School Overview
PEXSISEN Elementary opened in September 2022. The school shares the property with Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School, which opened in November 2022. PEXSISEN's capacity is 500 students in 21 divisions. However, it opened with 17 divisions and approximately 360 students in grades Kindergarten to Grade 5, with 95 of those students in Kindergarten. Currently we have 437 students and 20 divisions. The projection for the 2024-25 school year is 473 students and 21 divisions. Our school is built around the notion of community, with shared and flexible learning spaces both in and outside the building. We have an extensive area devoted to gardening and outdoor learning, including large covered spaces, a roof top classroom and a nature-based play area. The school is filled with natural light, windows, and large open spaces. The colours throughout the build are based on natural elements, which bring both a sense of calm and of quiet excitement. We share our school site with a middle school and benefit from the many opportunities for collaboration, mentoring and community building. One of the most important features of our school is its name. Gifted to us by the Songhees Nation, PEXSISEN means the “opening of hands” or “hands wide open” and, as Elder Butch Dyck of the Songhees Nation noted, encapsulates the feelings of gratitude and protection. Embracing our beautiful name has helped lay the foundation of a safe and healthy learning environment, with a strong culture of inclusion and equity.
Our Learners
When we opened in 2022, our students came from schools across the district, including schools in Milne's Landing, although predominately from David Cameron (approximately 135 students) and Willway Elementary (approximately 40 students). Through the first year, we began the process of learning about each other and out students. In order to gain understanding about the students' strengths and stretches, we completed school wide assessments in numeracy and literacy during the past two years. What we know from these assessments is that our students have a wide range of strengths and areas for growth. We have 102 students who have joined us from different parts of the world, some newcomers requiring significant ELL support and adaptations. We currently have 65 students receiving ELL support. We also have many learners with neurodiversity and are additionally supported by our Inclusion team.
- School Sourced Data
- SD62 Analytics Dashboard
PEXSISEN students share that they feel safe at school. They respect differences between one another as well the natural environment that surrounds our school. They know that sometimes learning involves making and fixing mistakes. Students view themselves as friends, gardeners, researchers and mentors. They have a sense of belonging to the space. They understand the meaning of our school name and how it connects to our community and each of them as individuals. 95% of our students indicated in the Student Learning Survey that their personal and social responsibilities while being school are clear to them.
Focus and Planning
What focus(es) emerge as goals to pursue?
School Goal 1
To develop a sense of belonging and connection to and within our school, inclusive of place and space and one another.
Our Action Plan has evolved as the staff, students and families have the opportunity for conversation and connection. For us, the process of opening our school is evolving and our school plan continues to grow along side of us as we grow as a school community.
We do however have a few first steps that we believe will build a foundation of belonging and connection.
- Invite families into our school in the fall to tour the school, explore learning spaces such as our ADST and Music rooms. This also provides an opportunity for staff to build meaningful connections with families.
- Community building events planned in collaboration with our PAC and staff. Throughout the year we will invite families to our school to further support home-community-school connections. This year we will be hosing a fun fair, board game cafe evening, a winter concert, garden work parties, Grade 4-5 cardboard arcade and a family pizza dinner.
- Developing community connections. This year we hosted a fundraising event for Tour de Rock and hosted the riders as they completed their ride. We also have a partnership with Flourish wish supports our food program as well as our school garden.
- Planning Day each year staff spends time to reconnect and set new goals for our year ahead.
- Continue to foster connections between PEXSISEN and Centre Mountain Lellum students. Events and activities include big and little buddies, Fun Day with station run by Gr. 8 leadership students and a Gr.5 leaving ceremony in which students cross the bridge which connects our two buildings. A connection between the two school mascots reinforces the idea that we as PEXSISEN 'cubs' will grow into Centre Mountain Lellum 'Bears'.
- Continue to develop meaningful connections with our school name through connecting with and learning from the Songhees Nation.
- Teach students of the importance of the symbolism found in our school mural created by Jessica Joseph and our Bentwood Box time capsule carved by artist, Mike Charlie.
- Invite role models to classrooms for activities such as storytelling, drumming, canoeing, Metis cultural activities, and bannock making.
- Host the second annual naming assembly, now called "Honouring PEXSISEN". We will invite Songhees Nation Council members, Trustees, PAC members and district staff to a school wide assembly.
- Co-ordinate a day of learning to be held on National Indigenous day. Student will rotate through a variety of stations such as lahal sticks, lacrosse, bannock making, oral language and storytelling, forest walk, and learning about indigenous plants.
- Continue to learn about local Indigenous history, place and culture.
School Goal 2
To develop an understanding of food sustainability and healthy living through connecting to the land while also accessing the knowledge, experiences and cultural perspectives available in our diverse community.
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Develop a garden community within our school through our partnership with Flourish and local farmers.
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Provide students with opportunities to learn, try and develop and appreciation for healthy foods (i.e., smoothie, soups, apples sauce and salad bar days).
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Invite parent volunteers to support our garden through work parties and taking responsibility for garden maintenance over the summer months.
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Connect goals of Affordability Grant to a focus on supporting access to healthy foods for all children and their families.
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Continue to offer a breakfast and lunch program to students in need. Our goal is to make the food program universal to all students who need or want additional food for snack and lunch without any stigmatism.
- Invite our Na’tsa’maht classroom program assistant (Derrick Tittian) to share resources of Indigeneous knowledge and traditions around food (i.e., clam gardens, harvesting, indigenous plants).
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Provide support to parent volunteers in order for them to share traditional foods and food experiences from their culture. Ideas could include a cultural fair, a family pot luck, in-class demonstrations. We want to celebrate and support connections between our diverse school population.
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Provide support to school librarian to purchase books which celebrate food from a variety of cultures and support learning in the garden.
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Participate in the Backpack Buddies program which provides families with food and snacks for the weekend.
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Offer a garden club and develop garden mentorship opportunities with other classes.
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Provide opportunities for students to learn and practice compost education and vermicompost.
- Explore how we can expand outdoor learning opportunities on our school grounds and in community, especially in our school garden.
- Continue to work with and learn from our Na’tsa’maht Department and Na’tsa’maht Cultural Support Worker, and Role Models to bring more learning connected to land and place outdoors through our SD 62 Role Model Program and other school and community opportunities.
How can the district support your goals?
Our registrations indicate a significant number of newcomer families. In order to work create a sense of belonging with a focus on diversity and inclusion, it will be necessary to look to specific departments to help us support these children and their families.
- Teachers and EAs from International working with our staff to support newcomers.
- Support in helping newcomer families learn how to navigate and connect with the school.
- Staff necessary to support newcomers and ELL students.
Again, with a focus on developing a sense of community and belonging, it will be important to support all members of our community. There are students joining us with impacted functional language and communication skills. The support of the IS department will be critical.
Professional learning and resources specific to communication and ASD will help us to foster a community that effectively supports all learners, as well as the staff who care for and teach them.
- Professional learning about appropriate Indigenous Languages.
- Support connecting with an elder in residence.
- Consistent support by a Na'tsa'maht Classroom Program Assistant.
- Continuing support helping us make authentic connections with the Songhees Nation.
- Accessing role models who will teach us about native plants and land based learnings.
- Professional learning as outlined above.
Reach out to Healthy Schools team for support around gardening and food sustainability. We have people in our District who are working directly on these portfolios and we are excited to partner with them in developing our plan.
Reflect, Adjust, Celebrate
- MyEdBC Analytics
- School Sourced Data
- SD62 Analytics Dashboard
- SSM-FESL-SD62
We will use the SSM data for 2023-24 as a baseline for determining our students' sense of belonging and connection to the school. We will be able to measure our progress in the 2024-25 year when we can compare the data.
We will know we are making progress towards our goal when students, staff and families are able to explain their behaviours and choices reflective of a collaboratively developed school code of conduct and vision statement.
We will know we are making progress when students, staff and families are able to articulate their personal sense of belonging, impact and connection to the community.
We will know we are making progress when members of our community can say..."At PEXSISEN we believe......"
We will use the Equity Scan Data as a baseline, just as we will do with the SSM data.
We will know we are making progress towards our goal when all members of the school community can explain the meaning of PEXSISEN and its importance to both themselves and the community.
We will know we are making progress towards our goal when all members of our community can share their understanding and connection to the art pieces which represent our school name, as well as the art which represents the Territorial Acknowledgement.
GOAL 1
1. In preparation for the naming celebration and in our Gr. 5 leaving ceremony, we asked children to reflect upon our school name and what it means to be a PEXSISEN Cub. They responded by saying that it means that everyone is welcome, it means that they are safe and supported while at school. These beliefs are also evident within student reflections of Indigenous teachings and progress in the core competencies.
2. The results of our Equity Scan demonstrate a growing connection to space and place, and a sense of belonging.
a. 83% of students indicated they spend time outside learning.
b. 49% of students indicated they saw their culture reflected in the classroom.
b. 90% of students indicated that friends in their class are kind caring.
c. 72% of students felt they were comfortable asking an adult for help.
3. The results of our Student Learning Survey (from 22-23) highlight a sense of safety and connection to the school community.
a. 83% of students indicated they were happy at school.
b. 93% of students indicated they were satisfied with their ability to make new friends.
c. 84% of students indicated they think about how their actions might affect others.
d. 84% of students indicated they were learning how to care about their mental wellness.
e. 90% of students indicated they were learning how to solve problems in peaceful ways.
f. 90% of students indicated they were learning about local First Nations in school.
2. We have had great participation and support from families and community in our school garden programs and school wide events which have been planned by staff and our PAC.
3. Each class in our school is connected with a Centre Mountain Lellum big buddy class. Our students look forward to connecting and learning with their big buddies. Activities include collaborative story writing, coding, board games, art buddy reading, and physical literacy.
4. We were able to meet the goals of our action plan. Some of the events we hosted to build connection and community were as follows:
- Meet our Staff Event
- New Kindergarten Open House
- Family Games Night
- Spring Concert
- Spring Fair
- Elder Program
- Cardboard Arcade
- Family Garden Work Parties
- Tour de Rock
- Honouring PEXSISEN Assembly
- Role Models (artists, drummers, authors)
- Caregiver Appreciation Event
- Regular School-Wide Assemblies
GOAL 2
1. We have a working school garden with all classes participating in a variety of programs.
2. Affordability Grant and The Flourish Society supported a robust lunch and breakfast program for many students. In partnership with Flourish, we support 50 children by providing hot lunch, breakfast and snacks each day.
3. The Student Affordability grant also provided the opportunity for equity and inclusion in extra-curricular, field trips, clothing access, school supplies and groceries for families.
4. The Feeding Futures funding allowed for further food supports to individual families and to supplement our school food programs.
4. The universal nature of the above programs allow all children to access food, supplies, programming and supports.
3. 28 families are participating in the Backpack Buddies Program.
4. Connected with Matthew Kershaw as a resource to grow our gardening program. Through this resource, we were able to contract two farmers to support students learning about the garden and food sustainability, as well helping us maintain and enhance our garden.
5. Lindsay Nelson, one of the farmers contracted by our school, shared her knowledge of how to use ingredients from the garden to make every day food throughs hands-on experiences with the students in the garden.
6. Derrick Titian, our Na'tsa'maht Classroom Program Assistant, shared knowledge from his Nation about cultural food practises and sustainability with classrooms.
7. An International Club invited students to participate in learning about the foods and customs from many different cultures. Approximately 50 students were involved in this club, meeting once a month to share stories, experiences and food from their culture.
8. Customs and Foods from around the world were further celebrated through displays and learning opportunities throughout the school. The TVs in our hallways displayed pictures of our families sharing cultural activities. Our English Language Learning Teacher, Max Weinstein, also connected with families to collect meaningful pictures and artifacts to display in our cases, to ensure that all students could see themselves and their culture alive in our building.