My Response
As my Vision and Mission Statement clearly indicate, what I advocate for is stakeholder communication and collaboration. Within that framework, I feel that my specific priorities will be identified by those stakeholders; I am here to represent the needs and opinions of my constituents – the students, the parents and the teachers. Throughout the campaign a number of issues have been brought to me repeatedly in conversations, phone calls and e-mails. I have posted my thoughts on a number of these issues in the Community Dialogue section of this website but in these final hours of the campaign, I felt it was probably best to provide a synopsis of the issues that are emerging as relevant priorities. The order of presentation reflects to a certain degree the frequency of mention of the issue and my own weighting of them:
· Equitable education opportunities for all students regardless of culture, background or ability
· Inclusive schools where all students and families feel welcome
· Reinstatement of the Ontario's 2015 Health and Physical Education Curriculum
· Physical fitness that is activity based and generalizable to life beyond the school
· Student mental health and wellness
· Exploring and supporting innovative teaching practices that prepare our children for their future not ours
· Accountability and transparency in decision making by the Board
· Evaluation and measurable outcomes for programs and initiatives
· Ensuring that the 4 Cs of 21st century learning – creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration - are intrinsic to all programs
· Evaluation of school infrastructure specifically regarding the issue of hot schools