunch are available everyday, served with the support of staff and parent volunteers. Cataline PAC offers various lunch choices twice a week, while a homemade lunch is served up by a parent volunteer once per week, and breakfast and lunches are prepared daily by Cataline staff. 

A Strong Start introduction to kindergarten

Cataline Elementary 

Mrs. Enns’ kindergarten class opened their classroom to Mrs. Schindle’s Strong Start friends, welcoming them to their learning environment. The families and future Cataline learners were introduced to the routines and structures of a kindergarten classroom. It was an opportunity for our youngest students to be the “older” mentors for our future friends. The older students showcased their learning, engaging their new friends with story time, literacy centers, and numeracy games. 

Cataline Elementary Public Engagement

Cataline Elementary

Cataline Elementary held a public engagement, inviting our school community to participate in the consolation process to review the District Plan for Learner Success. During the meeting, parents had the opportunity to share and consult with school leaders and other school community members, highlighting district successes and priorities while providing important feedback to be included in the DPLS planning process for the next few years.

Baking Muffins in Foods Class

Alexis Creek Elementary/Jr/Sec School

Last fall the District encouraged schools to attend the "Food in School Forum" in Williams Lake, and as a result Alexis Creek School applied and received a grant from Farm to School. The grant is used a seed money to start up a foods class. Students in grades 6 to 10, are learning to cook and make breakfast, snack, and lunch foods. The students are making apple cinnamon muffins to share at school and at home. 

Establishing Safe, Caring and Respectful Digital Communities

Nesika Elementary

Nesika students in grade 5 & 6 and their grown-ups (teachers, aides, youth engagement worker, vice-principal & school counselor) attended a super informative hour long virtual assembly on “Establishing Safe, Caring and Respectful Digital Communities” from Safer Schools. It was well-received and timely for our young people. Please ask them about it!

SD27 works with Daybreak Rotary

Williams Lake Daybreak Rotary Club

Recently, staff from SD27 gathered with fundraisers in the community and spoke to the positive impact of the Starfish Backpack Program for over 60 students at five elementary schools: Nesika, Chilcotin Road, Cataline, Marie Sharpe and Mountview. We appreciate the efforts of Williams Lake Daybreak Rotary Club and key sponsors to support food security for SD 27 students!

School Based at Mile 108 - Moving ALL Learners Forward

Mile 108 Elementary

Classroom teachers, support staff, learning support teachers and specialists, principal, and parents and caregivers all getting together to problem solve academic, social emotional, and or attendance concerns. Parents are encouraged to come to meetings with their support systems - friends, relatives, support workers – so that we have a true wrap around approach. In Term 2 we get together in teams more than 15 times in support of learner success. Great conversations build around care and compassion!  

School Based Team at Work

150 Mile Elementary

I quick shout out to the amazing support team at 150 Mile Elementary. The team's newest addition Mr. Carpenter. elementary counsellor, is hard at work getting to know all his new team members and students. Mrs. Merth (LST) and Mrs. Peach (YEW) are invaluable members of the team providing students with social/emotional support and learning support continuously. Additionally, and not shown, are the educational assistants that work tirelessly to support student in and out of the classrooms to have an amazing learning experience each day!

Collective Responsibility

150 Mile Elementary

Celebrating the combined hard work of 150 Mile Elementary's Ashely Merth, our SD#27 SLP, Charlotte Lundeen, our Early Years Coordinator Beulah Smith and a big group of community partners, in their endeavors in creating communication boards to support all learners on playgrounds in the community. The latest board for Kiwanis park in Williams Lake, that has been a joint effort with WLFN, the City of Williams Lake, Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy, Early Learning SD#27 and our School District. This board supports communication in both English and Secwepemctsin. Well done everyone and thanks for helping our community to be an inclusive space.

Kiwanis Park Communication Board

NVCI Spring Training

Student Support Services

Erin Pederson and Kris Beaulne just completed our third Non Violence Crisis Intervention Training session. Participants from all over our district took part in this training that gives them the skills to build an effective culture of safety in their schools. You can see here them practicing disengagement skills to help with safety interventions at schools. 

Gym Time for All

Marie Sharpe Elementary

At Marie Sharpe we are purposefully working on Collective Responsibility.  A key area for us has been ensuring all adults in the building are invested in the growth of all students, not just those in their classrooms.  Even our amazing custodian Darryle invests time engaging with our students.

Pink Shirt Day

Marie Sharpe Elementary

This year on Pink Shirt Day, students took the lead in teaching their peers about kindness and acceptance.  We learned about the origins of Pink Shirt Day, and hear presentations about acceptance and Standing Up.

Indigenous Drum Making

Lac La Hache Elementary

Lac La Hache students built beautiful Indigenous drums under the watchful guidance and instruction from Canim Lake band Knowledge Keepers Mike and Tricia Archie. Along with their contributions, much of the success for the day must also be given to the 21 community volunteers who each assisted the students in the construction of their drums. We hope to learn a few songs and to play our drums at upcoming events.

Student vs Staff Basketball Game

Columneetza

Our Grade 9 Boys Basketball team faced off against WLFN, Columneetza and School District Staff in a fun and entertaining game of basketball at lunch.  Students and staff also enjoyed being audience members at lunch and cheered on their favourite teams.  Somehow, the staff won by a few points!!  This is such a great way to build relationships and it also gives students something to look forward to at the lunch break!

Be More Than a Bystander Assembly with the BC Lions

Columneetza

On Feb. 8th we had the BC Lions at Columneetza to talk to all students in an assembly about standing up against gender-based violence and bullying.  

Anahim Lake Students March to the Beat of their Own Drums

Anahim Lake Elementary Junior-Secondary School

"Our school may be small, (40 children from K-Grade 10) but we are mighty. Each day, our students – strong, resilient, daring, and brave, arrive at school each day with the spirit of the west seeming to blow in with them. Whether they have ridden in on a quad, pickup, ‘sled’, or a big yellow school bus, these young people live a life that people in cities can only imagine. The big skies and bright sunshine of the plateau is the backdrop for making life-long friends, learning from our local Elders and soaking up loads of information from the people in their lives. Anahim Lake students are marching through the 21st century with an attitude that says, “Thanks, but I’ll march to whatever beat I want. And yeah, I did make this drum of mine.” 

Geodome Greenhouses

Naghtaneqed Elementary Junior Secondary School

Students are a part of the newly constructed Geodome Greenhouses. This is a community project that involves students and the community to grow seedlings, plant and maintain greenhouses. This is a unique opportunity for students to see the growing, planting, maintaining and community involvement and the harvest process with a "hands on" approach. 

Williams Lake Rotary Supports Food Security for Students

Rotary Club of Williams Lake

"Volunteers from the Rotary Club of Williams Lake gather weekly to fill backpacks — called Starfish Packs — with food and then deliver them to the five elementary schools in town (Cataline, Nesika, Marie Sharpe, Mountview and Chilcotin Road). The students in need take the backpacks home from school on Fridays and then bring them back to school empty on Mondays.  Read the full Williams Lake Tribune story.

Photo credit Williams Lake Tribune

Columneetza Cares

Columneetza Jr. Secondary & Nesika Elementary

In December Mr. Sheppard’s Leadership students from Columneetza delivered toys from their community toy drive “Columneetza Cares” to EVERY Nesika primary student. Wow! What a heartwarming job these kids did. Merci from Nesika, to Columneetza and our greater community.

Rink Maintenance Before We Play

Chilcotin Road Elementary

Students love playing on the rink but also take responsibility to clean it off before we use it.  

Ranchland Access

150 Mile Elementary

In partnership with Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) we have access to the land behind the school for students to learn outside. Each year we ask WLFN, who are the stewards of the land behind the school, for permission to access the fields and Borland Creek for student learning activities. WLFN has encouraged us to use the land for learning but with the responsibility to leave the land as we found it, be careful to avoid livestock and not walk on any hay when growing.   This agreement is an amazing resource for place-based learning and we thank WLFN for their active role in our children's learning.

Teaching About Bus Safety

SD27 Transportation & Nesika Elementary

At the beginning of December, Nesika hosted SD27 transportation personnel Gayle and Karen to teach our primary students about bus safety. Thanks so much for keeping our students safe and informed! 

Building a Culture of Sportsmanship  

Columneetza Jr. Secondary

During the month of December, Columneetza Staff practiced alongside students in weekly floor hockey games.  Near the end of the month, 2 teams made it to the final for the "Columneetza Cup," the staff team and a student team.  Hundreds of students came into the gym and packed the bleachers throughout the finals and guess what???  The staff won!!!  

Healthy Top-ups at Nesika

Nesika Elementary

At Nesika, our school food program team has developed the option of a healthy “top-up” (pictured). Some days, students need a full bagged lunch, while others opt for a healthy top-up snack for their lunch. Some days students don’t need it at all. Either way, we’ve got it covered. 

Full bellies, full hearts. 

The Community Joins Together

Skyline Alternate School

Skyline students and staff had an amazing peer engagement workshop with many of our community partners. Interior Health, and BGC were looking for youth feedback on how to improve access to community services for youth. Lots of laughter and collaboration.  

Starting the Day Right

Lake City Secondary

Thank you to Lake City Secondary staff for working together to provide breakfast and lunch every day for our students. Breakfast is always a favourite amongst our students! 

SD 27 Food in Schools Forum

District Event

SD 27, Interior Health, and the Central Cariboo Community Food Hub co-hosted a Food In Schools Forum on November 8. The forum brought together more than 50 staff, parents, and community members from local and regional health and food organizations, and farms to collaborate around enhancing nutrition programs for our children. We spent a day learning about what is happening in schools with the Feeding Futures initiative, exploring challenges, and beginning to collaborate on providing students with stigma-free access to healthy food at school. It was exciting to see so many people interested in helping ensure all students have good food to grow, learn and thrive.

Helping Out Where Needed

Lake City Secondary

Lake City Secondary staff often help out where needed. One morning they sanded the sidewalks in front of the school to keep students, families, and staff safe.

Tatla Lake Presents Rapunzel

Tatla Lake Elementary

Tatla Lake Elementary & Jr. Secondary students presented Rapunzel to a full house of parents and community members. This opportunity was made possible through the generous donations of refundable recyclables that are dropped off at the school by community members. With the proceeds from the recyclables, the school brought in Missoula Children's Theatre Company (MCT) for a week's residency to put on this show. MCT travels to small communities to provide opportunities for children to express themselves, learn, and have fun doing it. Creativity, social skills, goal achievement, communication skills, and self-esteem are all characteristics that were attained through participation in this unique, educational project. Our PAC worked collaboratively with the school to put on a dinner prior to the show.  It was a fantastic evening for everyone who attended.  

Mitten Matching Project

District Event

Mary Forbes visited the October principal and vice-principal meeting to distribute mittens for schools. The Cariboo Conservation Society Mitten Matching initiative turns found and donated single mittens into pairs to provide to children and youth. These will come in handy for outdoor learning this winter. 

Post-secondary Schools Support Transitions

Lake City Secondary

Thank you to the 12 post-secondary institutions for setting up booths and opportunities for our grade 11 and 12 students to start thinking about their educational future. Working collectively with our provincial community helps to set our students up for successful transitions as they plan for their years beyond LCSS. 

Open House and BBQ

Alexis Creek Elementary

On October 12th, we served 75 burgers and 24 hotdogs. Teachers, staff, parents, and students all chipped in to help out in some way to make this event a great success.

Feeding Futures

Chilcotin Road Elementary

Two of our students enjoyed a delicious food bowl prepared by school staff at lunchtime. These smiles do not lie!

Communities That Care Collaboration

District-wide Event

 SD 27 hosted the October Communities That Care Meeting. School and District staff met with community service providers to talk about our shared goal of increasing a sense of belonging for children, youth, and families. The SD 27 imperative to improve attendance at school was shared to create understanding and invite partner involvement. We have incredible community support! 

Parent Teacher Night

Columneetza Jr. Secondary

On Wednesday, October 25th from 5 pm - 7 pm, Columneetza held the first Parent-Teacher Night of the school year. This year we set up the front entrance of the school to welcome everyone as they walked through the doors.  The Grade 8 girls' basketball team sold dinner as a fundraiser, we set up a My Education password reset station for parents and caregivers and invited our Education Coordinators, Indigenous Support Workers, Counsellors, and Youth Engagement workers to attend and support families.  A big thanks to parents and caregivers who attended the evening to talk to teachers about their child/children's learning!   

Coming Together

Marie Sharpe Elementary

Starting the year in a circle is powerful, but when that circle is more than 300 students, caregivers, staff, and community members the feeling is immeasurable. At Marie Sharpe, our goal is to support our learners and their families as a team and this was a great way to start an amazing year of learning and growing together. 

District Day at Nesika

Nesika Elementary

Today we dove deeper into the morning’s rich learning with Jo Chrona, and surfaced what actions we can take next (right now!) and our plan for measuring our impact. How does it connect to our existing plan for learner success? What can we celebrate? 

Fuelling Learning with Healthy Food

Chilcotin Road Elementary

Thanks to the Feeding Futures program, our students are taking advantage of healthy snacks before school starts.

Welcome Back BBQ

Likely Elementary

It was wonderful to see so many people at our welcome-back family BBQ. The students are always so excited when they get a chance to have their parents at school. We had beautiful weather and thanks to Alex we had delicious hamburgers and hotdogs to eat. Parents attended a 'class' on using our website to stay updated on important events at the school level, see photos of their children, bus information as well as, district events. This BBQ is such a positive way to start off our school year and foster that strong Likely school community.