"What do you get to do each day?"

Dear Sidney Bees’ Families,

As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, writes: "As adults, we spend a lot of time talking about all of the things that we have to do." We have to pay our bills, take out the garbage, meet our commitments at work, make dinner, etc. He then invites his readers to make a small shift in language and a BIG shift in perspective: You don’t “have” to. You “get” to....

As Principal of Sidney Elementary, I get to do a lot of bucket-filling things in my week. For example, I get to share our beautiful school with ALL of you! And what a great looking place it is – thanks to the tremendous handy work of our Saanich Schools’ painters. Thank you to Krystjan and Duane for their hours of work to add a whole new sparkle to the face of our aging school. Sidney by the Sea nautical blue and white looks fabulous!

Huge thanks go out to all our community partners. At Sidney Elementary, we get to collaborate with so many talented, kindhearted and generous folks. Shout out to the volunteers from the Cycling Without Age Society who offer weekly trishaw rides in community for our students. And a warm thanks to the many Support a Reader volunteers who read weekly with our students to instill the joy of reading. Although I know there are many more community partners to thank, I must be sure to send deep gratitude over to the generous folks at Hughesman Morris Liversedge who host our August pancake breakfast. Every year, they raise valuable funds to support Sidney students in a wide variety of ways. Exciting news - this year the pancake breakfast raised a whopping $6400! Thank you Hughesman Morris Liversedge team for your support of this special community event.

Lastly, I also get to spend my days with your precious children and our amazing staff. Thank you for sending us the best kiddos you’ve got😊 When I am with Sidney students, I am invited to be in the present moment. I get to share the joy of small things - holding hands as we walk in from recess, helping with a bandaid ...or two or three, and sharing a laugh about a game, story or in some cases, my failed, yet funny attempts at remembering students’ names. Your children are so very patient and kind, as I get to know all of their names!

Parents, Sidney Bees have been working hard to learn new class expectations and how to navigate new social situations. I have no doubt that all our students, especially our kindies, will need to rest and recharge from the excitement of the last two weeks. Thank you for supporting your child(ren) in getting some valuable sleep this weekend. I hope everyone gets to sleep in! Hoping you enjoyed my first edition of Food for Thought. Until next week, when I’ll get to write to you again!