Blog Posts

June 30, 2021

A Profound Gratitude

With the recent Ministry announcement that our schools will be returning to Stage 1 (“near normal”) operations for the coming year, I cannot help but reflect on the enormity of what we have accomplished this year in our province, and particularly here in Abbotsford. Put simply, our staff – all of them – have done a phenomenal job of keeping our schools open and functioning during a global pandemic, the likes of which none of us have ever experienced. This is worthy of celebration and profound gratitude.

May 28, 2021

From the Heart: Student Voices About Learning During a Pandemic

In much the same way as last year, I have continued my meetings with students to get a deeper understanding of their experiences in our schools.  What has been different this year is that I am not able to meet with them in person, and my questions have largely been related to their experiences during the pandemic.

April 26, 2021

Let’s Get Outdoors

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many things. With the stretch of nice weather we have been experiencing over the last few weeks, one of these lessons is staring us in the face. As we get vaccinated (YES!) and come down to what many of us hope to be the home stretch in handling this situation, we should remember the power of nature and outdoor learning to calm and restore our energies and resolve.

March 11, 2021

This Time Last Year

A member of our District's Pandemic Response Team recently congratulated us on our "one year anniversary" of the weekly meetings we have been hosting since COVID-19 took its place in our collective consciences. It took a while for it to sink in, but it dawned on me that we have been working at this for what seems like several years. This time last year, the World Health Organization declared that we were amidst a "global pandemic." We hosted a meeting with all school district leaders at the Abby Arts Centre to map out how we would tackle this emerging threat after Spring Break. 

February 1, 2021

February is Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time to honour and celebrate the contributions of people of African heritage. Black History Month was first celebrated in the United States, and it is now formally observed in Canada (for over forty years), the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands.

January 12, 2021

My Big Three for 2021

Happy New Year! It has been my practice over the last few years to share three predictions for the coming calendar year in the world of education, acknowledging that things understandably change incrementally in our world. Most of the ideas I proffer relate to changes that K-12 education has to undergo to make it more relevant, engaging and meaningful to meet the demands of a modern and fast-changing world for our students. Naturally, I have focused on pedagogical and structural changes that I anticipate would leverage some of the outcomes we aspire so achieve.