Blog Posts

We are watching the movie "Dead Poets Society" and a scene came on that made us pause and reflect.  It was the scene where Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) asks the students to rip out the introduction of their poetry textbook.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkpWk8FJsys

When asked to reflect on a classroom, most of us will envision rows of desks facing a blackboard where a teacher stands. For decades, this image represents the learning space for millions of students and yet excludes how we learn naturally and daily in non-school environments. True knowing and understanding mean being able to transfer knowledge from one setting to another.

In May this year, six Grade 11 WJ Mouat students participated in a Mental Health Forum hosted by the Abbotsford School District. They were tasked with reviewing the YDI (Youth Development Index) survey results for WJ Mouat and to come up with an actionable plan to help improve student well-being and mental health at their school.

Our driving question at the secondary level is “How can we create a co-constructed inquiry-based learning experience that is SEL informed?” Key underpinnings of this question are the understanding of student voice and choice or natural differentiation, student agency using inquiry, and leaning into social-emotional learning or connection with and understanding the learning needs of the students in the room. 

Last week, our Superintendent shared an updated that highlighted Dr. Bonnie Henry’s announced planned changes to public health orders over the coming days and weeks, focusing on resuming more types of activities and events.  We understand that there are varying levels of comfort as we begin to move towards the next stage in our provincial Restart Plan, but ultimately this is exciting news for our community and serves as a signal of better days ahead.

Kudos Jonas Heidebrecht, Josiah Lanigan, Kentero Dennis, Ramjot Dahliwal and Kento Harmel and their Jazz Quintet who played at Highstreet and downtown Abbotsford at a Sip n Shop event. 

Ms. Bowater has received the 2021 STEM Certificate of Achievement Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in BC

Inspiring Students in STEM

Have you ever wondered what happens in the thousands of classrooms each day across the district or province? If you have children, you know that the answer to “What did you do at school” is often answered with “nothing!” This year, we are shining the spotlight on what learning looks like at Mouat with a weekly news article called “Spotlight on Learning.” Each team has been tasked with taking a picture or pictures of what learning looks like in their classroom and providing a teacher and student response.