Superintendent’s Update
Dear Parents and Caregivers:
Thank you for continuing to focus on developing relationships/connections, and focusing on wellbeing, equity, and sustainability in the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan.
Pinantan Elementary School
With a school-wide focus on Numeracy, Principal Naylor shared that the staff has been learning together through a book study, Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, and then applying what they learned in a common school-wide numeracy block. We started in Ms. Head’s Gr. 2-3-4 class working on white boards on different ways of solving addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems. Mrs. Hrycan’s K-1-2 class was also solving addition questions using ten frames and number lines. Mrs. Hrycan shared, “I find that students are so engaged when they are standing up and working together to solve problems.” Ms. Selski’s Gr. 5-6-7 class was working in small groups to choose which classroom pet would be best. They calculated each pet’s needs (food, cage supplies, cost of care). By comparing the needs of each pet, each group eventually arrived at consensus.
Mr. Naylor and I visited their new multi-age numeracy learning commons. Each class has time each week to work with partners to engage in easy-medium-hard numeracy-based activities. One student was working on his own because the multi-age room is also used as a multi-purpose space for students to work independently, in pairs, and groups.There are noon-hour clubs that play games, read books, and put together puzzles.
Layla, a Gr. 5 student, presented a thank you card from the Plant Club members (Layla, Eliza, Mikhail, Sienna, Gaven, Eleanor, Ms. Selski, Mrs. Van Laer). She appreciated support from the Student and Family Affordability Fund for their new planters and soil being used to grow vegetables to feed the school community. Layla explained, “We are growing plants inside and then eventually we will transplant them when it is warm enough.” Layla recalled that last year, the Plant Club made salads for the whole school and she shared how they will be doing that again. One of her favourite lessons learned from gardening is, “To recognize that planting seeds is almost ‘like magic’ because the ‘the plants seem to magically appear’.” The Pinantan Plant Club is an example of sustainable living by growing their own food to share in the school community. Thank you, Pinantan Plant Club!
SKSS Music
In the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan, our students explore their talents and passions and grow in their competencies through multi-modes of communication– writing, drama, art, and music. The SKSS Music Department is super excited to hold its first post-Covid SKSS school show and is celebrating the music department's musical successes with the school population. Even though the term two students have only been playing together for four weeks, they sound amazing… Read more.
Thank you for all that you do to support your children and to help our school communities.
Rhonda Nixon, PhD
Superintendent
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