Rebuilding Community Connections

I’ve just had the chance to welcome a group of Greenwood students back from Sprucecourt Public School, where they were on their first visit helping younger students with math and playing get to know you games. Our students were so excited for this opportunity and shared details about the visit with me. I am thrilled to have service and outreach opportunities return; I am even more thrilled that we are both rebuilding relationships with our current community partners and establishing connections with new organizations. 

Another partnership that is top of mind for me is the parent/guardian-teacher partnership. When teachers and parents/guardians work together, it leads to the best results for students. Our teachers look forward to continuing to strengthen this partnership at Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences on December 1 and 2. I do apologize that our PickATime system was not working properly. The system is now back up and running – you received an email with additional information earlier this afternoon.

I taught a variety of subjects during my years as a teacher: Physical Education, Science, English, Learning Support and even Technology (the content was very different in 1997). Regardless of the subject I was teaching, my focus was on the student as a whole child -- and what better way to get more insight into the student in this regard than from their parents or guardians. Greenwood’s whole-child focus is one of the elements that attracted me to the school as a leader. As a teacher, Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences played a big role in helping me to understand how to best support my students. I was always a little nervous going into these interviews, but I inevitably came away from them having gained insight into each student as a whole child from their parents/guardians. These conferences were also a valuable opportunity to share my observations and insight into how their children were progressing at school. 

Greenwood parents and guardians show their support for the school in so many ways. Whether it’s attending parent conversations like yesterday’s session on Teens and Caring Adults, attending or volunteering at Thursday’s WinterGreen event, providing food for our staff appreciation lunches, sitting in the stands for sports games and theatre productions or being in regular contact with your child’s Adviser, you help to make our community a warm, welcoming and vibrant place - thank you. 

I’m grateful for our ongoing partnership between parents/guardians and all of the staff at Greenwood on behalf of your children, our students -- who, I think you’ll agree, are fantastic young people.