September 14th, 2015

September 14, 2015

Dear ARK Families,

Welcome back! I hope that you all had a wonderful summer with many opportunities to rest, relax and enjoy family life. We want to begin by welcoming everyone – our returning families as well as the new ones who have moved into the community this year. We would also like to extend a really warm welcome to all of our new and returning staff this year.

Some back ground information about my life and educational experiences – I am a mother of two young men who are the products of public school system in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario. I relocated my family to the Kitchener-Waterloo area over six years ago. I began my teaching career in 1986 as a primary teacher in India and came to Canada in 1991. In Canada, I continued teaching in Etobicoke, one of legacy boards in the Toronto District School Board, where I was employed as a teacher, vice principal and principal for sixteen years. I served as principal at Alpine Public School in Kitchener since 2009 in the Region of Waterloo.

I am passionate about student learning in a safe and nurturing environment created, and maintained by caring and competent staff at the school, supported by the parents and community. It is my firm belief that community support is critical to the success of students at ARK. I encourage you to attend the School Advisory Council Meetings and continue to be engaged in your child’s school life at ARK. We look for support from you in ensuring that your child’s routines are in place at home. Regular bedtimes, scheduled evening times for homework review, exercise and healthy eating habits all make a huge difference in your child’s success at school.

AR Kaufman Public School is the best!! The staff has worked hard to create a learning environment to excite and engage our students. They are dedicated to the highest level of education for each child and consistently work in partnership with you so that your child’s needs are met each day. If you have a concern or a question, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.

I also encourage you to visit our website at http://ark.wrdsb.ca/. Our goal is to keep you up to date with all of our school happenings through this website.

Please be aware that the school organizational model is based on projected enrolment in the spring. In September, this model depends on the actual number of students attending school. Where projection does not match the actual number of students, we may need to re-organize, in fact we have already done so to a small extent. Should we need to reorganize further, we will do our best to minimize disruption to students and families. We appreciate your understanding, flexibility and support during this process.

We do value your participation and engagement in school activities. It sends an important message to your child when you take the time to support them in all their school endeavours. Specifically, I would like to encourage you to join the School Advisory Council. We discuss issues concerning student learning and well-being and meetings are usually held once a month. The first meeting is scheduled for 6:00 PM on September 16, 2015 in the school library.

Thank you for the warm welcome to the fabulous ARK community. Please drop by to say hello. I look forward to working with you all to serve the needs of each and every learner. We welcome all your suggestions, questions, and comments. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Mrs. P. Kaur

Principal