PATS and Final Exams

Please refer to the Google calendar on the home page of the Parkview Website for the dates of our PATs and our final exams.  If there are any questions please contact the office.

Artist in Residence

Parkview School had the opportunity to host artist Theodora Harasymiw during the last week of May.  Theo worked with our Elementary students to create some absolutely stunning murals that have been permanently displayed in the elementary wing of the school.  A thank you goes out to all the parent volunteers who were able to come and help.  Without you this event would not of been possible.  Please take a look at the pictures below or come and see the fantastic work in person.

A Successful School

A few years ago I attended a leadership conference for schools hosted by the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. The conference title was – “Valuing the Whole Child.” Numerous leaders from schools, universities and leaders in educational philosophy were present. I came away with many good ideas and thoughts to ponder about how to make our highly successful school even better.

Todd Whittaker, a professor at Indiana State University, led a session that discussed consistent traits of successful schools. Listed below are the 10 successful traits he discussed. I included comments as to how Parkview School is faring in each of these traits.

1. Focus on things we can do (teach) instead of things we can’t change (community).

• Parkview School focuses on providing the students with academically rich content taught by excellent teachers. Knowledge is the great equalizer. Our challenge is to provide every child with a great, quality education in an optimal learning environment.

2. We must not leave anything about teaching and learning to chance.

• Parkview’s teachers all understand and adhere to the educational philosophy of our school. Clear expectations are set forth for all staff and administration. We all work together on the common plan that has been set forth.

3. We must provide teachers with a lot of effective professional staff development and mentoring.

• Professional development is provided to the teachers before the school year begins, throughout the school year and at the end of the year before the teachers leave for the summer.  All teachers are encouraged to work closely with their colleagues when planning their lessons.

4. We must put all kids in a demanding and sequential curriculum.

• The curriculum is an academically challenging curriculum specifically sequenced to meet the needs of Kindergarten through 9th grade.

5. We must be absolutely obsessive about instructional time.

• This is the challenge put forth to our teachers regularly. We need to be teaching "bell to bell" as the saying goes. The curriculum has so much information, that it is a necessity to use all of the class time fully and effectively.

6. We must recognize that Principals are important, but there must be other leaders.

• We are fortunate to have very productive and intelligent parents who serve in the capacity of board members and volunteers. Equally important is the fact that the teachers are not afraid to step up and do whatever it takes to make this school successful! And where would be without our brilliant office staff (Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Crawford and Mrs. Sewell), custodial staff (Mr. Brunet, Mr.Truong, Ms. Lindsay, Mrs. Onaissi and Mr. Ma) and teacher assistants (Mrs. Parak, Ms. Bell, Mr. Ramadhan, Mrs. Klein, Ms. Hudson and Mrs.Kariwo). Yes, our school has many talented leaders.

7. Professionals do matter. Put in and keep good teachers.

• Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is one of the main reasons Parkview School is so great. We have incredible teachers. They work hard because they know they will be rewarded for their hard work and effort. The standard is excellence and our teachers know this and strive for it.

8. We must be obsessive about student data.

• Thanks to the Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT’s) and the districts Highest Level of Achievement Tests (HLAT’s) the administration and teachers have looked hard at the data. With this data we can determine if we have any areas of weakness in which we can improve.

9. Our schools have to be nice places to work.

• Like every workplace, there are bumps and bruises, but I am most impressed by the collegiality of our staff. The atmosphere found within the teachers' lounge, classrooms, and hallways is very positive. Our staff respects each other and holds each other accountable for professionalism and academic excellence.

10. Make your school different. Raise the bar! Set high standards and expectations!

• This is the challenge I put to the administration and staff on a consistent basis. It would be pretty easy to begin to rest on our laurels as we have been doing things well for a number of years. The test now lies in not becoming complacent and setting even higher goals. We should not be satisfied with where we are at, but constantly strive to do even better.

Perfect? Not a chance. Are we on the right track? You bet. Parkview School is a successful school, but our goal is to be even better than we currently are!

Mr. D. Beharry

Principal