Tag Archives: Grade School

My Top Five Favourite Stories from September

Posted on by
Reply

I must admit, compiling a list of my favourite KCS stories from the last month was difficult.  But I thought I would give it a shot.

#5.  Seeing so many of our former students attend the Welcome Back BBQ and hearing from a Dad of grade 9 student that his daughter told him she misses the welcoming feeling of the KCS community at her new school; she particularly misses her teachers.

#4  Having a grade 5 student come to Mr. Marshall and I to volunteer to help out with the touch football team this year.  We asked him to come to my office to have a conversation about how he thought he could contribute to the running of the team.  We expected him to say that he’s be willing to carrying the balls/water, help pick up the pylons after practice, etc.  However, when he was asked, he looked at us, paused a moment, and said confidently, “Offensive coordinator.”

#3.  Those of you who were able to attend the BBQ last week will have seen the vendor with the donuts.  About 7:45 that evening, I ran into a family whose grade 3 son had eaten his fair share of the donuts as well as some cotton candy.  You can only imagine what the rest of the night was like for the parents…  Anyways, I let the student know that we were going to install one of those donut machines at the front entrance of the school on a permanent basis.  I wish I had taken a photo of his face.  It looked like I had given him the best present possible.

#2.  Hearing the story from a proud mom regarding her son’s accomplishment in being a part of the cross country team, finishing the race, and being embraced and encouraged by his teammates as he crossed the finish line.

#1.  Being called “cute” by a grade 1 student (see my September 5th Blog for more information on this story).  My two high school age children kid me about this almost daily.

As I finished writing this, just after lunch recess, a grade 2 student popped his head in the door of my office and said, “Hi Mr. Logan.”  As usual I asked him what he was doing.  He told me that he had had just come from the main office where he had picked up an icepack.  Naturally, I asked why.  And for the rest of this story, you will need to ask me in person.

Derek Logan
Head of School

Act with Empathy

Posted on by
Reply

One of our grade one classes had a big talk last week about the habit ‘Act with Empathy’. A classmate was away that day having teeth extracted, so they all thought about what they could say to express their empathy and make him feel better.  Here is what they came up with:

  • I feel bad for you.
  • I hope you feel better soon.
  • I hope your mouth doesn’t hurt.
  • I hope you come back to school tomorrow.
  • I miss you.
  • How did it feel?
  • I’m really sorry for you.
  • I hope you can come back to school tomorrow.
  • I hope you get better soon.
  • I hope your teeth get better soon.
  • I hope you get used to it.
  • I hope your teeth grow in soon.
  • I hope you could get a good rest in your bed today.
  • I hope you can have some fun tomorrow.
  • I hope you lie down in your bed so you have energy for tomorrow.
  • I hope you can go to school tomorrow and you can eat apples, your favourite.
  • You can cut up your apple.

Empathy matters, so we teach it at KCS. ‘Sharing What We Know’ also matters, so we do that too. If someone in your life could use a little empathy and you’re wondering what to say, revisit this post. The grade ones know what to do.

Andrea Fanjoy,
Assistant Head, Academics

Being Remembered

Posted on by
Reply

During our chapel service on the last Friday before the March break, I said goodbye to one of our grade 1 students who was leaving KCS the next day to move to Sweden with his family.  As Josh was a grade one student, he had only been around KCS for the past seven months, but he will be remembered positively in many ways by his classmates and teachers.

Before leaving for chapel, I was speaking with Ms. Murphy about Josh.  His friends had made him a book to take with him:  Things We Like About Josh.  In the book it mentioned that Josh always played fairly, he was a fast runner, a funny guy and a super soccer player.  The book spoke volumes about the person he is becoming at such a young age.  For me, I will always remember Josh as being very respectful.  He would always say hello to me or give me a high five.

We will miss Josh around here this week and in the years to come, but we know his move to Sweden will bring about many memories and adventures.  It got me to thinking:  when a person leaves a place (work, school, etc.), how would they want to be remembered?  Just prior to the March break our 35 grade 8s decided on which schools they are going to attend for high school:

Bishop Allen:  5
Branksome Hall: 2
Etobicoke School of the Arts: 2
Father Redmond: 3
Greenwood College: 7
RSGC: 4
St. Clement’s School:  2
St. Michael’s College: 6
St. Mildred’s School: 1
Upper Canada College: 2
The York School: 1

As the grade 8s finish their final term at KCS, I hope that they will all consider the question:  how do I want my classmates and the staff and faculty to remember me at KCS when I leave?

Derek Logan
Head of School