Sooke Teachers' Association

Huge congratulations to our scholarship winners this year! We wish you every success in your future endeavours.

Introducing your 2025-2026 STA Executive Line Up. Thank you to everyone who participated in our AGM!

Come on out to our year-end social and retirement party!

When: May 30th
Where: STA Office
Time: After school until 5pm
Link to register: https://sooketeachers.org/year-end-social/

The Seven Sacred Teachings: May edition.

With the focus on respect, students could:

-write, draw, talk about what it means to respect themselves, each other, the school, the environment, etc.
give feedback to their peers in ways that are respectful
- read “The Pencil” by Susan Avingaq or any of these books about respect
- have students decorate a Buffalo and write above or below the Buffalo what represents Respect for them. On the next page, see the Buffalo art by Michelle Stoney, a Gitxsan artist who has graciously given permission for anyone to print off and colour this design – she just asks that it not be used for sale or profit.
- have discussions involving respecting those voices that are oppressed and are wanting to be uplifted
- discuss what it means to have respect for the world and all inhabitants
- focus on key words of “balance” and “needs of others”
- pay attention during discussions as to who is speaking, how many times have they spoken, has everyone had a chance to speak?

Canada’s future starts with kids.

🗳️ This election, vote for them!

Happy Admin Day!

Join us for our AGM on May 8th, 2025. Click this link to register https://shorturl.at/ST9N0
We hope to see you there!

The Seven Sacred Teachings: April edition. With a focus on wisdom, students could:

- Write, draw, talk about wisdom for others and for yourself – how do people in your life show wisdom? What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?
- Brainstorm “What qualities make someone wise?”
- Have students decorate a Beaver and write above or below the Beaver what represents Wisdom for them.
- Share some picture books about wisdom such as The Sharing Circle, Amik Loves School, The Whale Child, The Dancing Trees, or books from this list.
- Engage in self-reflection and self-assessment techniques, being honest and kind with where students are in their learning journeys. When do students see yourself showing wisdom? How do they use their knowledge to support the learning of others?
- Explore the 13 Moons of the WSANEC
- Highlight the Moon of PEXSISEN (pronounced Puck-See-Sung): The Moon of Blossoms and Opening Hands. Learn about the activities that take place during the PEXSISEN Moon. Particularly, consider the impact of weaving and knitting.
- Explore the importance of the Salish Woolly Dog and its connection to weaving and knitting.
- Explore the First People’s Principle of Learning: “Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities.” This principle highlights the importance of Elders.
- April 22 is Earth Day. How can we use the teaching of Wisdom to take care of Mother Earth? What does Mother Earth teach us? Explore what taking care of our environment looks like. Engage in activities that support nurturing and appreciating the local environment. Spend time outside, enjoying all our natural environment has to offer.
- Help students learn how to acknowledge the traditional territory we reside on. Have students explore what territorial acknowledgements sound like and discover why they are important. Invite students to write their own territory acknowledgement.
- Learn about one of our local native plants, like TEX TEX (Stinging Nettle). Why is this plant important? What can we learn from this plant?

Whatever you are up to, staying in town or taking a vacation, we wish you a relaxing Spring Break.

The STA Pro-D Committee is excited to announce that registration for our April 11th Pro-D Day is now open! In-person and virtual options are available.
Click here to learn more and to register: https://sooketeachers.org/april-11-sta-pro-d/