Blog Posts

As we navigate the fourth wave of the pandemic, with an eye to post-pandemic teaching and learning, it has dawned on me that two of the lessons learned from the pandemic might be at odds with each other. With physical distancing being one of the best ways to keep ourselves and kids safe from COVID-19, we saw many classrooms migrate outdoors, at least for part of their instructional experience. This was sage advice given to us by public health, and many classroom teachers were all over it.

This will be a year to remember. I think all of us are happy to put 2020-21 in the rearview mirror. While we did a truly heroic job of navigating the pandemic last year, I think it’s fair to say that none of us wants to do it again. But let’s take a minute to reflect on our efforts. Not only did we live through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, but we were also able to keep our schools open, take care of each other and – most importantly – fulfill our mission to provide the best possible education to our students.

With the recent Ministry announcement that our schools will be returning to Stage 1 (“near normal”) operations for the coming year, I cannot help but reflect on the enormity of what we have accomplished this year in our province, and particularly here in Abbotsford. Put simply, our staff – all of them – have done a phenomenal job of keeping our schools open and functioning during a global pandemic, the likes of which none of us have ever experienced. This is worthy of celebration and profound gratitude.

It is hard to believe, but we are nearing the end of the school year. I'm sure most of you feel that in spite of all the challenges this year, the year actually flew by!  And although there are things we missed, and things we look forward to returning to normal, it was in fact a memorable and successful year in many ways!

A member of our District's Pandemic Response Team recently congratulated us on our "one year anniversary" of the weekly meetings we have been hosting since COVID-19 took its place in our collective consciences. It took a while for it to sink in, but it dawned on me that we have been working at this for what seems like several years. This time last year, the World Health Organization declared that we were amidst a "global pandemic." We hosted a meeting with all school district leaders at the Abby Arts Centre to map out how we would tackle this emerging threat after Spring Break. 

Term two report cards will be coming home on March 5, so I thought this might be a good time to review the new language used for reporting student progress.  Teaching and assessment have truly been evolving, and we understand better than ever that all students can learn, but that we all learn in different ways.

February is Black History Month, a time to honour and celebrate the contributions of people of African heritage. Black History Month was first celebrated in the United States, and it is now formally observed in Canada (for over forty years), the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a restful break, and you are now looking forward to heading back to school. As we begin 2021 together, I know that we are going to have a fabulous rest of the school year. Thank you to all staff and families for your efforts and supports in keeping Bradner a healthy and safe building for everyone, as well as a positive place for students to learn and grow.  Although we have faced challenges, we have faced them together, and our school community remains united and working together! It is humbling to be a part of such an amazing team!