From the Assistant Principal

A pandemic, a snowstorm and a bored guy. 

Last year I remember speaking about us all navigating stormy seas together - but in different boats. That certainly continues to be the case as we 'weather' the ups and downs of Covid-normal. This week's 'circuit breaker' felt momentous for so many of our community, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting our amazing staff - and each other - to see our children through this week with a sense of calm and purpose. 

Meanwhile, parts of the Northern Hemisphere are reeling after snowstorms which are truly unprecedented (there's that word again!), turning an already bumpy start to 2021 upside down with millions of people without power and water.  Once again, it provides an amazing opportunity to steer our children towards looking for 'positive acts' in the media.

These days our children can't help but hear at least snippets of bad or scary news from around the world, as hard as we try. But I saw this today and I can't wait to share it with my boys. It made me reflect not only on the resilience of humans in times of crisis but also the motive behind these sorts of acts. 

I thought you might like to use this picture (if you are a twitter user, you can find the video) as a little provocation with your children – what motivates someone to do this sort of thing? Is it personal gain/boredom busting…or something more? The full video seems like he is on an apartment roof - so do his fellow neighbours gain something from it too? Does that make it a gracious act? And what in turn does he gain from bringing them joy? Our family actually has a very similar discussion every year about Christmas lights on houses. It would be interesting to hear what your children think. 😊 Also, it’s very very cool! (Literally and figuratively....)

Grade 4 Free Writing in Remote Learning

This week, Grade 4s had some fascinating images to choose from to inspire their free writing. Marli chose a gorgeous photo of a flowery meadow to write this poem. Lovely work Marli! 

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.