SD35 Community Spotlight

SD35 Community Spotlight - November 2025

November 28, 2025

Welcome to a new edition of the SD35 Community Spotlight! This newsletter is created for parents, guardians, and families in the Langley School District, that aims to shine a light on the incredible stories, achievements, and happenings within our school community. There have been plenty of exciting events, projects, and news to celebrate throughout our District this fall. We are pleased to share them with you to keep you informed.

Check out all our links to stories, videos and more below.

Message from the Superintendent

We are three months into the school year and have seen so much rich learning in our schools. On behalf of the District, I want to extend my gratitude to all parents and guardians for their role in supporting our students. We acknowledge the time and effort families invest in reviewing learning updates, celebrating student achievement, supporting their child’s learning, as well as attending student inclusive conferences at the elementary level. We appreciate parent involvement because we know it contributes to student success. Thank you for your ongoing partnership.

As a fast-growing District, we are continuing to see increasing enrolment in our schools. As other districts around the province have declined in enrolment, our District has increased by approximately 700 students. I am delighted to share an update on our capital projects. It makes me proud to announce that the District together with the Ministry of Instructure and Township of Langley recently announced the start of construction of a middle and secondary school in the Smith neighborhood in the Willoughby Slope. This will be the first-ever joint campus project to be built in the province which will bring in 2,800 additional student spaces. A news release can be read here. We look forward to seeing the project come to life and welcome existing and new students and families into the schools in fall 2027. This fall we also celebrated the opening of a new elementary school, Josette Dandurand Elementary, and two modular additions, one at Nicomekl Elementary and the other at Lynn Fripps Elementary. You can read more about these projects as well as find links to video tours of the new spaces here. Also, construction of the addition at Langley Secondary School is ongoing and taking shape.

Lastly, as we head into December, which is filled with holiday festivities, I want to commend staff, parents/guardians, and in particular school PACs, for their efforts in helping raise spirits through decorations and activities, and making everyone feel a part of the community.

Mal Gill
Superintendent of Schools

District and Board of Education Updates

strat-plan.37ad2a17332.jpg Recently, the District developed and shared a new Strategic Plan 2023-2026 Year 3 Update with the community. The plan establishes priorities and actions regarding three pillars: Educational Opportunities, Community of Partnerships, and Operational Priorities. It is a document that is updated annually. In this document you will find goals as well as actions that have been completed and are in progress, and ongoing. One overarching goal in the plan is for all departments to work together to implement strategies to better serve priority learners (students with diverse abilities, Indigenous learners, and children and youth in care). The Strategic Plan 2023-2026 Year 3 Update can be found here.

fesl.58b7e717333.jpg The District has developed a new Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL). This document, which is updated annually, is the District’s educational ‘blueprint’ that aims to improve student learning in categories: intellectual development, human & social development, and career development. The document contains goals, data, resources, actions, and stories of impact. It’s a robust and dynamic guiding document that schools use to help shape their own action plans for learning. The latest Framework for Enhancing Student Learning can be found here.

Find recaps of the most recent board meetings below:

Upcoming Events

Friday, Dec. 19
Last day of classes before winter break

Monday, Jan. 5
School re-opens after winter break

Monday, Feb. 9
Professional Development Day (Students not in attendance)

Monday, Feb. 16
Family Day

Around the District

smith-schools-event-02.126a1417334.jpg In mid-November, the provincial government announced the beginning of construction at the site of the District’s two new Smith area schools – a middle school and a secondary school.The two schools will share a campus, making it the biggest school project in B.C. history. Read more here.

sbo-house-posts.83781617335.jpg A very moving ceremony was held at the board office, as two house posts created by Kwantlen First Nations artists Nəq̓ɑɬc̓i (Drew Atkins) and Miməwqθelət (Elinor Atkins) were unveiled in the lobby. For a summary of the event, read here.

facilities.55e92c17336.jpg As part of the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL), the District is highlighting how various “behind the scenes” operational departments positively impact student learning. Learn more about some of those departments here.

swis.06cf4b17337.png Have you ever wondered about the role of the District’s Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS)? Click here and discover how our hard-working and caring SWIS department staff help students and their families both in the classroom and in the community.