With deep gratitude and respect, we are honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) & səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).

Queen Victoria Elementary (Annex) is located at 1850 E. 3rd Avenue in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Students, families, and families refer to it as “QVA.”

We are a school of five classes from Kindergarten through Gr. 5, with 108 students enrolled for the 2023/2024 school year. QVA is led by five classroom teachers, one part-time resource/prep teacher, six Student Support Workers, two supervision aids, a stellar custodial engineer, and a Vice Principal with a combined admin/teaching load. QVA is the annex to Laura Secord Elementary, a large French/English dual-track school, which is a fifteen-minute walk away. Each year, in-catchment Gr. 5 students transition to Gr. 6 at Laura Secord. Other elementary schools in the area include Grandview, Britannia, Queen Alexandra, and Nelson. The nearby high school is Vancouver Technical Secondary School, known as “Van Tech.”

QVA is located in East Vancouver, a short walk from Commercial Drive. “The Drive” is a culturally rich and colourful neighborhood, replete with restaurants, coffee shops, and independent businesses. The school is close to many community venues such as McSpadden Park, Trout Lake, Garden and Victoria Parks, the Britannia Public Library, and the Commercial/Broadway SkyTrain station.

Assets and Opportunities: Our Students!

QVA students are creative, energized, and curious about the world. They are social and enjoy spending time in each other’s company. During outdoor play at recess and lunch, students are frequently engaged playing self-organized games of soccer and basketball, as well as creative games on the playground and tarmac areas. QVS students love to play!

A strength of QVA students is their social- and open-mindedness. Their social growth is supported by the interest of the family community, teacher engagement in professional and personal learning opportunities, the local neighborhood and QVA ROCKS! — the motto which is embedded in the school ethos. Students readily engage in conversation about diversity, the embrace gender fluidity, and are concerned about anti-racism, Truth and Reconciliation, and the climate.

Connecting to the VSB Education Plan: Creating Rich Learning Opportunities

The learning focus for the 2023/2024 school year is promoting student’s literacy growth, phonemic awareness development, and comprehension. In the Winter and Spring terms, students will be invited to develop and deepen their competency of growth mindset. School-wide programs to support the literacy and academic goals include the implementation of the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program, Spelfabet, Jump Math, 1/2/1 Readers, and teacher professional learning through participation in the 8- week District Litearcy Residency.

QVA offers students a variety of arts, athletic, academic, and social programs to enrich their learning and experience. This past year, these have included:

· Cross-country (Fall) and Track and Field (Spring)

· Lacrosse, led by Nationally ranked lacrosse players

· Annual Terry Fox run

· Participation in the VSB/Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Music Labs program

· School-wide field trips including Stanley Park nature-based experiences, Science World, and the Orpheum to hear the VSO perform

· Guest presentations, including Steve Harmer (Motivational Magic), John Dunn (Arctic Explorer), Rick Hanson Society (Inclusivity), and Zero Heroes (waste reduction

· Opportunities for student leadership, including Dance Club, library monitors, and lunch club monitors.

· Student performances, community sing-alongs, and the annual (and much anticipated!) Student Talent Show.

The QVA Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is highly engaged and supportive of student experience. They sponsor and support several initiatives to support student learning and build community. In the past year, these have included (but not limited too!):

· The DPAC Extracurricular Lunch Hour Choir

· School-wide Body Science classes for students to promote healthy relationships (e.g., Shift Education, Seleema Noon)

· Support for the purchase of classroom materials and school equipment

· Movie night, the Spring Fling, and Family Pizza Night

· Scholastic Book Fair

· Supportive partnerships with PACs at neighboring schools to share resources and opportunities

Connecting to the VSB Education Plan: Truth and Reconciliation

The QVA school community—students, staff, the PAC, and families—are on a pathway of Truth and Reconciliation. Students are keen to give the land acknowledgement at all gatherings and are learning to do so in a way that is both personal and respectful, as a community we gather to honour Orange Shirt Day and Indigenous Veterans Day, and we welcome and learn from Indigenous artists and performers, including a performance by the Sasquatch Dancers (Sts’ailes Nation). Recently, we welcomed Phyllis Webstad, founder of The Orange Shirt Society, author, and residential school survivor, to share her story. This was a deeply moving and impactful visit. Staff are currently engaged in a 10-month course titled “Four Seasons of Indigenous Learning (Foundations)”, a virtual course in which we gather monthly to learn from Indigenous leaders, educators, and Elders.

We are Working Together to Raise Engaged, Caring Students

Every visitor who spends a day at QVA observes that QVA is a special place; teachers and employees on- call observe at the end of the day that the students are great, and that they would happily return. While we have a solid foundation of indoor and outdoor learning spaces—including eight garden boxes and a terrific new playground—the strongest asset of the school are the students, families, PAC, and staff. At QVA, the people truly do make the school.