We are almost at the finish line of what has been a marathon of a school year…
It is my hope that as we bring this school year to a close, we will all be able to step back and, with time, see many positive outcomes and opportunities that we can build upon going forward to forge an even stronger school community.
Over the course of the last year, I have noted many positives in the midst of these very challenging times. I have watched exceptionally strong teachers grow even stronger in support of their students. I have seen students grow even more disciplined and diligent in approaching their academic work and in advocating for themselves. Our students have shown tremendous resiliency this year! I have seen parents grow to be exceptionally active partners in our school partnership! It is my sincere hope that we can leverage these positive outcomes and live them in a more traditional school environment next year.
I have always maintained that the strong, positive culture that shapes this community of “Legends" has been built by students, parents, and staff working in tandem. Thus, I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their role in shaping our school community and in helping it to further flourish.
I begin with our students. There have been so many occasions during which our students have made me so very proud. The manner in which students have responded to the uncertainty and unpredictability of this past year has filled me with great hope and confidence for our world. What a legacy these “Legends" will leave! To our Grade 9 students moving onto high school, I wish you the absolute very best! I only wish your last year as Legends could have been filled with so much more of what shapes the typical school experience. We are very proud of you all and will miss you terribly!
Our kids are great because of their parents! Thank you, parents, for your awesome support of our work with your kids over the course of this year. You supported your kids in completing tasks and encouraging them to do their absolute best, especially in this most different world of late.
I thank our staff for their unending hard work! Parents, you can be assured that your kids have been challenged, enriched, honored, supported, nurtured, protected, and deeply cared for. Students have received countless opportunities and experiences outside of the classroom as a result of teachers freely giving of their time. I am particularly proud of and appreciative for the extra time teachers have given to support kids when they have encountered challenges in their learning. I am greatly impressed by and appreciative of the extent to which teachers re-imagined their practice and engaged in much personal learning around on-line learning in order to best support students in this vastly unknown territory.
This year our population stood at approximately 825 students. Next year we anticipate that our population will be in that range again. Sadly as we conclude every school year, we seem to say goodbye to some staff. This year we are bidding farewell to Michael Smith. Mr. Smith joined us two years ago to teach Grade 5. This year he has served with excellence as a Grade 6 HUB teacher. Mr. Smith is taking that most recent experience and further building upon it by joining Cbe-learn next year. As well, we also say farewell to Barbara Foldesi who has been with us for the last five years operating our cafeteria. Students have been most fortunate that Mrs. Foldesi always approached her role with such creativity and care, ensuring students could experience something very close to a home cooked meal every lunch hour. We wish Mr. Smith and Mrs. Foldesi all the absolute best with their next adventures.
It remains our hope that next year will look much more like years of past in terms of school structure, protocols, and activities. Once we have received further clarity and direction from the provincial government and the senior leadership of the CBE we will communicate that information out to you.
As we conclude this year, it is my sincere hope that the worst is behind us and that next year will bring back to us a world we are all much more comfortable with and one in which we are not having to continuously ready ourselves to pivot!
I extend to all our students, parents, and staff, best wishes for a most restful and rejuvenating summer.
Take good care and stay safe!
Kel Connelly
