News Stories

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. To do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and for everyone's safety, all public meetings of the Abbotsford Board of Education will be closed to the public and held virtually until further notice. The meetings will also be live-streamed.

Dear Abbotsford School District families,

This past week has been a difficult time with the invasion of Ukraine. Children, youth and even adults may experience a range of emotions when they hear about or see images and videos from these deeply upsetting events. I wanted to reach out to share available supports, should you find them of use.

Please enjoy the February newsletter- see attached.

The Abbotsford Board of Education is required to create a calendar that meets the legislated requirements of the School Act, and the Abbotsford Teachers’ Union (ATU) Collective Agreement. The Board of Education is currently seeking public and employee feedback on the proposed calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. The proposed option meets the prescribed minimum hours of instruction that a board must offer for the 2022-2023 school year.

Life is slowly returning to normal with school basketball starting to play and practice at Harry Sayers. The boys are practicing in the mornings and the girls at lunch. Both teams play local schools with no spectators at this time. The energy in the gym is fun to see as both groups are excited to represent and play for their school. As we come out of the restrictions we can look forward to more events between schools.

Lunar New Year is started on February 1st. It marks the Lunar New Year, compared to the Gregorian solar New Year, and is a chance for people to come together to wish for a future filled with prosperity and peace. Streets and homes will be decorated, parades will be held, and presents will be given. The Lunar Zodiac runs on a cycle of 12 years, with each year denoting one of the 12 animals. The 12 animals are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

2022 is the year of the “Water-Tiger.”

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a challenge we must constantly navigate, however, this past week we were able to safely return to in-person instruction for over 19,000 students. As we look forward to the opportunities in the weeks and months ahead, I must again extend a sincere thanks to our staff for getting us through the first part of this school year. What we continue to accomplish in British Columbia, and particularly here in Abbotsford, is truly amazing.

At the end of last week, I shared information around the delayed return to school for students and the implementation of additional health and safety measures. Since that time, more information has become available, and I would like to share an update with you. 

I hope this letter finds you healthy, safe and in the company of loved ones. On Wednesday, Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside and Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Dr. Bonnie Henry held a joint news announcement regarding the delayed return to school for students for the remainder of the 2021/2022 school year. To allow schools to adapt to the impacts of the Omicron variant that is impacting our province, all K-12 students will return to school on Monday, January 10, 2022.

Join us for our latest version of the Shining Star. This version is in Punjabi shared by our Punjabi 5 class.

https://youtu.be/O1RTQkKKd4Y