In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Todd Butler, the new team lead for SelfDesign Family Services, talks about what the team does to support learners and families and his own SelfDesign experience.
Providing support for learners and their families enrolled in SelfDesign® Learning Community is essential to ensuring their learning journeys are successful. Discover how the SelfDesign's Family Services team are committed to offering integrated and holistic support for learners and their families as they engage in their educational programs.
In this interview, we talk to Family Services’ team lead Clarissa Tufts. She oversees the team’s direction and day-to-day operations, and works with the clinical counsellor, guidance counsellors and members of the contact assistance team who provide support to learners, families, educators and other members of the SelfDesign community.
Grades 10 to 12 at SelfDesign are flexible and customizable, in keeping with our learner-centered approach to learning. We provide a comprehensive, theme- and relationship-based approach to high school that aligns fully with the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care’s graduation program. However, to meet Ministry requirements, grades 10 to 12 are somewhat more structured than earlier years. Learners [...]
“SelfDesign is a unique opportunity to pursue your interests in a different way,” says former SelfDesign learner Erik, a member of our Class of 2019. “It’s also a great opportunity to find like-minded people – which could be hard to do otherwise – but SelfDesign provides the perfect opportunities for these connections to be made.” At SelfDesign® Learning Community, learning [...]
Celeste has spent her entire schooling journey to date with SelfDesign® Learning Community, beginning in 2012, when she started grade one. Her parents had learned about our kindergarten to grade 12 program when she was a toddler and thought it would be a better option for her than public school. “I honestly love it so much,” says Celeste, whose main [...]
A number of changes have occurred recently on the SelfDesign Learning Foundation Board of Directors. Sherry Elwood, who joined the board two years ago, has left to pursue other opportunities. We offer her our heartfelt thanks for her contributions to SelfDesign and wish her the best in her next endeavours. We are delighted to welcome two new members to the [...]
SelfDesign believes in the safety, acceptance and inclusion of all learners in regard to ability, learning style, culture, race, personal or spiritual beliefs, and gender identity and expression. We work year-round to find ways to implement SOGI 123 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity 123) throughout our organization and offerings to support our learners and other community members who identify as [...]
We recognize that parents and guardians know their child’s needs best and may have clear ideas as to the types of learning activities that would facilitate their growth and development. A number of SelfDesign parents and guardians share their insights about how they view and approach their role of supporting their children’s learning.
Ninety-five per cent of our learners in grades 10 to 12 complete their courses, compared to the 65 per cent provincial average for independent online schools (2019/2020). We dig deeper into the reasons why we and our learners do so well.