Submitted by Chair Amanda Amaral
November 13, 2024
Belonging: Fostering inclusion and well-being through meaningful, compassionate, respectful connections with ourselves, each other and the land.
This month we reflect on our value of belonging. Belonging is not just about how you feel in one of our school buildings, it’s so much bigger. It’s about how each of us connect to, and interacts with, the entire learning community. This fall season, we saw a cascade of invitations to join our Sunshine Coast School District learning community. From school BBQs and open houses to the Trustee D(PAC) Learning Evening and the fall Student Forum, we were invited to find our place in the learning community.
As part of our work to honour the value of belonging, the Board of Education hosted an evening for D(PAC) on October 29. This year, we were so honoured to also be supported by school principals, who play a vital role in supporting our PACs. The parents and caregivers of our learners are such an important part of our learning community, and key to achieving our goal. The session was offered to support our amazing PAC volunteers in the work they do; topics covered included skills on how to run effective meetings and how to work collaboratively with your Board of Education.
We also found time to connect with one another, shared a meal and ponder some key questions about how to attract more parents and caregivers into the work of PACs. The conversation focused on the art of invitation and the variety of ways we can make and extend invitations. What type of invitations would make you want to join our learning community? As a parent or caregiver, how do you want to be invited into our work? If you don’t receive an invitation, do you make an offering? How are invitations and belonging connected?
Items to report:
The Board is pleased to report that this fall we have concluded our comprehensive Superintendent Evaluation. Thank you to all of those who participated in our thorough evaluation process. We are thrilled to continue to work with Superintendent Kerr in this role.
Amanda Amaral
Chair