Good News – We’ve Got Mail!
Good afternoon Alma PS families. After I sent out our weekly “5 Things” updates early this week to ensure that you had all of the information you needed to know for a long list of December events, our school started out on a new student-led initiative led by our grade 3 students in Mrs. Scott’s class. I was hoping to wait until next week to share about it in our next “5 Things” email but I couldn’t wait!
On Monday I received a letter from the students asking if they could start an Alma PS mail system here for the next three weeks. As the kindergarten and primary students gather around the Christmas tree each morning learning about not only the traditions and celebrations we know, as well as other new ones they know less about, students were noticing that hope, joy and community were a big part of these events. They also felt the need to have some fun building communication between classes which is a little trickier to do these days as we navigate health and safety guidelines. The students asked me to seek approval to see if this plan would work within our guidelines. We saw this as a great opportunity to show them how the educational system worked and it has turned out amazingly well.
After consulting with the UGDSB, they agreed that it was a great idea and they loved that our students were trying to think creatively and work within the current guidelines. I wrote a letter back to the students and since then the idea has taken off! I am so proud of our students for sharing their ideas and advocating for fun and engaging learning opportunities.
All week long, students have been writing cards, posting letters, and drawing pictures for their classmates and for others around the school. You may have even had some come home. We’ve even heard from a few families about a renewed love of writing happening at home which is amazing to hear!
We are reminding students that spreading kindness and joy is the goal. Students have also been learning to consider how other students are feeling and use this as a means of encouraging others. I was excited to see the students not only leading this initiative but embracing it so whole-heartedly. I posted a picture of the mailbox and guidelines to our Alma Twitter account. Yesterday, a reporter from Elora Fergus Today reached out and interviewed Mrs. Scott and me, and today there was an article published about the project! You can find a copy for yourself to read here:
I just wanted to take a moment and share this good news story and to say thank you for raising some amazing kids. We are so blessed to support your children and your families and to support their ideas and learning.
Take care and thanks for promoting everyday reading, writing, and math as we truly learn not for school, but for life.
Jason Boyce
Principal Alma PS
Categories: News