Keating Community,
It
has been a great start to our year and the team here is very excited
to see all the familiar, and the new faces. Lots of smiles on the
faces of the kids and the grown-ups, as people catch up and form new
connections. I’ve really enjoyed seeing the groups getting down to
work, and building classroom culture already.
Thank
you to all who have reached out and expressed welcomes and offers of
support as I settle into the Keating community. It has been a
pleasure meeting so many of you and working with the impressive staff
here.
Although
this is an exciting time of year, it can also be anxiety-inducing for
our children and ourselves as parents. I know this well not only as
an educator, but as a parent of 3 who all have experienced excitement
and disappointment of the early days of a school year. It can be a
challenging time with a period of adjustment that differs for each
individual. However, it is my experience that the concerns of the
first weeks of the year begin to fade as new connections and routines
are established and become familiar and comfortable.
This
weekend and beyond it will be helpful to ensure that our kids are
well rested and to have them focus on the positives of their new
classes, teachers and peer groups. It also helps to know that each
teacher in the school is highly trained and skilled at meeting
learners where they are and helping them to grow. If there are
specific learning or social-emotional needs for your child that you
think their teacher needs extra information about, please be in touch
with them sooner rather than later to work collaboratively on a plan
for support and communication.
Below are some reminders that can help set the kids and the community up for
success:
Sleep! Likely the most important thing that we can do to reduce anxiety, and set our kids up to be as successful as possible both academically and socially is to make sure that they are in bed at a good hour. Keep electronic devices out of bedrooms, and find moderation in the amount of screen-time that we allow our children.
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Exercise! Not just good for the body, 15 minutes of exercise in the morning helps to reduce chemicals such as cortisol that are replenished every night. This morning exercise allows everyone (but especially those prone to anxiety) to self-regulate more successfully the rest of the day.
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Communicate! Please let staff know about issues while they are small and easy to deal with. We don’t need to wait until things are big to address them.
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Connect! Subscribe to the website ( keating.sd63.bc.ca ) to receive e-mail updates when items are posted. There is a link at the top of the right hand column on the website to sign up for e-mailed update when posts are made. This is one of our main means of communication. Hopefully everyone will also sign the media release and web tools permission slips so that we can share videos and images of kids engaged in learning, performances, and class projects on the school webpage and Twitter account (@sd63keating). We won’t attach names to images without clearing it with you first, but the images are a great way to share Keating spirit.
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Volunteer! There are many opportunities to participate in school events. Please participate and connect with the wonderful group KHASA parent association.
I look forward to a great year together.
Respectfully,
Steve
MacGregor
Principal