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Support our schoolHead’s Blog: Good Habits to Come!
I guess it probably comes as no surprise, but those of us who are teachers spend a lot of time […]
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Head’s Blog: Building Character by Building Behaviour
This morning I was having a conversation with a friend about memories from elementary school. We both had the same […]
Head’s Blog: Never Again
Tomorrow, November 11th, is Remembrance Day – the day Canadians remember the brave men and women who served, and continue […]
Head’s Blog: Sweet Motivation!
As we sit back and reflect on our discussions from parent-teacher interviews, an important dimension of our work with students […]
Head’s Blog: Making Progress Together!
Today you will receive your child’s progress report, which includes important information about “how things are going” so far in […]
Head’s Blog: Integrity is Catching
Now that we have passed the first checkpoint of the year (Thanksgiving weekend), it is an opportune time to consider […]
Head’s Blog: Inspiring Thanks!
Thanksgiving weekend is the first long weekend of the fall and the one that marks the end of our transition […]
Head’s Blog: The Mathematics of Integrity
Have you ever hosted a visiting child in your home who tells a tall tale that you suspect is not […]
Head’s Blog: Learning to Play Ball
As a parent myself, I experienced anxiety (…and frustration!) at times when each of my four kids was in elementary […]
Head’s Blog: Renewed and Inspired!
It’s been a pleasure to welcome everyone to a new school year this week! Our returning and new students have […]
Head’s Blog: Closing the Circle!
There is one week to go before we gather as a school community at St. Paul’s Cathedral in downtown London. […]
Head’s Blog: Kaleidoscope for the Future
As we round the corner into the final weeks of school, it is a chance to update you on the […]
Head’s Blog: Traditions Begin With the End in Mind!
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), social practices, rituals, and festive events reaffirm the identity […]
Head’s Blog: Birthdays, Bonfires, and Beverages!
As we get set to enjoy the May long weekend, it is a chance to take stock of what the […]
Head’s Blog: Quiet on the Set!
If you had the chance to see Annie on the Matthews Hall stage this week, you will have been reminded […]
Head’s Blog: Simple Machines?
Unless we’ve been completely off the grid during past several months, the topic of AI – artificial intelligence – has […]
Head’s Blog: Thank You For The Music!
At the 36th annual Conference of Independent Schools Music Festival (CISMF) on April 15th, the 1200 voice student choir, string […]
Head’s Blog: A Little Good Goes Farther Than You Think, Y’all!
At CAIS schools, we all know that school fundraising is important because the relationships and resources that are cultivated ensure […]
Head’s Blog: Mission Making For the Future
As we step boldly into spring this week (…27°C!!), we are busily enjoying everything that comes with the return of […]
Head’s Blog: We Are Glad You’re Here!
Do you see me? Do you know me? Will you grow me? Shouldn’t answers to these three questions be the […]
Head’s Blog: Not a Dead Language Yet!
I have spent my career in independent schools and I am never more thankful for that opportunity than when I […]
Head’s Blog: Around the World Every Day!
International schools come in many different shapes and sizes and the term itself includes a variety of school systems encompassing […]
Head’s Blog: Resilience and Patience – A Variety of Skills!
With the March Break only “steps” away, students and teachers across the land are looking forward to some time away […]
Head’s Blog: Mind, Body and Colour!
What a difference a week can make! The snow squalls and slippery roads of last Friday have given way to […]
Head’s Blog: Planning Together for the Future!
While 2023 is still fresh, we begin together the work of articulating our next comprehensive strategic plan for Matthews Hall. […]
Head’s Blog: Learning in the Field!
This week our Grades 7s and 8s returned to the slopes in our annual Middle School ski trip. After a […]
Head’s Blog
This week I enjoyed watching our students compete in the House League French Challenge on Wednesday afternoon. Proudly wearing their […]
Head’s Blog
Welcome to 2023 and a “new year”! With the balmier temperatures this week, it’s been a “gentle” return to classes […]
Head’s Blog: The Hols are Coming! Brace Yourself!
We are almost there! Is anyone else going to be crawling across the finish line on their belly? If you […]
Head’s Blog: Sticky Situations Promote Growth!
Have you ever heard someone complain about being pulled over by the police for speeding? A common response some people […]
Head’s Blog: Bad Day, Great Day, Same Day!
According to our friends at Wikipedia, pain is a “distressing feeling caused by intense or damaging stimuli”. Seems about right. […]
Head’s Blog: Seasonal Balancing Act!
As we prepare for the month of December in school, it is important for everyone to remember that the coming […]
Head’s Blog: Boring is as Boring Does!
When I was in Middle School, I remember a comment that would elicit an immediate and challenging look from our […]
Head’s Blog: Lest We Forget to be Grateful
As our school community gathered today to commemorate Remembrance Day, the theme of service was highlighted in memory of all […]
Head’s Blog: Cutting and Polishing!
In his book A Mind at a Time, Mel Levine explains his belief that a big part of teaching and […]
Head’s Blog: Learning at the Tip of the Tongue
“What makes the human unique in all the animal kingdom?” This question was asked by King Solomon, the wisest man […]
Head’s Blog: Report Cards – A Time to “Know and Grow” Kids!
That perennial time of the school year is almost here – report card time. For teachers, it’s an opportunity to […]
Head’s Blog: Kids Grow in a Healthy Climate!
If you are like me, you can probably remember childhood moments when you felt particularly safe (or unsafe) in school, […]
Head’s Blog: The Life’s a Red Wagon
Even though we are into our second month of school, the year still seems brand new. There are many reasons […]
Head’s Blog
September 30th marks the end of the first month of school, which is always a time of adjustment for children, […]
Head’s Blog: I Belong, Therefore I Can!
“People care about you.” “Everyone is all on-deck and ready for anything.” “Matthews Hall feels like a home because my […]
Head’s Blog: Setting Sail for a Great Year!
After a two-year hiatus, it was a pleasure to see so many families and students gathered at last night’s Welcome […]
Head’s Blog: Time To Celebrate!
One week from today, we will mark the official completion of the academic year for the students and teachers of […]
Head’s Blog: Celebrating a Year of Caring!
“Academic excellence in a spirit of caring”. More than an aspiration for the future, these words are taken directly from […]
Head’s Blog: Mission Possible!
What you learn and who you become are equally important – especially in the life of a child. This dual […]
Head’s Blog: It Takes A Community to Grow a Kid!
After more than two years of guests-at-a-distance, it was a pleasure for us to welcome more than 250 parents and […]
Head’s Blog: Mission for the Future!
As we journey through the spring together, Matthews Hall will be undertaking a review of the foundational beliefs and principles […]
Head’s Blog: Every Day Is Earth Day!
As our students were reminded today, our planet is an amazing place! They also learned that it needs our help […]
Head’s Blog: Looking Forward Together!
As we prepare to enjoy the coming long weekend, we find ourselves in the throes of a classic wet spring […]
Head’s Blog: Catching a Wave!
During the “COVID season of our discontent”, it has seemed like many of us have somehow been locked in a […]
Head’s Blog: The Power to Speak!
Public speaking, heights, and creepy crawlies – did you know that these are often cited as the top three fears […]
Head’s Blog: A Calm, Assertive Spring Term Awaits
As you begin the March Break this weekend, we hope that you will be able to breathe deeply, relax fully, […]
Head’s Blog: Hold Hands And Stick Together!
“I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach […]
Head’s Blog: Presuming Good Intent Changes Everything!
This week we were so pleased to be able to celebrate Founder’s Day with the Class of 2022 by hosting […]
Head’s Blog: Something Unpredictable
Family Day Weekend has arrived! While originally created to give people time to spend with their families in several Canadian […]
Head’s Blog: Casting Shadows in February – Willie Says No!
I hope you all heard the good news last week on Groundhog Day – apparently Wiarton Willie says it will […]
Head’s Blog: Thanks For The Memories, Teach!
I was recently chatting with a friend from childhood. We have not seen each other in decades and, in fact, […]
Head’s Blog: Spot, the Life Coach!
Looks like we’ve pretty much made it through January! With its false starts and hiccups, it was not the smoothest […]
Head’s Blog: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother!
While this week felt about twice as long as a normal week, we were SO glad to have our students […]
Head’s Blog: Of Mice and Men
On Tuesday, January 25th, many people with Scottish roots will celebrate Robbie Burns Day, which commemorates the life of the famous […]
Head’s Blog: Waves of Hope and Optimism!
As I am sure we can all agree, the beginning of 2022 has given us a strange and stressful week. […]
Head’s Blog: Lighting the Way!
As we prepare for the final week before the holidays, our students and teachers have been busily going about the […]
Head’s Blog: Law of the (Blackboard) Jungle!
Have you ever heard the term “blackboard jungle” applied to schools? The expression originated with a 1950s movie of the […]
Head’s Blog: Sticks and Strings and Learning Things!
Some of you may know from your children that knitting is an activity that I enjoy. I have cultivated a […]
Head’s Blog: Getting It Just Right for the Future
Today is a significant day in the path forward for our youngest students, during our “shadow boxing” match with COVID […]
Head’s Blog: A Pittance of Time
November is always a bit of a challenging month. For starters, the days shrink noticeably and somehow both the morning […]
Head’s Blog: Mastering the Fundamentals Together!
“Excellent performance! More effort needed! Pull up your socks! It is not too late to improve! You could have performed […]
Head’s Blog: We Need More Word Collectors!
This morning I read an article about how CBC North reporter, Pauline Pemik, was the first person to interview our […]
Head’s Blog: Design Matters!
Soon, we will see a lot of action across the front and eastern sides of our school. Built in 1966, […]
Head’s Blog: Choosing Gratitude
There really should be more than one weekend per year dedicated to gratitude; however, Canadian Thanksgiving is still a time […]
Head’s Blog: Looking Back and Looking Forward!
With the arrival of October, the first month of school has officially ended. On behalf of the entire school team, […]
Head’s Blog: Beginning With the End in Mind – Together
“Back-to-School” night (aka Parent-Teacher Night) is quickly approaching and, while it remains an important annual ritual for parents, teachers, and […]
Head’s Blog: The Top of the Run!
Let’s just say it out loud: what a relief to be back together learning in-person this September! On behalf of […]
Head’s Blog: The Ceremony of Innocence
When I awoke to the local news on Monday morning, I was shocked and saddened. By the time I […]
Head’s Blog: Spring 2021 – Riding on That Crazy Bus!
Dear Parents: So, the other day I had the opportunity of a lifetime: I got the chance to chat with […]
Head’s Blog: Not In Our Home!
In spite of the current stay-at-home order, have you noticed that (for the most part) people have been continuing to […]
Head’s Blog: The “Stuff” of Living and Learning
Best wishes for the coming Victoria Day weekend! Having worked for several summers at Fort Henry in Kingston during high […]
Head’s Blog: Don’t Forget Your Slippers!
There is a promise of warmer temperatures during the coming week. I am thankful for that because for all of […]
Head’s Blog: Fairy Tales Feed Imagination
Over the past few months, I have been reading a book by American author, Anthony Esolen. It is a brave […]
Head’s Blog: What Our Teachers Do Differently!
On the shelf in my office, I have a short book by Todd Whittaker, an American educator and motivational speaker. […]
Head’s Blog: A Trip to Narnia for Spring Break!
As we prepare for the upcoming Spring Break, we remain hopeful that our students and teachers will be able to […]
Head’s Blog: Thank you, Teachers!
As we begin the spring term, I want to thank our teachers and the many supportive parents for helping us […]
Head’s Blog: Powerful Pupils Lead to Strong Students!
Having spent my life in schools, I have been variously referred to over the years as pupil, student, and teacher. […]
Head’s Blog: Walt Gretzky’s Biggest Goal!
When I awoke this morning, I read the news that Walter Gretzky, father of Number 99, had died at age […]
Head’s Blog: Virtual Thoughts
Normally, when we flip the calendar to March, we can look forward to a few things: the promise of longer […]
Head’s Blog: Being Thankful for the Past, Present, and Future!
This week we recognized the Grade 8 class during our annual Founder’s Day reception, a tradition stretching back many years […]
Head’s Blog: The Language of Success
In a typical winter, our classes would usually have the chance to experience a foretaste of the coming year as […]
Head’s Blog: The Importance of the Jump Stop
During the last several months, the word “pivot” has increased in use as organizations and individuals responded to global pandemic […]
Head’s Blog: Fine-Tuning Our Way Through It!
As we change gears to a longer break from in-person learning this winter, parents everywhere are in the same boat. […]
Head’s Blog: Let’s Talk!
How is everyone doing? I have been thinking about this question every day since our “return” to classes in January […]
Head’s Blog: “Back to Class”
As we complete our first week “back to class” for 2021, I wish you all the best for the coming […]
Head’s Blog
Well, as I write these few lines on this final day of term, I am feeling thankful for all the […]
Head’s Blog: Building the Foundation with Solid Food!
For years I have followed the educational “tension” that has often accompanied conversations between proponents of the core knowledge movement […]
Head’s Blog: Working Together Is Success!
It’s been twenty years since the expression “21st Century Learning Skills” was coined. Two decades on, I wonder who can […]
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, […]