Nov 21, 2008 - 11:21 AM
By Grace Hoskin
R.A Sennett is our school, our community, our family. We see every day as a chance to improve, a chance to start over, a chance to get help or a chance to help. Our school family is about second chances, equality, education and friends. Sennett is home. This is our family.
In some students' worlds our school is described as "awesome," "amazing," "fun," and "unique." We tried hard to live up to the compliments. One of our monthly activities is character education, in which we focus on school-wide character traits such as integrity, initiative, empathy, honesty and fairness. In character education we take part in individual and student body. Other academic activities include P.L.C. (Professional Learning Community), circle of friends, study hall, red maple and other reading programs. Sennett is wonderfully diverse and has students with many different interests, Wide ranges of extra activities are available because of dedicated staff members. A few of these are: S.T.A.R.-- students together against racism; S.A.S.S. -- school alliance student song writers; basketball and volleyball, curling, track and field events, ski club and many more.
It has been said, to quote our school song, "Sennett is home." To help make it this way the teachers, principal, vice principal and helpful parent volunteers have been beside us all the way. There are still lots of challenges here at Sennett. Just like any other family, things can be hard. We have a multicultural background and some people can have a special need or might not be fluent in English or need extra help in subject. Everyone recognizes that and Mrs. Nova along with many other people show incredible empathy.
Not everyone has the same learning strategies. Mrs. Nova embraces that. She can often be seen with her lemur, Lionel. Exotic animals are her way of exposing students to new lessons, equity and teaching acceptance. There's always something to talk about on Wednesdays when our animal friends from Nova's Arc come to visit!
R.A. Sennett is our school. It's small. But we're proud of our accomplishments and continue to persevere for the future. Because we care we can do anything from help someone in need to write our own school song. We are all here together, as a diverse, colourful community. It can be difficult, same as anywhere else. But this is our school. R.A Sennett is our home.
Grace Hoskin is a Grade 8 student at R.A. Sennett Public School in Whitby.
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