Principal’s Message May 11th

Happy Monday, Frank Panabaker Community!

Before I begin, I hope that you and your families are healthy, well, and staying safe. Wow, can you believe that we have been away from each other for 8 weeks? The staff and I want all of our students and the community to know that we miss you all very much and cannot wait to see you again soon.

A lot has happened in the weeks gone by, the staff and students have spent countless hours learning how to teach, learn, and communicate through virtual platforms. Know that we understand that every family is different and that there are many added demands that have been placed upon you during this time. We thank you for your patience, understanding, and ongoing support as we all continue to learn and grow in this new learning environment together. Your feedback to the teachers and to Mrs. Evans, and me are important and we use the feedback to continually program and engage our students in ways that help them learn and succeed.  Please do not hesitate to connect with us any time, for any reason, we are here to support you in many ways.

This past week, teachers, EAs,  and ECEs have begun connecting with students through MS Teams. It is a live virtual classroom, where teachers/students can have one on one, small group, and whole class sessions. I have been fortunate this week to join a few classroom discussions with students/teachers, (to say hello and listen in) and I want to say, learning with the students/teachers, and seeing students’ faces made my week. Mrs. Evans and I look forward to joining more class sessions in the weeks to come.

In addition to student learning and connecting, a lot of behind the scenes, activities continue to occur.

Grade 8 graduations have been canceled, however, the board will be sharing some options for schools in the weeks to come, stay tuned.

Registrations for FDK and new students also continue, please go to the HWDSB website for registration information. Also, look for weekly, biweekly spirit day information coming out soon, we want to stay connected and have fun.

Staff will begin class building for next year in the weeks to come. While we do not accept specific teacher requests if there is any important information as to the learning environment for your child that you wish to pass on in writing to Mrs. Evans ([email protected]) or me ([email protected]), please do so by May 20th. Anything after this date will not be considered.

HWDSB is interested in what families have to say about distance learning. An online engagement tool “Thoughtexchange” just opened to allow for meaningful and productive online conversations. This information will help guide and improve the work that HWDSB is doing. Please go to www.hwdsb.on.ca/thoughtexchange and share your answer to the following question by May 14th:

“Now that you have experienced distance learning during the Covid-19 school closure, what are your successes, questions, challenges, and/or suggestions?”

Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim families. We wish you peace, strength, and health during this time of fasting, prayer, and celebration.

We ask that all families continue to follow the guidelines set out by the Public Health Department, our Provincial and Federal Governments, and refer to the HWDSB website for the most up to date information. On behalf of the Frank Panabaker staff, take care, stay safe, and stay connected.

Jenny Seto-Vanderlip

Principal, Frank Panabaker School

[email protected]