June 12, 2020
Dear Urban Academy Families,
I am not sure we needed a Friday email after our Tuesday message on year-end but in seven years I have never missed a Friday email, so here we go! I anticipate another Friday email on June 19 and then will only send one on June 26 if there is anything outstanding that requires communication or if there is any further direction from the Ministry of Education that our families will need on school operations in our current environment.
Please see attached the response and information gathered on the community survey that we circulated for our families a few weeks ago. I consider feedback from all kinds of sources throughout the year as we build programs and make operational decisions, and the annual survey is certainly a useful avenue for me. It is most helpful to hear from our families on what is working well and what we can turn our attention to and improve upon. Both last year and this year ended up being very unusual years for the school with a major move into our new school last year and a global pandemic this year, but the school has carried on, putting instruction and care of our students first, and families have responded that they see we are all working together for that purpose. A number of curricular initiatives that I had hired staff for this spring, and had timetabled for, are coming to fruition and they were the very items you identified in the survey. Programming involving more STEM opportunities for younger students, enriched math learning, our Makerspace and delivery of technology, as well as increased resource support – all are additions that have been put in place for this coming September. Please take a few minutes and go through the outcome; your time and thought in responding to the survey provides valuable input.
Thank you to UA families who completed all of their volunteer hours this year. It certainly has been an unusual end to the year and many of our families were not able to complete their goal, but we know that offering your time to our school is a priority for you and this is most appreciated. We did reduce the expectation from 25 hours to 17 hours in recognition that the in-school part of the year was much reduced. Thank you to Sonja das Gupta, who has been an outstanding Volunteer Coordinator and who has helped guide both the parent community and the school through the opportunities for volunteering.
Please scroll down and see a reminder of how dismissal for summer vacation will work on June 22 and 23. We will outline a schedule of teacher availability in the parkade in a message to you next week. The Gala Art auction is on for another week, please take some time to bid on the piece that you like before the online auction closes at 8:30pm on June 19; each piece is lovely and represents a lot of care and work on the part of your child and our staff.
Please ensure you have returned library books and textbooks to the school. We will have a table outside the front entrance and one in the parkade to drop them off. Please also arrange to come in and check for lost and found items, most of which have been in the lost and found bin for several months. Any item with a name on it will be handed to you on the last day along with any other personal possessions belonging to your child. Any uniform pieces not claimed by July 10 will be donated to used uniform sales.
Have an enjoyable weekend. We look forward to seeing you next week.
Mrs. Cheryle Beaumont
Head of School
