School Goal Two
Students will build strong attendance patterns and experience academic engagement, family connection, and culturally attuned ways of learning during their time at ILC so that they may graduate with dignity, purpose and options.
How can we strengthen student and family connections both on and off campus?
How can we further engage students through Indigenous Ways of Knowing?
The Saanich School District resides on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people encompassing the four local communities: Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tseycum and Tsawout. The Individual Learning Centre (ILC) has two locations in Broadmead and Saanichton and supports a high Indigenous student population from across the Saanich School District.
While 8% of the Saanich School District student population is Indigenous, the Indigenous student population at ILC is 23%. This speaks to the importance of cultural relevancy and cultural responsiveness that is required at each ILC location. By weaving local Indigenous knowledge systems throughout the curriculum, both non-Indigenous students and Indigenous students alike are given the opportunity to see Indigenous perspectives, and the strengths and gifts of the First Peoples reflected in their school community.
Many students at ILC seek a different educational experience. At ILC, we offer a smaller school setting, self-paced learning, and a personalized approach that centers the students’ lived experience. Our students benefit from transportation and food support, wrap around mental health services, and opportunities to explore their values and identity in a safe and caring environment.
Our students:
- Live and learn on the traditional territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ people;
- Come to us from rich cultural backgrounds and bring incredible cultural gifts and experiences into the classroom each day;
- Are strong, intelligent, hard-working, talented, unique individuals who are worthy of success;
- Must see themselves reflected in their curriculum, their learning, and their school community;
- Attend more and engage more with learning when it is land based and culturally responsive;
- Learn as much outside of the classroom as they do inside; and
- All benefit from Indigenous Ways of Knowing and the opportunity to connect with the land on which they live and learn.
This goal and focused inquiry questions align directly to our district strategic priority in Indigenous Learner Success. Additionally, our intended approaches are deeply connected to the First Peoples Principles of Learning.
First Peoples Principles of Learning
The Indigenous Learner Success Goal needs to ensure that:
- Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).
- Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge.
- Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations.
- Expand our course offerings and learning opportunities to reflect more land based learning, Indigenous content and ways of knowing throughout the curriculum (Example – Specialized Science 12, Take a Hike program);
- Introducing an Elder in residence, Curtis Henry, on Mondays at ILC Saanichton;
- Providing transportation and food support for Indigenous families to remove barriers for students;
- Introducing Indigenous Leadership Group at Saanichton campus to strengthen student voice, involvement, advocacy and stewardship at ILC;
- Revive the ILC Indigenous Rain Garden- explore teaching, counselling and cultural support ideas that are situated outside of the classroom;
- Designing an ILC mascot that represents our students and acknowledges the important cultural land where our school is located;
- Build a strong ILC Key People team including teachers from Broadmead and Saanichton campuses, Take a Hike program, our Indigenous Teacher, and Indigenous Support Liaison;
- Include opportunities for staff to build personal connection and experience with the development of territorial acknowledgements at Staff Meetings; and
- Increase SENĆOŦEN language exposure into staff, student and family communication.
Over the 2023-24 year, we will track progress on our initiatives identified in this year’s plan.
Summary learning, based on evidence gathered over the year, will provide us with key learnings to guide next steps for the 2024-25 school year and beyond.
