SD42 Indigenous Education

Indigenous Education
20905 Wicklund Avenue, Maple Ridge, BC
T. 604.466.6265

About Us

School District No. 42 (Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows) lies within the traditional territories of the Katzie First Nation and the Kwantlen First Nation. The Indigenous Education Department supports all students in our schools who self-identify as having either First Nations, Métis, or Inuit ancestry in their family line.

Student supports are provided according to goals outlined in our Indigenous Education Equity Action Plan (see details below). The three goals are:

  1. The Indigenous Education Department will focus efforts on students at key transitions in order to foster a sense of connection and belonging.
  2. Indigenous Education staff will continue to learn new strategies and/or teachings to support students in their social-emotional and cultural learning.
  3. The Indigenous Education department will focus efforts on ensuring students and families feel connected to the SD42 Indigenous community.

The student supports provided by the Indigenous Education staff are in addition to the instructional efforts provided by school staff. The Indigenous Education instructional staff work closely with teachers and support staff in schools to provide meaningful supports, both academic and cultural, in ways that best meet individual student needs.

In addition to these day-to-day supports, the Indigenous Education Department organizes several special events each year including our Grade 6 IGNITE camp, grade 7 outdoor education experiences, our Grade 9/10 leadership camp, and visits to post-secondary institutions in the Lower Mainland. Each year we host our own Indigenous Education Achievement Awards where we recognize the strong efforts of our Grade 11’s and 12’s.

Deepening Indigenous Education and Equity

In Fall of 2020, School District No 42 joined the Equity in Action project, lead by the Indigenous Education branch of the Ministry of Education and Child Care. Under the direction of lead investigator Dr. Amy Parent, a joint SFU and UBC research team conducted interviews, sharing circles, and focus groups to identify the barriers that exist in the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District that impact Indigenous student success and achievement. This research was concluded in June 2022. The Indigenous Education Department, under the leadership of District Principal Kathleen Anderson and Vice-Principal Mary Hotomanie, has developed an Indigenous Education Equity Action Plan to implement the recommendations listed in the Deepening Indigenous Education and Equity report.