When I look back at the past week I’m reminded about the phrases around being busy and the time flying by. School visits, field trips, track and field practic-es, a few meetings, and a burger taste test on Friday are some of the events that made up the week. Parents, you have some wonderful students at Hanley Composite School and many of us here are kept young by the fun interactions and smiles that working with them brings to us each day. We continue to be proud of their accomplishments, and their strides in growth and maturity each year.
We hosted the Prairie Spirit School Division annual board meeting on Wednesday night this week. The public attendance was low, but those in attendance were excited for the learning taking place here around our School Goals and shared our excitement around the big reno-vations taking place in the Home Ec and Industrial Arts rooms. I’d invite you to call and ask about what’s happening, or even stop in for a peek, if you don’t mind wearing a hard hat. The work is expanding to include some hallway and other room flooring, as well as changes to some classroom lighting. The latest development includes plans to complete the school painting project that began three years ago. Our renovations are going to include work to replace the lower level electric heating, and that was the only thing holding back the paint work.
I’ll take another minute and confirm for some of you that the renovations and work in the school will include some work on the balcony above the gym. We’ve been directed not to use the balcony for large public assemblies until their work this year is completed and so that area of the school will need to be closed during the Graduation ceremonies. We apologize for any disruption that will cause for the public or family plans to invite many people.
Plans for graduation continue to move forward as well as preparations for students’ lives after grade 12. If you have some questions about courses that we can help answer, or have some developments about future plans that you’d like to share, we’d always love to hear about what the students are planning on doing once their lives here move on.
Congratulations to our Drama club that did so great at Provincials. They received a number of awards and once again were lucky to see some great productions from other high school students from across the province. Way to go, Mrs. Griffin and the cast and crew!
Our Learning 4 Life School Goals around Literacy, Numeracy, and Student Engagement will be the centre of a report that Hanley School will deliver at the end of the month to the school board. I am once again proud of our progress. Our graduation rates (94% average over the last 7 years) continue to be higher than the school division’s which in turn are higher than the provincial average. For more information or details, please drop by or send me a note.
Last weekend was the last long weekend of the school year and the last partial week until the end of June. I’d like to encourage all the students to make all the effort needed to finish strong this year and if they have final exams, to give themselves lots of time to study.
Thanks again to everyone who was able to respond to my question last month to tell me what your home reading practices are. There were some very good ideas sent to me that I’ve compiled to share with you in this newsletter.
That’s all for now. As always, Mr. Anderson and I would love to talk to you if you have time to drop by the office or give us a call. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon.
Family Reading Responses – I asked last month what routines or common reading practices you have in your home – these were the reactions I was emailed:
- Parents who try to show reading in front of their children – newsletters, newspapers, magazines, articles.
- Narrated YouTube Stories.
- Practices of older siblings reading to the younger.
- Bedtime stories.
- Practice of having to read a book before watching the movie it’s based on.
- Reader’s digest stories.
- Comic books and graphic novels
Chris Tucker
Principal
Hanley Composite School