This past school council meeting we spoke about our community results from the surveys completed in May 2016. There were many great and positive aspects reported by parents, students and teachers around programming in the school, quality education, feeling welcomed, and enjoying school. Today at school council, we spoke about the area of the survey which traditionally trends down. As the students move up in their grade levels, the peer to peer relationship responses decline. Over the years we have sought to address positive choices through many different programs and experiences. The results tell us that 60% of our population in the middle levels “do not feel cared for or respected by their peers.” This speaks to positive relationships and how students interact with one another. This year you will find that the school will have various activities and challenges for students to show their positive leadership.
Parents, you can help us by intentionally discussing with your children about treating others respectfully and with kindness, the “golden rule” as it were. Students desperately want to belong and feel safe, not just with their teachers, but from their own peer group. Some of our teachers are trying out a new classroom program to address culture in a structured manner. More information will come if we decide to move forward with this program.
Interviews
We are looking forward to seeing you at parent teacher interviews in the first week of November. Just a note, our middle-level teachers instruct multiple classes and various subjects. Unfortunately, there is not enough time during interviews to sit down and talk to every parent. So we respectfully ask you to only book middle-level teachers whom you have questions or concerns. Further to this, teachers are always open to visits right after school on any given day. I encourage you to send an email to the teacher in question to set his up. Thank you for your understanding.
