Facts About Our School

A Growing School

Nestled in the shadow of its namesake, Mouse Mountain, in Fraser Lake, British Columbia, this small village school opened in 1979. It was officially called Mouse Mountain Elementary School but it was already too small to accommodate the 250 to 280 children in the Kindergarten to Grade three student population of that year and thereafter. In fact, the Kindergarten children were housed at Fraser Lake Elementary Secondary School until l1982 when the addition of two Kindergarten rooms and a gymnasium were ready. Kindergarten classes have since been held a Mouse Mountain School.

History

Mrs. Margaret Wreggitt was principal from its inception in 1979 until her retirement in 1989. Under her tutelage, the school developed a province wide reputation as an innovative primary school on the cutting edge of educational change, implementing new reading and writing programs deemed beneficial to the children in its care. One of these programs was the Writing to Reading program developed by Doreen Wincott. As part of her legacy Mrs. Wreggitt also built an extensive and excellent professional library which includes various Reading Series and books that continue to be relevant and supportive in the wake of the implementation of yet another reading program, Reading Mastery. This reading method has been used since 1994 under the leadership of Ms. Loretta Young, principal at Mouse Mountain from 1989 until mid-fall of 1997.

Mrs. Michelle Miller-Gauthier has been the principal of Mouse Mountain Elementary for the past six years. A strong emphasis has been placed on Reading and Math. The school has also put in place multi-level groupings and a computer program called CCC Successmakers to address the reading and math needs of the students.

Present Day

Although there have been some changes in the teaching staff and teaching assistants throughout the years, the staff has remained relatively stable. This has enabled the school to continue to have high educational standards and expectations, to work cohesively as a team and to provide a caring attitude toward all children attending Mouse Mountain School. A Home and School coordinator acts as a liaison between the homes of aboriginal students and the school and an Aboriginal Support Worker provides assistance in language development.

Because Fraser Lake is situated between two aboriginal communities, Nautley to the east and Stellako to the west, Mouse Mountain School has also served as the educational centre for many beginning First Nations students. In recent years, there has been a stronger focus on the educational needs of First Nations students at Mouse Mountain School.