Key actions to support students in the 2025-2026 school year
Dear parents and caregivers,
I hope that everyone is settling into the new school year. If you are new to Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools, welcome! We are grateful for all our students and families who have chosen to learn with us.
September is always an exciting time in our schools, along with the challenges of settling into new routines and environments.
I have witnessed this transition for more than 20 years with Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools—as a teacher, vice principal, principal, director, and superintendent. However, my most valuable vantage point on a new school year has always been my experience as a parent of two sons who have now graduated from our district and as a grandparent of one child currently in the district.
I want to share how incredibly excited I am for the year ahead. The leadership teams in our schools are focused on our district’s goals and key actions for the year, with the purpose of supporting your child and their education.
The guiding words for all students and staff in Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools are Belong. Grow. Thrive. These words remind us of our shared commitment to creating spaces where every student feels a sense of belonging, has opportunities to grow, and is supported and encouraged to thrive in and outside of their classroom and in life. These words are not just a tagline; they serve as our daily reminder of how we collaborate and define our purpose as a community.
Belong. Grow. Thrive. supports the goals set out in our Strategic Plan. Our Strategic Plan is our blueprint for how we will support the wellness and learning for all students in our school district. In our Strategic Plan, we are committed to three important goals:
Goal 1. Student and Employee Wellness
We know that wellness is essential for learning and working at our best. That’s why we are creating and implementing wellness frameworks for both students and staff. Our aim is to increase the number of students who feel welcome, safe, and connected in their schools and the number of employees who feel valued and engaged in their work.
Goal 2. Student Success
We want every student to succeed. This year, we are implementing literacy and numeracy frameworks to enhance teaching and learning, while also aligning our assessment methods with how we understand student progress. Our focus is on increasing literacy and numeracy success rates for all students and improving graduation rates for Indigenous students, students with disabilities or diverse abilities, and students in care.
Goal 3. Truth and Reconciliation
We are deeply committed to advancing Truth and Reconciliation in our schools. This includes continuing to build strong relationships with local First Nations, supporting Hul’q’umi’num language learning, and fostering a culturally responsive mindset across the district. Through a system-wide approach, we will share principles of teaching and learning that guide our collective work in creating culturally safe schools.
Our tagline, goals, and key actions reflect the care we have for students, families, and staff in Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools and our shared vision of schools where everyone belongs, grows, and thrives.
Warm regards,
Robyn Gray
Superintendent and CEO
Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools