Jennifer spoke to parents about the importance of listening intently to your children, mirroring their feelings, and the importance of acting as responsible parents. In doing so, she used her engaging presentation style to offer plenty of instructive tips and strategies. Eric Roher provided parents with some valuable information about their legal responsibilities regarding the hosting of parties for their children. Parents were somewhat shocked to hear that there were two cases before the courts involving parents who had allowed their children to have a party in their absence. Both cases involved underage drinking and tragic consequences. Dr. Ron Clavier offered parents some practical advice as to why they should not encourage or support underage drinking. Ron emphasized that both parents and educators need to do a better job in illustrating for teenagers the true cost of illegal use of alcohol and drugs.

We had 38 parents participated in the event this year. The range of professions they spoke about was impressive. Students had the opportunity to hear first hand accounts about the world of advertising, internet marketing, medical research, asset management, law, social work, television production and so forth. It was great to see how much time and effort parents put into the presentation. A few even brought some corporate swag with them!

Hearing from people in the industry is a great way for students to clarify their understanding of various careers. On a number of occasions, they also learned the path to a certain profession is not always a straight line, and that skills are more important than knowledge. This is a good takeaway for students who will enter the workplace in a time of rapid change.

The full council meets once every two weeks. Jane and I meet with this year’s Head Boy and Girl, Dan Blumberg and Emily Jarrett meet every Friday. Dan and Emily provide us with an update from the council meeting and then we discuss any issues that have been raised by the council. Most recently, students have been working with our Cafe Manager, Julie Trudeau to better understand some of the changes that have taken place in the Cafe and to share suggestions as to how Cafe service could be improved. The council also takes a lead role on organizing our Spirit Days and community fundraisers.

Overall, the work of the student leadership council is helping ensure that Greenwood truly is a student-centered school.

We foresaw the shift several years ago. Our health and physical education teachers have maintained strong ties with OPHEA through attending and presenting at their yearly conferences. Consequently, they led the school in the development of Grade 10 and 11 Personal Fitness courses. Students enrolled in these courses learn how to develop a personal fitness program and use the GoodLife facility across the street to work towards their goals. They also have guest instructors come and offer instruction in pilates, yoga and cardio-aerobics.

Overall, physical activity is a big part of the Greenwood culture. We have intermurals three times a week–last term’s focus was European handball, and this term the students have formed a basketball league. Close to two-thirds of our high school students enrol in physical education courses beyond the compulsory course offered in Grade 9. A slightly higher percentage of students participate on a school team. We also make good use of the skating rink across the street. It is a nice sight seeing the students returning from the rink, skates and stick over the shoulder, walking in twos and threes. Kind of takes me back to my youthful days out on the ice…

One other benefit of these outings occurs in the realm of social learning. So often, we presume that learning flows from teacher to student. However, the very design of our experiential program enables students to learn from one another in a variety of settings and situations. Working with your group to build a quinzee, or manage the team of dogs that pulls your sled for the week, affords our students great opportunities to share and learn from each other. Many thanks to our teachers for planning the experiences and accompanying our students on the trips!

On Tuesday evening, the students who went to Kenya in the summer (twenty-five in all) shared their experience with invited guests (mostly parents and siblings). Each student read an entry from his or her journal which when put together provided a chronicle of the 25-day trip. They also shared some stunning visual images. One of our Grade 12 students is in the process of creating a documentary about the trip, which she hopes to enter in a documentary film festival later this year. Celine provided us with an excerpt of this documentary–it promises to be an exceptional piece of work.

On Wednesday morning, George Brady came to Greenwood to speak to students in Grades 8 and 10. George is a Holocaust survivor and the brother of Hana Brady, whose story has been immortalized in the narrative “Hana’s Suitcase.” George’s grandchildren attend our school. Through the use of plain language and visual images, George recounted for the students the devastating impact the Nazi occupation of Europe had on his family and friends. George’s visit provided students in these grades who have been learning how to conduct historical inquiry the valuable opportunity to understand history using primary sources. More importantly, they heard a moving account about the ravages of racism and intolerance.

Thursday evening was the first of our three Arts Showcase events. Students in our music and drama classes staged a show for parents and friends. Art work and fashion displays were located throughout the hallways on the second and third floors of the building. All in all, it was a terrific display of creativity and original thinking.

It seemed appropriate on Friday to start the day with that old M.C. Hammer classic “U Can’t Touch This.”

Today’s assembly had a singular focus and recalled the horrific events of December 6, 1989. Close to twenty students were involved in this presentation. Besides recalling the events of the Montreal Massacre, the students also reflected on the importance of tolerance, equity and respect. As with all of our assemblies, there was a nice balance of visual images, words, and music. Quite a moving experience for all in attendance.

I had the opportunity to see the program first-hand this morning and was really impressed with the interaction of all the students. Our students board the bus at 7:30, accompanied by two Greenwood staff members and two parent volunteers. Once they arrive at Regent, they break into four groups. One group plays low-organization games in the gym–today was mostly some 5-on-5 basketball. A second group works in the computer lab, while a third group leads the Regent students on some art activities. The final group had our students giving guitar lessons to the Regent students. The array of choices seems to appeal to students from both schools.

At 8:45, classes begin at Regent. Our students then fan out to various classrooms and for the next half hour serve as reading buddies. The students take turns reading pages from a variety of texts and then complete a short worksheet summarizing what they have read.

The mood on the bus ride back to Greenwood was really positive. It was evident to all that our students appreciate the opportunity to lead and to meet children from other parts of the city.

The Toronto Star series focused on the connection between neuroscience and education. Through advances in technology, we now know so much more about the development of the human brain. One of the key findings of this research is that each brain is different and consequently, develops at different rates. Experts in this area advise educators to leverage this knowledge by customizing the delivery of their program to match the needs of individual learners. In many ways, this is precisely what we have been doing at Greenwood through the use of differentiated instruction. Is there room to grow? Absolutely. But, it is good to know that an emerging body of scientific research supports the general principles that have grounded our educational program for the past eight years.

The second series, from The Globe and Mail, focused on the debate around homework which has been played out in the media for the past several years, and may have even found its way into your home. In working with our teachers over the past years, I have emphasized that homework should be purposeful and designed to extend or support classroom learning. Deliberately, we have tried to ensure that students are not loaded down with homework. Instead, they should have some time outside of school to pursue areas of interest, socialize or simply reflect. This is in keeping with Greenwood’s belief in the education of the whole child. Based on this series, it is reassuring to know that there are other voices out there in the educational landscape that hold the same belief.

Our Grade 11 American History students returned today from a four-day trip to Boston, where they had the opportunity to visit some of the important sites they have studied in their course. Fifteen members of our Model UN club returned yesterday from the Secondary Schools United Nations Symposium that was hosted by McGill University. Our students had the opportunity to explore global issues with over 1000 students from around the world.

While these two outings take place over several days, many other examples of this type happen within the school day. Earlier this month our Grade 7 students visited Saint-Marie among the Hurons as part of their study of Canada’s Native Peoples. Our Grade 9 science students took part in simulated return to the moon and voyage to Mars scenarios. Students studying French beyond Grade 9 eat lunch at a local French restaurant as a way of using their French for a very practical purpose! All of our drama students will have attended and reviewed a local play. Students in Grade 11 who have been reading Prison of Tehran will have the opportunity to meet Marina Nemat, the author of this memoir. Opportunities such as this really bring a book off the page. Our Grade 12 Biology and Exercise Science students will visit McMaster University’s Cadaver Lab. Sounds gruesome but this is an excellent way for these students to experience a learning opportunity that is typically reserved for university students.

We also had two teams competing in the CIS finals. The U-16 Girls’ basketball team won the championship, which marked the second year in a row that we have won at this particular level. I was really impressed with how well the girls moved the ball on the court. Time after time, the girls opted not to take the low percentage long-shot and instead passed the ball in order to take advantage of a shot that was closer to the hoop. Though our U-20 boys’ volleyball team lost to UCC, they played hard throughout the three-game set. Certainly, the final game could have gone either way. I was really pleased with the way the boys supported one another and refused to cede victory to the much larger school. Both teams exhibited the kind of character we believe is important here at Greenwood.

We issue student progress reports at the end of every eight-week cycle. After each report, we analyze the results listed on each report to determine which students may require learning support beyond that which is provided by the subject teacher on a daily basis. Once these students are identified, teachers gather in grade teams and discuss how they can work collectively to support individual students. In some instances, the student’s adviser assumes the responsibility for this support. Often this simply means spending some time with the student before or after school and helping the student get better organized. We see this quite often with our younger students. In other instances, the issue may be referred to the Success Centre. In cases like this, Kathryn Kelly, the Director of the Success Centre spends some time analyzing the student’s work to see if an underlying learning issue exists.

We finished our first student review this week. Besides supporting students, these sessions also reinforce within our teaching staff a shared responsibility for student learning.

Cox emphasized that one of the critical functions for schools is to help students learn how to learn, rather than focusing solely on what is learned. Not surprisingly for those of us who are parents of young adults, these learning skills associated with executive functioning, such as planning and organization, continue to develop until the age of 25. This understanding would account for the growing popularity of learning centers on college and university campuses. It also reiterated for me the importance we place on learning skills at Greenwood and the support we provide for students with the development of these skills.

One critical concept that we continue to move toward at Greenwood was Cox’s observation that the most effective schools are those that provide students with opportunities to be significant. By this he means schools need to engage students in purposeful work. Since its inception, Greenwood has been at the forefront of experiential education and authentic learning. However, the opportunity to make deeper inroads in this area and truly engage students in purposeful learning is something we must continue to refine.

Yesterday was a rally day here at Greenwood. Students in Grades 7 to 10 and their teachers took part in Arts Day, while our senior students spent the day visiting one of several universities and colleges. Students participated in several arts-related workshops which were led by guest instructors, with one exception. Two of our student Arts Leaders had to jump in at the last minute and lead a cartooning workshop. From what I saw, they did a great job. The day ended with a concert by a highly skilled and very engaging musical combo who played songs ranging from The Lion King to Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music.” Lots of audience participation on the latter number!

Even though six weeks won’t have elapsed, we will have a partial rally day again next Friday. It’s Halloween–always a big deal around these parts. Time to start planning my costume!