Innovations Crew
Vision and Values
Vision
To create a fun, safe, and inviting environment for middle school students to grow in their faith and independence as they prepare for their high school years and beyond. Students will learn and try new things with a community of friends and a team of teachers who know them and are invested in their success.
Values
Dynamic: responsive to needs
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Students will be supported from a place of flexibility that is responsive to their individual needs and interests as they navigate physical, emotional, and cultural changes.
Engaging: opportunities to be courageous
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Students will be part of informative, supportive, and inviting environments where they can learn by taking risks and trying new things.
Empowering: building independence
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Students will receive opportunities to become advocates for themselves and others by taking ownership and becoming lifelong learners.
Supportive: collaborative approach
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Students will be encouraged to explore their faith and learn in a safe community where the whole student is considered. They will join a cohort that is committed to supporting their needs, achievements, and passions.
Crew Student Profile
Crew Program Information
The Innovations Crew program will be launching for Grades 8 and 9 students in the 2025/2026 school year. Innovations Crew is one option for students to enrol in to complete their grade 8 or 9 courses in preparation for high school.
Read more about the Crew Vision and Values here.
Students will be placed in cohorts with a team of teachers and an Academic Advisor who will work together to ensure they are well supported in all aspects of their Grade 8 or 9 school year.
Crew Students will:
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Have a team of teachers and an Academic Advisor who will deliver all their courses
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This team will work collaboratively with students to plan, teach, assess, advise and support them throughout the year
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Learn to work with multiple teachers over the course of the year
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Students will begin to take responsibility for communicating with more than one person, connecting with course specialist teachers for help, and learning how to advocate for themselves.
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Be able to choose between individualized or online courses for all of the core subject areas (Science, Math, English and Social Studies)
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Students can still learn using a student learning plan and traditional paper-based resources to meet BC learning standards OR enrol in online courses for Math, Science, Social Studies and English.
- Students will complete non-core courses based on the student learning plan created collaboratively between teachers and students. This will include learning activities and assessment provided by Crew teachers.
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Have the support of a case manager if they are part of the Inclusive Education department
Is Crew the right choice for me?
The Crew program is a good fit for students who want to explore their faith and learn in a community where they can be courageous, take risks with their learning, and become advocates for themselves and others. The program is designed for students who want to learn together in community.
Crew Students:
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Commit to the Crew program for the whole school year
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Attend scheduled weekly zoom classes with cameras on
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Communicate respectfully and in a timely manner with their teachers and advisor as needed
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Regularly log in to Brightspace to access resources, assignments, hand in boxes and feedback
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Complete and submit work regularly, responding to feedback provided by teachers.
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Interact with peers respectfully and willingly
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Are willing to ask for help when needed
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Are welcome to connect with EA’s in the Student Success Center
What will my week look like?
Crew cohorts will meet on Zoom regularly throughout the week with the teaching team and advisor. Students can expect 2-3 regularly scheduled classes during the week as well as additional times that they can connect with teachers for help as needed.
Students will use Brightspace daily to access course resources and other materials provided by teachers, submit their work and monitor their progress. Teachers will provide helpful material and instructions, written feedback and assessment in Brightspace.
How do I sign up?
Families and students will have the opportunity to express their interest in being a part of the Crew program in grade 8 or 9 when they re-enrol for the next school year (beginning with 2025/26 re-enrolment). When completing the re-enrolment process in Encom, families will be asked to indicate their interest in the Crew program. This option will remain available at enrolment until we reach program capacity. At that time, families who indicate their interest in Crew will be put on the waitlist and contacted if room becomes available.
If a family or student decides that Crew may be a good fit for their student after they have re-enrolled, they should directly contact an Assistant Director of Innovations.
Students will receive a confirmation email to let them know if they have been accepted into the Crew program prior to course selection opening in May.
Other Important Information
For the pilot year (2025/26), students who choose Crew will commit to the program for the full school year. This allows us to plan for and ensure both Crew teacher and K-9 support teacher loads remain stable and sustainable.
Students in other HCOS programs, such as CC+, TechLAB, or Seed, will not be able to participate in Crew for the pilot year. Students must choose between Crew OR CC+, TechLAB and Seed.
The cost to students to participate in the program is $300. This will be taken from their resource budget upon acceptance to Crew. If families have opted for the no tuition option, they may still need to order curriculum resources to complete non-core coursework. It may be advantageous for families to opt for the $200 tuition option when possible to allow for money to be available for curriculum purchases.
What is my role as a Crew Parent?
Crew Parents
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Have primary responsibility for the child’s well-being, growth, and development.
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Indicate their student’s choice for participation in Crew during enrolment or re-enrolment
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Recognize that teachers have professional training and expertise in their subject areas
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Respond to communication from the teaching team and advisor in a timely manner
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Work with course teachers and their student to develop student learning plans as needed
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Support their student at home by:
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Checking regularly on course progress and performance in Brightspace
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Encouraging student communication with teachers for help, clarification, questions, etc
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Scheduling activities around Crew class times so students can attend Zoom classes
Crew Program Withdrawal Policy
Crew is a complete school year of programming, which begins in September and finishes in June.
Students enrolled in the Crew programming are connected with an academic advisor who will assist with course planning. Once courses are selected, students and parents will communicate with cohort teachers about their courses to create SLP’s as needed. Students will complete all of their grade 8 or 9 courses with Crew teachers.
Enrolling in the Crew program moves your student from a support teacher to an academic advisor. Support teachers will be given additional students on their rosters to replace students who have moved to Crew. Because K-9 support teacher loads will be full, crew students will not be able to move back to the K-9 Foundations program mid-year. They are expected to complete the 1-year program.
Students will not be able to change programming mid-year. Enrolment in Crew is a commitment to the full school year of programming.
If the student is in grade 8, students will have the choice in grade 9 to remain in Crew or to move back to the K-9 Foundations program. If students move back to the Foundations program in grade 9, they may or may not be placed with their previous support teacher.
If a Crew student is struggling, please reach out to their academic advisor. The advisor is well equipped to support students who are facing a variety of challenges. The advisor will work together with the crew teaching team and other school support staff to ensure each crew student has access to the appropriate options available to support students.