THE QUILCHENA STORY

Quilchena Elementary is a close knit community school on the west side of Richmond.  We are made up of 185 students from Kindergarten to Grade Seven.  Our First Nations name means “flat land near water”.  Our symbol is the Cyclone:  Quilchena Cyclones respect themselves, others and the community.  This close-knit community is made up of families from all around the world.  The school has a warm, friendly environment where students are encouraged to explore, ask questions and take risks as they progress in their learning.  Our school motto is “Learning, Caring and Growing Together” and this motto is lived every day through our students’ dedication to learning and their care for themselves and others. Our school strengths include: collaboration, belonging, encouraging students to be caring, responsible citizens.  We have a vibrant PAC group that supports our school community. Our school has a large play area with a well established garden. Each day is started with a morning walk where students and staff connect and are able to regulate to get their bodies and minds ready for learning. Students are well connected with each other through our family teams and collaborative learning opportunities provided by our staff.

2023-2024

Our school community acronym is Quilchena CARES. This helps staff and students to focus to develop their ability to both co-regulate, build connections and be peaceful problem solvers. For the past several year we have been focussing on finding ways to create a sense of belonging for all staff and students (the Personal and Social Competency, especially in the area of Personal Awareness and Responsibility). We have 65 new students who have joined our school community this year and we are working together to ensure that all members of the community feel connected at school. Our work with connection kindness and belonging is never done. It continues to be an important part of the fibre of Quilchena. Through our Care Circles, adults and students are learning to notice, name and understand how to manage our feelings and emotions and how doing so helps us as learners and in our relationships with each other. How does noticing, naming and nurturing the Personal and Social core competencies enhance our students’ understanding of their own feelings and learning?

Personal and Social Competency – Personal and social competency is the set of abilities that relate to students’ identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society. Personal and social competency encompasses the abilities students need to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and to find and achieve their purposes in the world.

Personal Awareness & Responsibility - Personal Awareness and Responsibility involves understanding the connections between personal and social behaviour and well-being; it encourages people to make constructive and ethical decisions and act on them.

Below is a description of Actions and Evidence that demonstrate student learning related to our focus. The Action posts are examples of ways students are enhancing their learning related to our focus. The Evidence posts share the difference we are making in student learning related to our focus.