Happy Retirement Ms. Ferreira!

Dear Graham Bruce Families,

Where the time has gone? We only have 4 school days left for our students as we are ending the school year 2023-2024! 

On Thursday, we had an opportunity to honour our Grade 7 students at our moving forward ceremony. We wish them all the best as they are finishing their 8 years of elementary schooling and moving to high school. It was so heartwarming to see parents and families to gather to celebrate this milestone. Thank you as always for your ongoing support throughout the school year. Many thanks to our Grade 7 Team and our Grade 7 Leaving Ceremony Parent Committee for making this day memorable.

Ms. Corie Ferreira Is Retiring!

The dream of becoming a teacher came through the encouragement of Corie’s high school guidance counsellor. This started her on a journey that would take her hundreds of kilometres from her small northern Alberta town to the big city. She graduated from the University of Alberta in the mid 80’s and ended up headed back to her hometown to teach grade one with colleagues who were once her own teachers. Excited for new adventures, she left Alberta and moved to BC, securing a job teaching grade one at a private Christian school in Surrey for 3 years. After marrying and moving into Vancouver, she took a chance and applied to the Vancouver School board. Teaching jobs were in short supply at this time, so she felt very thankful to be hired as a Teacher on Call. As the school year progressed, an opportunity at Tillicum Elementary became available.  It was a newly instituted program called Dual Entry Kindergarten. When enrolment no longer supported this program, it was back to the unknown. However, one day in September she was called to Graham Bruce to fill in for what she believed was just an ordinary day substitute teaching, but with the Bruce community growing, another grade one class was needed to add to the already 2 on B-Deck. Much gratitude was felt by Corie when she was hired 33 years ago. During which she taught kindergarten, grade one, grade two and grade three. In 2006, much to her delight, the opportunity to move into the All Day kindergarten program became available. This was her calling and passion, working with kindergarten children and their families. As her 39 year teaching career ends, she says she will miss teaching but feels truly blessed to have had the honour to work many wonderful children and collegues.

National Indigenous History Month

Every day, but especially in June, we are elebrating the immense contributions of Indigenous Peoples to our communities. To celebrate the week, we invited The Wild Moccasin Dancers to our school. These dancers are a intertribal dance collective that live work and dance on the Unceeded Coast Salish Territories. The artists involved have been sharing their gifts for most of their lives, and express these gifts through songs, dances, and story telling. They believe that by sharing what has been gifted to each of them, they strengthen the gifts within all of us.  Their mission is to bring all peoples together by utilizing medicine wheel teachings through intertribal dance steps and styles. Regardless of race, gender, religion, age or ability, there is enough space for all of us. 

Upcoming Dates

• Friday, June 21: National Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• Monday, June 24: Reports go home
• Monday, June 24: PAC in-person meeting in the library from 6:15-7:15pm
• Thursday, June 27: Last day of school for students
• Friday, June 28: Admin Day 

I wish you a restful weekend.

Sincerely,

Armin Samiei | Principal

Graham Bruce Elementary School 

With deep gratitude and respect, we are honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7meshÚxwumixw (SquamishNation) & səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).