I certainly saw an emphasis on safety this past week at Canyon Heights! On Tuesday, intermediate students trained to be Safety Patrollers for our school. On Thursday, we all dropped, covered and held on as we conducted our first earthquake drill of this school year as part of the Great British Columbia Shakeout.  Also on Thursday, I attended a meeting of the North Shore Safety Council where North Shore Safe Routes Advocates shared information about many initiatives taking place in our Family of Schools to promote and encourage walking or cycling to school.

Take time with your family to discuss traffic safety and earthquake preparedness. For more information go to shakeout BC or North Shore Emergency Management.

Thanks to teachers, support staff and office staff, we had a successful, smooth startup to our school year. It’s only Week 3 and so much has been accomplished. Students have met their teachers and the important work of building a safe learning community has begun. Thanks to the generosity of our parents and the energy of our PAC Executive, we have a new set of swings in our primary playground. Thanks to some grade 7 helpers, we have a good system for taking turns. [The swings are great – I know from personal experience!] Thanks to the children of Canyon Heights, I have wonderful moments each day watching as they share their enthusiasm and love of learning.

Living in North Vancouver, we have many things to be thankful for, including a beautiful natural space for living and learning. Take some time this weekend to enjoy it!