From the Office

School visits, field trips, track and field practices, and a few meetings are making the month of May fly by for me. If someone can explain what the weather is doing these days I’d appreciate some information. Do the shorts come out of the closet? Can I pack up my winter coat yet? I’m not sure how to describe my relationship with the weather-person lately. Keep your fingers crossed that our upcoming outside activities have good conditions.

As I’ve written and explained previously, Hanley and Dundurn Parents, I’m constantly reminded what wonderful students we have 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, like you, are so pleased to see their progress each year and look forward to that continuing.

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 had another great year and such good reviews at Provincials including winning the Overall Best Production for their play THE HOTEL. They received a number of awards and once again were lucky to see some great productions from other high school students. Way to go, Mrs. Griffin, Mr. Hutchinson, and the cast and crew! We’re very proud of you all!

We’re continuing to plan our Learning 4 Life presentation about our School Goals around Literacy that we present to the division each year at the end of May. This year’s implementing of a sustained school-wide reading time every day has made a wonderful impact on the amount of reading that’s taken place – studies show that extra reading time given where students can pick their own book, has a vast impact on their personal literacy, which then transfers into improved reading and comprehension in all subject areas. I am once again proud of our school and the progress that so many students are making in their reading. Our graduation rates (95% average over the last 10 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.

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. A final exam schedule will be in the makings and sent home next week by email to all families.

Well, that’s all for now. For further information and updates from the students and classrooms, check out our school website at http:// blogs.spiritsd.ca/hanley/. 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. Chris Tucker Principal Hanley School