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Welcome Back To School!
 As we begin a new year, I'd like to welcome all our students and their families back to school. School opening in the fall is bright with the excitement of starting something new. The weather is (usually) sunny and clear, and whether a child is taking that big leap to kindergarten, beginning Grade 12 or starting somewhere in between, anything seems possible at the beginning of a school year.
Our staff feels that first day excitement too. School opening is a new beginning for all of us. Our operations and maintenance staff have been busy cleaning, repairing, painting, working on our grounds and ensuring that our school sites are prepared for the first day. Many teachers have already been to organize their classrooms and get ready to welcome their new classes. School administrators have officially been back to work since August 30 to ensure that schools are organized and ready for opening day.
In this transitional year that will lead to to full day Kindergarten for all students in 2011-2012, we're especially pleased to be welcoming around half of our youngest students to full day Kindergarten for the first time. Young children learn best through active engagement and play, and this will continue to be the foundation of children's Kindergarten experience, whether they are at school for a half or full day.
While the excitement of school opening soon turns to comfortable routines, this year we'll continue to keep the focus on offering our students a high-quality education. They deserve no less than our best efforts, as this is the core purpose of public education. At the same time, we'll be asking some questions to make sure that the resources we have are used in the most effective way possible. These questions include:
- What are we trying to do?
- Is it working?
- How do we know?
- What are we going to do next?
We'll be asking for your input as we ask these questions. The answers may lead to changing some of the things we've done in the past or rethinking some of our routines that may not be as effective as we hoped they were. However, we'll continue to answer the question, "What are we trying to do?" in a way that keeps us focused on supporting our students and their learning.
To all of you, parents, students, staff and community, welcome back We all have a stake in our students' success, and by working together we can make this new year remain as bright with promise for our children as it is on the first day of school.
Dr. Monica Pamer
Superintendent of Schools
Ground Breaking For Full-Day Kindergarten in Richmond
Linda Reid, MLA Richmond East, 'breaking ground' with Chairperson Linda McPhail and Trustee Carol Day |
Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, Richmond East MLA Linda Reid, Chairperson Linda McPhail, Trustee Carol Day, Superintendent Monica Pamer and Principal Pamela Essex were joined by parents and children at Anderson Elementary on Thursday, September 2 to celebrate the start of design and construction of four new class rooms.
Eric Thorleifson, the District's Manager of Facilities and Imu Chan, Architect, Busby, Perkins & Will were on hand to advise that design work for the expansion is now underway, with construction of the new classrooms to begin January 2011. Completion is expected for the start of the 2011-12 school year. This project, along with new modular buildings planned for seven additional schools in Richmond, will create 14 new classrooms in the school district for full-day kindergarten.
Full-day kindergarten will be available for up to 50 per cent of kindergarten students in 2010 and for every five-year-old starting school in 2011.
Following the groundbreaking ceremony the Minister toured the school, met with teachers and administrators and had questions on various programs offered at the school. |
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