“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

Ernest Hemingway

Here we are, at the start of a new school year. Our teachers have been hard at work planning this year’s journey, much like parents planned the wonderful family holidays we’ve heard about since our students’ return. In the same way that our students will soon be goal-setting for the term, here are the school-wide areas of focus, the ends if you will, that our teachers are working toward:

1. Living the Mission, with the Habits of Mind, Body and Action; Project-Based Learning; service learning; student leadership; Learning for the Love of It; and more  that support the development of lifelong learners, that I look forward to sharing as the year unfolds
2. Student Wellness, following up on feedback from students in our Student Voice; faculty and staff-wide professional development (PD) on mental health first aid and faculty PD on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; a review of our Social-Emotional Learning practices; and full launch of our concussion protocol
3. Technology, with more 1:1 and 1:2 access from grades 3 and up, and increased access to iPads in grades JK to grade 2
4. Assessment, with the development of a new report card for next school year and the exploration of other new tools to help capture and share the story of our students’ growth
5. Writing, with the pilot of new tools in multiple grades
6. Social Studies and French, to align with the new Ministry curriculum in these subjects

Some of our areas of focus are ongoing from previous years. Others are at the start of a multi-year focus.

Much like a good journey, you can’t plan for everything. Surprises likely lurk, as do bumps in the road that will need to be worked around. Ongoing collaboration, flexible and creative thinking, persistence and responsible risks will carry us forward. At KCS, that’s what happens on the journey, and that’s what matters in the end.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics
You can follow Andrea on Twitter @afanjoy.