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).

Lord Selkirk Elementary is one of the largest elementary schools in the Vancouver School District. For the 2023-2024 school year, the school has approximately 670 Kindergarten to Grade 7 students enrolled, with approximately 2/3 of the learners in the English stream and 1/3 in the French Immersion program. The French Immersion program continues to be an important part of the community with 10 divisions from Kindergarten to Grade 7. The program is in its 15th year at Lord Selkirk.

Located in the Kensington Cedar Cottage neighborhood, Selkirk is a diverse school community. We have approximately 30 different languages represented in the school, with a significant percentage of students receiving support as English Language Learners. A percentage of learners have also identified themselves as Indigenous.

Our school has three separate buildings containing classrooms as well as a fourth building which houses a Strong Start program and the music room.

Selkirk continues to focus on diversity as part of creating a culture of belonging. We emphasize the strength that diversity brings to the community. We continue to engage in extensive work with students on anti-racism, and effective, kind, and respectful ways of being and communicating. Continuing this year, we have had a strong focus on SOGI initiatives to ensure all students and community members feel supported in an inclusive environment. This includes ongoing work by the Primary and Intermediate Diversity Club, and many celebrations and learning opportunities throughout the year.

We are fortunate to have a highly supportive and engaged community, represented by our Parent Advisory Council (PAC), who supports programs and helps enhance the experiences of students through both fundraising efforts and community building opportunities. The school views families as partners in education. Families are keen participants in field trips, special events, and general day-to-day life at the school.

Our library commons functions as a collaborative literacy/STEM Hub with flexible furniture and a welcoming atmosphere for the community. We have shared laptop carts, iPad carts, and STEM materials. The teacher-librarian works collaboratively with classroom teachers and student support assistants to engage students in a variety of STEM activities ranging from coding to building to architecture. The library commons has a Story Workshop, a part of our library space which holds thousands of fun manipulatives that help students to engage in creative writing.

Selkirk has numerous students who benefit from enhanced services supports. We have a Backpack Buddies Program through which we send home food each weekend to help ensure our families have access to food over the weekend. We provide daily snacks and offer a subsidized lunch program for students. Our breakfast program, well known in our community as “Books and Breakfast”, is organized by staff and hosts students each morning before school. We have continued to connect families with outside agencies for out-of-school activities and camps, health care, food security, and family services.

Selkirk Elementary is an early intervention school (CELI) which focuses on early literacy development and interventions for struggling learners. We have a reading recovery program supported this year by a District Literacy Teacher. This complements the work of the resource teacher team, the speech-language pathologist, the district psychologist, and the student support assistants. We host an early years Strong Start program.