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It’s been twenty years since the expression “21st Century Learning Skills” was coined. Two decades on, I wonder who can […]
Recent News
Head’s Blog: The Twin Sisters of Success
Ah, December approaches. That most interesting of months in the school year. Projects are coming due, special seasonal events (…are […]
Head’s Blog: Getting It “Just Right”!
If there ever were a time when “stress” was commonplace across all sectors of society, it would appear that we’ve […]
Head’s Blog: Example Is Everything
As a child, were you ever admonished by a trusted adult about a way of behaving, acting, or speaking that […]
Head’s Blog: Kids Recognize Important Things
This week we were working to complete some videography to showcase our new addition and future phases of our campus […]
Head’s Blog: Disappointment: A Scary Fact of Life!
As we prepare for Hallowe’en this year, there is no question that things will be different. Different in schools. Different […]
Head’s Blog: Standing the Test of Time!
Have you ever read one of those human interest stories about a person who, while renovating a home or building, […]
Head’s Blog: Learning to Count Wisely!
One of my favourite Albert Einstein expressions runs something like this: “Not everything that can be counted counts and not […]
Head’s Blog: Harvesting Gratitude: Practice Makes Perfect!
In a typical fall, the arrival of Thanksgiving is an important milestone that signals the end of the transition to […]
Head’s Blog: Inspiring Good, Old-Fashioned Effort!
Ask anyone who really knows me and they will tell you that Mr. A is an unabashed history and genealogy […]
Head’s Blog: Cultivating the Field for Learning
On behalf of our teachers, thank you for taking the time to view the presentations shared last night during our […]
Head’s Blog: The Newest Member of Our Team!
Take my word for it. Our new school addition will never get old. Until you have a chance to see […]
Head’s Blog: Beginning Again “On the Front Foot!”
It is with cautious optimism that I welcome everyone back for what we hope will be a year of uninterrupted […]
Closing Day
Read Mr. Anderson’s Closing Remarks and enjoy our Final Newsletter of the school year HERE including Reflections by our Longest […]
COVID-19 Update: A Letter from Mr. Anderson – June 05
Please read Mr. Anderson’s latest letter and our school news HERE.
COVID-19 Update: A Letter from Mr. Anderson, May 29
Read Mr. Anderson’s Letter and check our our School Newsletter HERE.
COVID-19 UPDATE: A Letter from Mr. Anderson, May 1st
Please read a letter from Mr. Anderson (and a House Challenge!) HERE.
Head’s Blog: Teach Your Children Well
Human beings are incredible learners. This is especially true of children who love to learn new things. They love it […]
Head’s Blog: Testing Skills by Taking Learning Outside
“Just as young children generally don’t want to be carried around while they are learning to walk, early adolescents don’t […]
Head’s Blog: Talent Plus Mission Equals Vocation
This week I have found myself reflecting on a concept that I have often considered during my close to 30 […]
Head’s Blog: Teaching, Learning, and Talent Shape a School!
Even though we are in the midst of our post-holiday dip, we are not about to let the January weather […]
Head’s Blog: Growing Grit One Child at a Time!
Welcome back to – what we hope will be for you – a great new year! Resolutions aside, the beginning […]
Head’s Blog: Children’s Books Change Lives
It is sometimes said that a good children’s book must accomplish two things: (1) it must appeal to parents, so […]
Head’s Blog: Interviewing Kids For Power!
In school, as in life, part of our job as adults is mastering the complex “arts of peace” on behalf […]
Head’s Blog: Stress and The Goldilocks Principle
With the arrival of December, many families are getting ready for a busy time of the year. Activities, gatherings, and […]
Head’s Blog: Home is Where the Hearth Is
As the days grow shorter and drearier, a desire for hearth and home can dominate the activities of many families […]
Head’s Blog: Bump, Set, Spike It…That’s How Our Kids Like It!
I don’t know how the kids are doing it, but there is no question: today’s elementary school volleyball players are […]
Head’s Blog: Teaching the Importance of Effort
Today our teachers met with parents to discuss their child’s progress during the first weeks of the school year. Some […]
Head’s Blog: The Mathematics of Progress
Today students will receive a progress report card that provides an update on their work to-date. It is not meant […]
Head’s Blog: For the Love of Spelling!
According to Wikipedia, “a spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of […]
Head’s Blog: The Social Ecology of Schools Is Culture in Action
This week I had the privilege of representing our school in the company of our Board Chair, Nate Fehrman, at […]
Head’s Blog: Building a Gratitude Generation Together
As we prepare to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on being […]
Teacher Impact This October 5th!
As we get set for the weekend, World Teachers’ Day (WTD) is upon us. Ironically, it falls on a Saturday […]
Head’s Blog: Read To Me, I’m Yours!
Einstein famously said that information is not knowledge. I was reflecting on this earlier in the week after watching some […]
Head’s Blog: The Road to Success Can Be Paved With Errors!
It was a pleasure to see so many of you at last night’s Parent-Teacher evening, especially the day after […]
Head’s Blog: A Year to Shoot for the Moon!
As we get set for the weekend, we are just about to see a beautiful fall sight: the harvest moon […]
Head’s Blog: Of Campfires, Caves and Watering Holes!
Welcome to another exciting year at Matthews Hall! By choosing to send your son or daughter to learn with us, […]
Head of School’s Closing Address – Friday, June 10, 2019, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, ON
This evening we have the privilege to travel back to the future as we spend a few moments in the […]
Hearth and Home: Boot Camp for Living!
We are in the home stretch! A week from today we will gather at the site of our school’s founding, […]
Teach Me, I’m Yours!
Years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Vancouver organized by CIJSHA (Canadian Independent Junior School […]
Head’s Blog: All Our Life’s a Circle!
Today was Grandparents’ Day at Matthews Hall – an opportunity for our entire school community to celebrate the importance of […]
Head’s Blog: Test is Not a Four-Letter Word
Scientists have known for years that being “tested” on what we’ve been learning boosts long-term memory. Many studies show that people […]
The School As Teacher
I read an article this week in the Financial Post claiming that weather can have a significant impact on mood, […]
Spaces That Inspire
“Here is my secret. It is very simple: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what […]
Back to the Future for Earth!
We tend to think of environmentalism and concern for the Earth as a modern concept; however, men and women were […]
Head’s Blog: The Lesson of the Red Bird
These days, if I listen carefully when I arrive at Matthews Hall most mornings, I can hear the song of […]
Mastering the Civilizing Arts
Last week I referred to the well-known Robert Fulghum essay about how life’s most important lessons and skills are often […]
Re-Set For Success!
The arrival of the March Break each year, followed by our return to school, is a perennial experience for students, […]
The Epidemiology of Learning!
As of today, we have all made it to the March Break and Daylight Savings is just around the corner. […]
Be the Best Version of Yourself
Today at school, several of our classes had the chance to experience a foretaste of next year as they “sprung […]
The Importance of a Personal Road Map
This week we recognize Founder’s Day, which celebrates the life and legacy of Kate Matthews after whom our school is […]
Roots of Responsibility Create Wings of Independence!
If, as Confucius claimed, “every truth has four corners”, then “it is the job of the teacher to give students […]
Goals Encourage Responsibility On the Road to Success!
As we begin a new school term, it is an opportunity for students, parents, and teachers to re-group around the […]
Reading Should Nourish the Culture of Childhood
Although it is true that no two students know exactly the same things, they often have a great deal of […]
Head’s Blog: The McMorris Attitude!
Canada, for all its mountains, has never produced a more successful snowboarder than Mark McMorris. After breaking his leg in […]
Head’s Blog: Words Define Culture
A quick review of the daily news does not usually elevate a person’s thinking or lift the spirits of the […]
Head’s Blog: The Importance of a Mastery Mindset
This week, our teachers have been finalizing report cards for the end of Term 1, which will be sent home […]
Head’s Blog: Traditions Are Important Signals
I have worked in schools for over a quarter century now (…not counting my own years as a student!) and […]
Buildings Speak and Students Respond
As we near the end of 2018, it seems like a good time to look back over the year and […]
Head’s Blog: Making Moments Matter
At this fall’s CAIS Heads and Chairs conference, I had the opportunity to discuss issues of common interest with school […]
Head’s Blog: Our Giving Tree is Growing!
We are in for a big weekend here at Matthews Hall as we welcome the annual “Holly & Ivy” Artisan […]
Head’s Blog: In Perfect Stillness, Matthews Hall Remembers
Today, students, staff and parents marked our annual Remembrance Day observance. As has become our custom over the past several […]
Head’s Blog: Student Leadership Is Not Scary!
The end of October always coincides with the celebration of Halloween. This is an annual tradition at Matthews Hall with […]
Head’s Blog: Braveheart
Where Are You Going Braveheart? To the Spelling Bee! The story of English spelling is the story of thousands of […]
Head’s Blog
Dear Parents: This week, we have been reviewing and finalizing our first set of interim reports, which will go home […]
Head’s Blog: The Case for Normalizing Struggle
In the case for “normalizing struggle” in schools, how do we do a better job of encouraging the failures of […]
Head’s Blog: Gratitude – The Foundation of Thanksgiving
As we break for Canadian Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to share some thoughts on gratitude. After all, […]
Head’s Blog: Practical Wisdom: Always in Style
As we conclude the first month of school, we have accomplished some important goals that will ensure a successful year. […]
Head’s Blog: As Goes the School, So Goes the World
Last night we gathered for our annual Parent-Teacher Night to provide parents and teachers with an opportunity to understand some […]
Head’s Blog: People Make the Difference
As the first full week of classes concludes, I can’t help but reflect on our positive beginning together. Students have […]
Head’s Blog: September – Beginning With the End in Mind
We are very happy to welcome all new and returning students and families to Matthews Hall after a long, hot […]
Mr. Anderson’s Address to the Student Body at Closing Exercises
JUNE 15, 2018 At the conclusion of this, our centennial year, we are grateful to the people of St. Paul’s […]
Head’s Blog: Genius Hour
Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability – that is how genius is often defined. I am sure […]
Head’s Blog Good Habits, Formed in Youth, Make All the Difference!
This week, I found myself flipping through the pages of a volume of the Ontario Teachers’ Manuals. The Ontario Teachers’ […]
Head’s Blog: Matthews Hall: Ahead By A Century!
With the arrival of our Centennial Homecoming and Gala this weekend, I look forward to celebrating the 100th anniversary of […]
Head’s Blog: Our Centennial Homecoming Reunion
Our “roots are showing” this year as we take time to celebrate the annual Victoria Day weekend. Not only was […]
Head’s Blog: It Takes Time to Play!
The spring of the year is a “busy” time. Students are firing on all cylinders and teachers are striving to […]
Head’s Blog: There’s No Place Like Home
“There’s no place like home”. It’s an expression we will hear on stage next week during our production of The […]
Head’s Blog: Manners Maketh the Kid!
Years ago I worked with a school parent to introduce two extracurricular courses for students that fell outside the school […]
Head’s Blog: Honouring the Arts
Each week as I “walk the walls” of our school, I enjoy the various examples of student work on bulletin […]
Head’s Blog: A Tree Falls the Way it Leans
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide on April 22nd and an opportunity to reflect on environmental themes. First […]
On Being Human: The Lesson of the Caterpillar
The founder of the Humane Farming Association, Bradley Miller, has a quotation circulating in the world of memes these days. […]
Head’s Blog: Our Centennial Celebrations
The return of our students from their March Break adventures has included many tales of trips to sunnier climes and […]
Head’s Blog: March Break – A Time to Refresh and Recreate
The arrival of the March Break is always a welcome part of the school year – for students, teachers and […]
Head’s Blog: Children – More than the Sum of their Parts
One of my favourite expressions is that “children are more than the sum of their parts”. People who know me […]
Head’s Blog: Reflecting on our Roots
As our community takes time to remember its roots this Founder’s Day during our centennial year, my thoughts turn to […]
Head’s Blog: Fostering Emotional Strength
Setbacks. We’ve all experienced these at some point in our lives. They are part of the human condition and can […]
The Power of a Good Question!
Education is often filled with acronyms and jargon that can confuse, confound or provoke. News feeds and media are […]
How the Finns Win
While the cold weather can become a drudgery over a long winter, there is also no question that active time […]
Inquiry Based Learning – Asking the Right Questions
At Matthews Hall, the week has been full of excitement about snow, upcoming ski trips and talent shows – and, […]
Gratitude: The Gift of the Nutcracker
Over 350 guests gathered to enjoy the efforts of our students and staff, as weeks of work culminated in the […]
The Case for Independence
This week I have been reflecting on the distinctive character of independent schools. There are many different types of schools […]
Head’s Blog: Accreditation
With the arrival of December, our school has just completed our accreditation visit from the association of Canadian Accredited Independent […]
Head’s Blog: Aesop Says
Each week I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts with you about students, learning and school. Although many of […]
Head’s Blog: Read to Me, I’m Yours!
In discussion with a student this week, I enjoyed a brief chat about the merits of a classic book from […]