Elgin Park Secondary 22-23
OUR CONTEXT
Elgin Park is a secondary school in the Surrey School District and is nestled in a beautiful community setting in South Surrey. We are a school that is proud to acknowledge that we work, learn, and connect on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territory of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo, and other Coast Salish Peoples past and present.
Indigenous Peoples' History Day (June 2022)
Elgin Park is the third school opened on the south peninsula in 1993 in close proximity to Crescent Beach. We are a school community that celebrates a culture of learning excellence and we offer rigorous academics along with essential electives that include: band, arts, athletics, technology, and home economics. Our current school population is made up of just over 1,300 students and just over 100 staff members. Elgin students thrive in a culture that focusses on the individual goals of each of our students. We welcome approximately 130 International students each year and our students are highly engaged in rich extra curricular clubs and opportunities both in school and out of school. There is a high drive to attend post secondary institutions both locally and internationally. We have a strong tradition of highly engaged and committed parent/guardians who contribute to the school through a strong PAC and also through Dry Grad. Elgin Park is a school that is student centered and our staff are committed to providing the best learning environment possible.
At Elgin Park we emphasis community, connection, and social emotional learning. Throughout the year, students and staff engage in meaningful school community events that celebrate our staff and students. From athletics to band concerts to art shows and clubs/committees day, all of our Orcas come together as a Pod!
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OUR LEARNERS
Elgin Park is the Home of the Orcas! Most of our students arrive to us from our associate elementary schools located in the neighbourhood - Chantrell Creek, Crescent Park, Ocean Cliff, Ray Shepherd, and Semiahmoo Trail. We welcome the largest number of International students in the Surrey School District. Upon arrival to Elgin Park, regardless of where our learners are coming from, our students focus on growing their understanding both of the curricular areas and of themselves through core competencies.
Learning is more than just sitting at a desk... learning is an experience. Our learners are engaged in hands-on, experiential learning with the goals of elevating and amplifying the Core Competencies of Communication, Thinking, and Personal/Social. Each of these Core Competencies are embedded in the Curricular Competencies.
The Communication competency "encompasses the knowledge, skills, processes and dispositions we associate with interactions with others. Through their communication, students acquire, develop and transform ideas and information, and make connections with others to share their ideas, express their individuality, further their learning, and get things done. The communication competency is fundamental to finding satisfaction, purpose and joy. "
The Thinking competency "encompasses the knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development. It is through their competency as thinkers that students take subject-specific concepts and content and transform them into a new understanding. Thinking competence includes specific thinking skills as well as habits of mind, and metacognitive awareness. These are used to process information from a variety of sources, including thoughts and feelings that arise from the subconscious and unconscious mind and from embodied cognition, to create new understandings. "
Lastly, the Personal and Social competency is the "set of abilities that relate to students' identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society. Personal and social competency encompasses what students need to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find and achieve their purposes in the world."
Our learners strive to develop their communication and collaboration skills because that is what the world requires currently and especially for the future. Students must be able to fluidly move from thinking and working independently to working with others and show that they value the contributions of others around them. Learning can not be done in isolation so our students strive to connect and engage with others and they recognize that their communication contributes to their own growth and also of those around them. As seen in the examples below, this core competency is fully activated in places like Calculus 12 and even through the sounds of music at our annual Backyard Band BBQ.
OUR FOCUS
At Elgin Park, our focus on student learning means that we have larger school wide goals but at the same time we ensure that each individual student is also able to strive towards their own personal goals. By focusing on the social-emotional wellbeing of our students (SEL) we work towards ensuring that the core competencies support our student learning in the curricular areas. If students are feeling regulated emotionally and have the tools for self-regulation, they can then focus on their learning in the curricular areas.
By using the core competencies as our foundation for all student learning, our school goals include:
- Improving student literacy/numeracy skills. Our learners can think critically, creatively, and reflectively to analyze ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
- Learning is not compartmentalized; rather, learning is deeply connected, interwoven, and can be transferred. Our learners can make connections between curricular areas and the real world.
- Our learners can use strategies to self regulate and focus on their well being. Developing SEL wellness through a focus on directly teaching strategies to self regulate for all students - Communication, Thinking, Personal/Social.
- Building positive school environment and culture that celebrate all learners. Our learners feel a sense of belonging, care, and support in our school. Our learners are diverse and the curriculum supports and allows students to connect to curricular areas.
Each department (curricular area) is led by department leaders (teachers). At the beginning of the year, each department created goals that connect to the overarching school goals listed above. While each department focused on specific curricular goals, it was important for learners to recognize that there is overlap in learning areas.
Culinary Arts Cupcake Challenge
Physics - students worked collaboratively to design, build, and then race their cars.
Biology - Eye Dissections. Hands on learning and making connections to real life.
Exploring careers through off-site field trips!
OUR NEXT STEPS
Each day, staff at Elgin Park work with students and their learning. Literacy is something that is a necessity in every curricular area... it is the foundation of all student learning. So what are our next steps to continue to support our school goals?
Moving into the next school year, our Core Competency Department Head and our Communicating Student Learning Department Head will work with our staff in each curricular area to continue to build connections between core and curricular competencies. Moving into the 2022.23 school year, staff will continue to deepen the focus on enhancing student learning.
Guiding Questions
- How do each of the core competencies specifically connect in each curricular area?
- How do staff ensure that students see that each curricular area is interwoven and that learning can be (and should be) transferred?
- When students are aware of SEL strategies, how does this positively impact their learning and understanding of the world?
- In moving towards assessment practices that are proficiency based versus volume of work completed, are students able to better see their areas of growth and areas that are stretches?
How will we work towards our school goals?
- Create opportunities for staff and students to experience cross curricular learning so that learners can experience the interconnectedness of their learning.
- Connect with learners from all grades to gather information around what students perceive about their learning, social emotional well being, and also school culture. Develop venues for more student voice.
- Continued opportunities for professional development for all staff including topics such as:
- including First Peoples' voices in all curricular areas in a variety of ways,
- supporting BIPOC learners,
- supporting SEL for all learners to ensure equity and inclusive practices
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.
