Monday, December 26, 2022

Sharing Good News

 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; (Luke 2:8-10)

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate. My plans for Christmas Eve Mass with my mother and mother-in-law were thwarted by the weather, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Technology allowed for a Sunday video call between my parents, my sister in Calgary, and our home, for which I am grateful.

Other than the good news related to the Christian holiday, this past week, there were two big examples of happy announcements.

At our brief lunch staff meeting on Tuesday December 20, my principal called me up, along with two of my colleagues - Stephen Tong and Jenny Chiu. The reason: to present to us our 25th Year commemorative pins and congratulatory letters for teaching with the Toronto District School Board. (Thanks to Maha Ngo for taking this photo.)


The funny thing is this is actually my 26th year of teaching, and Chiu and Tong have been at it longer. My principal made inquiries on our behalf after I saw my friend Zelia Tavares share, via social media, her pin reception ceremony at the same time as her Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM. Thanks to my administrator for making the right calls to the right people so we could receive this memento.

The second piece of good news relates to the Grade 8 class at my school. Their hard-working teacher, Farah Wadia, spent at least six weeks focusing on essay writing skills to prepare them to enter the Raptors MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment) Huddle Up Essay Contest on the importance of famous Canadian, Lincoln Alexander. On Thursday, December 22, a camera crew and some high-ranking members of the Raptors organization and MLSE snuck into the school to deliver some exciting news - the essay written by one of Agnes Macphail's Grade 8 students (Arianne) won the grand prize!


(I'm allowed to share this photo because Ms. Wadia, in her ultra-prepared way, arranged in advance for Media Release Forms to be signed.)






I had the privilege of helping to spring the news on the class by coordinating the visitors behind the scenes and taking some school photos and videos. The entire class, with some parent chaperones, will attend a Raptors game on Lincoln Alexander Day as special guests with incredible perks. Congratulations again to Ms. Wadia and all of her students for their efforts. 

These are "big good news" items. There were several "quiet good news" events this past week as well - the successful Toy Drive coordinated by the Student Council, the continued learning even in the last week of school, and the prioritizing of safety by cancelling school on Friday, December 23 (even though the news was met with disappointment for many of our students, which goes to show how much they love our school community).  

This is the last Monday Molly Musing post for 2022. (The next one appears Monday, January 2, 2023.) Thanks to everyone who continues to read these posts. My 2022 word was "Watch". It'll be interesting to see what 2023 will be like. Love and well wishes to all!
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1 comment:

  1. Lisa NobleDecember 26, 2022 at 1:45 PM

    So much good news, friend. As ever, you have managed to celebrate others' accomplishments, while quietly mentioning your own. You are so darned good at that! I wish you much joy, and some relaxing downtime.

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