| Dear Sibylla Kiddle School Families, Rarely does a week, even a day go by without a student stopping me to let me know their birthday is today, coming up or about to happen. On occasion, students will let me know their birthday is some random date, months in advance. I find these interactions very endearing but also insightful. The conversations remind me kids love that there is something special about them and they love to be individually celebrated. Recently, a couple of our Grade 1 classes had a big celebration. It wasn’t someone’s birthday, instead, they celebrated learning. For many weeks, these students had been learning how to write a story. The learning wasn’t always easy. Students had to generate ideas, record their thinking, get feedback and adjust their work, just like an author would. When the entire process was over they took their stories and published them into an anthology of their collective work. They published a real book! To celebrate, their classrooms held a red carpet event, complete with photographers and fans (Grade 4 buddies) lining the carpet to cheer them on. Their faces beamed with pride as they were individually celebrated for their learning. What is worth celebrating at home? What does your ‘red carpet’ look like? What are the big accomplishments that took perseverance that are worth recognizing? Perhaps your child levelled up in martial arts or memorized a song for a music recital. Likewise, it is also worth celebrating smaller accomplishments. Your child asked to help dry the dishes, feed the dog or simply surprised you by cleaning their room. Celebrate! Pull out the camera and do a photo shoot. Celebrate! Make up a special ‘you’re awesome’ high five / handshake routine. Celebrate! It doesn’t matter what you do, watch your child beam and be proud of who they are and what they have accomplished. Sincerely,
Brad Emery
Principal |
