Sooke Elementary is one of four elementary schools located in the seaside town of Sooke, British Columbia. We happily reside on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish specifically the T'Sou-ke Nation on which our school is built. Our school is one of the oldest schools in the province and has been a focal point in the community for over 100 years. We currently have 326 students attending Sooke Elementary. We have 15 divisions from kindergarten to Grade 5. Enrolment has been increasing steadily over the last few years as more people are moving to the area for affordable housing. In anticipation of this growth, we have a modular classroom as well as three portables on site.
We are staffed at just under 17 FTE teachers, 9 educational assistants, three noon hour supervising assistants and one student engagement facilitator. In addition, we have a counsellor working at our school three days a week; a Principle of Learning teacher, English Skills Development teacher and Na'tsa'maht Classroom Support Assistant all of which work here part time.
The staff of Sooke Elementary and their commitment to inclusion and First Peoples' Principles of Learning is the school's strongest attribute. The teachers and support staff are committed to providing a positive learning experience for all children. Of particular note is the group of staff members who have worked at the school for several years, and mentor all new staff members (i.e., new administrators, teachers, and education assistants) about the culture of the school. We were the first school in the district to pilot a Principle of Learning (POL) teacher. The POL teacher focused on land-based learning and was a liaison with our local Aboriginal community. The staff are committed to the fact that learning is "a holistic, lifelong process based on primarily localized, experiential learning and formal/informal educational processes" (Dr. Sinclair, 2022). This belief in land-based learning is evident in the number of classes that participate in weekly nature walks (to both local beaches and forests) and stewardship of our 'Under the Cedar' garden and tea garden. The 'Under the Cedar' garden is a learning space that is composed of indigenous fauna, while our tea garden includes plants that our local Indigenous cultures use to make tea. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 5 actively maintain these gardens. Our dedicated, caring staff pride themselves on meeting the needs of our diverse learners. We will continue to include, support, and advance the First Peoples Principles of learning in our school.
Our code of conduct at Sooke Elementary focuses on creating a safe and caring community. We include a line that states "as members of this school community, we have a responsibility to act in ways that are free of: Discrimination, especially based on race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or age (BC Human Rights Code)." Our staff works hard at fostering this environment and address any missteps with students.
When students encounter difficulties following our code of conduct, we practice restitution to make it right. More specifically, we review our code of conduct and teach children that we all make mistakes, but it's important that we learn from those mistakes. This maintains a child's dignity while helping them learn to not make the same mistake twice. We openly communicate with parents regarding any incidents involving their children & appreciate the involvement of our entire school community in reinforcing this social learning.
Sooke Elementary has a very supportive Parent Advisory Council (PAC). They meet monthly to discuss and provide opportunities for our students. Supports include technology, field trips, a nature playground, playground equipment, cultural experiences, and specialty class supplies.
