With deep gratitude and respect, we are honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) & səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). 

Students attending Champlain Heights Community Elementary School are drawn from a catchment area of moderate to higher density housing.  The student population is diverse in its learning needs. In the 2023 -2024 school year, there are a little over 300 students from Kindergarten to Grade 7 distributed into 13 divisions.  Approximately 34% of the student population speak English as an additional language, and among these students, Spanish, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin and Russian are the home languages spoken with the highest prevalence. A small number of students were self- identified as Indigenous while over a tenth of our students were identified as students with special needs.  The teaching staff consists of a Resource Team, Teacher Librarian, Music and Art specialist teachers, a Literacy Enhancement Teacher, and a team of a Youth and Family Worker, Indigenous Enhancement Worker, and School and Student support workers.  The school demonstrates how students, parents and staff work together to create a positive, inclusive learning environment within a diverse context.  

Some of the unique characteristics of the school include the expansive outdoor area surrounding the school within which students enjoy creative play in the forest on a daily basis, gardening activities at the cedar garden boxes, body breaks, soccer and basketball in the field and courts, and active play in the two playgrounds. Students demonstrate a sense of care for and connection to the land. In September 2022, a new accessible sensory playground was opened at the school which includes a We-Go-Round, interactive musical instruments, a large scale communication board, braille and sign language displays, a We-saw, and monkey bars with rubber surfacing on the ground. The Champlain Heights neighbourhood has a lot of green space with trees and park land such as Sparwood Park, Captain Cook Park, Champlain Heights Park and the very large Everett Crowley Park.  The school itself has a small forest and is encircled by long gravel paths enjoyed by many community members.   

Students at Champlain Heights have many learning opportunities to treat others with respect and work cooperatively with each other, and they take pride in and show a commitment to school engagement through extra-curricular activities such as cross country, track and field, volleyball, basketball, kindergarten monitors, lunch room monitors, school-wide assembly leadership, and school spirit initiatives. The school sees a high participation rate in the athletic opportunities as well as service oriented commitments throughout the school year. There are also a few school clubs open to students at lunch hour, such as a school choir, a movie club, a chess and checkers club, and a soccer club.  The clubs have a high student participation rate.   

Some of the identified Champlain Heights School strengths are the commitment of staff to learn and grow, the staff’s dedication to connect with and demonstrate great care for the students, and a school wide commitment to equity (nutrition support, equitable opportunities, support in accessing outside community organizations). The Grade 7 students enjoy unique experiences in the Outdoor Education program. Community Schools also offers after school targeted student leadership programming. The staff work very well as a team and have dedicated efforts in making the school a place where all learners feel safe to learn and thrive. Parents work as active partners with the school. The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) at Champlain run a variety of community events and fundraisers to bring our community together and support the school.  

The staff and students at Champlain Heights are committed to continuing our Reconciliation journey by increasing knowledge, awareness, appreciation of, and respect for Indigenous histories, traditions, cultures, and contributions.