Pear Tree Elementary

Pear Tree's co-founder and director, Paul Romani, took part in a radio interview today with CBC's Gloria Macarenko. The discussion about about reforming education in BC (though mistitled to say that it was about changing the BC curriculum, which it was not). Check out the interview using the link below.

Take a look at our feature in the WestCoast Families Magazine!

Pear Tree's community 2 students went on a field trip to Fort Langley today as part of their Pioneers theme. No better way to learn about pioneers than by dressing like them and experiencing their lives first hand @fortlangleynhs

As part of their Fashion theme, Community 1 is taking sewing lessons at @lamovidafashionacademy where they will be making their own sweatpants!

As part of their Fashion theme, Community 1 is taking sewing lessons at @lamovidafashionacademy where they will be making their own sweatpants!

Today, Pear Tree’s co-founder and director, Paul Romani, was invited to take part in a radio interview with CKNW host, Jill Bennett. The topic of discussion was BC’s FSAs (Foundation Skills Assessment): the value of these in education, and the BCTF’s petition to parents to opt out. Click the link below to listen to Paul’s segment with Jill:... https://omny.fm//full-show-point-roberts-orca-babies-trans The FSAs are a standardised test in BC to assess the progress of grade 4 and grade 7 students in their reading, writing, and numeracy skills. The FSA tests are similar in many ways to the new BC Provincial Exams; and, therefore, they provide a useful snapshot into a child’s progress towards those grade 10/12 exams.

Learning doesn't stop at lunch time! We only begin eating once everyone has washed their hands and is sitting back in their spot. We pride ourselves on having one of the best Hot Lunch Programs in the city, exposing the students to a variety of foods and ensuring that they are fueled for a day full of learning!

Pear Tree's revamped reception area!

Check out the new mural for Pear Tree's reception area as we enter the next exciting phase of our growth! Many thanks to artist Mega McGrath for doing this for us! P.S. Detailed news of our expansion will be announced soon!

The Study that Caught Dr. Bonnie Henry's Attention Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, recently cited a reassuring study out of the Netherlands that explains that the virus is mainly spread between adults, with the spread of COVID-19 among children or from children to adults being less common. "For young children in particular, they don't seem to be as affected by it. They don't seem to have as severe illnesses, and they don't seem to pass it on to adults as effecti...vely, said Dr. Henry. To read the full report by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment please see here: https://www.rivm.nl//novel-coronavir/children-and-covid-19

UNIFORM ANNOUNCEMENT Pear Tree is delighted to announce that we (finally) now have trousers for girls available as part of our uniform starting this September! While it goes without saying that trousers for girls aren't at all common in Canadian private schools (most have very traditional attire that doesn't reflect modern day society), we've always been in favour of offering them at our school.... However, crazy as it may seem, the trouser selection for girls and boys offered by most uniform suppliers - both locally and internationally - is simply atrocious! And, we've never felt that leggings were suitable uniform attire. For the boys, we've only only use branded trousers, which are reasonably easy to source in a consistent style and correct colour. For girls, this has been next to impossible until now, since girls' fashion changes constantly. We're confident that the trousers we're now offering will be available for the long term.

The Study that Caught Dr. Bonnie Henry's Attention Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, recently cited a reassuring study out of the Netherlands that explains that the virus is mainly spread between adults, with the spread of COVID-19 among children or from children to adults being less common. "For young children in particular, they don't seem to be as affected by it. They don't seem to have as severe illnesses, and they don't seem to pass it on to adults as effecti...vely, said Dr. Henry. To read the full report by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment please see here: https://www.rivm.nl//novel-coronavir/children-and-covid-19

Children benefit from routines. This is why it’s so important to establish these routines at the beginning of the school year, and why parents should have routines for their children at home. Absences from school have an impact on a child’s ability to focus when they return to school. Weekends without routines are an example of such a disruption. However, much more significant disruptions are the longer holidays, i.e. the winter holidays, spring break, and the summer holidays.... With the current school closures due to COVID-19, routines have been completely disrupted for many children whose schools are slow to respond to the transition to distance learning. This is why it’s so important for schools and parents to maintain learning expectations during school closures. Find out more! https://peartree.school//maintaining-education-standards-/

Distance learning is far from an ideal situation for any learning institutions, particularly elementary schools. However, Pear Tree Elementary is more prepared than most schools for the challenges that COVID-19 presents us. Find out more! https://peartree.school//were-prepared-for-distance-learn/

Schools and teachers that reject technology in the classroom are probably regretting that decision right now... Technology is an extension from more traditional pen/paper and arts and crafts approaches. It's not a replacement. Everything is about balance ... ... Neither rejecting technology, nor basing all of your learning around it. Pear Tree Elementary students learn to use technology as creativity and productivity tools. That means that, right now, they're able to study at home - comfortably and successfully.

Top quality teachers are more important than glamorous school building or facilities! Never before has this been more apparent to parents than during these COVID school closures. So many private schools market their campus ahead of their teachers. Some don't provide any information about their teachers! What good are nice facilities right now?... Only with great educators will learning take place. That's where our priorities are at Pear Tree Elementary. And, that's why high quality learning continues right now, even through distance education.

At a crummy time for education with the COVID interruptions, it was wonderful to get a Thank You card from one of our Mini School / SSAT students! She was accepted by 2 x mini schools AND a private high school, so was able to choose her favourite! #minischool #ssat #privateschool #success

Pear Tree's grade 5-7 students recently went on a field trip to Fort Langley. This trip was connected to the class' Commodities theme, which looks at commodities and trading both past and present. Any such trip highlights uncomfortable truths, namely that British Columbia really wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for the fur trade, primarily beaver fur .... Nowadays, people should know better than to buy and wear fur! #themebasedlearning #experientiallearning #inquirybasedlearning #placebasededucation #saynotofur @ Fort Langley Village

Amazing project work by Pear Tree's kindergarten and grade 1 students! This was one highlight of this term's Structures theme. A big Thank You to @petitarchitect and @measuredarchitecture #themebasedlearning #projectbasedlearning #pbl #handsonlearning #experientiallearning @ Pear Tree Education Inc.

Pear Elementary classroom teacher, Louisa Chan, presenting at the Early Years 2020 conference today. Way to go Louisa! #educationalleadership #projectbasedlearning #themebasedlearning #wholechildeducation ... #elementaryschool #kindergarten See more

After a day at school, and perhaps after school activities, it is likely that the last thing your child (and you) want to do is homework! While Pear Tree advocates for down-time, time with the family, and doing things for pleasure, we also have reasons why our teachers assign a reasonable amount of homework to our students. Check out some of our reasons here: https://peartree.school//what-are-pear-trees-reasons-for-/

Check out our chef's Instagram page with photos of all the meals he cooks for Pear Tree's students!