Creekside Elementary 26-27
OUR CONTEXT
Creekside Elementary officially opened in April of 1999, in a residential neighborhood in the City Center area of Surrey located on the traditional, unceded and shared territories of Coast Salish peoples: Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo First Nations. There are approximately 300 students enrolled in thirteen divisions.
Our school serves a diverse and vibrant community with a high number of multilingual learners and families who speak languages other than English at home. Many students bring rich cultural and linguistic knowledge; however, they require explicit support to develop academic literacy in English.
Our data indicates variability in students' reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and written expression across grade levels. There is a need to strengthen foundational literacy in the primary years and deepen comprehension, critical thinking and communication skills in the intermediate grades.
Literacy is a foundational life skill that enables students to access all areas of learning, communicate effectively, and engage meaningfully with the world.
Our goal is to develop confident, capable readers and writers who an understand, interpret, and communicate their thinking effectively across all areas of learning.
OUR LEARNERS
- Creekside Elementary School, located in Surrey, British Columbia, serves a diverse student population from Kindergarten to Grade 7.
- The student demographic is diverse, reflecting the multicultural community of Surrey. The school aims to provide an inclusive environment where students from various cultural backgrounds can thrive academically and socially.
- The school has a growing parent community involvement, with numerous events and activities that bring together students, families, and local residents. This engagement has helped foster a supportive and collaborative school culture.
- The school is implementing various programs and initiatives to enhance student learning and development in literacy.
- Reflecting the multicultural nature of Surrey, Creekside Elementary has made significant efforts to create an inclusive environment. The school celebrates cultural diversity through events, curriculum integration, and support for English Language Learners (ELL).
In January 2026 and June 2026, SD36 Phonics tool was administered for our grade 1 students. This is a measure of a learners ability to decode real and pseudowords, evaluating their mastery of specific sound-spelling patterns, consonant blends, vowel digraphs and multisyllabic words in order to develop the foundation of literacy. The results for grade one January,2026 for Creekside are below. 71% of these students are considered English Language Learners which are students who require additional instruction to develop literacy sills needed to succeed academically. As the graph reveals, 50% of our grade 1 students have achieved mastery.
The FSA assessments are administered in grades 4 and 7. It measures reading and writing and is an indicator of reading and writing skills and the ability to understand and communicate effectively. The results below are for the literacy component. 88% of students in grade 4 are considered English Language Learners and 35% of our grade 7 students are considered English Language Learners. Results reveal that in grade 4, 32% are on track and in grade 7, 51% are on track.
OUR FOCUS
We are focused on improving reading comprehension, vocabulary development and written communication for all learners. At Creekside, we are committed to developing literacy so that every student can confidently understand and communicate in English with fluency and purpose.
Literacy Inquiry Focus – Grade 1
This year, our team sought to deepen our literacy instruction by focusing our inquiry on a cohort of 28 Grade 1 students, of whom 71% were English Language Learners (ELL). Baseline data from the SD36 Phonics Survey indicated that 50% of students were at mastery.
Our inquiry centred on supporting struggling readers to achieve grade-level proficiency by strengthening foundational literacy skills. Specifically, we targeted:
- Phonemic awareness: developing students’ ability to segment words into individual sounds and blend sounds to form words
- Phonological awareness: enhancing students’ ability to recognize and generate rhymes, segment spoken language into words, and identify syllables as units of sound
Students received explicit, systematic instruction in both phonological and phonemic awareness. Instruction was intentional, scaffolded, and embedded in daily literacy routines.
To monitor progress and inform instruction, students were assessed January 2026 on their knowledge of targeted sounds and their application of these skills in reading tasks. This ongoing assessment allowed us to adjust instructional strategies and provide targeted support to meet the diverse needs of our learners. We will reassess in June 2026.
Literacy Inquiry Focus – Grade 1
This year, our team will seek to deepen our literacy instruction by focusing our inquiry on a cohort of 28 Grade 1 students, of whom 71% were English Language Learners (ELL). Baseline data from the SD36 Phonics Survey administered in January 2026 indicated that 50% of students were meeting expectations at mastery.
Our inquiry will centre on supporting struggling readers to achieve grade-level proficiency by strengthening foundational literacy skills. Specifically, we will target:
- Phonemic awareness: developing students’ ability to segment words into individual sounds and blend sounds to form words
- Phonological awareness: enhancing students’ ability to recognize and generate rhymes, segment spoken language into words, and identify syllables as units of sound
Students will receive explicit, systematic instruction in both phonological and phonemic awareness. Instruction will be intentional, scaffolded, and embedded in daily literacy routines using UFLI, a researched based program to develop the earlier skills required in literacy.
We strive to:
Strengthen early literacy foundations (phonics, fluency, comprehension)
Build academic vocabulary across subject areas
Improve students' ability to think critically, infer meaning, and explain their thinking
Foster a love of reading and writing in all students by providing engaging, diverse, and age-appropriate literature, and by developing literacy skills through interactive and differentiated instruction.
OUR NEXT STEPS
Focus on Literacy
Assessment is a foundational component of effective education, guiding instructional decisions and supporting student success (Wren, 2004). Establishing a clear understanding of each student’s baseline literacy skills is the first step in delivering strong reading instruction, as students enter the classroom with varied backgrounds and abilities.
All students will participate in research-based literacy assessments to identify their strengths and areas for growth. Ongoing assessments will occur each term, allowing teachers to monitor progress over time. Educators will carefully analyze assessment data to inform instruction and design targeted literacy programs that address the diverse and individual needs of every student, ensuring equitable opportunities for learning and achievement.
Surrey Schools
Formed in 1906, the Surrey School District currently has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia and is one of the few growing districts in the province. It is governed by a publicly elected board of seven trustees.
The district serves the cities of Surrey and White Rock and the rural area of Barnston Island.
