Such a tragedy Friday afternoon in La Loche, a school and a community were shaken to the core by the terrible events that lead to the loss of 4 individuals.  As you may have heard there is a candle light vigil at the STF building tonight at 8 pm to honor those lives that were lost.  You will also notice that our flag will be flown at half-mast at the request of the ministry of education.  It is a stressful time in the lives of our grade 10 – 12 students as they are writing their final exams.  Please keep an eye out for your students and lets make sure we are doing everything we can to support each other.

Last week I was very lucky to have the chance to have some conversations about student and adult learning in two different settings.  On Friday afternoon I was at division office where several administrators spent time discussing practices from the past and how they are changing as we continue to evolve as a school division.  Earlier in the week I took part in my very first Twitter book club talk, and was amazed at the depth of the conversation given we were limited to 140 characters for each response.  I’ve included a visual below that compares school and learning.  Take a moment to have a look and see what kind of thinking it prompts for you.  

Questions to think about as you head into a new week:

• What can you do this Monday to ensure your students start off the week on a positive note?
• How can you surprise your students this week?
• Think about the quietest/shyest student in your class.  What can you do to set them up to have a voice this week?
• If you had to invite Ron or I into your class this week to watch one lesson, which one would it be?

What’s Up This Week:

Monday

• Final exams 10-12 begin
• Ron away (2:00 on)

Tuesday

• Jr. girls (yellow) BB host Delisle
• Jr. girls (black) BB to Waldheim

Wednesday

• Gr. 7 – 9 away on their swimming/ski trip (Ruth, Scott, Meredith, Ron)
• Gr. 4 – 9 curling

Thursday

• Jr. boys basketball host Delisle

Friday:

• Full teacher prep day
• Bruce away (am only) ~ Life Insurance Appointment

Normally I’d wish you a great week, but tonight I want to take a moment to thank you all for everything you do.  The events on Friday force one to pause to think about the family that we are and how close we become during the school year.  You are all amazing professionals, but more than that you are all amazing people.  

Enjoy your Sunday night and as always create a great week.