I haven’t seen the back-to-school commercial where the parents are gleefully prancing through Staples to the tune “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” as much as usual (eg: it puts the “ad” in ad nauseum) this year. The thing that always surprised me about that spot was the gloomy looks on the faces of the children. It has never been the case with my own kids and whenever I talk to parents in September, they have similar stories:

“They were SO ready to come back”
“She had her backpack all packed in the middle of August”
“He has been wearing his tie around the house since we got it at the store”

I think this enthusiasm has something to do with our schools in general. The teachers are definitely pumped up to get the year started and if you haven’t heard from the homeroom teacher yet, you will no doubt hear the excitement in his/her voice.

The Director of our schools Mr. Macdonald summed up this phenomenon of being excited for school when he addressed the staff at a meeting this week. He talked about the three different campuses and that while they all had a slightly different “feel” about them, he is always impressed when prospective parents tell him that they sense that students, staff and parents at the school are genuinely happy to be there, and they say “I think I want my family to be part of this!” So whether next Wednesday is you first day of school with us or your 21st, we hope that you continue to feel welcome and excited to be part of our school community.

Chris Starkey
Administrative Principal
Mentor College / TEAM School