2023/24 year-end message from Supt. Mark Pearmain
Summer has arrived and the 2023/2024 school year is almost over. It is time to take a break and spend quality time with yourself, your family and your friends. This is also a time of reflection and an opportunity to appreciate the personal growth we, our students and our children have achieved due to the accomplishments and challenges of the past year.
Looking back, the 2023/2024 school year was challenging as we grappled with enrolment growth, financial uncertainty and a shortage of teachers. Despite these circumstances, our Surrey Schools community responded with compassion and care, and staff continued to ensure that student learning remained at the centre of all their work. In schools and classrooms, across various projects and departments, I witnessed staff’s dedication, passion and commitment to our students on many occasions. I was fortunate to have numerous opportunities to observe innovative and creative practice(s) across the school district.
Throughout the year, there were many instances of amazing work that is happening to support students in their education journey, but I want to highlight two specific areas.
Surrey Schools embarked on a variety of initiatives to increase racial equity across the district. We received a new name, Xw’epiteng (pronounced woh-pee-ten, meaning “place of many rabbits”), from the Semiahmoo First Nation for the school previously known as Hall’s Prairie. Xw'epiteng Elementary will host our new land-based learning program and will officially open in the fall for the 2024/25 school year. We implemented district-wide training for all management staff and delivered presentations for school-based staff to improve their foundational knowledge of equity, diversity, inclusion and justice. We also supported students in classrooms and learning environments through culturally responsive resources and created a new equity, diversity and belonging calendar. We look forward to continuing and expanding this work in 2024/25.
Surrey Schools embarked on a listening tour, creating more opportunities for student voices to be heard across the district. This year, 25 forums were held with students from secondary, elementary and learning centre schools. The valuable insights from our students covered key areas -- the district’s ongoing work in equity, normalizing discussions on mental health and prioritizing safe and inclusive learning environments. Our students are excellent advocates and have a clear vision and expectations of what they want to see in our schools. This information was shared directly with the Surrey Board of Education and senior staff in their Student Voice/Board of Education liaison meeting.
The 2024/25 school year will usher in more change for everyone as we evaluate strategies to create the best conditions possible for student learning and growth. This includes creative use of our school spaces and changes in practice to how we deliver professional development opportunities and “closed” school boundaries. As we move forward, we will embrace extended day schedules at six of our secondary schools, the installation of new prefabricated classrooms at elementary schools and reallocation of some non-contract non-enrolling staff back into enrolling classroom positions to address the teacher shortage.
The Surrey Schools community will continue to experience rapid growth for 2024/25 and beyond, but I am confident we will rise to the challenge. Surrey Schools staff are working hard to develop long-term, student-centred and sustainable strategies to manage this growth. The district’s list of recommended mitigation strategies as part of our Long-Range Facilities Plan can be found here.
I want to wish all of you a great summer. I look forward to the 2024/2025 school year, as we manage the expected growth of our communities with creativity, agility and innovation while ensuring our students receive an exceptional learning experience.
Sincerely,
Mark Pearmain
Superintendent/CEO
Translated PDF versions of this letter are also available in Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish and Tagalog
