Dear Parents and Guardians,
Happy new year, and welcome back to the start of what looks set to be an exciting 2024, involving transition, change, and hectic activity. As we departed for the Christmas holidays, I mentioned that I would seize the opportunity of a new year, fresh start, new page, deep clean, etc., to outline our objectives for 2024.
Academics, Athletics, Arts (AAA)
As you all know, we are committed to a holistic view of education, encouraging students to develop their interests and enthusiasms across a wide range of subjects, sports, arts and interests. We will be seeking to provide opportunities for academic extension, to reinforce our athletics program, and to applaud the achievements of many students in the arts. I hope that you have recently read SMart, our student-run quarterly art journal, which demonstrates the creative skills of our artists. Be sure to put the school musical in your diary. The Senior School production of Something Rotten from February 29 to March 2 will be exceptional. You may also be interested to know that we are holding our first-ever arts banquet. Traditionally, there has always been an athletics banquet to celebrate sporting achievement; however, this year we will also be hosting a similar event to celebrate all those involved in music, drama, and the visual arts.
STEAM
You will recall that as an integral part of our Floreat 2030 plan, development of facilities and resources to support fast-changing technology, will be a priority. This year, we will be moving forward with our plans, adding new courses and looking for ways to further encourage students in entrepreneurial software development, programming, the harnessing of AI and robotics.
Capital Projects
We were delighted to start the academic year with the opening of the Trottier-Morgan Annex at the Junior School. This fabulous purpose-designed facility has already radically transformed the teaching and learning environment of the Junior School. We hope to harness the same advantage at the Middle School, with a substantial refurbishment that is currently undergoing planning and budget analysis, with a view to start construction over the summer. The new facility will provide more space and, up-to-date facilities, and, importantly, classrooms designed to facilitate our STEAM ambitions.
Advancement
This new year, we are continuing to ask for support to move our school forward in many ways. Present Interim Director of Advancement, Joanna Verano, is pleased with the progress toward our Annual Fund target and would like to finish the academic year with real impact. Money invested in the Annual Fund goes directly to support student-facing activities. This year, one of our targets is the ‘power of participation’. This powerful phrase captures the spirit, as well as the impact of giving. For those of us who work in the school day in and day out, knowing we are supported is a great morale boost. I would urge anyone who hasn’t considered their annual pledge yet to do so, as every little bit helps.
I know that the Advancement Team is keen to reach out to our broader diaspora, particularly in the Far East, with trips planned over the spring. I am looking forward to my final trip as a Head of School in the fall. After 30 years of building up a real affection for Hong Kong and Thailand, I shall be delighted to meet with and thank our supporters one last time.
One of the projects I am personally keen to see flourish is our sponsorship of students from the St. Andrew Nativity School in Portland. A few months ago, I visited the school and was overwhelmed once again with such an obvious demonstration that ‘education transforms lives’. I am inspired by the idea that by investing in financial aid of this sort, one can start a snowball effect that will build momentum over generations.
Boarding
Over the Christmas break and throughout the summer, we will be continuing with the refurbishment of our boarding facilities. As previously mentioned, an anonymous $2M donation got us started. Boarders are telling me that the last phase of refurbishments over the Christmas holiday are a fantastic improvement. We aspire to give our 258 boarding students the best facilities available in British Columbia. We are well on our way.
Security
One of the key priorities from our strategic plan that we are tackling this calendar year is the issue of security. This takes two forms, cybersecurity, which, as all of you who work in the corporate world know, is of crucial importance. The threat is rising, and we have had to respond. The arrival of Chetan Sondagar as Chief Information Officer is a demonstration of our commitment to further protect your privacy and guard the school against operational and financial loss. Those of you who have recently visited the Richmond Road campus will see that we are also investing in the physical security of our students, particularly our boarders. A fence is being erected around the perimeter of the campus. This attractive feature will soon be supported by gates at key points of entry, so that we can control who comes in and out of our site.
Complaints Procedure and Whistleblowing Policy
One key priority that will reach fruition this year is work prompted by our Board of Governors on our whistleblowing and parent complaint policies. I am in the process of redrafting a complaint procedure to ensure that parents with concerns that are not fully addressed can move them forward through different levels in the pursuit of a fair and just outcome. This new policy will be circulated and available for the start of the new academic year. We are also ensuring we comply with current best practice by having a clearly defined whistleblowing policy available for our employees.
EDI and Indigenous Liaison
Soon after the opening of the Trottier-Morgan Annex, we gathered back at the Junior School with Dylan Thomas, our Indigenous Scholar, and Elders from our local community to dedicate a Welcome Pole. Students under Dylan’s expert tutelage have been giving the finishing touches to a second Welcome Pole that will sit on the Richmond Road campus. Once again, a ceremony to dedicate this piece of detailed carving is another opportunity to further build a meaningful relationship with our Indigenous Elders and will be held in the spring.
Dacia Douhabi, our EDI Coordinator, has also been working on a plan that sees the implementation of many of the Board of Governors’ approved recommendations. This draft plan is being presented to the Senior Leadership Team at their retreat in late February.
Sustainability at SMUS
The Sustainability Committee continues its excellent work to explore ways in which we can minimize our carbon footprint, reduce waste from the dining hall, and invest in sustainable options for our fleet of buses. We are excited by the prospect of being the first independent school in BC to operate an electric bus, which could happen as early as September. These initiatives are expensive. If anybody wishes to support this symbolic project, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Alumni News
Over the last few years, we have been pleased to see increasing support from our alumni community. Alumni Weekend this year is on May 4 and 5, with the theme, ‘back where it all begins’. Those of a certain age may recognize this as one of the iconic titles of an Allman Brothers song. President of the SMUSAA, Neil Mulholland, is looking forward to inviting all members of our extended diaspora back to base camp for what looks set to be a major celebration.
We are also grateful to the Alumni Association for instigating their lecture series, which had a successful launch in 2023. A date for this year’s alumni lecture has been set for Thursday, February 8. We encourage you to attend. Details to follow.
This is a busy season for alumni events. Last week, we hosted hugely popular receptions in Montreal and Toronto, and I am looking forward to attending further events in Vancouver on January 18 and Victoria on January 25. This year, in a directly targeted bid to contact our American friends, our Board Chair, David Longridge, is hosting a reception in Seattle on February 15.
Appointments
Over the next few months, we will go through a busy period of appointments of staff, both administration and faculty, to ensure that we have a full team in place for September 2024. Key positions that will become available include Director of Marketing and Communications, as a result of the posting of Chanelle Bertelsen and her husband to Seoul, Korea. We are also creating a new position of Director of Human Resources, and a whole host of other positions will be advertised on our website in the usual way.
External Programs
Our Director of External Programs, Craig Kelley, was greeted soon after his arrival at SMUS by the Covid shutdown. Whilst this meant curtailed activity, it allowed the creation of an ambitious development plan. Last year, External Programs came roaring back with record student attendance, generating strong financial support for the school. You may be interested to know that almost as many students attended courses over the summer break as are full-time students at SMUS. This year, once again, the plans get bigger and more exciting. I know that Craig and his team will be keen to recruit a full contingent of staff assistants, as well as strong student enrolment. The feedback last year was overwhelmingly positive. If any of you busy parents would like to ensure that your children are off their screens, developing new skills, and having good communal fun, please keep these programs in mind for the upcoming spring break and summer.
Conclusion
Those of you who access the Richmond Road campus regularly will see that the Wenman Pavilion refurbishment is now almost complete. I have been looking for an excuse to celebrate its opening, and there can be no better excuse than the start of a new year, which offers such strong potential in so many ways. I invite any parent who may be available to join me for a glass of wine or mocktail to celebrate the start of the weekend on Friday, February 2 at 3:30 pm. You will receive an invitation through the website Punchbowl, for which you will be asked to RSVP. The Wenman Pavilion is a wonderful gathering space with arguably the best view on our campus, and we hope to share it as broadly as possible.
I have left what is arguably the most important point, from my personal perspective and for the school, until last. As you all know, our Board of Governors has set up a sub-committee to search for, identify, and appoint my successor as Head of School from September 2025. I know that this important responsibility is well advanced, and after a broad and deep consultation process, the Board is hoping to identify the successful candidate over the summer to enable a full year of smooth transition planning.
For now, I would like to finish where I started by wishing you all a very happy 2024.
