As we celebrate Canada Day, we also celebrate the end of the school year.

We have accomplished much in the Hamilton-Wentworth School Board this year.  Our secondary program strategy has been approved and now we will turn our attention to the important work of implementation.  This program strategy exemplifies our Board’s commitment to equity because each of our secondary schools will offer all pathways and expanded choice so that each of our schools meets the needs of our students.

We continue to strengthen our learning community with a focus on collaborative inquiry.  We have enhanced collaboration, shared leadership, and a culture of academic optimism.  In a culture where academic optimism is present, there is trust, high expectations and a sense of collective staff efficacy.

Our commitment to creating positive school climates in our schools provides us the opportunity to integrate our work in mental health, safe schools and equity and inclusion, and we continue to make important strides here.

Enhancing critical and creative thinking remains important to our work with our students.  This work demands that we change traditional views of students and teachers which pictures teachers in front of classrooms and students listening quietly.  Students are taking individual and collective ownership of their learning and teachers fulfill the important role of facilitating, animating and sometimes directing this learning, always insuring that students’ strengths, interests and needs inform planning.

Improving student achievement and well-being is our goal.  This goal is being realized because instruction is improving in our schools. Improving the learning conditions that support student achievement and well-being is alsoour priority.

Though there have been labour challenges in our province this year, I believe we have worked very hard in Hamilton-Wentworth to minimize the impact of these challenges.  We worked hard to proceed with respect and to keep our students in the centre. Special thanks to all of our staff and to our local union leaders who worked with us and our amazing principals, vice-principals, and service department managers to serve our students.

I want to thank our students for their achievement, our staff for their dedication and expertise, our parents for their trust, our community for their support and our trustees for their leadership.

Please take a look at my end of year video.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgy9pMDMy7k&feature=youtu.be

This will be my last blog for this school year.  I look forward to sharing our learning journey in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board again in August.

Have a safe and happy summer.