Ha7lh Skwayel Families -
Welcome to Brackendale Elementary School!
We are honoured to learn, work and play on the Traditional, Ancestral, Unceded Territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation and Village of Waiwaikum. We are a K-6 school in Brackendale, British Columbia serving approximately 320 students. We love learning in our beautiful building, on our ample school grounds and amongst our lush forests.
Community, connectedness, and a sense of belonging are fundamental to our school culture. Teaching and reinforcing empathy, flexibility, persistence, resilience, and optimism, which develop a growth mindset, form our core values.
Our journey of reconciliation and decolonizing learning is ongoing. Each year our staff work with community and students to make our school a welcoming, honouring learning space. Circle, authentic resources, embedding land, language and culture across the curriculum are some ways that we seek to do this. We are very proud of our school logo, the Bear, which was designed by local indigenous artist, Rick Harry. The mural at the front of our school was created by Siobahn Joseph. These artists are connected to our school through the land, community and also to our families. Celebrating and making visible local Indigenous Art is one way we can demonstrate our commitment to raising up Indigenous Voices.
At our school we recognize that perseverance is essential for learning. Recent data collected indicates that students at our school are challenged with navigating their world with Grit and Resilience, Empathy and Kindness. We believe these skills are essential for thriving in a world with rapidly growing access to knowledge and technology, and environmental change. As part of our school learning plan this year Teachers will be explicitly teaching Social Emotional Skills in these areas. Students will be able to say confidently:
- I keep trying even when things get tough
- I can learn from my mistakes and use them to get better
- I can stay focused on my goals even when distractions come my way
- I believe in myself and my abilities,
- I have strengths and strategies to overcome obstacles
- I think about how my actions make others feel, and I choose to be kind
- I stand up for others who are being treated unkindly or left out
- I do small acts of kindness every day, like sharing, helping a friend
- I can imagine how someone else might feel in a situation and respond with care and kindness.
When you browse this website, you will see how students are making progress with their Grit, resilience, kindness, and Empathy to enhance their learning. The pictures, words, and videos are here to give you an insight into the rich, meaningful learning that our students enjoy every day at Brackendale.
We hope you enJOY our school and community as much as we do!
Sincerely,
Ms. Patching
Principal
