2019 Principal's Message

Sept 3, 2019

Let me begin my remarks by congratulating every person who is here today for a successful day one. The first day is always a busy one and nerve-wracking. I am sure that everyone was nervous about coming back, given the political discourse out there, but look at us, we have completed day one already. I would like to thank our custodial team, admin assistants, the guidance department and admin team for ensuring that the school was ready for day one.

As I said last year when I took over the school, I believe in the shepherd leadership style where one leads from the back. This approach allows the shepherd to see their flock all the time and therefore be able to tend to those sheep that limp and need support right away. As teachers and staff, I consider you to be shepherds in your classrooms or work areas. I was a witness to this type of leadership from most of you last year. There are four pillars that govern our school; We, Not I, Philosophy, Creating S.A.F.E. zones, Wellness and Communication. I have sectioned off my speech in these four categories.

We, not I, philosophy

I believe that all stakeholders, all of us gathered here, parents/guardians, the Church and students, form the village of Saint Brother Catholic High School. We have to continue to ensure that every student is a partner in what we are doing at this school. I will elaborate on the specifics that we are going to focus on this year later.

Together, we are going to continue to identify and support any student who has not been successful in the past, and we will continue to put faces on the data to identify those students who continue to struggle academically, socially and emotionally. I will provide each staff member with the tools necessary for Student Success. With the support of our Chaplains, Guidance Counsellors and Support staff we can offer students the social and emotional supports as best as we can.

When people believe that they are a part of the solution things get done quickly. We need to continue to support each other with uniform enforcement. I have sent an email to our parent community emphasizing the importance of proper uniform at our school. I have asked the parents to support our expectations. To that end, I ask each adult in this building to enforce the uniform expectations. As educators, we must set a standard for the students by dressing as professionals. This does not mean wearing a suit to school all the time. Dressing professionally means that we are setting the bar high for the students.Please know that if what you are wearing can be worn when you go partying on Friday/Saturday night, or gardening then it may not be professional attire.

There has been a lot of political talk out there about “Banning Cellphones” in the classroom. As I said when this rhetoric came out last year, I encourage each and every one of you to read the full article in the link: cell phone ban . The phrase containing the “ban” in the ministry paper is much longer than what the media and minister have been focused on. As a school, we will continue to enforce and teach our students appropriate PED etiquette. It is incumbent upon us to model this approach.

May I ask that on day 1, tomorrow, as our students walk into our buildings we stand by the doors and welcome them into our classrooms. Those of you who have a spare during period 1, please feel free to come to the cafeteria and welcome students. The admin team will stand on the main entrances of the building and welcome students and those parents who are dropping off their children for the first time.

Creating S.A.F.E Zones

Every member of our school Community is called to create a safe space. What this space looks like, is going to differ at all times from one place to the other. When we create safe spaces for every student in our building, we foster creativity. I urge you to ensure that every student in your classroom becomes successful. I would like to remind us that we are called to be stewards of the Earth, and therefore we must make sure that we keep our space as a safe environment for all students. I promise you that I will make this space a safe space for every one of you.

I can guarantee you that we will provide you with all the necessary tools to ensure your success and that of the students under your watch. According to Leman & Pentack (2004), educators ought to create a pasture where students can flourish, (p 56). I do acknowledge the challenges that we face and agree with Blacknkstein, (2004) when he says that most of us, if not all, try very hard and have a genuine desire to see our students and ourselves succeed. “However, there are undeniably numerous and significant obstacles to learning” (p98). Despite these many obstacles, we have to believe that each student in our care can learn.

We must also believe that each of our colleagues wants the best for every student in their care. To that end, I have set aside $10 000.00 for professional development, and $5 000.00 specifically for professional development related to technology. For those of you who are new to our school, I am offering a device to each teacher who needs one. I am setting aside so much money for technology because I would like us to start focusing on how we use technology to engage and create learning opportunities for students.

During the grade-level assemblies, I will provide training on the use of these devices. Any teacher who is interested in the use of these devices must sign-up in advance. The training will take place in the library classroom during grade level assemblies. Please see Elaine to receive a new device if you are new to our school.

Using data, we will support our students, and challenge our own beliefs and strategies. We will also be deliberate in how we deliver the course content. We are the professionals, and we are trained on how to make learning happen, and therefore, we should do whatever it takes to ensure that learning takes place in our classrooms and guide our students to be digital citizens. McComick and Davenprt (2003) in their book Sheppherd Leadership, state that “not only do sheep need shepherds to protect them from predators, but they also need shepherds to fix boundaries that keep them from wandering away (p.18). Educators are true shepherds!

As we create safe zones in the school, this will require that we hold each other accountable. By each other I mean you, students, parents, and the admin team. When we assign homework, we should expect it to be done and submitted on time. I also expect that assignments will be returned to students on time so that students can proceed on to the new units having consolidated previous learning. I also expect that we will provide descriptive feedback so that our students can learn from their mistakes. To that end, we have finalized the SBA Homework expectation document which should be shared with all your students. You will each receive a copy to review and check with administration or your department heads if you have questions. This document will need to be shared explicitly by each classroom teacher next week.

There is power in forgiveness. Forgiveness implies that we understand that human beings are by nature mistake makers. When we allow our students to experiment during their learning, we ought to know that they will make mistakes. If they make a mistake and we correct them, they will learn because we are there to guide them. I would like us to make our spaces environments where students feel that they can make mistakes and learn from them. When we can do that, we will demonstrate one of the most powerful images that God shows to us every day. I encourage you to experiment with new approaches to teaching.

I do not believe that there is anyone who does not strive for excellence. We will continue with the e-book initiative in many departments this year. I have set aside four days for teacher collaboration to support the e-book initiative. Let us all set the bar high for our students. Challenge ourselves and our students to do the best we can.

WELLNESS

We will continue with our wellness program this year. I intend to introduce Wellness Wednesday every month where we will have four workshops run by our colleagues. I urge every one of you to make time for yourselves on Wednesday during these sessions. During the summer holidays, I had the opportunity to read several books, academic literature, and blogs. In my readings, two summers ago, I came across this statement in one of my readings, “Every day, hundreds of thousands of people get up and go to work in a field that looks like this one. They work in what I call a neglected pasture, tended by the very people who are responsible for the health and well-being of the floor. When it is quitting time they go home having survived another day, but they haven't achieved any goal. On the outside, they look just fine. Just like all of us” Leman (2004, p 56). I thought seriously about our school and wondered, how many of us feel this way every day. I then vowed to encourage each member of this village to make time for wellness.

During our PA day, I am going to dedicate 1 hour to the wellness program. Each staff member is going to choose from one of the four wellness activities that will be provided for you. These sessions will be part of the PA day and so do not skip them to go and do photocopying or some marking as some people did last year. I will always provide you with time for that during PA Days.

I have spoken to the admin team about respecting your time. We will not be sending emails to you after 5 pm or during weekends unless it is extremely important. I also ask that you not send work related emails to each other after 5 pm or on weekends. Lastly, do not send those work related emails to admin as well. If you remember something work related but are afraid that you might forget it if you do not type it right away, write the email and set it up to send the following day during work hours.

We will introduce the Rest and Relaxation room for students. We are putting together a plan on how to monitor students who go in there and the length of time that they can stay in that room. I have also included on the co-curricular list, the rest and relaxation room as an option for teachers to sign up to supervise this room. Stay tuned!

It is my intention to introduce Dog Therapy during exams for our students.

Communication

A lot has been said about the definition of communication. God gave us two ears to listen and one mouth. As part of communication, we need to do more of listening as there are many suggestions that can help us. The way we welcome students and each other communicates more than the words that we utter. I urge all of you to look around our classroom and spaces, and ask this question “Would I be OK to have my child come to this space?” If the answer to this question is yes, then your environment is ready for our students.

Secondly, let us review our building environment and ask ourselves what story it tells. What do the signs in our parking lot communicate? Are they inviting, inclusive or just fulfilling the status quo. Let us look at our washrooms, are they safe for all students and or accommodating for those using wheel-chairs?

Conclusion

I would like to quote Nelson Mandela, as I close, “Education is the key to eliminating gender inequality, to reducing poverty, to creating a sustainable planet, to preventing needless deaths and illness, and to fostering peace. And in a knowledge economy, education is the new currency by which nations maintain economic competitiveness and global prosperity”. I, therefore, urge you, this year to do your part in supporting any one of these areas.

Thank you and May God continue to bless the work that you do!