It’s time for me to take a small step back to semester one and thank the parents and staff who took the time to complete the first round of satisfaction surveys of this school year. We’ve analyzed the results–a huge thank you to Christophe, whose insights are always so enlightening–in order to better understand what you like and what you don’t like so much about The École. This feedback, along with the input I get from parents during my monthly breakfasts, helps us continue to improve our school and make it an even better fit for you.
I’ll start by noting–because it touches me enormously–that families are increasingly happy with the work we do, whether in class with the children or on the administrative side of things. It seems that now more than ever, The École has found its identity, and it is one that unites the qualities everyone seeks for their children (and in their careers, in the case of the staff survey.)
Among the things that families most appreciate are the approachability of our staff, the quality of teaching, the attention each student receives, and the fact that children are happy to come to school. For a while now, we have adopted a simple guiding principle: “WE CARE.” The motto inspires our daily practices, helps us evaluate and, if necessary, reconsider our way of doing things so that from drop off to dismissal, every child and every family feels special.
“WE CARE” has inspired diverse initiatives such as the Friendly Falcons, who welcome new students; the (very popular) birthday displays; redesigned meeting formats; and the creation of the STRIVE department to better meet every child’s needs. It’s a simple, effective motto that I’m sure will continue to generate new ideas. I’m particularly happy to see, thanks to the glowing feedback we receive, that the work we do is paying off. I am also pleased to read that colleagues are happy with their working conditions even if we must remain attentive to the sometimes overwhelming proliferation of projects punctuating the school year and setting an extremely fast pace–as a result, vacations are always welcome when they roll around!
Among the items that parents rate less highly are the school lunch, which I mentioned two weeks ago and which we are working on, the parent-teacher conferences, and the report cards. We will focus on the last two points in the coming months because the parents’ lack of enthusiasm echoes internal discussions and staff feedback. PTCs and report cards are necessary milestones in a school calendar, but they tend to feel so institutional that our unique, well-defined identity, felt strongly and clearly elsewhere, becomes diluted. In other words, when it comes to PTCs and report cards, we may resemble other schools more than we usually do!
Finally, I wanted to comment on an area that did not score as well with parents as I would have hoped: ”My opinion matters.” Please let me emphasize that your opinion absolutely matters. That’s why we are at the school door every morning–with Philippe and Laurence leading the way. That’s why Andria’s role was redefined to what it is today. That’s why I make myself available to meet you whenever you ask. If there is one thing I am sure of, it’s that we will always take the time to listen to you and work together to find the best solutions.