Principal’s Message April 2014

Dear Parents,

Welcome back – I hope each of you had a restful and enjoyable spring break!

The Board of Trustees of Edmonton Public Schools recently approved a pilot project for the next two school years revising the school year calendars. This two year pilot project will provide MCS school staff two more Professional Development days each year, allowing our staff to meet with staff from across the entire district to share best teaching practices, knowledge and expertise. These opportunities for an enrichment of skills and abilities will have a very positive impact on the education of our students. What this also means for parents and students, is that for the next two school years all kids in all EPS schools will be off school on the same days, giving parents time to plan for childcare, transportation and recreational opportunities.

The Board of Trustees also approved the District’s Vision, Mission, Values and Priorities. The new Vision is: Transforming the learners of today into the leaders of tomorrow. This may sound familiar to you because our mission at Meadowlark Christian School has been and will continue to be a caring community committed to developing excellence in: Learning through academics, Living in Christ, Leading by serving others and Loving with strength of character. Further details on these district news items and more can be accessed at www.epsb.ca.

As a Leader in Me school, one of the seven habits we teach our students is Habit #1, Be Proactive. April and May are months where we as a school also need to be very proactive. Registrations for returning students are due on Friday April 11 and after this date we will actively start preparations for the upcoming school year. I want to thank the MCS community for their ongoing support and advertisement of this amazing school. So many prospective students and families came to our Open House or for a school visit and tour based on the positive messages they have heard from you!

Habit #3 is to Put First Things First. As spring arrives and brings with it nice weather (I hope!!) some students might start looking ahead to summer. We need to remind our learners not to overlook the three months of learning and schoolwork to do before they can reward themselves with free time and play on summer vacation. Supporting students with strategies like goal setting, planning ahead, maintaining a homework and review schedule and making sure there is communication between home and school will contribute towards positive academic results on that final June report card.

Darren Oskoboiny, Principal