I love words and playing with them!
What does it mean to “embrace the present?”
The phrase has two meanings that I want to unpack that I think apply well to what we get to do here at Argyle School. First. there is the meaning of “present” as gift. It truly is a gift to be a part of a community that values this place and what happens here. In this regard, I, and our staff, truly do value the gift of being a part of this community. The turnout for our conferences last week was awesome! It was so cool to see students, families, and our staff celebrating the work that has been accomplished already this
year and then to set plans in place for further growth and experiences for our Gators.
The second meaning of “present” I would like to focus in on is the time based idea that contrasts the past. As a staff, we have had some conversations in the past and continue to, about the idea of “Growth Mindset.” Carol
Dweck is an educator that has done much of the foundational work on this concept. She has argued that, “in a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for
great accomplishment.” Personally, from an education standpoint I embrace this idea because it promotes a belief that we all have the ability to learn, evolve, and grow. I believe the idea of embracing where we are today, right now, the present but with an eye towards progress is essential for us as learners, and teachers, to be most successful in a school context and beyond. I would encourage each of you to further examine the idea of Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets and think through how it might shape some of your attitudes and beliefs in the things you do everyday as well. There has been much written about this topic, however, for some more information click here.
There are so many efforts made every day around here to make this place wonderful and they are all appreciated. However, our student Gator Gusto Group (think SRC) makes a huge impact regularly and I would like to publically thank them and their staff leaders (Mr. Lamb and Mrs. Luba) for the work they do to make Argyle awesome. They do things like Spirit Days/Weeks, Hot Lunches, Menchie’s sales, and many other behind the scenes things to provide an enhanced student experience. Thank you so much…
An example of a recent Spirit day was, “Dress as your favorite Celebrity/YouTube sensation/Meme.” Here you see, “Santa in training” with a number of other dressed up Gators. Can you spot some costumes?
December promises to be a busy month with many things going on around the Swamp. Please make sure to follow along on our calendar for information on many of the events going on. We have recently added an upcoming events bar to the right side of our
webpage as well for information at a glance. One event that our Senior students (grades 5-8) are excited about is the viewing of the movie, “Wonder.” Each class has been reading and doing activities tied to this heart-warming story in preparation for the planned trip to take in this movie. Also, a reminder that while we are enjoying a respite from the brisk weather of earlier in November cold weather is certain to return…and all of our Gators need to be dressed for the weather.
A couple of events to highlight in December include our Band students concert on Dec 13th and our school wide production entitled, “Kids singing and stuff…” that runs the night of Dec 14th. Please see the list below and the previously mentioned school calendar for more information.
- Dec 7-8th – Bake Sale – noon both days
- Dec 8th – Grade 6 Curling
- Dec 8th – Grade 7/8 Soccer Tournament
- Dec 11th – Grade 5-8 @ “Wonder” 11-3pm
- Dec 12th – Grade 5-8 Skating PM
- Dec 13th – SWAMP Band Student Concert 7pm at Sheldon Williams
- Dec 14th – Winter Concert Rehearsal for students – afternoon at Sheldon Williams
- Dec 14th – Winter Concert followed by Hot Chocolate Social 630pm at Sheldon Williams
- Dec 15th – PJ/Comfy Day
- Dec 15th – Afternoon – Grade 5-8 “Winter Wonderland Dance” in the gym – produced by the GGG
- Dec 22nd – Last Day before the break (break is Dec 23rd-Jan7th inclusive)
As always, I welcome your input, feedback, and thoughts. Please drop me an email at mick.panko@rbe.sk.ca, call our main office, or stop by and chat.
Also, a reminder to check out our other online platforms including our Facebook Page, our Twitter Feed, and our website.
ARGYLE SCHOOL 