About us
Welcome to our school family!
Ridne Slovo is a unique educational project of New Westminster Eparchy. Created in 2014 by local Ukrainian families, the school never stopped growing, allowing for a more diverse and concise Ukrainian-speaking educational curriculum.
We are not an ordinary school, but a big family, a piece of Ukraine here in Vancouver. We are the space for new knowledge, welcoming smiles, friendly embraces, and creative projects in a tight circle of Ukrainian people. Every Saturday we gather to embark on a new adventure because school is not only the education, it is a slate for dreams. We dress up in Vyshyvanka, decorate Pysankas, sing Ukrainian carols snd songs, cook, and sometimes just fool around.
Our Mission:
To bring up children with the Ukrainian Christian spirit, preserve the Ukrainian language and culture, and enlighten them about our rich history.
With students varying in age between 2 and 15 year-olds, we offer a wide variety of classes with an individual approach to each student as an individual.
Our Anthem
Сторінку за сторінкою гортаймо
І мову рідну разом ми вивчаймо,
Хоч ми далеко всі від Украiни,
Ми збережем любов до Батькiвщини.
Вчимось ми тут ми писати і читати,
А також шлях до Бога обирати,
Щоб час даремно нам не змарнувати,
Про душу треба вчасно нам подбати.
Рідне слово завжди з нами,
Ніби голос ніжний мами,
Ти мелодія єдина,
І ми всі твоя родина.
Зростаємо у вірі та любові,
Всі дні у школі набито казкові,
Ми ближнього вчимось тут поважати
І батька й матір завжди шанувати.
Приєднуйся до нашої родини,
Відчуй тепло щасливої дитини,
З маленької і чистої зернини
Ростуть здорові і міцні рослини.
Staff
Fr Mykhaylo
The greatest quality in a person who's thriving to live a holy happy life should be their generosity. Generosity - is thriving for greatness in everything, it's always wishing the best for the rest, it's an unstoppable wish to develop one's soul and spirit, and never stop the on the self-development journey. The wish to guide conscientious, deeply spiritual, full of love Christians is what led me to dedicate a big part of my priestly ministry to children and families. I am certain that laughter and happiness are the best medicine.
Claudia
Music teacher and a music therapist. From a young age, my parents taught me the dedication to music and The Creator, who blessed me with this gift that morphed into a profession. The love towards Jesus Christ and the Ukrainian song is what led me to this amazing Ukrainian family. As my hobby, I love to travel with the song and spend my time with family, discovering new horizons. I believe that music has a healing ability and convinced that one can say a lot more with music than just words alone.
Oksana
The main values of our family are the love of Ukraine, its language, heritage, and culture. This is exactly why we started Ridne Slovo. Inspired by the school's atmosphere, I decided to pass on my knowledge to not only my own children but the other kids as well, wanting to teach them our great, powerful, and melodic language.
-Taras Shevchenko
Sonya
Growing up in a family of teachers, I grew to love the knowledge and wanted to pass it on to other people and the whole world. Being far from my homeland, I made it my mission to preserve Ukrainian culture and traditions, relaying those to future generations. I teach to think and create, supporting children's enthusiasm to discover the world. It is a very rewarding profession. Children's smiles and their achievements encourage me to keep going.
Natalya
Optimistic romantic, who believes that kindness and love will save the world. I go crazy for traveling and have already visited countless countries. I love to look at the world through the viewfinder of my camera, picturing moments and emotions that are near and dear to me. I love to craft, learn new skills, combine the uncombinable, impress. The world is full of wonderful things and I want to at least try all of them!
-Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Alina
I don't remember my childhood dream, but I do remember that I loved to read. If I start counting all the books I've read, we will be here all day. I am a teacher and I dream that the children loved to read and dream, loved to learn and never gave up on it. I try to do the same thing. I also love to host book clubs, travel as much as possible, write my diaries about my travels, my daughters, and books, ride my bike, shoot film, and draw.
"The dream is nothing if you don't act on it."
-Hryhoriy Tyutyunnyk
Anton
Learning is interesting! I'm convinced that one should learn not only for marks and graduation, the learning process in itself is mesmerizing. It motivates you and brings you joy from conquering new concepts. I always try to learn new things and my goal is to capture the students' attention and share my knowledge with them.
Olga
I am a mathematics teacher with over 15 years of experience back in Ukraine. I believe that gaining knowledge is an interesting and easy process when it's done creatively, engagedly, in a circle of friends, with an opportunity to express yourself. That is exactly how I teach my classes in Ridne Slovo.
Iryna
I enjoy learning. I learn from my kids, my parents, my students, my colleagues, and of course the universe. I love to dream and travel. Through travel, we learn sacred knowledge, never found in textbooks. I'm always open to new things. I consider every experience helpful. I also love to talk. It fills me with positive emotions.
-Lina Kostenko
Nadiya
I am a primary school teacher with vast experience in both Ukrainian and Canadian schools. I always put love and care into my craft. I appreciate every person's inner self, point of view, hobbies, sense of humor, and ideas because every student is a unique and significant part of the class. I believe that when a child feels valued by the teacher and their peers, the school becomes important in their lives. In my opinion, education is the most interesting game in life that one should play forever.
Where we are
Campus #1
Classes:
Prominchyky, Sonechka.
Campus #2
Classes:
Bukvaryk, Chytaylyk, Doslidnyky, Rozumnyky.