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).

Tillicum is part of the dynamic Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood in East Vancouver. It is under the umbrella of the Templeton family of schools. We are home to a catchment that is comprised of two schools: Hastings Elementary and Tillicum Community Annex. Presently, Tillicum has 108 students and 6 divisions. The school population remains steady in the last few years. The students come from diverse backgrounds with 14% Indigenous ancestry, 20% as identified ELL, and 16 % with a Ministry designation. Tillicum school staff are committed to supporting the meaningful inclusion of all the students in all aspects of school life.

Tillicum Annex, which has been identified as an enhanced services school, has been provided with additional supports such as a Youth and Family Worker (YFW) four-days-per week, an Indigenous Enhancement Worker (IEW) one-day-per week, and a hot lunch program available to all students who self-identify as needing this support. The Community Schools Team (CST) serves our school community by connecting families to various programs offered in our area, many of those programs are subsidized for our students.

Tillicum school has maintained a strong list of returning volunteers, some have been volunteering their time for over 20 years. We welcome various programs such as One to One Literacy, Book Buddies, and Books for Me to enhance our literacy programs. Kiwassa Neighbourhood House is our closest community partner and neighbour, situated directly behind the school. Kiwassa offers numerous afterschool programs some free of cost for our families that may require this service. Kiwassa hosts a free breakfast program every morning and a low-cost produce market for everyone to benefit from. Tillicum is supported further for food insecurity with programs such as weekly Backpack Buddies, Snacks For Kids Firefighters charities, and Cause we Care Holiday Hampers.

Within the school building, we have a Strong Start Centre for families with children aged 0-5 years. It is open daily and provides children and their families with opportunities to increase school readiness. The Strong Start is woven into the school community and is often involved in providing leadership opportunities for our students, participating in Sports Say, Welcome to Kindergarten, Books for Me, school safety drills, and attending our performances.

Our school excels in the teaching and modelling of social responsibility, self-awareness and social emotional learning. The development of self-regulation strategies is integrated throughout all activities at Tillicum Annex. Each student’s ability to engage in classroom learning is enhanced when paired with strong self-regulation skills. Schoolwide Jumpstart, Mind-Up, and silent lunch are offered daily at the school to support the development and awareness of self-regulation.

Tillicum Annex staff and students are committed to Truth and Reconciliation and continue to add authentic voices to our library collection that represent all students, by caring and learning about our Indigenous Garden, and continuing to learn with our IEW regarding Indigenous ways of knowing.

Tillicum students have an opportunity to take active pride in their school and community as they volunteer for leadership opportunities offered throughout the year, such as contributing to assemblies as presenters for Black History Month and Remembrance Day, Green Crew, Library Monitors, Tech helpers, Strong Start volunteers and Buddy Readers. We also celebrate student success and achievement throughout the year at Student of the Month Assemblies and Blast Off For Books reading ribbons. Our staff strives to involve families in school activities to promote continued growth in student learning. Activities such as BINGO night, Talent Show, Performances, Camp Read-a-lot, Be Excited About Reading (BEAR) events, Student-Led Conferences have all been well attended. Tillicum Annex has a committed and active Parent Advisory Council (PAC) who enrich the school experiences for students through fundraising and collaborative efforts.