Welcome to the Cameron School web page. It is our hope that this site will serve as an integral communication service to the immediate community and beyond. As you explore the site, you will find examples of the things that make Cameron such a special place for our students, parents, community and staff.
HIGHLIGHTS
Diverse Population
A wide variety of cultures and ethnic backgrounds are represented at Cameron and our students bring a variety of gifts and abilities to our community. Cameron staff, students and families are welcoming and supportive and we strive to support inclusion and independence for all students. Cameron has a strong emphasis on community, belonging and literacy. Leadership is developed from Kindergarten onward and our students are friendly, respectful, and welcoming.
Strong School Community
Staff and parents recognize that our diverse population, with many families new to the neighbourhood and to Canada, requires an ongoing commitment to continually building community connections. This year the school staff have committed to working together to develop a common language to help students develop both their Social Emotional Competencies as well as to develop a strong sense of togetherness.
Cameron school also offers many of the services found in community schools. Examples include:
- Burnaby Parks and Recreation provides after school programs and the YMCA operates an out-of-school care program within the school; Free access to YMCA programming for students identified as having barriers to after school programming;
- A hot lunch program is offered to students at a reasonable cost;
- A variety of clubs and team sports are offered at lunch and after school;
- Community social activities include a Family BBQ, Pot-luck multicultural dinner, school picnic;
- Extracurricular activities include chess, cross-country, volleyball, basketball, badminton, track, dance, choir, and a variety of clubs.
Community Connections
We are fortunate to have a highly involved, supportive and enthusiastic Parent Advisory Committee. Cameron parents work not only to fund raise in support of the many initiatives to build community within the school but, also to ensure that students have the opportunity to be connected to, and explore the larger community. PAC supported initiatives include:
- Connecting with businesses, churches and seniors to support initiatives such as the beginning development of an outdoor classroom and garden that will connect the community members to our students; and
- Building strong partnerships in the community to help fund raise and to also participate in our community events e.g. Family BBQ, Pancake breakfast.
- YMCA Daycare and programming are integrated into the school community
Positive and Collaborative Staff
Cameron staff work hard to support each other in their professional learning – they understand the power of using common language and common teaching strategies. Our teachers and educational assistants are skilled and committed to professional development and student learning.
At Cameron we place a strong emphasis on Literacy and Social Emotional Learning.
- Teachers share and collaboratively plan lessons to develop student competency in Social Emotional Learning.
- Teams of teachers are participating in Inquiry Learning projects for Literacy, Technology and Early Literacy, as well as Early Literacy Initiatives and Intermediate Levelled Literacy Programs.
- Educational Assistants meet monthly to share expertise and information.
The Cameron Plan highlights Literacy Learning. Our goal is to improve student achievement Kindergarten through Grade 7 in reading comprehension by:
- providing reading strategies to improve reading comprehension of non-fiction text
- using non-fiction text to further engage boys in reading
- providing structures and implementing initiatives that support intervention for students that are not yet meeting expectations in reading
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at; sean.gaster@burnabyschools.ca or call the school at 604.296-9005.
Sincerely
Sean Gaster
Principal
