Simon Breakspear<\/u><\/p>\n
Breakspear spoke at a conference I attended in 2018.\u00a0 I was inspired by his ideas on cultivating collective expertise and efficacy and developing teams of teachers that can learn to improve and make each other better.\u00a0 The stellar teachers at Rockridge have been meeting to share assessment practices with one another.\u00a0 These exciting conversations are influencing our assessment practices at the senior level.<\/p>\n
Chris Kennedy<\/u><\/p>\n
Superintendent Kennedy is consistently ahead of the curve.\u00a0 The keynote speakers he organizes for Opening Day set the tone for the school year and are always aligned with what\u2019s relevant and meaningful in the current context. His regular blog posts provide such great insights into his thinking.\u00a0 I appreciated that he wasn\u2019t afraid to tackle somewhat controversial educational topics.\u00a0 I learned a great deal from this forward-thinking leader over the last ten years.<\/p>\n
Will Richardson<\/u><\/p>\n
Will Richardson\u2019s Ted Talks and his book, Why School <\/u>helped me steer the vision for our new Learning Commons at West Bay in 2012.\u00a0 Will Richardson\u2019s belief that, \u201cWe<\/em> need to prepare students to be learners who can successfully wield the abundance of knowledge at their fingertips\u201d <\/em>helped us design spaces for both content consumption and content creation.<\/p>\n Sir Ken Robinson<\/u><\/p>\n An engaging, thoughtful speaker and writer, Dr. Ken Robinson touted the importance of the arts and the power of being creative.\u00a0 Passion Projects at West Bay were inspired by Robinson\u2019s vision of providing opportunities for students to explore, design, create, and share their unique areas of interest and passion.<\/p>\n Pasi Sahlberg<\/u><\/p>\n When I heard this Finnish educator speak at a conference, I immediately wanted to change the number of recess breaks at West Bay.\u00a0 Sahlberg was very compelling in his views that unstructured play is key in giving children the skills to flourish, including creativity, innovation, and teamwork.\u00a0 The work Diane Nelson is leading in our district on Physical Literacy is also having an impact on our learners and aligns with Sahlberg\u2019s notion that students need to be engaged in more activity.\u00a0 Many Rockridge teachers provided short physical literacy breaks for our students during their longer than usual classes in the quarter system.\u00a0 Even though we are implementing a different schedule in the new year, physical breaks and outdoor learning will remain a priority.<\/p>\n Dr. Stuart Shanker<\/u><\/p>\n A leader in self-regulation, Dr. Shanker\u2019s work continues to influence how we view students\u2019 behavior.\u00a0 As a self-regulation pilot school, West Bay developed tracking tools, transformed learning spaces and provided a variety of strategies and tools to support students.\u00a0 Working with Director of Instruction Sandra-Lynn Shortall on self-regulation initiatives was very rewarding.\u00a0 We discovered that making small changes yielded significant improvements for our learners\u2019 well-being.\u00a0 We opened our doors for visitors to see self-regulation in action.\u00a0 We hosted teams from Manitoba, China and Georgia who were keen on learning about the impactful self-regulation work happening in West Vancouver Schools.<\/p>\n What were some memorable initiatives?<\/strong><\/p>\n Diversity Conference<\/u><\/p>\n When I taught at Chartwell from 2000 \u2013 2008, I experienced true collaboration as a member of the Grade 6\/7 team. Patti Williams and I were enrolled in SFU\u2019s ELL Diploma Course which prompted us to organize a Diversity Conference with the goal of deepening our students\u2019 understanding of what newcomers experience when arriving to a new country and a new school.\u00a0 I learned so much about social-emotional learning during my time at Chartwell which has remained with me to this day.<\/p>\n Grade-less Report Cards<\/u><\/p>\n The BCEd Plan in 2011 opened the door for new ways to communicate student learning.\u00a0 \u00a0West Bay teachers wanted a report card that reflected what they truly valued.\u00a0 Teachers developed a new intermediate report card which included proficiency scales for academic achievement, information on the core competencies, and student reflections on the five essential elements of the IB PYP.\u00a0 This was exciting work and marked the beginning of a shift in reporting.<\/p>\n Indigenous Education<\/u><\/p>\n As you enter the turnaround at West Bay School, you can\u2019t miss the beautiful wolf carving by Indigenous artist Rick Harry.\u00a0 As this was carved within the school, it was a fantastic opportunity for students to see how a piece of wood could be transformed into a beautiful piece of art.\u00a0 We all experienced an amazing Blessing Ceremony that accompanied the installation of the carving.\u00a0 We continue to learn so much from our friends and colleagues in the Squamish Nation who visit our schools to enrich the learning.<\/p>\n BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)<\/u><\/p>\n It is commonplace nowadays to see a device in front of each student.\u00a0 But this hasn\u2019t always been the norm.\u00a0 In 2013, two of the Grade 6\/7 classes at West Bay were involved in an action research project in which each student had a device. It was a thoughtful process, not a \u2018jump on the bandwagon approach\u2019 which proved to yield positive results.\u00a0 With the success of this project, more and more students starting bringing in their own devices to school to enhance their learning.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to imagine teaching and learning nowadays without seamless access to technology!<\/p>\n Library to Learning Commons<\/u><\/p>\n In collaboration with PAC, the library at West Bay was transformed into a beautiful Learning Commons which aligned with the shifts we were seeing in education.\u00a0 That was an exciting project!<\/p>\n What have I learned? <\/strong><\/p>\n What Matters Most?<\/strong><\/p>\n For twelve years I had the good fortune of being the principal of three schools — Cypress Park IB Primary School, West Bay IB World School and Rockridge Secondary — all located within the same \u2018family of schools\u2019. \u00a0I had the privilege of seeing students grow and develop into fine young citizens, from learning to read and write as primary students to witnessing them proudly cross the stage as young leaders.\u00a0 I think that is pretty special.<\/p>\n Pictured below is a West Bay student in Kindergarten (2009) who just completed Grade 11 at Rockridge (2021).\u00a0 My how we<\/strong> have changed! As I reflect on my fulfilling career, what stands out foremost are the people. \u00a0I was so fortunate to work alongside amazing colleagues who pushed my thinking and helped me grow in my roles as teacher and leader. \u00a0Each situation was unique, yet meaningful relationships were the consistent ingredient to happiness and success in each and every context.<\/p>\n Thank you to our District Leadership Team, my colleagues, and the students who have enriched my life in so many ways\u2026and ensured that I indeed laughed every day. \u00a0Thank you to the PACs I worked with on educational initiatives throughout the years.\u00a0 Your support was invaluable.<\/p>\n\n
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