In efforts to give back to the community, Simon Fraser University, in conjunction with the Abbotsford School District, offered, for the first time, a two-week Spring Break School for students in Kindergarten to Grade Five.

Thirty-two Student Teachers from SFU Surrey's Literacy Module (L3UC), supervised by their Faculty Associates, Liz Simpson and Sarine Sadhra-Sran, provided fun, hands-on learning experiences for over 170 students focusing on reading, oral language, writing skills and numeracy.

Spring Break School was centered on a number of different themes such as countries, heritage, animals, learning adventures, Olympics, fables, spring and friendship. The student teachers taught during the morning and participated in a variety of workshops in the afternoons. On one of the days students from PQP (Professional Qualification Program) also assisted at the school and offered a workshop for parents in Punjabi. Although the Spring School was based out of Dave Kandal Elementary School, due to the overwhelming response from parents and teachers, the program was extended to students throughout the district. According to Simpson, "Spring Break School was a win-win situation for all, both the students, families and the student teachers were immersed in learning".

For more information please contact:

Liz Simpson at lsimpson@firstclass.educ.sfu.ca

Sarine Sadhra-Sran at ssadhra@firstclass.educ.sfu.ca