I have a new energy and a new motivation this school year. Seeing staff every day and having students back in the building reminds me why we do what we do. We engage minds, nurture hearts, and shape God’s world. We do this by educating through relationship. The best way to foster these relationships, and [...]
Ask any student who’s been on the SALTS grade 8 sailing trip, they’ll talk for hours about their five days aboard a tall ship in the Salish sea; hauling the sails, taking the wheel, and singing their hearts out at the evening “mug up.” Some of them might also tell you about seasickness. That Queasy [...]
This summer, while camping, our three-year-old learned how to ride his bike without training wheels (yes, prepare yourself for many “proud mama bear” blog posts from this principal). Earlier in the summer, he was hesitant to try, enjoying the ease and speed with which he cruised the side streets of East Abbotsford on his orange [...]
Back in the spring when the pandemic first hit, Heidi bought a paint by numbers kit for our daughter, Sofia. And Sofia has been plugging away at it little by little over the last few months. When our family gathered for Sunday morning worship (around a screen, of course!), she pulled out the painting and [...]
My final blog of the year, and the end of my first year as principal…what do I want to share? One simple word. Thanks! Everyone I talk to seem to pity me to some degree: “Wow! This is an intense first year!” “I bet you didn’t anticipate being a principal during COVID-19!” “How are you [...]
BY THE MIDDLE SCHOOL STAFF What a year! It felt like a brand new school year began in April. We all stretched ourselves in many ways! Thinking of an entirely new way of doing school, connecting with our students virtually, and discovering that we are more flexible and gracious than we ever thought we could [...]
BY JULIE CARRUTHERS, ACS PARENT SQUOOSH. I felt the soft, slippery substance squish under the tread of my boot. A quick flip of the foot revealed an ooey, beigey substance ingrained into the bottom of my new hiking boots. The new hiking boots that, if COVID-19 had never happened, would be digging into the sandy [...]
As these crazy and interesting times move from weeks to months (Lord willing, it doesn’t turn into years), I think it’s safe to say that we all have our own ways of dealing with the changes and new challenges that this pandemic has forced upon us. We all have some sense of angst during these [...]
BY NAOMI STEWART, SECONDARY FRENCH TEACHER Remember way back…seven weeks ago…when we moved into Connected Learning? I think I cried at least once a day during the week after spring break. It was full of rapid preparation and baptism by fire. Instructions and expectations changed minute to minute. Admin worked hard to stay up to [...]
We hear it so often now—everything has changed; everything is different now. Even my Saturdays are different than before. I used to wake up a little later than on a weekday, go for my run, then go ahead with all the errands moved to the “Saturday-To-Do-List.” Typically, this involved a trip for groceries or to [...]
