What was being noticed about learners at Spul'u'kwuks?
We notice that our learners have a developing understanding of the history and significance ofour place and school name (our school is located right by the Fraser and has a midden adjacent toour back field and ourschoolname is anglicizedhən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓).
In our younger learners, we see a need to focus on developing an appreciation ofhən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓,developing Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, and grounding their experiences in placethrough outdoor learning. With our older learners,deeper, more personal connections to ourshared place and history need to be explored. Many of our students experience little agency intheir lives (very regimented with classes after school, etc.), and seeing themselves as “change-makers” and advocates for change is something we are working to grow within them.
We notice the learning we are doing in our classrooms need to be shared with the wider schoolcommunity so we can begin to build the foundation of a common “school story”.
Actions Taken:
For the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, weengage in a school-wide “Walk for Reconciliation” wherestudents walk around our field and pause at severalprovocations along the way and end at our “RememberingGarden”. We walked with our big buddies and engaged in areflection of what we learned, what we felt, and whatactions we would take to further T&R in our lives. We alsowrote to the Prime Minister to request equal and adequatefunding for ALL students, so every learner could enjoy ”safeand comfy” schools (Shannen’sDream).
For our students to be “stewards” of knowledgeand deepen their personal connection to the land,history, and stories of this place, we had originallyhoped to share our learning with the widercommunity through a school mural and signage inour garden spaces and on our school grounds. Wehave had to work on a smaller scale while we workthrough the protocols and processes of bringing inan artist from Musqueam. Our inquiry changed to:How can we empower students to affect changeand build a common “school story” on a smallerscale? We began using our front foyer space as anopen provocation for our learners to engage inevents such as “Have a Heart Day” and “WorldWater Day”. Students were invited to createmessages on hearts for “Heart Gardens” in ourfront planters ,write “Valentine” letters to thePrime Minister, and learn somehən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. Thesame model was use for “World Water Day” toraise awareness of the ongoing water advisoriesreservations still face today.
Most students expressed they want learn more aboutMusqueam culture, history, and language, and many made agoal of teaching their families as part of their Reconciliationwork.
From scanning student reflections, we did notice many saidthey felt “happy”, “excited”, and “calm” during ourReconciliation Walk.
Students are makingconnections to the widercommunity, engagementacross our schoolcommunity is increasing,and students are learningwith joy!
Next steps:
-begin our book club (JoChrona’s, “WayiWah!”)for our final term
-continue to pursue school mural with aMusqueam artist
-continue to build deeper connections to placeand history through stories, experiences, andoutdoor learning opportunities with our students
-work on visibility and signage for our schoolgrounds to further educate of our families andcommunity about history, place, and culture
-sharing student-created land acknowledgementsfor our Morning Announcements
