We wanted to thank everyone for another great year of learning amidst some very difficult Covid conditions. A special thanks to our students for their energy and zest for life which makes coming to work such a pleasure – what a loving bunch of young people! We are so proud of our incredible staff who have worked tirelessly to help children adjust to so many things over the past three years and we hope that this has built up lots of resiliency in our kids. To start the year out, our students did amazingly well adjusting to restrictions related to cohorting, eating in their classrooms, hand sanitizing, no field trips, no in person assemblies etc. Once restrictions could be eased, our teachers gradually helped to guide student as cohorting was removed and students needed to navigate social interactions with a whole new group of kids. We are also so very proud or our students could experience their first field trip – strange to think this was a foreign event to students. Parents, you are raising such amazing kids who treat others with kindness and love, are respectful, have good manners and are great ambassadors of Royal Oak School.
I wanted to thank all of the parents for your ongoing support over these last three years - we know they have not been easy with the endless calls to come pick up sick kids and all the aggravations related to Covid. As restrictions have gradually lifted, these last several weeks have felt more like the "good old days at Royal Oak School" from three years ago when I first started here. As we look towards the fall, we are hopeful that these difficult times are behind us all and we can return to "normal" school operations for the 2022-2023 school year.
In my 27 years with the CBE, I have never been at a school where there is such a tight community feeling. I am so grateful that I was able to experience my first Stampede Breakfast this year as I had heard that it is quite the event – I was not disappointed! The turn out was a great example of community members coming together for some good food, fun, conversation and reconnecting after everything we have all been through - what an amazing event!
On behalf of the staff at ROS, I wanted to thank all of the volunteers who have made so many things possible this year. Thanks to our Parent Council members and those who sprung into action as soon as volunteers were needed; without your help we cannot to offer these great learning opportunities to our students (DancePlay, Alien Inline Skating, Artists in Residency, field trips etc). Whether it was supporting fundraisers, putting up bulletin boards, cutting out and prepping materials, helping out with Fun Lunch, helping out with inline skating, fulfilling roles for the casino, or going on our spring field trips and many others, your help has been instrumental in helping life at school return to a more normal feel these last several weeks.
It is our sincerest hope that your summer is filled with family, fun, laughter and great memories.
Be safe everyone and see you on September 1, 2022.
Sincerely,
Gord Hamby
Principal – Royal Oak School
