for your - Meadowridge School

Message from the
CHAiRmAn of the boARD
When I sat down to write this report, I started
thinking about what was new, what was
exciting and what had changed over the last
year at our school.
I started making lists of all the positive things that had
happened, some of the challenges that we were facing, our
achievements, and all the plans for the future. What made the
2011-2012 year stand out?
As I was looking at the graduates at this year’s Convocation
Ceremony, many of whom I have known since they were in
Kindergarten, I had time to reflect and look back. It felt like
only yesterday that we dropped off our five and six year olds
to greet Mr. Jung for the first time. We comment to each
other how time flies and hardly ever reflect on how much
work it was, how much time we spent taking them to school,
sporting events, practices, extramural activities, helping
them with homework, loving them, gently pushing them
and sometimes getting mad at them. During all of this we
celebrated their achievements and supported them when life
did not seem fair, but also busied ourselves with everyday
routines.
I came to the conclusion that it is not just the changes that
are important, but rather the fact that the school continues
to grow in leaps and bounds, just like our children. Although
there are high points and achievements, it is the ongoing
process of advancement that happens in the background that
shapes us as a school.
Like our children, Meadowridge started small in size. We
started off as a "country school" in portables 25 years ago.
The founders of our school had vision, hope, dreams and
energy to establish our school in the same way that we have
aspirations for our children. Our school has quietly come of
age as a result of the unwavering support, dedication and
ongoing work that has been done by the Meadowridge
community. Our school, like our children, is now ready to
enter the next phase.
Although our children graduate, they will continue to need
our support, leadership, advice, and feedback to help them
thrive. Our current students have to be shown positive role
models that emulate all the traits associated with a positive
institution.
We have embraced the International Baccalaureate Learner
Profiles for our school and for our Board of Governors. We
work to create an institution with strengths that foster better
communities, responsibility, civility, work ethic, leadership,
teamwork, purpose and tolerance. With the implementation
of the IB Diploma Programme, we are now one of only four
schools in British Columbia and one of eight in Canada that
offer the continuum of all three IB programmes at a single
school.
The 2011-2012 Board of Governors started its work in
November 2011, with the first meeting reviewing the
Key Decisions that arose from the document “A Vision for
Meadowridge: 2035”. This document had been the outcome
of a year-long process, mandated by the previous Board
of Governors. Committees were directed to review their
mandates and parents were invited to numerous feedback
and planning sessions, followed by a survey about all facets
of our school.
A Draft Vision Report was forwarded to the previous Board of
Governors for comment and suggestions, which were then
considered in the final draft. This was presented to the 2011-
2012 Board of Governors by Hugh Burke and Susan Waugh.
At this time Mr. Burke also outlined some key issues facing
the school and their implications. The Board of Governors
subsequently had to make some Key Decisions - most
notably regarding the size of the school, land acquisition and
starting a school foundation to develop endowments. The
option to maintain the status quo was presented, as some
parents expressed that they were happy with the current state
of the school, and they did not see any need for significant
change.
The entire Board of Governors held a meeting in December
of 2011. At this meeting, we were asked to reconsider some
Key Decisions on the future of the school, and what type of
Continued on Page 6
June 2012 Annual Report 5