Mar 5, 2024

JOY COMES IN SMALL SLICES

By |2024-03-05T11:02:54-08:00March 5, 2024|Middle School, Nurturing Hearts|1 Comment

I’m not a big fan of new year resolutions. It could be that I have a terrible track record keeping them. But this year I decided that I need to take better care of my health. I’m a terrible binge-eater. I don’t bring a lunch (there’s rarely a break long enough to enjoy it anyway), [...]

Feb 21, 2024

HONOURING STORIES

By |2024-02-21T12:37:44-08:00February 21, 2024|Engaging Minds, Middle School|0 Comments

You are so weird! Usually, this would sound like an insult to any middle school student. The comment seems to target a student’s self-esteem, their sense of belonging, and tells them they don’t fit in. What would happen if students found a way to see this comment as a compliment—a statement that affirms the reality [...]

Nov 8, 2023

FAULTY PARENTING

By |2023-11-08T15:47:47-08:00November 8, 2023|Middle School, Parenting|1 Comment

Amy and I have four boys. Our home is filled with rough-housing, noise, smell, and a ton of food. Our boys are extremely active. They all play sports. We shuttle them back-and-forth from sports, swimming, and playdates. Yet somehow, when they return home, they still have energy to burn. We encourage (hear “tell”) them to [...]

Jun 22, 2023

ORCAS, NO SLEEP, AND NIGHT WATCH

By |2023-06-22T21:27:57-07:00June 22, 2023|21st Century Learning, Middle School|0 Comments

As if this first year of “principaling” wasn’t enough, I went with two of our grade 8 classes on their SALTS trip last week. Every year, our grade 8 students spend a week on a tall ship through SALTS (Sailing and Life Training Society). What an adventure! Orcas off the stern, rope swings and swimming [...]

Nov 1, 2022

LIFE’S OPPORTUNITIES

By |2022-11-01T12:37:09-07:00November 1, 2022|Middle School, Nurturing Hearts|0 Comments

I’m often accused of overusing the word “opportunity.” Every challenge, problem, or complication can just as easily be an “opportunity.” You can see the eyerolls from staff, students, and even my wife when I correct people when they use the word problem. It’s an “opportunity,” I say! It’s as much self-talk as it is a [...]

Oct 27, 2022

THE DEAFENING DRUMS DEBACLE

By |2022-10-27T15:43:14-07:00October 27, 2022|Growth Mindset, Middle School|1 Comment

You walk through the middle school hallways and hear a “thump, thump, thump.” As you turn the corner towards the grade 5 wing, the sound starts to crescendo. You begin to follow this strange noise. Thump, clack, thumpity thump. “Where is this sound coming from?” you wonder. Is it a jack hammer? No, too rhythmic. Is [...]

Jun 23, 2022

REMEMBERING LOUISE

By |2022-07-05T15:29:50-07:00June 23, 2022|Middle School, Nurturing Hearts|1 Comment

It’s been a time of grieving and lament in our community as we mourn the loss of a beautiful person, Louise Riezebos. Louise worked as a middle school educational assistant for seven years and impacted every staff member, student, and parent she met. She passed into the arms of her loving Saviour, on Thursday June [...]

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