Submitted by Chair Amanda Amaral
November 16, 2022
Mission:
We support and inspire each student to experience joy and fulfillment in realizing their potential as a knowledgeable, confident, and contributing citizen in the global community.
A mission statement is a statement about our purpose, it explains why we exist. This is a perfect theme for us to reflect on as the new board sits down for their first regular meeting together. Why are we here and what are we doing?
With four years ahead of us what can you expect from us? How will the things we all campaigned about come alive in our work as a board? How do those things fit with the mission, vision and values at SD46? How will things change as we start to develop a new strategic plan and set the direction for the next four years together? What happens when things do not unfold as expected? These are all things that I have been pondering as the new board comes together tonight.
With 6 trustees returning we have a strong foundation on which to welcome our new trustee; we have experience with the work of a school board, with our district and with working with each other. With the election the community has confirmed their support of our work, and it is not surprising because we are a great team. The Board working as a team is when we experience the best results for our students, staff and community. As chair I am committed to leading and continuing to foster a team approach to governance.
To work as a team, we all need to think about when there is value in stepping aside, when there is value in surrendering personal philosophies for the values and philosophies of our district and when there is value in letting go of personal power to harness our collective power. It is these actions that make a Board accomplish great things—great things together.
To our students, staff and community; democracy requires your participation. Your voices, your thoughts and your ideas are going to help our Board make decisions that better represent and reflect our community values. From our surveys to our meetings your participation is important because we are here to represent you. Having you on our team makes us stronger.
What we know from research is that when there is good governance it has a positive impact on student achievement; this is because local boards that have visions and mission statements that focus on student achievement are more driven to realise their vision and mission by directing funds, energy and resources towards it. This term, let us have a shared vision and mission for student achievement and be focused and driven to realize it together!