School District No. 35

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:

As students and many of our staff leave for summer break, I want to express my gratitude to students, staff, and families for all of your hard work and support over this past year. I want to take this opportunity to reflect and celebrate individual and collective accomplishments. Together we have achieved so much including fostering student success, and that is in part due to our work in creating a positive, safe and inclusive community where everyone feels a sense of belonging in our schools. Thank you for continuing to demonstrate our District values of integrity, excellence, courage, and community.

Graduations, Transitions, and Truth and Reconciliation

The end of the school year is a time for us to celebrate graduations and school transitions across our District. Congratulations to all graduates who are crossing the stage to mark this important milestone in their education career. The District is seeing the highest number of grads this year with more than 2,200 students. The ongoing growth in student enrolment in Langley combined with the collaborative efforts of staff, families, and community partners supporting students and helping them reach their goals are contributing factors. I want to highlight that the transition rate (grad rate) in the District is 97 per cent, which is higher than the provincial average. Numbers aside, we recognize that each grad has their own unique story of hard work, success, and inspiration and we look forward to seeing them start their next stage of learning and life. 

 This year’s class of graduates have reached another significant symbol of success in education. This grad cohort is the first generation of students to have learned about Orange Shirt Day. Through the years, we have seen these students take the lead in reconciliation in our schools and beyond. We should all be proud of their leadership.

Congratulations to all the students who are transitioning from early years programs into elementary schools, as well as those moving on to middle and secondary schools. This is an exciting time and an opportunity to celebrate child and youth development.

Capital Projects and Growth

The Langley School District is one of two school districts in the province that is still seeing growth. With that comes a need for more student spaces. The District has a few capital projects in progress. Construction on the two new schools, Emery Dosdall Secondary School and stɑtl̓əw̓ Middle, are underway and are expected to be completed in September 2027. We are pleased to be opening a multi-classroom addition at Langley Secondary this September, and the planning of a new addition at R.E. Mountain Secondary has begun. Our hope is that the increase in these student spaces will help us mitigate enrolment pressures and support students. We recognize more schools are needed and are we continuing to work with the Province to help meet demands.

As we move into the summer months, we are sharing a year end message from the Minister of Education and Child Care which can be read here, along with positive reflections from the Chair of the Langley Board of Education here.

For those continuing with Summer Session, we are encouraged by your commitment to learn and are grateful for the dedicated administrators, teachers, and staff who will be there to support you. We deeply appreciate our operational staff who will be continuing to work through the next few months, getting sites prepped for the return of students and staff. From clean classrooms, installed equipment, and upgraded facilities, the District appreciates all they do to ensure our sites are safe and ready.

To everyone going on break, thank you for your ongoing care, compassion, and contributions throughout the year. We wish you a safe and joyful summer, and we look forward to welcoming you back in September!

 Sincerely,

Mal Gill
Superintendent of Schools