Knowing who we are and who our community members are, while purposefully inquiring into our diverse community, helped us collectively build on that feeling of belonging we so missed during the disruptions of the past years.
It is hard to believe that we have already been back at school for two and a half months. There is a consistently joyful feeling in the school which indicates that we are already making huge inroads into re-establishing the ISPP sense of community this school year.
In the Elementary school, we started off learning this year by purposefully working with all grade levels inquiring into community and identity. The learning that took place may have looked and sounded different, depending on the ages of the children, but within the theme of “Who We Are”, the children were encouraged to inquire into and appreciate the diversity that exists within the ISPP community. Knowing who we are and who our community members are, while purposefully inquiring into our diverse community, helped us collectively build on that feeling of belonging we so missed during the disruptions of the past years. The unit of inquiry culminated with each grade level celebrating and sharing their learning in an assembly. Throughout the first unit, the teachers have been intentional in using resources and books that support identity and will continue to do so.
We are also exceptionally proud of our learning spaces, which for the most part are co-created with students and invite all community members to feel a sense of belonging, representation and, most importantly, provide students with a safe place to learn. We hope that all families have had the opportunity to visit the school and see the learning spaces for themselves, including our outdoor spaces and our beautiful new playground.
Our parents are also central to belonging and having them back on campus has already contributed to the sense of community. In addition to simply opening our doors again, we have been purposeful in considering how we can best meet families’ needs and have delivered a variety of workshops and general sessions based on parent feedback. Attendance to parent workshops has been high and we hope this continues throughout the year, as we have workshops and coffee mornings planned to hopefully meet the needs of all families. Thank you to all those who have attended and a huge thank you to our class parents and language representatives for their continued support. There are many more upcoming events in the planning and we look forward to welcoming families throughout the year.
Liz Ford
Elementary School Principal
