Dear Sibylla Kiddle School Families,
By now, you probably know that I like to ask questions. I particularly like to ask questions that may not have clear answers. For my last Weekly Update, at least for now, I want to ask the question, can dogs smile? It is not hard to go onto social media and see plenty of examples of anthropomorphism (projecting human emotions onto non-human animals). I’ve even seen YouTube videos where people claim their pet can talk… but, can dogs really smile?
I believe the answer to this question is ‘yes’! Dogs can smile. They can’t necessarily curl up the corners of their mouth but they can smile. When someone or something puts a smile on our face, I believe it is because that someone or something first smiled at us. When your dog greets you at the door with a tail ready to wag off, it is smiling at you. When your cat stops being aloof for a moment and curls up on your lap, it just smiled at you. When the perfect sunset puts a smile on your face, it is because it first smiled at you.
This past school year has been filled with smiles because it has been filled with good. Our students have achieved new accomplishments, they have had victories in the face of adversity, they have made new friends and they have learned new things about what makes them unique.
Ultimately, smiles are part of what connects us. It can be difficult when life means we need to say farewell to some of the connections we have made, but we also need to be grateful for the time spent together and the smiles that have been had. It is in that vein, we are saying farewell to a number of staff who will not be returning for the upcoming school year. Mrs. Tabassum, Educational Assistant, thank you for supporting so many students with their individual learning needs. Mrs. Loewen, Grade 2, thank you for stepping into our school for the final few months and for making such an incredible difference in a short time with our students. Ms. Scharlach, Grade 3, your passion for teaching and your desire to see all students succeed will be missed. Mrs. Maynes, Music Teacher, you have had an amazing impact on teaching our students to love the arts and music. Mr. Russell, Grade 3, is one of our original teachers at Sibylla Kiddle School. Your talents for teaching and warm personality will be sorely missed by students, staff and the broader Cranston/Copperfield community. We wish all of you much success in where your journey takes you next. We are grateful for the impact each of you has made and for the smiles you have put on our faces.
On behalf of the Sibylla Kiddle School staff, I wish you all a wonderful summer. I hope you continue to learn new things, that you get to explore your community and that you get to meet people every day who put a smile on your face.
Sincerely,
Brad Emery
Principal
