News Stories

Schools across the Abbotsford School District recognized the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year as part of the lunisolar calendar. Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other East and Southeast Asian communities in Canada and worldwide were celebrating the beginning of the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rabbit (or Cat in Vietnamese culture) which was officially recognized on January 22nd, 2023.

(Victoria, Ministry of Education and Child Care) - Empowering students and educators to identify and take action against racism and discrimination in British Columbia schools is the aim of a new provincial K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan launched on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.

Earlier this month, students from Auguston Traditional Elementary made some core childhood memories after firefighters from Abbotsford Fire Rescue stopped by with their infamous red fire truck. As part of Fire Safety week in October, the school executed an organized and responsive fire drill, which impressed the team at Abbotsford Fire Rescue. They were given the opportunity to enter a contest in hopes of receiving a special visit to their school from a fire truck for Grade 2 and 3 classes and were one of eight schools in Abbotsford that won.

When the music students from Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts travel down to New Orleans for the French Quarter Jazz Festival, they get noticed.

The jazz ensemble, Abby Flats, has taken part in the festival twice and will be heading there again in April, along with thousands of musicians and music lovers. Teacher and program directer Paul Luongo says the group is excited to make a return to the annual fete.

Last time they were there, before the pandemic, they were stopped on the street with people saying: “Hey, aren’t you that group from Abbotsford?”

The Abbotsford Board of Education regularly meets throughout the school year. Agendas and minutes from the public Board Meetings can be accessed through the District's Electronic School Board. Below is a summary of highlights from the meeting. 

Presentations

Robert Bateman Timberwolves – AA Varsity Provincial Champions

Students from Robert Bateman Secondary’s Boys Football Team share with the Board their exciting season after winning the AA provincial title early in December 2022.

A pair of Robert Bateman secondary students have been nominated for a significant honour at the annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards.

Wrestler Rupinder Johal and football player Logan Thiessen received nominations for high school female and high school male Athlete of the Year awards respectively for their outstanding 2022 athletic years.

Johal started off 2022 with gold in her division at the B.C. School Sports Provincial Wrestling Championships in Vancouver in February.

Premier David Eby; Mable Elmore, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives; and Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care, have released the following statement in honour of Black Excellence Day:

Today, we celebrate the many contributions of Black people and communities throughout our province.

Earlier this month, a group of Indigenous students at Chief Dan George Middle school had the unique opportunity to visit with Brady Keeper, a professional ice hockey player who serves as a defenseman with the Abbotsford Canucks. His visit provided students with an insight of what it can be like growing up as an Indigenous person entering the hockey world.

After the passing of a beloved classmate earlier this year, grade 5 students at Terry Fox Elementary decided to develop a new leadership club to support the needs of their school, with a focus on fundraising and giving back to the community. With the help of their teachers, Amy Baker and Jeremy Wiebe, over half of the grade 5 students from Terry Fox Elementary formed the leadership club Terry’s Team.

This holiday season, Abbotsford residents may receive a heartfelt, personalized reminder to drive "safe and sober" on our community's roadways. According to ICBC, on average, 64 people die every year in crashes involving impaired driving within British Columbia.