Our mission, should we choose to accept it

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Ms. Gaudet

The KCS mission is “To be the defining force in developing lifelong learners by stewarding an environment that prepares us for the next challenge.”

At our first class meeting of the school year, the grade 7s looked at some pretty interesting and mindboggling questions. Was it algebra? Physics? No, they were questions about themselves, like the following:

Five years from now, your local paper does a story about you and they want to interview three people about you. What would you want them to say about you?
If you could spend an hour with any person who ever lived, who would it be? Why? What would you ask?
Describe a time when you were deeply inspired.

These questions come from an activity called The Great Discovery, from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. You can read them (and try to answer them!) for yourself here: http://www.emporia.edu/dotAsset/f1d87806-07e0-48e8-919d-92637f6e028e.pdf

As a teacher, I was taking a responsible risk. I didn’t know if my students were ready to tackle these questions. They really impressed me with their thoughtful answers. Thanks to all the wonderful teachers they’ve had at KCS, they were prepared and they were able to take on the challenge.

After considering the questions, we came up with personal mission statements. I know, 12 year olds making mission statements sounds like a stretch! It turns out they have a wonderful grasp of what they would like to get out of life.

To make a difference in the world
To always be a good sport and to work hard
To be a leader and excel at my job and hobbies
Be positive and do not worry
Never give up no matter what tries to stop you
Live life to the fullest
To challenge myself to do new and harder things
Don’t give up. Keep trying
Have fun and work hard
Always strive for perfection
You can’t like it if you don’t try it
Always be happy and positive
Always try and never give up until you achieve your goals in life
To make a positive difference in the world
Don’t give up
You only live once
When you’re down, get back up
Be a good sport, it’s just a game
Your past decides your future
Be happy and positive
To be a leader in the world

The mission statements are displayed in our classroom for the year so that we remember our missions. We’ve chosen our missions. What’s yours?

Ms. Gaudet
Citizenship Coordinator, Grade 7 History & Geography

Two Influential Canadians

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Derek Logan

On September 27^th, KCS will be participating in the annual Terry Fox Run. Those of you who have been in the school over the past few days will have seen the posters our grade 4 students have made advertising this event for the school. Each year, our grade 4 students help to organize the run for the rest of the school by making posters, doing announcements in assembly, and setting up the course on the day of the Run. Terry Fox was certainly a Canadian who made a difference. This summer, my son and I travelled to Thunder Bay for the first round of the Ontario Cup soccer tournament. Just outside of Thunder Bay is where Terry had to stop his run. There is a beautiful memorial to him just outside of the city. If you are ever up in Thunder Bay, I encourage you to take the time for a visit. Here are a few of the photos I took there:

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Last night I was over at our neighbour’s house. Stephen had been playing at a golf tournament in Brantford earlier in the day. He had the opportunity to meet with Walter Gretzky, father of you-know-who. Stephen, who is South African, didn’t know a lot about Walter before meeting him and hearing him speak. Stephen’s first impressions were that he was a very down-to-earth, kind and thoughtful man. However, what stuck with him most from his meeting with Walter, was what Walter said during his conversation: “You learn more in defeat than in victory.” As fathers of children who are currently competing to play at the next level of athletics (Stephen’s daughter in swimming, my son in soccer), the message was a good one to remember for us when we are talking to our children about not always getting what they want.

Derek Logan
Head of School

A Story of Teenage Transformation

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Andrea Fanjoy

I learn a lot from my boys. Over the summer I learned from my 15-year-old just how transformational others can be for bringing out the best in us.

My son Marcel started working at a local restaurant. He is mopping floors, washing dishes, stocking fridges and cleaning bathrooms. Working hard at what he doesn’t love has not been a forte of his. And though I’ve already hinted at a transformation, that doesn’t mean he’s come to love disinfecting toilets.

He does, however, love his new job with an uncommon exuberance for his otherwise typical teenage persona. Why?

The people he works with. They bring out the best in him. It’s a small family-owned restaurant with staff, mainly adults, who work hard, smart, and side-by-side. They treat this 15-year-old with respect and the expectation that he contribute with as much effort as everyone else. And when the restaurant closes and they do the final cleaning up, they all indulge their common interest in listening to music (“Mom, I can’t believe we all know the same songs!”). This job and the wonderful people there have unleashed a transformation that is spilling over into other parts of his life. Though I still can’t get him to clean our bathrooms, I’m grateful for the tired, self-respecting young man who comes home after work.

An earlier blog post, The Leader in All of Us, was about the many small ways, even inadvertent ways, we can demonstrate leadership. My son is the lucky target of such leadership. The people we surround ourselves with do more than just affect our day. They can profoundly affect who we are.

May we all be surrounded by people who bring out the best in us. And may we all follow their lead.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics

You can follow Andrea on Twitter @afanjoy.

A recommended read: The Globe and Mail’s ‘Why kids need to fail to succeed in school’

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Derek Logan

The following article was in The Globe and Mail on August 31. I have written about this topic on a couple of occasions in the past few years. I thought the article would be of interest as we begin the 2012/13 school year.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/back-to-school/why-kids-need-to-fail-to-succeed-in-school/article4513436/

Often in this space I will write about things students say to me that make me smile and remind me why teaching is such a rewarding, memorable and humourous profession. Yesterday during the grade 1 drop in I met one of the new grade 2 boys who was accompanying his sister and his parents. He said hi, and then looked up and said, “You have the same sandals as my Dad.” An interesting first day observation between a student and a principal.

This morning, I came in from recess, and walked into the grade 1B classroom to deliver a couple of birthday cards. The students were getting ready for their first KCS French lesson. One of the grade 1 girls looks up at me and says, “You’re cute.” I’m fairly certain that I have never had that said about me in my twenty years in education. However, if you know my wife Heather’s email address, please feel free to pass this information on to her. See you around the school.

Derek Logan
Head of School

Sportsmanship Matters

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Derek Logan

This has been an exciting summer for my son’s soccer team. Brandon plays for North Mississauga Panthers U14 boys’ team in the Ontario Youth Soccer League. This weekend they are playing for the Provincial Championship, and they have qualified for the National Championships that will be held in Toronto in early October. As many of you know who have children who compete in various activities, standing on the sidelines can be an emotional rollercoaster for a parent.

A couple of weekends ago, the Panthers faced their rivals, Brampton East Scorpions, in the semifinals. They won on penalty kicks. After the game was over this photo was taken of the two goalies:

John Wooden, UCLAs famous basketball coach noted that sports reveals character. How many times I’ve witnessed the truth of that saying over my years standing on the sidelines: both in the boys’ behaviour on the field and the parents’ behaviour on the sidelines. After viewing this photo last week, it certainly made me proud to know that Brandon is associated with teammates like this.

Derek Logan
Head of School