Ecole Sunrise Ridge 24-25
OUR CONTEXT
At Sunrise Ridge, we are proud to say: “Learning and caring together.”
School Overview
Sunrise Ridge Elementary is a vibrant and inclusive K–7 school dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming, and engaging learning environment for all students. Situated in a diverse and growing community, our school serves approximately 380 learners and is supported by a committed team of educators, support staff, and families who work collaboratively to ensure each child thrives—academically, socially, and emotionally.
Our Values and Approach
Guided by the core values of respect, responsibility, and resilience, we foster a school culture where students are empowered to take ownership of their learning and contribute positively to their school and broader community. Our educational approach emphasizes student-centered learning, collaborative inquiry, and social-emotional development, recognizing that academic achievement is deeply connected to well-being and a sense of belonging.
Programs and Initiatives
Sunrise Ridge offers a range of programs designed to meet diverse learning needs, including inclusive education supports, Indigenous education initiatives, and enrichment opportunities in the arts, athletics, and STEM. We are deeply committed to equity and reconciliation, and we actively integrate Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing into our curriculum and school culture.
We are proud to host the District Late French Immersion Program for Grades 6 and 7, providing students with a unique opportunity to develop bilingual competencies in a dynamic and supportive environment. This program enriches our school community by welcoming learners from across the district and contributing to our multicultural identity.
Professional Learning and Community Engagement
Our staff engages in ongoing professional learning focused on literacy and numeracy development, trauma-informed practices, and family systems approaches to student support. We believe that strong relationships with families and community partners are essential, and we are committed to fostering meaningful collaboration in support of student success.
Looking Ahead
As we look to the future, Sunrise Ridge Elementary remains focused on innovation, collaboration, and care. We are dedicated to preparing our students to become thoughtful, compassionate, and capable citizens in an ever-evolving world.
Acknowledgement of Territory
We respectfully acknowledge that École Sunrise Ridge, part of Surrey Schools, is located on the traditional, unceded, and shared territories of the Coast Salish peoples: the q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), the q̓ʷa:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), and the SEMYOME (Semiahmoo) First Nations. These Nations have been the stewards of this land since time immemorial. We recognize this enduring history and affirm our commitment to building respectful relationships and partnerships with Indigenous communities as part of our journey toward truth and reconciliation. 
OUR LEARNERS
Literacy at Sunrise Ridge Elementary
At Sunrise Ridge, we recognize that literacy is foundational to all learning. Literacy encompasses the ability to read, write, speak, and listen effectively, and we support the development of these skills across a range of age-appropriate abilities.
When students enter our school, educators meet each learner where they are in their reading journey. Through ongoing assessment and observation, we identify individual strengths and areas for growth, and tailor instruction to support the development of reading fluency and comprehension.
The BC Curriculum guides our literacy instruction, emphasizing collaborative learning among students, educators, and families. We believe that literacy development is most effective when it is supported by strong relationships and active engagement from the entire school community.
Students at Sunrise Ridge participate in a variety of classroom and school-wide reading activities designed to foster a love of reading and strengthen literacy skills. Reading and language development are integrated across all areas of the curriculum, providing learners with meaningful opportunities to practice and apply their skills in diverse contexts.
We also celebrate the rich linguistic diversity within our school. While English is the primary language of instruction, nearly half of our students speak a language other than English at home. In total, 29 languages are represented in our school community, enriching our learning environment and deepening our understanding of global perspectives.
Our students understand that reading is a skill that develops over time through consistent practice. They are encouraged to use a range of developmentally appropriate strategies, including using context clues, phonics, word structure analysis, visualization, questioning, predicting, previewing text, summarizing, and making inferences.
Oral storytelling is also valued at Sunrise Ridge, as it supports language development, cultural understanding, and personal expression. Families are encouraged to be active partners in their child’s literacy journey, reinforcing the importance of reading at home and celebrating progress together.
OUR FOCUS
Building Strong Literacy Foundations at Sunrise Ridge
At Sunrise Ridge Elementary, students engage in meaningful literacy activities every day. Our overarching goal is to build strong literacy foundations that are essential for students to participate fully and confidently in today’s world. By identifying clear learning goals in reading, educators are able to design instructional strategies that meet the unique needs of each learner.
Literacy Goals
Our school’s literacy focus is guided by two key goals:
1. Early Primary Cohort (Kindergarten to Grade 1):
Students will develop and strengthen phonemic and phonological awareness skills.
Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. For example, recognizing that the word “cat” is made up of the sounds /c/, /a/, and /t/.
Phonological awareness includes broader skills such as recognizing rhyming words, segmenting speech into individual words, and identifying syllables as sound “chunks” within words.
Students in this cohort participate in daily language-rich activities that support these foundational skills in fun and engaging ways.
2. Grades 2–6 Cohort:
Students will improve reading comprehension skills before, during, and after reading.
This includes developing strategies such as predicting, questioning, summarizing, and making inferences to deepen understanding and engagement with texts.
Evidence of Growth
Our school-wide focus on reading is beginning to show positive results. Based on assessment data:
In June 2023, 60% of students were meeting grade-level expectations in reading comprehension.
By June 2024, this increased to 67%, reflecting a 7% improvement.
While this progress is encouraging, we remain committed to further enhancing reading outcomes for all learners.
Additional data indicates that students in Grades 2–3 are demonstrating slightly higher proficiency in reading compared to those in the intermediate grades. This insight helps guide our instructional planning and resource allocation.
Early Literacy Assessment
Our Early Primary students were assessed across nine key areas of phonemic awareness:
Initial Phoneme Isolation
Final Phoneme Isolation
Two-Phoneme Segmentation
Three-Phoneme Segmentation
Medial (Vowel) Phoneme Isolation
Phoneme Segmentation
Two-Phoneme Blending
Three-Phoneme Blending
Four-Phoneme Blending
These assessments help educators tailor instruction and monitor progress in foundational literacy skills.
Student Voice
Our students are enthusiastic about reading and understand that literacy is a journey. They recognize that reading takes practice and develops over time. They value oral storytelling and actively use strategies such as context clues, phonics, visualization, and summarizing to make meaning from texts.
With nearly half of our students speaking a language other than English at home—and 29 languages represented in our school community—we celebrate linguistic diversity and strive to create inclusive literacy experiences that reflect and honour our learners’ backgrounds.
OUR NEXT STEPS
Next Steps in Literacy Development
At Sunrise Ridge, our staff remains deeply committed to advancing our school-wide reading goals. For our beginning readers, we will continue to implement direct, targeted phonemic awareness instruction—essential building blocks for becoming confident and successful readers. In parallel, we will maintain a strong focus on teaching reading comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading.
Our assessment data has highlighted the need for additional supports and resources to meet the needs of our growing population of English Language Learners. In response, we will continue to strengthen our instructional practices and provide targeted interventions for students who are emerging or developing their reading skills.
Collaboration remains central to our approach. Classroom teachers and Learning Support staff will work together to identify gaps in student learning and implement strategies that promote growth and success.
Our ultimate goal is to help every student become a proficient reader and to foster a lifelong love of reading.
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.
