Where Lie the Rewards

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KCSWe have our Wall of Service, Wake Up With the Arts, ‘Save that Species’, ‘Free Hugs and High Five Fridays’, Compliment Friday, and House Captains who are second to none. We have four more championship banners, top three finishers in the local Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day Art Contest, and a third place finish out of fifteen schools in the regional First Lego League robotics contest. We have over a dozen students writing books – yes, books to be published – through our YAKCS program. We have data showing the tremendous progress our students are making with our new reading program. We have all of this, and so much more.

With choice, patience and persistence, great things grow. If you choose carefully what’s worth sticking with, and nurture it along the way, you’ll reap the rewards widely sought but seldom found.

There’s plenty we’re working to improve at KCS, because that’s what we do here. But this has been an outstanding term and it’s time to step back, and notice what’s working, and why. Here’s a sampling of what I mean:

The House Captains – They used to be elected, then appointed. When neither of those models worked to our satisfaction, we had none at all. Then it occurred to us that the best way to find great House Captains was by having them go through a three-part application process, including the expectation that they teach a game to our primary P.E. classes. Now we have House lunches, House Days, House cheers, House spirit items, and numerous spirit-raising events such as the recent ‘Name that Celebrity’ contest. The House Captains bring joy beyond what we could have imagined.

Wake Up With the Arts – This emerged from a desire to make more opportunities for performance, and particularly opportunities with less pressure and more freedom for responsible risks. The idea was to have live performances from willing students in the foyer, with a backdrop of student artwork, complemented by coffee and muffins for those parents who could stop and enjoy some culture at drop-off. In its early days, we had about four or five performers, and a small audience. Now in our third year, our latest performance lineup was so long it went past the bell to get to class, and will spill over into an ‘Open Mic’ session in the near future. The audience was at capacity for our spacious front lobby. And the mix of musical performances made KCS the most heartwarming place to be in Toronto.

The Wall of Service – We came up with the idea of recognizing and spreading word of student acts of service twelve years ago. The process evolved over a number of years and it continues to gain momentum. Now we have a backlog of bricks to share. Students from SK to grade 8 are making the world better in countless ways and educating the school community as they do so, thanks to this program.

Everything we do has a story that’s rooted in choice, patience and persistence. Some of these things are now pretty great. Others are on their way there.

Choose carefully what’s worth sticking with, and persist in nurturing it along the way. There’s lots of room for schools to do so. The rewards we seek lie there.

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

Old Enough

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Sometimes as Head of School you can get mired in financial spreadsheets, strategic planning discussions, evaluations, committee meetings, Board work, etc.  Over the past 48 hours, there were a number of things that happened that helped to take me away from that part of the job for a moment and reminded me why I got involved in education in the first place.

Special Olympics Ontario

On Tuesday, our grade 8 students, one of our teachers and I had the opportunity to volunteer at a Special Olympics Ontario event held at the Toronto Police College.  Our students were asked to be ambassadors and to help supervise the scoring and “refereeing” for a bocce ball tournament for approximately 75 athletes from local schools.  As an admirer of Special Olympics from afar over the years, it did not take me long to say yes to the opportunity.  It was such a wonderful day for me as it allowed me to spend time with the athletes, other amazing volunteers and staff from Special Olympics Ontario, and to watch our grade 8s actively, and with very little guidance, help to make the day a memorable one for all involved.  To see the smiles on the athletes faces as well as on our students, ensured that this event will definitely fall into the top highlights for me from this school year.

Last night we had our first evening of parent/teacher interviews.  It was enjoyable to have numerous informal conversations as parents came in about their son’s or daughter’s progress, their accomplishments so far, and what lies ahead academically.  It’s also a time when we catch up on plans for the holidays, sports talk, and their impressions of the school year so far.

Finally, this morning I was at the front doors saying hello to students, families and staff as they were entering the school when the following encounter happened between myself and one of our grade 2 students.  He bounded up to me after he got out of his family’s van, and without a hello, got right to the point.

“How old are you?”
“47.”
“You’re old enough to sit in the front seat.”
And then off he went into the school.

Now back to the spreadsheets.

Derek Logan
Head of School

Consider a New Year With No-Marking Time

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What would happen if students weren’t marked?

I’ve heard too often that the assumption is little learning would happen, so this post starts with a sad state of affairs. Thankfully, the true answer is both heartening, and possible.

Marks are an imperfect reality in formal education. While feedback is a valuable part of learning, marks wield power that is disproportionate to their brevity. Their power reinforces the notion that learning is something externally imposed. Marks judge, and regularly remind too many students that they simply fall short. From the attention they get, it too frequently appears that marks have usurped learning as the reason for school.

Contrary to what might be assumed, it’s not necessarily better for those earning high marks. Understandably, these students are lulled into liking favourable judgment from others and commit themselves to this model. Both the successful and struggling alike have a relationship with marks that has little to do with the resilience, curiosity, independence and internal drive needed to be successful beyond a mark-driven world. Taking risks, like the ones needed for leadership, creativity and innovation, has no place when marks are on the line.

Outside of school, it’s very evident that children and youth will readily learn without being marked. While marks are here for the foreseeable future, there’s no reason why schools can’t make room where students learn for learning’s sake. Give them time to choose what to learn and how. In these cases, let them set the standards and expectations. Let them share this learning with others without judgment, simply to create an environment of learning for the love of it. Let them take risks. Support the process and leave it in their hands, as these are the hands that need experience if the end goal is lifelong learners. I’ve seen it work. I’ve seen what students will learn when marks aren’t involved. It takes nothing but a willingness among teachers to make some time for it, then let it grow.

To teachers looking forward to a well-deserved Christmas holiday, consider starting the new year with time for unmarked learning. It’s a risk worth taking. And no marks are on the line.

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

The Pepperette Proxy

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In the various communication classes and readings on the subject that I’ve done over the years, I have always been reminded that it is important to hit your  audience early in order to get their attention.  You can do this with a captivating story, humour, and many other techniques.  So here goes.  A couple of weeks ago, on a Friday afternoon, I received an email from our Director of Admissions and Operations that stated that one of our students was in the office, on the phone with his mother, because he had accidentally got a pepperette stuck up his nose.  As I always say every year at grade 8 graduation, you cannot make this stuff up.  My response to our Director:  regular or spicy?  I realize it’s hard to get this visualization out of your mind. My lunchtime hasn’t been the same since, although you should know that it all ended happily with a sneeze.

Now that I have your attention, and I know some of you will forward this on to some of your other friends at KCS, if you have not yet brought in your two proxies from your family for our Annual General meeting next Wednesday, please do so by the end of the day on Monday, November 25th.  This is very important, and we appreciate you helping us out.  If you’ve misplaced your blue proxy forms, you can pick up another one from the main office.  I’m sure our office staff will share with you their memories of that day a couple of weeks ago.

Derek Logan
Head of School

How Schools Learn

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School buildingOur website, newsletters and social media channels explain in detail how our students learn. A nod to how our teachers are learning was given in the recent blog ‘Embrace Learning’. There’s one more pocket of learning worth knowing about. A critical part of the value offered by independent schools, it’s a process that would bring untold value to all if this practice could only spread.

I’m rarely away from school. This week, however, I’ve joined a Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Visiting Committee, where six peers from across Canada and I will play a part in one school’s learning. It’s a process required for CAIS accreditation, and represents the high bar in demonstrating school-wide commitment to excellence in education. All told, it’s a process that takes about two-and-a-half years, and repeats itself every seven.

CAIS has identified 12 Standards which together cover every area of functioning within a school: vision, mission and strategy; learning environment; academics; facility; finance; health and safety; and commitment to school improvement, to name just some of the Standards. Within each Standard, undeniable effective practices are listed. Under effective practices are questions designed to prompt and provoke schools into being accountable for their efforts.

One year prior to the visit such as I’m on, schools mobilise their whole community to collect evidence on their effective practices. The preparation of the Internal Evaluation Report includes feedback from all staff and faculty, parents, students, board members and administration. The document is rarely less than 200 pages and can be hundreds more. Designed to be an exercise in thorough and honest reflection, the report includes not only an account of strengths but also self-identified challenges and next steps. By design, this exercise is about school-wide learning. This process identifies schools which demonstrate an exceptional commitment to learning and makes note of their achieved excellence.

During our official visit the committee will spend four days meeting with teachers, administrators, parents, board members and students, verifying what’s in the school’s Internal Evaluation Report and asking about any unreported areas of note. When we leave, we’ll be writing up our observations, and include commendations, suggestions and recommendations. Our report then goes to the school, where they will have 18 months in which to respond to the recommendations. It also goes to CAIS for a decision on accreditation.

Two-and-a-half years of every seven spent answering to the profession’s highest standards fuels an undeniable engine for learning. It sets in motion work and learning that fills the interim four-and-a-half years. And by mobilizing the whole community, and bringing in professionals from outside the school, all involved learn and become better able to serve the students in their midst.

Parents with children in CAIS schools can be confident that they have invested in a school which strives for excellence. Wishing all children could be so lucky, parents with children in non-CAIS schools are encouraged to ask the question, “How do their schools learn?” It’s the kind of provocative question that our entire profession should be accountable for answering.

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

Our Athletes, Leading by Example

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sportsAthletics are not my forte. My head and heart know the importance of being active. My body prefers curling up with something to read.

On this, our students are my teachers.

It’s been an exceptional term in athletics. Exceptional in determination, participation, sportsmanship and achievement. It’s time I shared how much our students inspire me.

Our students live our Habits on the court and on the field. Some already love the activities they join, and bring leadership, knowledge and experience from outside involvement. Some have little to offer in terms of skills before signing up, and yet bring a willingness to embrace learning and determination to try their best. Despite their nerves, they take that ‘responsible risk’, participate, work hard and grow as athletes. Side-by-side, our most experienced athletes equally take risks, such is the nature of sport and the many decisions inherent in trying to make successful plays. What they all practice through sport are many of the attributes they’ll use for success throughout life.

Our school’s model is designed for participation. KCS offers team and individual sports, as well as competitive and non-competitive options for physical activity. Rather than limit students to just one sport, as they age they’re increasingly allowed to try out for all. In cross-country, touch football and track and field, all who turn up have an opportunity to participate. Ninety-eight students were on our cross-country team, a number far exceeding any other school in the final championship. For those who aren’t as keen on traditional sports, we offer Active Games, Boot Camp, Dance Troupe, Wii Dance, yoga and more. Third term last year we introduced paddle tennis and baseball. In first term there were 12 athletic extra-curricular options and over 200 of our students participated in one or more. Childhood and youth are times for opening doors. At KCS, an exceptional number of athletic doors are open.

On sportsmanship, we couldn’t be more proud. From how our students handle themselves on the court and off, they regularly demonstrate that this rises above winning. If our team has a large lead, our athletes throttle back. When a teammate fell during the cross-country race, one young man stopped running to get the other to a teacher. When our fastest male runner lost to a faster female from another school, he complimented her for a great run and gave a high five. Our students honour the game, the athletes on all sides, and the officials. In doing so, they bring honour to themselves and KCS.

All of the above is more than reason enough to celebrate our athletes. But achievement is also an exception worth mentioning this year. First term alone our students earned championship banners and plaques in the following sports: U12 boys’ soccer, U14 girls’ soccer, U14 girls’ basketball and cross-country. In addition, at the Mentor Invitational Tournament, our touch football teams came first and second out of eight places.

All of this, and I haven’t even mentioned all the athletics our students are involved in outside of KCS: hockey, tennis, golf, dance, skiing, fencing, not to mention the daily collection of impromptu recess games.

To all KCS students who have embraced the ‘Be active’ habit, you set an impressive example. This habit and all you learn as a result will serve you well in all aspects of your life. It’s a hard habit to establish when older. But your unavoidable example, and the Habits poster that I face from my office chair, will tolerate no nonsense. I’m wrapping up this tribute to get out of my chair and follow your lead.

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

Remember

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Remembrance DayOur grade 8 students led our annual Remembrance Day assembly on November 7th.  It was filled with music, visual art, poetry, drama and memories of trips to the Canadian battlefield sites in Europe.  The students respectfully asked us to remember the sacrifices and the courage of Canadians throughout the years and to work for peace.  In short, the assembly was poignant, heartfelt and meaningful to all of us who were in attendance.

On the topic of Remembrance, earlier this year a friend of mine forwarded me this link to a site entitled, “The Fallen”.  It is worth a visit.

Derek Logan
Head of School

How a Tradition Was Born

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It’s funny how things come to be.

KCS has quite a few traditions. Many are from before my time so the story of how they began will have to be told by someone else. There’s one young tradition, however, that some of us have had the good fortune of watching from birth. It’s unique to KCS and both the result of and engine for much of what’s special here. It’s called Compliment Friday.

As the name suggests, this tradition takes place every Friday and is the community service project of a group of five to six students every year.  At assembly, these students come forward and announce to the school that it’s Compliment Friday, to which the school responds with a resounding cheer. Yes, it always starts the same way, predictability being a hallmark of tradition. Other students are then invited to come to the front and publicly share a compliment, or thank you, to one or more people. Each week, the theme changes. Last week, compliments were for teachers and classmates. The week before, pets. Over the years, there have been all manner of public outpourings of appreciation.

Contrary to what you might expect, Compliment Friday didn’t emerge from Shangri-La. Though there’s much that’s wonderful here, KCS remains part of a real world that sometimes includes conflict, missteps, insecurity and poor judgment. Despite our many proactive efforts, social bumps continue to be part of growing up.

This tradition began with a group of students who had been struggling with getting along. Friendships started, ended abruptly, then started up again. Feelings were hurt, sometimes healed, then, sadly, hurt again. When it came to our attention at the end of their grade 7 year, many steps were taken. One was the introduction of class meetings.

Now taking place in all grades throughout the school, class meetings have three parts. Students and their teacher usually sit in a circle, and the meeting begins with an “around-the-room” sharing of compliments. After this affirming start, the students collaboratively discuss and problem-solve an issue that needs attention. The final part of a class meeting is another “around-the-room” where students and teacher share something going on in their lives that others might not know about. It’s a powerful way to build connections and encourage empathy. The class meeting proved very effective in turning around relationships in this group of grade 8s. They were so pleased with the exercise that these same students came up with Compliment Friday as their community service project for the school. It has taken place practically every Friday since then.

An environment of regular, public gratitude is as wonderful as it is rare. These students turned a negative situation into a unique legacy of positivity.

And for that, this is a heartfelt public thank you.

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

There Was A Buzz Around Here Today

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Today was an amazing day at KCS.  Five of our teachers, including myself, had their heads shaved in support of The Terry Fox Foundation.  You can see the before and after photos below and on our KCS Facebook page and through our KCS Twitter feed.

We set a goal at the beginning of the school year to raise $25 000, and if we reached the goal, the six of us had agreed to have our hair cut by Cos and Jackie from Cos on the Kingsway Salon/Spa.  To see the excitement in the school leading up to today was tremendous.  The students would come up to the each of us and say things like:

  1. “Are you looking forward to having some taken off the top?”
  2. “I can’t wait to see you bald!”
  3. “Bzzzzzzzz.”
  4. “Can ‘I’ cut your hair?”
  5. “It’s going to get cold soon.”
  6. “Hope you are enjoying your hair as its going to be gone soon.”
  7. And my favourite, “Isn’t this great that we are helping people and their families who have cancer?”

Achieving a goal such as raising over $25K takes a little effort from a lot of people.  We realize how our the parents, staff and faculty helped us raise the $25 000.  A special thanks to our students who opened up their piggy banks, who asked for money for their September or October birthdays in order to donate it, and who went out into their neighbourhoods and asked for donations.  It just goes to show that when many people contribute to a cause by doing what they can, it is possible to accomplish wonderful things.

Derek Logan
Head of School

Could-Be Blogs

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TenEach weekend, I carve out time to sit down, reflect on the week, and decide what to write about for the blog. Each weekend, I struggle with the fact that for every blog that’s written, there are easily ten that could be.

This weekend, I chose not to struggle. Here are ten events that I had the pleasure of witnessing and could have easily written more about, but won’t this time.

  1. Our first Primary Awards Day for 2013-2014, where individual students were recognized for exceptional demonstration of our habits. It’s pretty inspiring to see how hard these 5 to 7 year-olds are working at following the three school rules, taking responsible risks, acting with empathy, showing self-control and persisting at what’s tough.
  2. Hearing the story at a cross-country tournament this week of one of our fastest male runners, fighting for first, going neck-and-neck with a female from De La Salle, losing by a pace, but making a point of high-fiving and saying “Good race”.
  3. Watching dozens of our students participating for the first time in the Brock University Caribou math challenge http://www.brocku.ca/caribou/
  4. Seeing the return of the student leadership project ‘Save That Species’, an awareness-raising and highly entertaining game-show skit that informs us of endangered animals and what we can do to help them
  5. ‘Free-Hug-High-Five Friday’, another student initiative in its third year, where students, parents and teachers are greeted with a show of affection as they arrive for school.
  6. Following our SK students on Twitter (check out our Twitter feed @KCSMatters and look for their hashtag #KCS_SK)
  7. Learning of how hard the grade 8s are working to prepare for Remembrance Day, not because they’ve been told to but because they want to
  8. Finding out that one of our grade 6 boys entered a contest to create a new Pokémon character, and won!
  9. Joining our first Open House of the year and having the chance to meet and chat with parents and children keen to join KCS. I love sharing what happens here.
  10. Watching our older students get up and speak at assembly, marveling at how confident and skilled they’ve become at public speaking over their years at KCS.

Our first Pizza Lunch, ‘Compliment Friday’, class meetings, field trips, other stories from the cross-country tournament, our girls’ basketball team and many other topics could have easily been added to the list.

A school with 413 students has a lot going on each week. With our Four Doors to Learning program at KCS, what goes on is pretty great. I look forward to explaining more when I write next weekend.

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