Ecole Laronde 25-26
OUR CONTEXT
OUR LEARNERS
École Laronde is home to 467 students enrolled in our single-track French Immersion program. We are proud of our students and their hard work, and we are especially proud of our diverse school community, with learners joining us from many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. At École Laronde, we encourage students to "vivre en français" learning and living in French each day. Learning a second language strengthens thinking skills, boosts confidence, and opens doors to future opportunities, both in school and beyond. Together, we create a supportive and enriching environment where all students can thrive and grow.
At the beginning of the school year, our teaching staff gathered to reflect on the needs of our learners, and we agreed that we want to continue focusing on literacy. We also discussed the need to explore and dive into Social Emotional Learning to help our students with their self-regulation skills was equally important. We shifted our focus to include SEL alongside literacy as a proactive step towards creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment that promotes the holistic development for all our students.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) helps students build healthy identities, manage emotions, set goals, show empathy, make responsible decisions, and develop positive relationships. These skills support success across all areas of learning and are embedded throughout the curriculum using the CASEL framework.
At École Laronde, we strive to meet each learner where they're at with their emotional intelligence by engaging in activities that utilize teamwork, to help build collaboration, and a sense of community so learners feel safe taking risks in their learning. By emphasizing the development of SEL, it enhances each students’ mental health, which will result in improved overall wellbeing, emotional and physical health, and academic achievement.
Literacy Connections & Social Emotional Learning
Reading & Writing
Our students engaged in stories shared in class that contained themes within the SEL Framework. With this explicit exposure, dialogue and discussions were created to further develop our students’ understanding of the various components of SEL and the widespread impact they can have.
Our learners use personal experience and knowledge to connect to text and deepen understanding of self, community, and world. They can recognize and identify the role of personal, social, and cultural contexts, values, and perspectives in texts. They can question what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
School Wide Read Aloud
Our students from Kindergarten to Grade 7 took part in a special school-wide read-aloud of Ta Voix Compte by Peter H. Reynolds which was featured at our “Shades of Kindness” assembly. Together, we celebrated our wonderful readers and the power of speaking up with kindness, courage, and purpose to share ideas, stand for what's right, and lift each other up. It was a powerful reminder that every voice, no matter how small, can make a difference.
Reading Under the Stars
This engaging event hosted by our school librarian invited students to experience the magic of reading in a cozy, starry setting. By bringing their favourite books, blankets, and flashlights, students were encouraged to immerse themselves in stories and develop a love for reading in a fun and relaxing environment. This activity supports literacy development, promotes independent reading habits, and helps create a positive and inspiring reading culture within the school.
Our learners will think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts. They will recognize and appreciate how different features, forms, and genres of texts reflect various purposes, audiences, and message.
I Am Enough - Read Aloud
During the "Shades of Kindness" Assembly, our Black History Month Student Committee student readers were featured in this powerful picture book, I Am Enough by Grace Byers which focuses on self-confidence and kindness.
Our learners can demonstrate respect for differences in the classroom and our school community.
"Arbre de la Gentillesse" Kindness Branches Out
The Kindness Tree displayed in the front lobby, has been beautifully decorated with heartfelt messages and artwork from students across all classes. The inspiring contributions have created a powerful visual testament to the spirit of kindness within our school community. We extend our sincere gratitude to all students and staff who participated in this meaningful project. The Kindness Tree has successfully fostered a sense of connection and positivity throughout Laronde.
Our learners can collaborate with their peers to explore what it means to show love and appreciation for themselves and others.
Building Community Through Collaboration
At Laronde, students regularly collaborate across grade levels through opportunities such as our “big buddy” approach, where older and younger learners work together to build relationships, support one another, and share their learning. These cross-grade connections foster a strong sense of community and belonging, while helping students develop empathy, leadership, and communication skills. This supports the development of social and emotional skills, particularly in building positive identity, strengthening communication, and fostering a sense of personal and social responsibility. Through these meaningful interactions, students learn to value diverse perspectives, build confidence, and contribute positively to a caring and inclusive school environment.
Our learners can develop communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills through cross-grade learning opportunities. By collaborating with peers of different ages, they strengthened their positive personal identity, demonstrated empathy and respect for diverse perspectives, and contributed to a caring, inclusive school community.
French Immersion - "Vivre en Français"!
Laronde is a single-track French Immersion school, which means students are fully immersed in French throughout the entire day. This full immersion helps students quickly develop strong language skills while also deepening their understanding of French culture and community. French Immersion supports social and emotional learning by building confidence, empathy, and cultural awareness.
Our learners can identify cultural elements in texts and compare them with one’s own cultural points of reference. They can recognize that there is linguistic variety within the Francophonie and can express themselves in French.
At Laronde, we have also been intentionally strengthening students’ sense of community and belonging by connecting with other French Immersion classes. Throughout the year, students exchange pen pal letters in French, visit other schools, and engage in shared learning experiences. These connections allow students to explore similarities and differences in their learning environments, further enriching their language development while fostering meaningful relationships and a broader sense of community.
« Je me sens fier quand je peux parler français et me connecter avec quelqu’un d’autre en français. » I feel proud when I can speak French and connect with someone else in French. - Grade 4 student
First Peoples Principles of Learning
Students engage with the First Peoples Principles of Learning as a framework that emphasizes holistic, experiential, and relational ways of knowing. These principles encourage learners to develop a deeper sense of identity, responsibility, and connection to the world around them, recognizing that learning is not only intellectual but also emotional, spiritual, and rooted in relationships with people and place.
Students participated in meaningful outdoor, place-based learning experiences through visits to forests and local beaches, where they engaged in observation, reflection, and respect for the natural environment. As they explored local plants and coastal ecosystems and considered their traditional uses, they developed an understanding of the interconnectedness of all living things and how knowledge is rooted in the land. These experiences foster respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. Through reflection and the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives, students began to recognize the forest and shoreline as teachers, shaping their own understanding of sustainability, stewardship, and their connection to nature.
Our learners can experience and interpret the local environment and identify First Peoples perspectives and knowledge as sources of information.
Active Living and Community Wellness
At Laronde, students are provided with many opportunities to develop physical literacy as part of a balanced approach to wellness and well-being. Through activities that build movement skills, teamwork, and healthy habits, students learn the importance of staying active and caring for their bodies and minds. Events such as Jump Rope for Heart also connect this learning to a greater purpose, as students come together to raise funds for a meaningful cause while supporting heart health. These experiences strengthen social and emotional competencies by promoting goal-setting, perseverance, and a sense of responsibility to both themselves and their community, while fostering pride in contributing to something larger than themselves.
Our learners can develop physical literacy through participation in a variety of physical activities that promoted movement skills, teamwork, and healthy living.
“I like participating in activities like Jump Rope for Heart because it helps me stay active while also helping other people. It makes me feel proud that our school can work together to support a good cause, and I’ve learned that taking care of my health is important too.” — Laronde Student
OUR FOCUS
Every day, students at École Laronde have chances to practice social-emotional skills. Our staff fosters a caring culture where relationships and collaboration thrive. Early in the year, we noticed students sometimes struggle to work and play together, often due to challenges with self-regulation or understanding different perspectives.
We invited teachers to take a survey to gain a better understanding of their experiences with teaching and exploring Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in the classrooms at our school.
SEL Staff Survey Results
I guide students through Second Step and Growth Mindset lessons year-round. Social-emotional learning is key to fostering a supportive environment where students can flourish academically, socially, and emotionally - Laronde Staff
Intervention Strategies
Skill Building Lessons
To identify students' overall strengths and areas of growth, we tracked and monitored a cohort of the three kindergarten classes. This cohort included a diverse range of learners that were representative of our school's population, but who particularly had challenges in two identified areas. The personal and social core competencies we focused on in relation to "responsible decision-making" include:
- Self-Regulating: Students take ownership of their choices and actions. They set goals, monitor progress, and understand their emotions, using that understanding to regulate actions and reactions.
- Resolving Problems: Students identify and develop an appreciation for different perspectives on issues. They show empathy, disagree respectfully, and create space for others to use their voices.
Students in our cohorts participated in various SEL themed lessons focused on our two main competency areas. These lessons were drawn directly from the Second Step program and the CASEL framework. The goal is to help students build a foundation for a positive, inclusive culture through developing social emotional competencies, which include perspective taking, empathy, processing emotions, understanding and resolving conflicts and building positive relationships.
Examples of SEL lessons include:
- Growth mindset and goal setting
- Emotion management
- Empathy and kindness
- Problem Solving
Other Lessons and Activities:
- Using picture books to support SEL themes like identifying and naming big emotions and solving problem peacefully.
- Providing direct instruction about and practicing positive self-talk.
- Evaluating the consequences of actions.
- Developing an understanding of the role of personal decision making in promoting community wellbeing
"Réflexions des Petit Lynx" - Little Lynx Reflections
Integrating SEL into literacy helps students identify their feelings and grow emotionally, while becoming more confident, empathetic, and skilled readers and writers. Writing and talking about our feelings is important because it helps us understand our emotions, communicate with others, and improve our mental well-being.
Literacy and SEL are important because they help us communicate, express our feelings, build positive relationships with others, and develop the skills to understand and manage our emotions. Writing and talking about our feelings helps us grow, feel understood, and support our overall well-being.
OUR NEXT STEPS
Evidence of Growth and Areas of Focus
In September 2025, early primary teachers used the BC Ministry of Education Quick Scale: Grades K to 3 for Social Responsibility performance standards to assess students’ level of social awareness in four areas:
- Contributing to the classroom and school community
- Solving problems in peaceful ways
- Valuing diversity and defending human rights
- Exercising rights and responsibilities
In June 2026, the teachers used the same criteria scale to assess students and measure their growth over the school year. The results of the assessments below indicate a significant reduction of the number of Kindergarten students experiencing difficulty with their self-regulation and social responsibility skills.
Growth was demonstrated in the September 2025 to June 2026 social responsibility scale results. When averaging results across all four goals, we saw a decrease in the percentage of students who are Emerging (-33%) and a decrease in those who are Developing (-21%). Similarly, we saw an increase in the percentage of students who are Proficient (+25%) and students who are now Extending (+29%).
Positive Behaviour Intervention System - PBIS "Matrix"
This school year, we formed a PBIS committee to help develop and implement a school wide PBIS plan that works to promote school safety and expected positive behaviour for all of our students. The PBIS rubric we created outlines student's behaviour expectations across multiple school settings, including hallways, outside, bathrooms, etc. The goal of the PBIS rubric is to provide staff and students with clear school-wide behaviour expectations. As always, we encourage family and community involvement to support positive behaviour at school and at home. Our hope is to continue to encourage students to make safe and positive choices.
Moving Forward
Students are demonstrating growth as they apply the skills they have learned and practiced throughout the year. As we continue to place Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) at the heart of teaching and learning at École Laronde Elementary, we will build on this progress by deepening our focus on responsible decision-making.
Based on evidence of student learning and growth in relation to our goals, our next steps are to support students in continuing to:
- take ownership of their choices and actions;
- develop a deeper understanding of their emotions and use that awareness to regulate their actions and reactions;
- recognize, appreciate, and consider different perspectives;
- demonstrate empathy, respectfully navigate disagreements, and create space for diverse voices and experiences.
Students will continue to strengthen these skills through both implicit learning opportunities embedded within daily instruction and intentional interactions with staff. In addition, staff will provide explicit instruction in SEL through the continued use of school-wide resources and practices designed to support students' social-emotional development.
As a Learning Community
We will:
- continue to monitor and refine our Student Learning Plan to ensure it meets the evolving needs of our students;
- identify and build on effective practices while addressing areas for growth;
- explore additional ways to measure the impact of our plan and use this feedback to inform ongoing instructional decisions and support continuous improvement.
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.
