Many people celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1st, but for educators, the day after Labour Day is the beginning of our ‘new year.’ Students and families often set their intentions and goals at this time (and they discuss and confirm them at the November Parent Student Teacher conferences). But did you know that educators do this too? Each summer, teachers at UA reflect on their upcoming ‘new year’, and set 2-4 goals focused on their teaching, classroom community, or broader UA community, all to help students feel known, stretched, and future-ready.
Today, UA educators have been learning in areas connected to the subjects and ages they teach, or broader themes such as literacy, numeracy, social-emotional learning, inclusive classrooms and communities, Indigenous connections to learning, and more. We’re as energized for these kinds of days of learning as students are for their extra-long weekend!
You might also set goals for the year: we know that the journey of parenting and making choices for our children is an immense joy and challenge concurrently. Our teachers are your partners in education, and we want to work alongside you in your child’s journey. For that reason, our principals (Ms. Dadar, Ms. Manifold, Mme. Dumortier, Mr. Twaites) and I (Director of Teaching & Learning) would like to host an evening (or two!) of Partners in Education/Ask Me Anything Virtual Sessions. We have a few ideas lined up to spark these conversations, but we want to hear from you! What questions do you have? What are your pressing concerns?
Yours in education at all ages,
Brenda Ball
Director of Teaching and Learning