Around the district is a monthly update that includes a collection of stories from Richmond schools. These stories highlight Richmond's vibrant learning community which fosters student engagement, creativity, and well-being in inclusive learning environments.
Clay Landforms at Tomsett Elementary
Students at Tomsett Elementary recently started an inquiry on landforms. After learning about local landforms of interest, students planned their project on paper, and were then given full creative autonomy in making their clay models. This activity encouraged students to use their creative and critical thinking core competencies. Students were very enthusiastic about this project and proud of making their ideas work within the constraints of given forms, problems, and materials.
Happiness Education at Cook Elementary
Students at Cook Elementary have been focusing on reading books written by Indigenous authors to help deepen their understanding of the First Nations. They read, "My Heart Fills with Happiness" by Monique Gray Smith, and then took time to acknowledge the many joys that we have in our lives. Students were also asked to share what fills them with happiness and represent their thinking with loose parts, playdough, fine liners and paint. These beautiful works of art showcase how our young learners think about the moments in life that bring them joy.
Spreading Love and Kindness
On Valentine’s Day, students and staff across the district decorated their schools using different media and art forms to express various emotions that their hearts could feel. Students recognized the importance of spreading love and kindness in different ways in their community, while reminding everyone to continue to be kind and inclusive each day.
Class Murals at Bridge Elementary
Students at Bridge Elementary worked closely with one another to develop beautiful class murals. Each student was responsible for creating a small portion of the mural and utilized various problem-solving and math skills in the process. This project provided the children with an excellent opportunity to learn about the value of teamwork and collaboration.
Bookmark Making at Mitchell Elementary
Students at Mitchell Elementary decided to make time for a creative bookmark project. Following the guidance of their teacher, the children used their imagination and applied their learning to create their very own origami bookmarks. This activity allowed students to hone their creative problem-solving skills while also honing their fine motor skills.
Musqueam Inquiry at Diefenbaker
Students at Diefenbaker Elementary explored the wonders of fishing in a Musqueam inquiry project. After reading books to learn about traditional Coast Salish fishing techniques, the students made comparisons to how fishing is done today. This learning activity empowered students to engage in a collaborative inquiry, while helping them to make connections between historical and contemporary events.
Students Artworks at McKinney Elementary
The hallway bulletin board at McKinney Elementary was filled with wonderful artwork created by students. These artworks were inspired by the Group of Seven artists - a collection of historical Canadian landscape painters. Students participated in video lessons to learn about each artist in the group, their style of paintings and their techniques. Each morning, they practiced sketching for 15 minutes based on the artist that they had learned about. After completing a couple of sketches, students were asked to choose one to finalize and present to their classmates.
‘Speed Dating’ with Books at McRoberts Secondary
Students at McRoberts Secondary engaged in a reading and sharing activity in the school’s Library Learning Commons. Four to five students sat at a table with a curated stack of books. Each student was invited to choose a book, and then spend one-minute reading and learning as much as they could about the book. They then spent 30 seconds each sharing their book with their table group. Once every student at the table had an opportunity to share, they moved on to the next table and started a new cycle of reading and sharing. This activity helped students connect with new and interesting books to read. Students were engaged and most left with a new book in hand!
Graffiti Art at Gilmore Elementary
A class of students at Gilmore Elementary explored pop art inspired by the graffiti artist FDZ. After learning about the artist, students came up with the idea to write their own name in the style of graffiti. Students also decorated empty aerosol cans to accompany their artwork. The class was very proud of putting their work together and creating a visual hallway display to share with the whole school community.
Rube Goldberg Machines at Quilchena Elementary
Students at Quilchena Elementary explored the ways of building their own Rube Goldberg machines. After researching simple machines and mechanisms, students used materials from home and worked hard to collaborate to plan, build, test, and alter their Rube Goldberg machines. Students enjoyed this team-building project for potential creativity. It also provided great opportunities for students to identify different types of simple machines and think critically about the use of mechanisms in everyday life.
