Colwood Elementary | Sooke School District

What's on this page

School Overview
Focus and Planning
Reflect, Adjust, Celebrate

School Overview

School Identity and Context

Colwood Elementary would like to acknowledge the traditional territories of the Coast Salish, specifically Esquimalt Nation and Songhees Nation on which the school is built and thank them for sharing this beautiful land. Colwood Elementary is a K-5 school with a 206 student capacity. We are a dynamic school that serves many of the communities of Colwood. At Colwood, our mascot is Kris the Cougar, with KRIS standing for our shared values of Kindness, Respect, Inclusion and Safety. Our community highly values the land that surrounds our schools and engages our learners in nature-based learning. We are dedicated to the process of restitution, both within our building and our society. In that same spirit, we areengaging our inquisitive and growth-oriented community in the work of reconciliation through our school plan goals this year.

Colwood Elementary serves a diverse community from many cultural backgrounds. We back onto the forests of Royal Roads and appreciate the access we have to this area.

Our Learners

What do we know about our learners?

Our school has a wide variety of learners. Each student has their own needs and strengths. 3.3% of our students are designated ELL. 11.6% of our students have a ministry designation identifying exceptionalities and so needing some form of social-emotional and/or academic support and/or accommodation. 8.7% self-identify as having indigenous ancestry and 4.4% are English as a Second Dialect.

What evidence supports what we know about our learners?

Our Student Voice

Data from our 2022 Equity in Action Survey

58 students from grades 3-5 participated in this survey

Aboriginal / Indigenous (First Nations, Métis Inuit) 11.76%
Black (i.e. African, Afro-Caribbean, African-Canadian) 2.94%
East Asian (i.e. Chinese, Korean, Japanese) 1.47%
Latino (Latin American, Hispanic) 2.94%
Middle Eastern (Arab, Persian, West Asian: i.e. Iranian, Afghan, Turkish etc.) 0.00%
South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi etc.) 2.94%
Southeast Asian (Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai etc.) 1.47%
White (European descent) 66.18%
Prefer not to answer 10.29%
Other 0.00%

Do you see family or people from your cultural background in your classroom?

67% Always/Sometimes
26% Rarely/Never
7% No Answer/Not Complete

Do you see your culture reflected in your classroom?

74% Always/Sometimes
17% Rarely/Never
9% No Answer/Not Complete

Do Indigenous Role Models or Elders visit your classroom or school?

69% Always/Sometimes
24% Rarely/Never
7% No Answer/Not Complete

Does your classroom spend time learning outside?

72% Always/Sometimes
21% Rarely/Never
7% No Answer/Not Complete

Focus and Planning

School Goal 1

To what extent can a focus on our equity project and its goals affect student feelings of representation and understanding of Indigenous Education.

Strategic Plan Goal

Engagement

Strategic Plan Engagement Objectives

Develop, expand and implement inclusive and collaborative practices and processes.

Action Plan

Promote, Celebrate, Learn Indigenous Culture

What we want to do:

Invite a Hoop Dancer to lead a workshop with students
Staff Book Club – Indigenous Relations (Bob Joseph, Cynthia Joseph)
Apply for an ArtStart Grant & PAC funding to paint a mural
Re-vision school logo & mascot
Educate, Inform on Equity & Justice
Create Colwood’s own territorial acknowledgement (in compliance with SD62 current territorial acknowledgement)

School Goal 2

To what extent would can we enhance the outdoor learning program at Colwood through intentional school-wide programming?

Strategic Plan Goal

Learning

Strategic Plan Learning Objectives

Provide opportunites for learners to develop critical and creative thinking skills.

Action Plan

How can the district support your goals?

Na’tsa’maht Indigenous Education

Reflect, Adjust, Celebrate

Indicators of progress

Indicators of progress connected to Goal 1

Indicators of progress connected to Goal 2

How will we communicate and celebrate our progress?