January 1st is a bit like the first day of school in that it allows one the opportunity to make a fresh start. Many of us like to do that in the form of New Year’s resolutions. Some of us are successful at these, while others, maybe less so.
Whether you believe in making resolutions or not, many of us approach the New Year as an opportunity to continue to improve and grow. The purpose of our long range plan entitled
Envisioning our Future is similar, except that it affords us five years to accomplish our goals. Since its launch in September, we have focused closely on the four key priorities we chose to be the foundation of your child’s educational journey. The following is a snapshot of how we started the New Year addressing each of them.
Support, Know and Inspire
In Monday’s Middle/Senior School Assembly, Ms. Bland praised our students for their hard work last term and challenged them to start fresh by setting individual goals for 2017. She then shared a quote from the Brazilian soccer legend Pelè, “Success isn’t an accident, it’s hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing.”
Balance and Innovate
This morning, Ms. Steadman hosted a nutrition presentation for our Grades 7-9 students. She was joined on the stage by three nutritionists from our food service provider Aramark and our Head Chef, Marcello Marano, for a discussion on Nutrition Through the Teen Years.
While Marcello and his team continue to dazzle our pallets by offering a cornucopia of nutritious options every day in the
Niczowski, Temovsky, Arrigo Dining Hall, it is important to continue to educate our students on the benefits of healthy eating and a balanced diet that includes all food groups. A plate that includes a range of colour (including vegetables and salad), in addition to protein and starch is the ideal balance.
Build and Engage our CommunityOur
Parent Association Executive held its first meeting of the year this week to brainstorm potential speakers for the Parent Association Speaker Series. Always open to new members and looking to engage our community, eight members of the Executive were joined by five CDS community members Wednesday who made excellent contributions. Feel free to join them for the next meeting February 2 at 9:00 am!
Enhance our Financial SustainabilityBack in November we announced the creation of the
York Scholarship Bursary available to three incoming Grade 9 or 10 students starting in 2017-2018. Provided by an anonymous donor, this scholarship bursary is awarded to students based on financial need, as well as a demonstrated and balanced approach toward academics, the arts and athletics.
This newly created bursary joins the existing
Eberts Entrance Scholarship, made possible by one of our co-founders, Edmond G. Eberts, as a renewable fund that helps make a CDS education possible to students who may not have considered it an option. In the words of one of our Eberts Scholarship recipients, “I know many people who would do anything to be able to come to a school like this.”
Happy New Year!