Blog Posts

What does inclusion at school look like for students with significant behaviour and/or mental health needs?

The implementation of our competency-based curriculum is grounded in the Core Competencies. Personal, social, and cultural competencies are a vital part of the growth of students as they gain a deeper understanding of who they are and how they relate to others. As a Curriculum Department, we are working to include social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices in our learning opportunities to underscore the importance of core competencies and solid foundations for learning.

SEL Inside Out Project in Schools: Self-Regulation Skills for All!

This year, Ross, Ten Broeck elementary and Chief Dan Middle school partnered with our district occupational therapist to re-imagine their practices to address self-regulation needs. This project is called SEL Inside Out and it involves addressing self-regulation skills at the whole school, classroom, and individual student level.

Rovi Sandhu, a grade six teacher at Chief Dan George Middle School, asks himself, "What can I do to ensure kids receive what they need?" Inspired by the book Street Data (2021), Sandhu put his inquiry question into action. He invited each student in the grade six pod to partake in an empathy interview, allowing them to share aspects of their lived experiences at school.

Equitable and inclusive classrooms are cultivated by collaboration. This is especially true when supporting non-speaking students who use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC). Pairing the language development expertise of Speech-Language Pathologists with the education expertise of Teachers can build opportunities for every student. The results, as shared by Clearbrook Elementary EA Ana Larson, are changes in staff mindset, student engagement and curiosity.

As their teacher reached into the bag to pull out the monkey puppet, a chorus of excited children declared “Melvin!” One friend leaned over to me, and with wide eyes asked: “Do you know Melvin?”  “Yes, I do,” I replied, and was met with a knowing look.  For the next 20 minutes, the class continued singing songs, connecting to anchor charts, games, and reading a book on feeling loved.  

The ELL Department has continued to build our relationships and learn from colleagues locally and worldwide who are leading culturally sustaining pedagogy. We are continually incorporating, modelling and developing practices that embody all aspects of the Abbyschools Equity Framework. Below are just a few examples of some of the great work that is happening in our district.

What if… someone sat down with you and asked about your likes and interests? What your strengths are? What communities you belong to? What areas you would like to develop further? What if, instead of fixing your deficits, they worked with you to develop your assets and skills? These questions formed the foundation of our new Competency-Based IEP.