Our Story and Our Focus

History of Jessie Wowk

Jessie Wowk (1894-1993) and her family emigrated from the Ukraine with her parents in 1906. They purchased a farm on Steveston Highway. Jessie was also known as a humanitarian, and during the Depression she gave generously to those standing in the bread lines.  She is only the second woman in Richmond after Kate McNeely to have had a school named after her: Jessie Wowk Elementary School, which opened in 1992.

Who are we?

Welcome to Jessie Wowk.  We are a vibrant community of learners, staff and families striving to inspire curiosity, celebrate learning and promote social responsibility. Together we honour caring for self, others, and this place.  It is within this climate of respect and understanding that our students are motivated to explore, follow their passions, and express their learning in a variety of ways. Our new Library Learning Commons and Outdoor Learning Area both provide redesigned spaces for students to develop ideas and work collaboratively.  As well, these spaces provide students with opportunities to explore the world around them by engaging in a variety of materials and technology and deepens their understanding of what lies beyond the doors of Jessie Wowk.   

This year we are continuing to look at how to support our students in their social / emotional learning through our Wowk Cares language. For the 2023 - 2024 school year, our focus will continue to be:   

How can be the use of school-wide common language be of benefit to our learners in their Social / Emotional Learning? How can our Wowk Cares language help build an even safer, inclusive and caring environment for everyone?

In addition, we will continue to build upon the importance of social emotional learning this year while directing some time and focus on academic learning for our students. We will also explore the following question:

What supports can we put in place to help all of our learners build solid foundations in literacy? How can we best address and support some of the stretches we are seeing for some of our students in their reading?