On May 22, Bridlewood School was invited to share at the CBE Board of Trustees meeting. We were provided the opportunity to showcase character in learning as experienced within our learning community and beyond. As we began to prepare for the presentation to the trustees, it was a beautiful challenge to limit our sharing to only a few examples.
At the beginning of this year we chose to explore learning outcomes and results through the lens of How empathy influences what matters at Bridlewood School? using the book What Matters as our launching point. Each grade group chose to undertake the work in a unique, connected and age appropriate way. Each classroom has engaged with authentic experiences to further develop student’s character in learning. As you would expect our students and their teachers took us in directions we couldn’t have anticipated as they explored “what matters” personally and collectively. For this presentation to the Board of Trustees, we highlighted a couple of examples that we believed demonstrate our students’ character in learning as they seek to do what is right, demonstrate good character and act morally with wisdom within our learning community and beyond. In the end our examples shared were from our grade 4 and grade 6 students, who chronicled their class’s ongoing journey in character this school year. If you are interested in gaining a deeper appreciation for their presentation, it is archived on the CBE website and on Youtube (of course). The feedback from the trustees was very affirming to our students and our learning community as they were we also inspired by the creativity, caring and character of our students. Being the Principal of an elementary school has many proud moments. Monday, April 16th was absolutely one of those moments. The Bridlewood Orff Ensemble consisting of 75, un-auditioned grade 5&6 students, participated in “Orff the Wall” at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. In total there were eight CBE schools that performed their individual pieces and then all schools came together at the end to perform the finale.
The evening was a shining example to me of the power of music, song and dance to change the world around us. The passion of each performance and the enthusiasm of each performer literally took me on an emotional journey and re-ignited the optimism and hope I hold for a better future for our students. It was a gift to me and to all in attendance. I would like to thank Mrs. Fatica and the Bridlewood Orff Ensemble for giving up their lunch hours on Tuesday and Thursday for the last three months. It was this dedication that allowed your songs to permeate the hearts of everyone around you and demonstrate in such a real way the power of your music. We are looking forward to hosting families at our Student-Led Conferences on March 22 & 23. Student-Led Conferences are an excellent venue to showcase student work and to provide parents a deeper understanding of the learning experience as it pertains to your child. In addition to the student led portion parents are encouraged to book a conference with your child’s teacher as we value an opportunity for a conversation with you. This learning update should provide insight as to some of the strengths and areas for growth for your child as we enter the final three months of the school year. We truly appreciate the partnership with our parents at Bridlewood School as together we endeavor to meet the social, emotional and academic needs of your children, our learners. We realize that each student is unique and that they approach learning with a perspective and profile that is all their own. Please attend and celebrate your child's learning with us.
Conference manager will be open on Friday night at 6:00. We are looking forward to meeting with you next week during conferences. Remembrance Day matters at Bridlewood School. Many of you were fortunate enough to attend our Assembly, and you know what I am speaking of. On Friday, November 10th, our grade 4 and grade 5 students along with our choir led us through our Remembrance Day Assembly. All students, those who performed and those that observed, demonstrated a deep and profound respect for the servicemen and women that have devoted their lives to the protection of our freedoms.
Our assembly began and concluded with the students in Mr. Bhachu's, Mrs. Barge's and Mrs. Faulkner's classes offering reflections on war, conflict, sacrifice and freedom. Their writing was very detailed and served to activate my senses as I began to hear, see and feel what mattered to our grade 4 students about Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day assemblies often include "In Flanders Fields," however this year our grade 5s shared it with a slight twist. They shared a beautiful and meaningful rendition of the famous poem authored by Canadian John McCrae brought to life through music and song. I am sure I was not the only one in the crowd quietly singing along. Our choir, a non-auditioned group of students in grades 4, 5 and 6 shared the song Peace I Leave With You as arranged by Donald Moore. This piece is based on a two part canon composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Their performance was so well positioned in our assembly and led us into our moment of silence with vivid reflections for each one of us. At Bridlewood, Remembrance Day extended well beyond our assembly as I know each class explored what matters about Remembrance Day in their own unique way. As a school we chose to support the Veterans Food Drive in the days leading up to Remembrance Day. Our grade 5 classes had coordinated this effort and frequently reminded us to bring our donations to the school. In all students contributed over 1000 food items that filled the five large boxes provided by the Poppy Fund. Some grade 5 students helped me load these onto my truck and they can attest to how heavy these boxes were. We delivered these items on Monday to the Poppy Fund warehouse along with a very special envelope from our students .Our grade 5 students chose to include 80 postcards that were hand painted and personalized with a picture message to the veteran that would receive it. I have included a sample of the artwork at the top of this blog to give you some idea as to the quality of the work. These postcards will be placed with food hampers by the staff at the Poppy Fund. The staff were deeply moved by the lengths our students had gone to in hounour of our Veterans. Each year I am overwhelmed by the connections our students make to Remembrance Day and this year is no different. Thank you for helping me to Remember. On Friday, grade 4, 5, & 6 students at Bridlewood joined thousands of other Alberta students by casting their ballot in Student Vote’s 2017 Alberta Local Election. Student Vote invites students to begin to explore their own values as citizens and to seek out candidates that best represent those values. But more than that, Student Vote allows students to determine their values and come up against some ideas and values that may be very contrary to the values they hold. The students have researched candidates and engaged in some dynamic discussion with their peers articulating their opinions on the candidates running for Mayor, Councilor and Public School Trustee. The richness is in the dialogue and in the realization of the power of each vote. These are important tenants of democracy, that ideas can be shared freely and openly and the citizens, through voting, determine who embodies the principles they ascribe to.
My own daughters are in grade 6 and grade 9 this year. Both of them participated in student vote at their schools. The real power of Student Vote may be in what they brought home. For the last two weeks we have had constant dialogue and discussion about the Alberta elections. My daughters have not been timid in sharing who they believe should represent our city, our community and our school board in our ward. They have sought to engage my wife and I in productive debates about the candidates, likely secretly hoping to influence how we will vote on October 16th. Perhaps it is different in your home, but in my home it is often we, the parents engaging our kids in conversations about what they did in school. It was exciting for me to have those roles reversed for the last couple of weeks and to have my daughters anxiously anticipating how the citizens of Calgary will vote. For that they will have to stay tuned. At Bridlewood, Mr. Bhachu and his class organize Student Vote. Mr. Bhachu and his students would like to say thank you to the grade 4’s, 5’s and 6’s for participating in the student vote. They shared that of the 238 eligible voters in our school, 228 votes were cast. This is so awesome, almost everybody voted! Mr. Bhachu, with some help from other teachers has counted the votes and the results will be shared on Tuesday regarding our students’ choice for Mayor, Councilor and Public School Trustee. It will be interesting to see how they compare to the results many of us awoke to this morning. Welcome to the 2017-18 school year! For those of you new to Bridlewood, I am Jason Wilcox, Principal of Bridlewood School. If I have yet to meet you, I look forward to doing so in the coming days. I am so encouraged by the start of this year. The energy and enthusiasm that our students inject into our building is what makes the profession we choose so very rewarding. This year at Bridlewood we have welcomed 540 students into our learning community spread across kindergarten through grade 6. Our students are busy making new friends, meeting their new teacher and adjusting to the transitions that each new school year brings. Bridlewood School staff have been very intentional in their efforts to understand the students in our spaces this year. We want to know them as individuals, as learners and help them adjust, problem solve and grow in the academic as well as the social-emotional arenas. We want our students to find acceptance at Bridlewood and conditions that allow them to develop the courage to push the boundaries of their understanding and confidence both inside and outside the classroom. That is our hope for this year, and we know that there will be challenges and obstacles that will require our students to demonstrate perseverance and resilience. But we do not ask our students to walk this path alone, but rather we offer our support and encouragement each step of the way. We sincerely thank you, our parent community for entrusting us with your children and the enormous task of developing them to be the best "me" they can be. We do not do this alone and ask that you, our parents, join us on this journey, through the struggles and challenges that will ultimately lead to growth and celebrations.
If you were able to join us on September 5th, you know that I like to greet our students on the first day with a rhyme that I have written in anticipation of the year to come. I have included it here as it captures the optimism I hope you share about the year ahead. IN JUNE THIS DAY SEEMED SO FAR AWAY BUT ALAS, HERE WE STAND TOGETHER TODAY I HOPE YOU ENJOYED SOME SUMMER TIME HEAT AS TODAY A NEW SCHOOL YEAR TOGETHER WE GREET I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE YOUR BRIGHT SMILING FACES I KNOW YOU HAVE COME FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES AND NOW YOU ARE HERE AND APART OF BRIDLEWOOD SCHOOL WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE A RARE AND PRECIOUS JEWEL YOU WILL MAKE NEW FRIENDS IN YOUR CLASSES IT’S TRUE AND YOUR TEACHER WILL LEAD YOU IN LEARNING THAT’S NEW TOGETHER WE WILL EXPLORE WHAT MATTERS TO US FOR STARTERS YOU MATTER, AND YOU ARE WORTH ALL THE FUSS SO FIND YOUR COURAGE, KINDESS AND EMPATHY TOO THIS YEAR PROMISES TO PROVIDE US WITH MANY A SPECTACULAR VIEW WELCOME BACK OUR DEAR STUDENTS WE HOPE YOU CAN SEE AT BRIDLEWOOD SCHOOL YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY THE KEY Once again I find myself reflecting on the passage of another school year. First let me share what an honour it is for me to be surrounded by such amazing people. The staff, students, and parents of Bridlewood School are truly remarkable and it makes me so proud to be associated with this community.
Suffice to say that every year has its triumphs and its trials; you hope that the triumphs outweigh the trials. For me there are so many celebrations that I witnessed at Bridlewood School but with all learning, failure is also an important teacher. This year we focused on how creativity was important in our learning community. It was my privilege to be around the creativity of your children every day. To watch them explore and test the limits of their abilities and to dare to fail. We as a staff feel very fortunate to serve the community of Bridlewood and for many of us the story continues next year with new students, new grades and new colleagues. Thank you for trusting us with your children, for investing in our school community in so many ways. Thanks for engaging with your child in their learning and for asking the questions that allow them to go deeper. Thanks for advocating for your child to ensure we are doing all we can to meet their social, emotional and academic needs. Last year at our final assembly I shared a poem outlining some of the learning that had occurred. In keeping with that tradition, I adjusted it to reflect parts of the learning experience from each grade to provide a glimpse into the overarching theme of purpose so prevalent in our programming for students. I have chosen to include it at the end of this document for you to see. Bridlewood is a great place to be! Have a wonderful and safe summer. If you are returning in September we look forward to that, if you are transitioning to a new school we wish you every success. Respectfully, Jason Bridlewood 2016-17 September seems like yesterday and now it is June Who could imagine it would get here so soon I was so often inspired by your enthusiasm to learn Setting a match to your imagination and watching it burn I cannot explain everything that you did We’d be here forever, heaven forbid Yet stay with me just while I mention a few I wanted to celebrate the things that you do Kindergarten your classroom was always alive As you buzzed about creating your hive Grade 1s you engineered teepees and shared a story stone Through your experiences so many deep truths from our history became known Grade 2s used their design thinking to travel across the land Cars, boats, magnets, so many things to understand Grade 3s you created windows that took us around the world Your images sparked thinking and shared beauty impearled Grade 4s you planned and designed playground possibilities Your emphasis was firmly set on everyone’s accessibilities Grade 5s you found problems that existed in our country For solutions to problems like these may you always be hungry Grade 6s you set about to colonize Mars I hope your dreams are forever among the stars This was another amazing year here And I thank each and every one of you for an outstanding year Enjoy your summer and always remember Of Bridlewood School you are forever a member “Children are the reason we are here. All children. Whoever crosses our threshold needs us to reflect back to them that they are exactly who the world wants and needs. Holding them with the utmost respect and delight is true commitment to teaching. ” Kerry White-Tucker
At the beginning of this year Mrs. White-Tucker and I had a conversation where she informed me that she would be retiring at the end of this school year. I have had the pleasure of working with Mrs. White-Tucker at two of her CBE settings. I have actually been her team partner in a shared classroom and had a front row seat for many magical moments. Through many challenging times Mrs. White-Tucker has never lost her passion and I truly believe her energy and enthusiasm for teaching children continued to grow throughout her career. Mrs. White-Tucker been a gift to public education over the last 40 years! She has inspired thousands of students and teachers, and built trust with so many families. She has restored faith in our work for some of those most marginalized participants. She has demonstrated everyday courage and has been a difference maker, a pathfinder, and an advocate for what is just and right and necessary. On Friday, CBE staff, and friends and family of Mrs. White-Tucker hosted a retirement celebration in her honour. A theme throughout the evening was the profound impact she has had throughout her career, as so many testified to her commitment and passion throughout the evening. Kerry’s career was marked by continuous improvement and ongoing learning that allowed her to hone her craft in a thoughtful, student centered, “yes let’s” way. While I still believe she was hard-wired for this work, it didn’t just happen, it was at times an intentional and somewhat unexpected process as her reflection led her to come to understand so many truths about children, teaching and learning. She has emphasized over and over that in the end it is all about love; love for the children, love for what we do and love for each other. Bridlewood School is one setting that owes Mrs. White-Tucker a great debt as she has been unwavering in her courage to meet the needs of all her learners and to promote and espouse the immense value that children bring with them to school. We as a staff are grieving this loss as I'm sure many of you are as well. Dewitt Jones once said, “It is not about being the best in the world, it is about being the best for the world.” Mrs. White-Tucker as evidenced by your extensive 40 year career and the un-measurable impacts you have had, I believe the argument could be made that you have been the best for the world and perhaps the best in it! Today we hosted our volunteer tea. If you were able to join us we trust you felt our deep appreciation for all that you do. We know that those of you able to attend represented but a small contingent of our community that has contributed to our school through multiple volunteer opportunities.
I remember my own mom volunteering at my school when I attended Marion Carson back in the 70s. The days she was there made my connection between my home and my community that much stronger, and I was likely very well behaved the days she volunteered too. At Bridlewood we recognize the deep contributions that our community makes to the student and staff experience. While I hesitate to list all the ways you contribute, as I am sure to miss several, it is so easy to generate an extensive list. You enrich the classroom experience by working in the classroom with students in centres and small groups. You help prepare materials for the students and the teachers, and of course you volunteer on field trips, both on and off-site activities. You bake cookies for class celebrations and significant events in our calendar year and run the most popular station on sports day, the “Freeze” station! Many of you participate directly and indirectly in our School Council and the Fundraising Society by attending meetings, or by supporting our casinos and fundraising opportunities. Those dollars have had a direct impact on your students’ experiences this year. Through Fundraising council has chosen to support Outdoor School, Three Left Feet Dance Residency, and Alien In-Line skating. In addition to these experiences council and the volunteers that support the school have contributed significant funds to technology within the school in the form of laptops, robots, iPads and smart boards.Our Phys. Ed, Music and Art programs have also benefitted from the generosity of Council and the Fundraising Society with equipment, instruments and materials to engage our students and motivate them to take risks and explore their interests. During our Parent/Teacher conferences in November and March the parents of Bridlewood School prepare elaborate, fantastic meals for our staff. They also have brightened our days with appreciation in the form of flowers, food and messages on International Teachers Day, Education Week and Admin Assistants Day to mention just a few. Today was all about showing appreciation to you, our volunteers that have directly contributed to the cause that remains near and dear to all of us; the experiences and the success of the students at Bridlewood School. We thank you for your selfless devotion and commitment to the needs of our community and want to state that without you the experience here would not be anywhere near as rich. Thank you again for all your do! You contribute deeply to the culture of learning and of celebration at Bridlewood School. Truly you make Bridlewood even more Bridleriffic! If you are like me, you might not have the faintest idea what Orff is all about. It wasn't until
Bridlewood's Music Specialist, Ms. Fatica, introduced me to this unique approach and explained the opportunities she was hoping to explore with our students. Perhaps a few basics before we go to far. Orff is a musical approach developed by Carl Orff. It is designed to be an interactive and incorporates elements to engage all learners, auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Calgary Orff Chapter describes it as "an active way, where imitation and exploration lead to improvisation and music literacy." On Monday, April 28th Bridlewood School Orff group performed at Orff the Wall. This performance was held in the evening at Jack Singer Concert Hall. The Bridlewood Orff Ensemble is a non-auditioned group of 41 grade 5 and 6 students who have been rehearsing during their lunch hours twice a week since February. All told the evening showcased 8 CBE schools whose music programs had chosen to explore the Orff approach with their students in an extra-curricular way. This year was the first year that Bridlewood School has performed at Orff and it is my sincere hope that we will participate in several more in the years to come. Ms. Fatica's described the piece that the students performed as follows: “I Lived” was originally performed by the band One Republic and written by front-man Ryan Tedder, who wrote the song for his four-year old son. He has been quoted saying that the meaning behind the song is that ‘for every day that you’re on this earth, for every minute that you have, the whole idea is doing nothing less than exactly what you feel you’re supposed to do and squeezing every last drop out of life every day – regardless of the difficulties or trials you face." Once again I am awestruck at the opportunities afforded to our students and the outstanding abilities they possess. I am so glad that Bridlewood was included in Orff and that Ms. Fatica brought this to our school. What an incredible showcase of engaged students demonstrating their learning through the arts. You should be very proud of them and their efforts, I know that I am! |
AuthorJason Wilcox Archives
November 2016
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