What do you remember about your elementary school principal?  One of the activities that I like to do with Principal Qualification Program’s candidates is to have them generate a picture, along with descriptors of their former principals.   Often the visuals includes descriptors like mature, male, stern, scary office door (mostly closed).  At times, we hear terms like cool, laughing as they go down the hall and colourful clothes.  This activity sets the stage for richer conversations about the importance of our role and how others view the work that we do.  We know that relationships are the foundation of our work. How we build and nurture those relationships are key ~ especially when we need to support students who are struggling or families who need our compassion and understanding. It is easy to be  “sunshine and lollipops” when all is well. It is more challenging to maintain authentic relationships with our students and families who need us the most during the difficult times.

When I reflect on my experience (back in the late 70s), I can easily recall Mr. Dickson.  He was a tall, thin man with grey hair and glasses. I do not recall him ever smiling. When he walked the hallway there was complete silence and groups of students automatically fell into a straight line.  Each Friday, Mr. Dickson would come into our grade 8 classroom and teach us grammar.  Up until my grade 8 year, I assumed that I was an adequate writer.  I had never received any feedback from previous teachers to the contrary.  Yet, Mr. Dickson, with his endless worksheets whereby we needed to underline objects, circle adjectives, and put some other mystical grammatical symbol around prepositions, convinced me that I was a terrible writer.  Try as I might, I failed more of those grammar tests than I passed ~ to the point that I was called to his office one day to practice and review the appropriate symbols.  To this day, I can recall the details of his small office, tucked in behind the main office where the secretary was. There was a small single window with brown/yellow flowered curtains, which faced the playground. I place that I desperately wanted to be.  I was so scared and felt so stupid.  I remember the look on the secretary’s face as I made my way past the counter and towards the looming doorway.  It was as if she was saying with her eyes, “Hang in there, kid”.  He towered over me as he tested me with multiple examples, which I would continue to answer incorrectly.  I could sense his disappointment.  I remember my nose running and being embarrassed that I did not have a Kleenex in my pocket. I tried to inconspicuously wipe my nose when he was not looking.  I recall leaving his office, making my way to the washroom and being so thankful that there an empty stall.  I cried, blew my nose so hard that I am sure I caused damage, then made my way back to class, thankful no one questioned my absence or my bloodshot eyes and red nose.

I dreaded Fridays for the remainder of the school year and to this day, there are times when I need to use a comma, colon or semi-colon and I revert back to that insecure 13-year-old, who thought she could not write.  Some of you may notice that I often use the symbol (~) in my writing.  It has become my “go to” when I am unsure of the correct grammatical notation.

I doubt that Mr. Dickson woke up that morning with an intention to make my cry and to make me question my ability to write. I cannot help but wonder, if in his own way he was trying to make me a better writer.

I often wonder if Mr. Dickson was as surprised as I was when I was awarded the General Proficiency Award at our Grade 8 Graduation.

I will leave the conversation about teaching grammar in isolation and the connection to authentic writing for another day.

So much has changed in the last 40 years or so.

Today I had 3 students who popped by to see me.
S. is a grade 1 student with ASD.  He wandered in singing the theme song to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series.  He is fascinated by the planets and there is a video in the series about Mars.  So, I found the link on the Internet and started to play it.  He jumped up on to my lap and together we watched it.  He occasionally would get up and role play his part in the video. I have a feeling that I have started a trend.  Let us see if he pops in tomorrow.

M is a grade 6 student whose educator has challenged her class to find and implement a social justice cause.  Last week she came to see me about a fundraiser to support families in the Ukraine.  We went through several possible ideas.  She has been exploring websites to see what the greatest need is. Today when she popped by M had landed on a used book sale with the proceeds being donated to the Red Cross.  I admire her tenacity, her confidence, and the way in which she entered our conversation. There was no talking her out of this initiative.  She has promised to check in again tomorrow morning to work on the advertising campaign.

And finally,  I had a visit from another student in that same grade 6 class.  She is interested in gathering information/opinions about a proposed 4-day school week.  The richness of the conversation was so jarring that I had to remind myself that this was an 11-year-old.  Her maturity, her forthright confidence, and her ability to not only ask the right questions, but listen, pause, and then respond was remarkable. This young woman is going to change the world. I have no doubt!

Like all my colleagues, there are times when students come to see me as a result of situation that needs to be resolved.  There have been times when students have been upset, angry and even drawn to tears.  We know that part of this role is to help students make better choices and to understand how their actions impact others.

My hope is that when (if) my former students conjure up a memory of my office, they think of it as a place where they were always welcome to come and visit, a place where their ideas were respected and if they required support, it was a place where they were treated fairly and compassionately.

What do you remember about your elementary school principal/office?

Come write with me….

In our school, we intentionally call our occasional teachers Guest Educators. We teach our students to treat them with respect in the same way that you would treat a guest in your home. We share with our students, that its our job to make a good impression so that when the guest educator must choose which assignment they accept, they select Sir Arthur Currie.

This year, more so than any other year that I can recall, our Guest educators:

Stepped in and stepped up regardless of the detailed or missing day plans,
Took it in stride when they were greeted with, “We need you elsewhere, today”, when they thought they were going to support our multilingual learners and instead we needed them to cover a grade 4/5 classroom,
Shifted on a dime when they learned that the music teacher’s position wasn’t picked up and therefore although it was reflected that they would have a planning period, it was suddenly cancelled,
Smiled as they greeted students who had been greeted by different faces all week because of the need for extended absences due to quarantine protocols,
Popped down to say, “Hey, how can I help?” on those days when they saw the infamous white board littered with names and the dreaded OPEN beside too many names,
Came prepared with favourite activities and special books for those moments that required additional learning activities,
Comforted students who were struggling with the loss of routine,
Tidied the room at the end of the day for the returning educator or the next guest educator and
Supported fellow guest educators, who at times seemed to outnumber our regular staff.

Without sounding too dramatic, the doors of so many more schools would have been closed, if it were not for these incredible hard working guest educators.

I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to also recognize two Long-Term occasional educators, who part way through the school year joined our school team to support 2 classes.  They stepped into unique situations ~ ones where there had been a number of changes for these classes (both physical and personnel wise). Our LTOs (who are now cherished staff members) needed to hit the “restart” button to build team, to build community, to build confidence and to gain trust. It is absolutely remarkable when I see those classes now ~ the students look physically different. They are happy to come to school, they trust that there will be routines, they see themselves as learners and they know that their educator loves them and enjoys spending time with them. I love it when their educator highlights their learning on Twitter and fills the walls of their classroom with evidence of learning.

As the cycle of hiring goes, I know that in no time, many of these amazing guest educators will be hired as contract educators. They will be excited to have their own classroom and they will do amazing things with their class.

We feel so honoured that they have selected to spend these formative experiences with us. They are admired for their commitment to their profession, their compassion for students and their ability to demonstrate flexibility and innovative practices.

With only 2 dozen days left in this school year one could easily get lost in what seems like an endless list of things to do before the final bell rings and the last of the school buses pulls out of the driveway.  A driveway that has beared witness to more than its share of action this year.   Last August when 1/3 of our parking lot was fenced off to house 5 portables and 2 portable washrooms we gained a whole new list of to dos to ensure a safe opening in September ~ keeping in mind those were new items in addition to the list of  COVID procedures and protocols. Fast forward to the first snowfall in November and with the final installation and inspection of the portapak complete, the portables and portable washrooms, along with the cement barriers and fencing were removed.    Like most of the unique stories associated with our unprecedented population explosion, “parking lot paradise” is now a distant memory and one that is highly likely not to be revisited.

Back to the endless list. I have no doubt that most of my colleagues could generate a similar, if not more complex list of end of the school year to-dos.  I am thinking of my friends who are transitioning to new schools or new system roles in the fall.  They are highly dedicated and organized individuals who undoubtedly are doing their best to leave precisely crafted important information for the incoming leader(s). For my friends who are retiring, I can only imagine that in addition to the regular end of the year lists that they are composing, they are doing all they can to drink in this final month ~ whether it is writing their final graduation speech, sharing a final favourite read aloud, composing letters to their staff to thank them for their tremendous efforts or showing their appreciation to their community members who have stood by them through the Pandemic years. I have no idea how they will balance embracing those “lasts” while completing the “tasks”.

As some of you know, when we opened Sir Arthur Currie 5 years ago, I shared that I would stay for 5 years and then ride off into the sunset ~ rationalizing that 5 years was a good substantial amount of time to get foundational pieces solidified for a new school.  As April 15 (the magic date to submit retirement letters) came and went, I could not do it ~ I’m not ready.  There is so much yet to accomplish; I love my school family and my excitement for what next year holds for our community continues to build as we start to plan for the “Year of The Arts”.  Maybe there is a part of me that can’t bring myself to generate that final “list” for the incoming leader.

Back to the endless list.  The meandering of this post is a lens into my philosophy when it comes to crafting lists. I find the more items I add, the more connections to the importance of the work (not the completion of the task) emerge and the intent of the list transforms.   Over the years, I’ve shifted from checking items off a list to using the list as springboard to reflect on past/present practice and in turn strengthening my leadership skills.

So here’s to the next 24 days, may our list of “to dos” not overshadow the memories that you’ll need to make.

The best part of my days are always those times that I get to be with our students.  I love the fact that I can seamlessly go from room to room and engage in conversations, watch in awe as our outstanding educators lead lessons or sit down and take part in the activity as I learn alongside of them.   With 38 classes there is always something interesting going on and I marvel at what I learn as I venture from learning environment to learning environment.  Most days, it is not until I get home and scroll through Twitter that I get a full picture of the vast experiences that our students are exposed to. Today I started my day by visiting our 3 grade 7 classes and our 3 grade 6 classes.  As we excitedly look towards the upcoming school year and all of the possibilities of an extensive strong Arts program, I needed to collect information about instrument choice to ensure that we are making informed decisions about purchases. With my visit to the grade 6 classes, I also took the opportunity to praise them for their resiliency and patience as they have spent the last 2 days in frustration, trying to work their way through the Provincial EQAO assessments, amidst server interruptions.  We are hopeful that the platform is stable by Monday as we want our students to share their knowledge and highlight their strengths.

As I started to collect their first and second choices for instruments, we joked about the extensive requests for flutes, and I recalled being in a similar position many years ago when I was in grade 7.  I desperately wanted to play the flute, but unfortunately as there were not enough to share, I ended up with the clarinet.  I continued to play the clarinet, not only through elementary school, but for 5 years in secondary school.  Some of my most memorable experiences in secondary school are connected to my time in the music program.  Those early morning rehearsals ~ especially the one that happened the day of the big snowstorm and we ended up being stranded at school for the night.  The many performances with our long red skirts and white blouses ~ for those of you who know the intricacies of how the clarinet works, you can appreciate managing the condensation that escapes from the bell while wearing a long red skirt. The trips to New York, Boston and Washington and the close-knit group of friends.

Our conversation then morphed into one about being prepared with a back-up plan and how sometimes things work out even better.  Our students were amazed that I could easily recall the names of the 4 girls, in grade 7, who did get to play the flute ~ both their first names and last names.  They giggled when they assumed that it was my animosity that fueled my memory.  Unbeknownst to them the complexities of short term and long-term memories awaits them as they age.  They too, will be able to remember the names of their current friends when they are my age ~ although struggle to remember what someone asked them to do minutes ago…LOL

My wish for our students is that they, too, find joy and a sense of accomplishment as the embark on the first steps of their instrumental music experience.   I am excited to be there as they initially learn how to create sounds individually and then blend those sounds to create harmony and music. I am excited for them to experience the thrill of performance.  I am excited to see the looks on the faces of our younger students as they sit in the audience and listen to their older peers ~ dreaming of the day that they get to choose their instrument.

In order to make some of these wishes come true, it looks like I am off to purchase a few more flutes.  A small price to pay to set the stage for dreams and memories.

What are some of your memories of elementary/secondary school music?

Come write with me…

Last week, our Thames Valley administrators and senior team members gathered for the first time since August 2019 for our Annual General Meeting, which included recognition of those leaders who about to embark on the exciting world of retirement.   Although I was unable to join the celebration in person, I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to celebrate my colleagues ~ many of whom have had such an important impact on my career as both a school and system leader.

I first met Jennifer Ardnt when she was the principal at Cartier.  We were implementing a new program to support our multilingual learners whereby they spent the first half of their day in the LEARN program, focusing on literacy and numeracy with a specialized educator.  Jennifer was quick to make the necessary facility changes to ensure the best possible learning environment for her students.  As we walked the halls of her school, it was evident that her students loved her.

Linda Carswell was the host principal at Woodland Heights when we first met.  Although the details of the session have escaped my memory, the passion with which she highlighted the work of her team left an imprint.  Years later we came to work together as members of the Learning Supervisor team at the Board office.  Linda is retiring from White Oaks school ~ one of our largest and most complex schools in our system.  I have watched in awe as she has systematically shifted the culture in her school. Linda has been a wonderful mentor to so many vice principals and the White Oaks school community will miss her dearly.

Ron Duffy and I were partners in one of the many system mentor programs over the years.  It was so evident when I first met him, as a VP, that he understood that the role of a leader is to support others and build leadership skills for the next generation of leaders.  There have been several VPs who have benefitted from his tremendous mentorship.  He is retiring from Wilfrid Jury ~ a school community that holds a very special place in my heart.  They will miss his kindness, his vision, and his spirit.

I have been in awe of Colin Milligan from the first time I met him.  Back in 2009 as I transitioned in the role of Principal at Wilfrid Jury, Colin and I were members of the OPC mentorship program. It was a very structured program which included lots of meetings and professional readings.  Colin is one of those intelligent individuals who can quote chapter and verse of a book or article. Something that I have to master.  He not only has a deep understanding of school improvement planning and vision, but he can also teach others how to personalize it for their school communities in a way that is so comprehensive. He is one of the most respected PQP instructors in our system. So many have had the opportunity to learn from this leader.  He leaves a tremendous hole in our system.

And finally, the effervescent, long haired, creative, and inspirational Joe Sheik.  The person who makes everyone feel like they are his beloved and cherished friend. Joe’s constant advocacy for the Arts and inquiry-based learning are just a few of his signature passions.  Years ago, he invited me to join him during a round of interviews.  His style is unique, and he has a wonderful way of building team. I continue to admire the lengths to which he will go to engage his community ~ nobody rocks a Cat in the Hat costume like Joe, and no one is better at visioning and building an outdoor learning environment. Never one to shy away from asking the important and thought-provoking questions, there is no doubt that he is going to be tremendously missed within our organization.

School systems are only truly strengthened by the leaders who work tirelessly to embrace, support, and build school communities.  These remarkable leaders have selflessly shared their abundance of talents with countless educators, students, and families over the years.  Their imprint on each school where they have taught and then led will forever be woven in the tapestry of those school’s history.

I want to thank them for their mentorship, friendship, and endless support. Like so many others, I have learned from their example and will do my best to pay it forward with our future leaders.

19 precious children started their day like any other day.  They packed their backpacks, probably including their favourite snacks and maybe a Poppit or two. They were looking forward to the end of the school year celebrations that awaited them.   They were athletes, award winners and cherished classmates. I would imagine there was lots of chatter about upcoming summer plans ~ trips to amusement parks, camping with grandparents, ball games and so much more. As the morning drew close to lunch time, the innocence of that typical grade 4 classroom was shattered when an 18 year old armed gunman entered their classroom and savagely extinguished lives.  My throat aches and I shed tears as I envision their inexperienced reactions which undoubtedly morphed from disbelief to horror in a matter of minutes. How frightened and scared they must have been. What terror they witnessed.

2 teachers (one of whom was a mother of 4) started their day like any other day. Like most educators I would imagine they were looking forward to the well-deserved summer break with a sense of bittersweetness. It’s always hard to send our students onto new educators for the next year. One of them capturing a picture of a student who had earned an Honours certificate and sent it to their mother ~ probably a common everyday occurrence.   For that parent, that has now become the very last picture of their cherished child. The heart of a loving educator to the very end.  I can only imagine the terror as they realized that their beloved students were about to become the next victims in a series of senseless school shootings. I have no doubt that they did what they could to protect them, until their own lives were taken.

It is inconceivable to even imagine this occurring anywhere in the world and yet there have been over 240 young lives lost in mass shootings in the US in this year alone ~ and we are only 5 months into this year. WHY????

Tonight, my words are stilted as my brain has yet to truly decipher a coherent way to manage the hurricane of emotions. Today I had a parent reach out to me with concern for our school community, based on the tragedy in Texas. She wanted assurance that we were doing all we can to avoid a similar tragedy. I did my best to alleviate her fears ~ although I know that my words were not enough.

May the Lord bless their innocent souls and welcome them into His loving arms with the promise of erasing their final memories of terror.

One of the many unique pathways of our journey this year has been the Board of Trustees’ decision to pause any new registrations at our school ~ as a short-term solution to slow down the excessive growth. With a population of close to 1000 students, we were closing in on a record 200% capacity and our facility was at its maximum number of portables ~ 17 in total. The long-term plan, to build another school, is still in its infancy and scheduled to be completed within 42-48 months. Although registrations have been paused at our location, our wonderful Northwest London community continues to welcome new families with school-aged children. Currently any new families are now bussed to Knollwood Public School. A school that is nestled in a lovely subdivision located in the eastern quadrant of the London, with a catchment area that includes some government assisted housing.

When the Trustee motion passed in November of 2021, our community, who advocated strongly for families to stay together ~ knowing that the flipside of that advocacy would mean that any new families would not be attending Sir Arthur Currie, made a commitment to do their best to embrace our “sister school”. They realized that their new neighbours would be attending Knollwood, a school which may not have the same level of family involvement or the same access to financial support that we are so blessed to have at Sir Arthur Currie.

So, our School Council and Home & School under the leadership of our Fundraising Chair, Carla, became determined to find a way to support our neighbours and their school community. The Home and School became the logical choice for the fundraising piece as it is more streamline than navigating school board accounts/CashOnline/school-based budget lines within the guidelines for School Councils.

Hence the idea of a Cake raffle, just prior to the Mother’s Day weekend was proposed and approved. The excitement grew as masterful creations were donated and our students excitedly purchased tickets with the anticipation of taking home something sweet to celebrate a special person.  We had close to 40 donations.

When all was said and done, the Home and School raised close to $2000, which financially brought them to the finish line of their multi-year goal of a school sign as well as meeting their target of $500 to support the breakfast program at Knollwood. As a school we were very intentional in sharing with our students that the money they were donating towards the cake raffle was going to go to another school ~ a school that needed our help. I am so proud of our community and their deep desire to make a difference in the lives of children (not just their own children, but the children in their broader community).

Today we had the pleasure of delivering the cheque to Brenda Williams, the amazing, gentle, and compassionate principal of Knollwood. She has been there for 4 years and is about to transition to a much larger school in the west end. I could tell that although she is excited for the change, she is heartbroken to leave a community that has indeed imprinted itself on her heart. She will forever take the lessons from Knollwood to her next school community.

Listening to her and Carla talk about the breakfast program and the need to nurture their community as they strengthen their Council and Home & School Association was both enlightening and refreshing. These two women, who just met each today, share a common philosophy of giving what you can, even if you do not have enough for yourself.

As we drove home, Carla was so passionate about our next project to support our sister school.  I cannot wait to be a part of her next passion project.

At times we find ourselves so inwardly focused on our own school community, we forget that at the end of the day, we are all a part of a larger community. The strength of the larger TVDSB community can only be truly measured when all school communities feel responsible for each other.

We share mentor texts and stories about social justice with our students. We talk about the value of helping our neighbours. But unless we put actions to those words, our students will never genuinely understand what it means to be an agent of change.

One of the cakes at the cake raffle was a butterfly. Today that butterfly metaphorically took flight in the hearts and minds of two incredible women who instinctively understand and appreciate the power of bringing communities together, that teaching our children to give rather than receive is paramount to good citizenship and that the possibilities of more passion projects to support others are limitless.

Has your school community reached out to support another school community?

Come write with me….

Confession Time ~ I have never seen The Godfather or any of the sequels.  I was never a Marlon Brando fan, and the storyline has yet to appeal to me. I am wondering if maybe I didn’t want to watch a movie where at some point in the script it called for a horse’s head to be left in a bed as a symbol of “meaning business”.  I have certainly enjoyed the work of the other actors; Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert Di Niro, and James Caan ~ but not enough to draw me to this movie.

I do, of course, know a bit about the story line and have enjoyed many of the cinematic and cultural references in other movies.  Such as when Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) is trying to convince Kathleen (Meg Ryan) to fight to save her independent bookstore from big bad box store ~ Fox Books in You’ve Got Mail.  I love her reaction, “What is it with men and The Godfather?” And of course, throughout popular culture there have been several occasions for actors to recite the ever recognizable, “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”

So, it was with some trepidation, that I landed on the Paramount + limited series, “The Offer”, which tells the story of the making of The Godfather.  I was immediately drawn in the world of the early 70’s from the humble home of the writer Mario Puzo to the lush mansions and landscapes of Hollywood.  The story is told from the lens of the producer Al Ruddy (Canadian born) and chronicles the setbacks and successes of making a mafia film in New York City.  Interestingly enough, Ruddy is still alive. So, unlike some mockumentaries, his perspective (or at least how he remembers things) is authentic ~ although I would imagine it is sprinkled with creative license similar to the spices sprinkled on the Italian food which serves as a predominant theme throughout both the filming and the final product.  From the Mafia Bosses to the Studio Bosses to the Mayor New York to the most recognizable entertainer of the era, the underbelly of the system and the connective tissue of who owes who, who is sleeping with whom and who owns who is brilliantly reflected.

The personal and professional sacrifices of many of the main characters, leave the viewer on the edge of their seats at the end of each episode.  I also love how the women are depicted.  It is evident that Ruddy, although misguided and egocentric, at times, knows the power of a true partnership.

With three more episodes to go, I am excited to learn more about this journey from best selling book to box office blockbuster.

And yes, I am now going to find some uninterrupted time to watch The Godfather.  Although, I cannot promise that I will watch all three installments.

In knowing that time is a precious commodity, how do you decide what to watch, read, listen to?  Whose recommendations are most credible?  Do you find value in knowing the backstory of the artist, the author or the actor?

Come write with me….

I am not sure if others can relate, but I tend to look at the world differently on weekends than I do during the constant busyness of the weekdays. If I must run errands after a long day at work, I find my patience is rarely at its maximum capacity ~ some might say, I am downright impatient.  I look for the shortest line in the grocery store or zip through the self check-out to expediate my shopping spree. I take the most direct route home, pull into the driveway, and then finally relax.

Today, which brings the gift of being day 1 of a 3-day weekend, I found myself leisurely venturing to the south end of the city to pick up a couple of Canadian flags for the school. The cost to send them via Fed-Ex almost matched the cost of the flags themselves (and contrary to popular belief school boards, like any other organization, do their best to be fiscally responsible) so, I decided to pick them up myself and save the cost of delivery. If the need for the flags had been immediate, I would have asked my son, who lives in that end of the city to pick them up ~ but alas, I embraced today’s drive.

I arrived at about 9:50 am, forgetting that the Flag Shop did not open until 10:00 am. It was a sunny morning, so 10 minutes of waiting in the sunshine was not a bother at all. At 9:55 am, the store owner arrived and unlocked the front door ~ following directly behind him was another early morning customer. My initial intent was to spend merely minutes in the story by showing the purchase order number, picking up the flags and continuing on my way. But the inquisitive woman who entered first peppered the store owner with a series of questions. Although not eavesdropping, within a small store, it is hard to not hear the intense conversation. The store owner was so patient, so kind and so knowledgeable. As I waited, viewing the various flags and flag related products, I found myself going back to a childhood memory of when I spent time at my aunt and uncle’s cottage in Grand Bend. Each morning, like clockwork, my Uncle Bill would raise the Canadian flag up the large flagpole that was on the edge of their property, overlooking Lake Huron. I remember loving those mornings when I was the one selected to hold the flag as he connected the grommets and then watch in awe as it billowed in the wind ~ flying proudly with each tug of the ropes. At sunset, each night, the routine was reversed. He taught me how to fold it, so that it never touched the ground. I took those teachings into my youth as a Brownie and Girl Guide as we learned about the importance of acknowledging and recognizing the significant of flags.

As the owner finished his conversation with the first customer, I found myself smiling as he said, “One day I’m going to get a chair and place it on that side of the cash register.”  He then proceeded to say, “Are you sitting down? The cost is $299”. She smiled and finished her purchase.

With the same thoughtful customer service that he had provided her, he turned to me and said, “Now, how can I help make your day brighter? What a wonderful entry point into a conversation. This passionate store owner could teach a course in Customer Service 101.  I wonder who we can rephrase our morning greetings in a school setting.

As we proceeded with our interaction, he methodically found the order and produced two brand new Canadian flags. As I was waiting, I noticed Friendship pins which intertwine the Canadian flag with the flag of another country. I could not help but wonder if that would make a wonderful gift for our Dominican Mentors when we head down there in July. So, I ordered 25.

In my closing remarks, I mentioned that one of these new flags will be raised first thing on Tuesday morning as our current one (as a result of the constant high winds at our school) was tattered. Without missing a beat, the owner, shared that for $12.00 he could repair the frayed one. There was another exchange about the school board and fiscal responsibility and we both had a good laugh. As I gathered my package and started to make my way towards the door, he declared, “A stitch in time….” to which I replied, “Will save you a dime.”  I had heard the phrase before but  could not actually remember the exact wording. It was not until I got home and researched it (remember what I shared at the beginning of the month about my writing taking me down rabbit holes) that I was reminded that the actual phrase is, “A stitch in time saves you nine” which refers to getting tasks completed in a timely manner.

Today was a great reminder that getting tasks completed in a timely manner, sometimes means you might miss out on those extra “nine”.  I rarely use this platform for promotion, but today is an exception.  I highly recommend The Flag Shop on Exeter ~ not only for the products but for the experience of spending time with owner.

When have you experienced exceptional customer service?

Come write with me…

As another busy day drew to a close, with my belongings slung over my shoulder, I made my way through the front doors of the school as the evening sunlight immediately warmed my face. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes and drew in a deep, cleansing breath.  Suddenly, a neighbour’s car slowly approached their driveway with their windows down and sunroof open; blaring from their sound system was, Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and I could not help but think, “How perfect.”

We had just finished our Kindergarten Open House and welcomed incoming students and their families. For the past two years, COVID restrictions had forced us to shift these invitations to a virtual format, which although provided some information could never compare to an actual visit to the school. For many of our families, this was their first time in the school, and they were wide-eyed and so enthusiastic as they made their way to the Family Center/Childcare table, visited our Speech and Language Pathologist, and met members of our School Council.

This year’s Kindergarten team decided to structure the Open House tour based on the Four Frames of the Kindergarten Communication of Learning Document. Each stop along the tour represented examples of Belonging and Contributing, Self-Regulation and Well-Being, Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours, and Problem Solving and Innovating.

Incoming students and their family members had the opportunity to identify their name and then colour it for their book bag for next year, as they wandered through the LLC. In the classrooms, families had the opportunity to see early literacy and numeracy activities and complete them with their children. Students were encouraged to print their name on one side of a wooden circle and families printed a wish for their child on the other side. The laughter and interaction were amazing to witness. In the hallway we had our “Newest Coyote” photo booth set up, so families could capture this visit. It also served as an effective way for the Kindergarten team to capture pictures and associated names as we look towards class placement meetings this week.

The other parts of the tour included a snack and an opportunity to create a coyote headband. As the weather beautifully cooperated families were able to visit the Forest of Learning and see how programming in that location supports Problem Solving and Innovating. I had to giggle when I overhead an older sibling share, “Now Charlotte, when you hear Mrs. M. blow the whistle, you need to get to the front of the forest as fast as you can and line up along this fence.”  Oh, the joys of having older siblings who have already experienced the fantastic Kindergarten program share their favourite memories.

This year, the sibling piece will be integral and one that we will explore deeply to ensure the best possible transition for our students, as the only ones who will be welcomed to our program will be younger siblings of current students. With the Board of Trustee motion last fall, which addressed our over significant crowding by transporting any new families to Knollwood, we have the pleasure of knowing all our incoming K1’s families. That was very evident tonight as older siblings proudly took the lead on the tour and, with great smiles, introduced their younger siblings to our team members. As our school is going into its sixth year, for many of these wee ones, we recall when they were first born. We watched them graduate from parents’ arms, to strollers, to toddling on the tarmac and now ready to take on their first year of school.

Following our raffle draws, we invited our newest Coyotes to join our Kindergarten team for a group photo. We ended the Open House with a cheer for the class of 2022-2023. I hope that tonight’s picture will somehow be safely stored and then shared in June 2031, as this group of amazing children enter the gym once again, but this time as Grade 8 graduates.

Oh, to be able to get inside the minds of these newest Coyotes. They have heard stories from their siblings, their parents are now pros, as they have been through this routine at least once before and so many of them seem already to start school. We even had some tears as children did not want to leave last night.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

May we create a school experience for them where the skies are blue (sometimes that shade of blue may vary) and we foster such confidence that they dare to dream big dreams!

What is most important as we welcome our newest students?

Come write with me….