The start of another school year has come and gone here in SD46. As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded of all of the great work done by our staff, students and community to make the past three months as successful as they have been. We are proud of our vision – we are a community engaged in lifelong learning and educational excellence.
The month of December brings the end to the calendar year. It is a natural time for reflection and visioning. This December our board focuses on our work of our affirmation. What is an affirmation and its purpose for a school board you might inquire? Affirmation: a statement or proposition that is declared to be true.
In October board chairs met in Vancouver where a key focus of our work was discussing the importance of strategic planning in supporting student achievement. The Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL) is intended to formalize the strategic planning that boards do to support equity in student achievement by requiring that all boards to have strategic plans and report outcomes annually. This meeting prompted a reflection on the importance and benefit of a mission statement as part of the process.
October is our month to focus on vision. A vision statement is intended to anchor our desired future state and create purpose in our daily work. It describes what is in front of us and up close as well as what is on the horizon and out of focus. A vision statement is also intended to inspire and move staff, students and key stakeholders towards a place where what is currently on the horizon comes in to focus
Near the end of August, Vice-Chair Maria Hampvent advocated for additional funding and supports for schools as part of the provincial budget consultation. View Vice-Chair Hampvent’s presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services here.
September is the only month in the Board’s schedule without a theme from our strategic plan to focus our reflection and work. Naturally when I thinking about preparing for our first board meeting and the start of the school year I turn to beginnings.
Having the board focus our reflection and work this month on beginnings will allow us to re-imagine our work as a board, and a district, as if brand new. We have many opportunities to harness this idea and be open to the possibility it creates.
The end of the school year brings the ritual celebrations of graduation, retirement and the last day of school. The graduation ceremonies have been recorded and trustees have given their speeches. Families have celebrated the milestone achievement by their children together and we are coasting towards the last day of school!
Respect and responsibility are the values we focus on in May. At SD46 this means “we support a culture of mutual respect and shared responsibility through individual and shared growth”. I have taken some time to think about how we do this as a board and as a district. I am pleased to note there are many examples to share.
In April the Board and District focus in on innovation. Innovation is about finding new ways to do things, particularly by looking at current challenges and exploring different ways of tackling them. When I consider this topic, I think it can be easily argued that in the last year we have seen innovation and ingenuity like we haven’t seen in years before!
Collaboration & Equity: We create meaningful connections through our work together. This month we focus our work and attention as a board on our values of collaboration and equity. March is full of many important days that focus on equity such as, International Women’s Day, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and International Transgender Day of Visibility.
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