Blog Posts

Hello McMillan Families,

Students are now settling into their new classrooms and there is lots of energy and plenty of smiles throughout the building. We are learning that change can be tricky, but fun, and that good things can happen when we take a chance and do something we might not have thought of before. We are also having so much fun reconnecting with old friends, as well as making new ones. Everyone has grown so much over the summer, and we are looking forward to a very successful year!

Now in my thirty-fifth year as an educator, I still look forward to the beginning of the school year with anticipation. It still feels like yesterday, but three and a half decades ago, I started my career in Peace River South School District as a grade 6/7 teacher in Devereaux Elementary School. I remember when I first saw the ad for the position, going to a map to see where the heck this place was. The principal, Mr. Evans, interviewed me over the phone and offered me the job shortly thereafter.

McMillan Elementary School has a long history of high achievement in reading. Our primary teachers are all skilled in reading instruction, using a variety of best practice strategies such as Guided Reading, Daily 5 and CAFÉ to reach readers where they are at and build reading skills. Nevertheless, we continue to encounter students who struggle, and it is these students that push us to try new things in our quest to help all students become successful readers.

This time last year, I posted a blog expressing my profound gratitude to all our staff for getting us through what was a tremendously demanding year. As I look back on this past school year, I continue to be truly grateful for how we have managed an even more challenging year than we anticipated.

We made it through the adventure that was the 2021 - 22 school year! This was the year of unexpecteds for sure, but in spite of it all, we have ended the year on a high note, and everyone is feeling optimistic about what next year will bring.

One of the lasting legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic will be its exposure of pre-existing societal inequities to a wider audience. While inequities have existed in society and schools since they were created, the pandemic has caused many of us to see them with greater clarity. The murder of George Floyd perhaps served as a catalyzing moment, but I suspect there were more forces at play.

The most recent stop on my student voice inquiry journey was at WJ Mouat. I continue to be fascinated by the diversity of thought about certain issues, and simultaneously the remarkable consistency around other topics. Rather than editorialize, I will Arianna (Gr. 9), Omran (Gr. 12), Jazzi (Gr. 11), Nickolas (Gr. 11), Bella (Gr. 11), Lily (Gr. 12), Nathan (Gr. 11), Jayda (Gr. 12), and Natalie (Gr. 12) speak their truth:

When you think about school, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why?

Welcome back to school McMillan Families!

I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break, and whether you stayed close to home, or were able to enjoy a vacation somewhere else, I hope you are well rested and refreshed. This term brings some new "firsts" for this year and the staff at McMillan are looking forward to working together with you to make the most our of this last term we have. Here are a few updates that everyone should be aware of;

I visited the temporary Upper Sumas Elementary site this week to see how the staff and students were adjusting to their “new” environment (For those of you who have been around as long as I have been, this was the old Abby Elementary School site). As I approached the front doors, I saw a class of students standing in circle in a little garden patch. I made eye contact with the teacher, Ms. Marr, who invited me to join their circle. She told me that they had just finished sharing what they were grateful for and invited me to do the same.

With all that has transpired in this country and in Europe over the last few weeks, it is easy to slip into despair. However, when you work with and in service of children it is both difficult and unhealthy to live in that space. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with a group of eight students from Robert Bateman Secondary last week, and true to form, they not only affirmed the importance of our work, but lifted my spirits about the fundamental importance of our ongoing journey to deepen student learning experiences in our schools.