Greetings Fairmeadow Community,

 

Welcome back after what I hope was a joyful break from school filled with family, friends, nourishment, and gratitude. Our remarkable students top the long list of things I am thankful for at Fairmeadow. Representing countries across the globe, diverse experiences, varying abilities and interests, more than twenty languages, and a multitude of hopes and dreams for their futures, each student is a unique and essential member of our one school community. We welcome and encourage all students daily, working to develop their fullest academic and social potential through nurturing health and wellness, providing for equity and access, and achieving high quality teaching and learning.

 

Next week we place special emphasis on the importance of all members of our one school community through our participation in Inclusive Schools Week. Sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network, Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event where schools across the world celebrate the progress made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population. While meaningful inclusion of all learners is a focus of our daily work, Inclusive Schools Week provides for a special focus on the importance of creating a safe and supportive school environment for all regardless of gender identity, socio-economic status, disability, cultural heritage, language preference, and more. Throughout the course of the week we will provide students with the opportunity to explore the differences between us all, to discuss what qualities make each of us unique, and to practice strategies we should all employ to welcome and include all learners in our classrooms, our playground, and our community.

 

Our students will have many opportunities to learn and discuss important themes throughout Inclusive Schools Week, and parents will have the opportunity as well. I encourage you to please join me for our monthly Principal's Coffee next Tuesday, December 6th from 8:45-10:00 am for a presentation and discussion on Inclusion and supporting all learners at Fairmeadow. Please note the date change from Friday to Tuesday. I'll bring the coffee, please bring your questions, comments, and your reusable mugs!

 

Our students have tremendous leadership capacity, and we need them to influence and guide school-wide initiatives at our school through our active Fairmeadow Student Council. I'm thrilled to officially welcome our new Fairmeadow 5th Grade Presidential Cabinet, charged with leading our Student Council this year! Sophie Chapman, Sharvari Vartak, Carlin Lee, and Bryan Xiao were elected by their 5th grade peers to serve in this important role. Two class representatives from each 2nd through 5th grade class will round out the membership of our student council, charged with designing spirit days and service projects for our school and our broader community. Keep a look out for details about the upcoming Second Harvest Food Bank Food Drive organized by our student council!

 

With the start of December, the cold and wet weather forces our assemblies inside the MP Room, and we start our rotation of Buddy Assemblies at Fairmeadow. The Buddy Program pairs an upper grade class with a lower grade class to encourage partnership across grade levels, and to provide an opportunity for upper grade students to act as role models and to form caring connections with younger students at our school. One task that Buddy partnerships take on is preparing a Buddy Assembly presentation, where students present a play, poem, song, dance, or activity for the rest of the student body. Please keep a look out on classroom newsletters and websites to learn when your child's Buddy Assembly will take place; we encourage parents of participating students to attend!

 

With a full three weeks of learning remaining in 2016, we have a lot to look forward to at Fairmeadow. Thank you for the enumerable ways you and your children contribute to our one school community!

Grant Althouse

Principal