Many of you know that the entrepreneurial spirit is one of UA’s core values. According to our family surveys, UA families resonate with this value deeply. It is alive and well in the student body as students take on leadership skills, create new opportunities, and don’t let “we haven’t done that before at UA” ever be a reason not to try.
With a quick glance in the recent rearview mirror we see things like AP Classes, the student travel program, a boom in athletics, the launch of our robotics program, the Student Leadership Committee, a new strings initiative, Musical Fridays and courses like exploration rotations and Peer Tutoring that have been new additions in the last few years. The entrepreneurial spirit is indeed alive and well.
This week, we held our first ‘Camp UA’ for Grade 4 and 5 students to gain camping experience and skills—some for the first time. Thank you to our staff for documenting it so well on social media! In the coming weeks, a group of 8 and 9 students will set out for an overnight camp and hike the Squamish Chief—another first at UA. Also imminent is the garden project that is taking bloom at our house next door with our partner Gardens For Kids.
Looking ahead to next year, we are extremely excited about the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Which, through leadership, resilience and skill development, will support students in their growth and post-secondary and career applications. We are also excited about the addition of Leadership Courses to our senior school. We will continue to share updates in the coming weeks as we solidify plans for next year.
As many of you know—especially those with whom the entrepreneurial spirit runs deep—we also rely on the community (students and at times parents too) to support new ideas and initiatives. One such initiative is a parent event, which was created in response to the UA Parent Survey, to adjust the annual big parent social event. So this year, rather than a gala, there is the parent-inspired Academy After Dark Soirée taking place on May 3!
This is an event crafted by parents for parents—a night out where you can just show up, and we take care of the rest. But we need your support in bringing it to life! The tickets themselves (that generate a $50 tax receipt) are a fundraiser to continue to update our teaching and learning technology. There are so many surprises planned, so we want to encourage you, in a very tangible way, to continue to support our parents’ entrepreneurial spirit. Even if you have never attended a parent social before, grab a friend, get a group of parents together, and help us make this new event a success! I will see you there!
Yours in education,
Mr. Slinger
Head of School