Sharing Our School Story

Our Context- James McKinney Elementary School is a diverse learning community situated on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territories of hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓ speaking people. We are a dual track school that includes both Neighbourhood and Montessori programs. 

At McKinney, learners pride themselves in having an understanding of S.O.A.R.: 

S - Safe: We make safe choices. 

O - Ownership: We take ownership of our attitude and actions. 

A - Accepting: We accept and value each other. 

R - Respect: We respect ourselves, each other, and our environment. 

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2017 - 2021: Self-Regulation, Awareness, and Responsibility 

Over the past four years, our staff focused on the Personal Awareness and Responsibility Core Competency, which particular concentration on the area of Self-Regulation. 

Areas of focus included: 

- supporting students in labeling their own emotions and developing strategies to calm down 

- use of Mind Up program or other resources to help students develop more awareness of their own self-regulation 

- professional learning opportunities regarding executive functioning and self regulation 

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2020 - 2021: A Time of Transition 

Throughout this school year, our staff has been engaging in the scanning process. Staff has had small and large group conversations during staff meetings Professional Learning sessions to talk about what we are noticing in our learners. 

*See the "Our Focus" section of our School Story site for information on our updated school focus.