January Update

Happy January! Well, what a start to 2022 we have had! At this point, after a very busy week, I took a step back, and enjoyed some visits to the classroom that gave me a fresh perspective on the amazing McMillan community of staff and students. I'm so glad I took the time, and I wanted to share what I saw with you.

The first weeks of this year have been dominated by unexpected challenges. Enhanced covid safety measures, combined with snow and ice, really slowed our back to school, and was followed quickly by staff shortages due to illness. It has seemed a long time since we all came to school to a "normal" day! Students, I'm sure, are feeling the stress as well, dealing with the changes in recess routines, and the presence of a large number of TOCs in the building. However, when I took the time to really look at what is happening in classrooms I saw that "business as usual" is happening everywhere in our building. In spite of the challenges, teachers and EAs have successfully maintained that normalcy in the classroom that we know all students need. 

Here are some pictures of the start of our day today, from around the school. Students learning in large groups, and small. Working together with friends, supported by the adults. Attending to lessons, exploring through centres, learning through research and special projects, working hard in PE, and loving books in the library.  Happy faces everywhere!

This is why we do what we do. To create a safe place for our kids to learn and grow. A place that continues to meet their needs, even under challenging and unusual circumstances. Thank you so much to the exceptional staff at McMillan, our LSS teachers, who stepped in to cover classrooms, as well as the TOCs and district helping teachers who worked together with us this past week to make the best of the situation. Thank you parents for your ongoing support. This is truly a great place to work and go to school!

Mrs. Jordan