Dear Parents and Guardians,
It is a sincere privilege to be joining the Avon Maitland District School Board as your new Director of Education. The team of educators, staff and leaders in this board, along with the Board of Trustees, have obviously worked hard to build a strong foundation for learning and opportunities for all learners. We will continue to build upon this foundation as we move forward.
What has enticed me to come to AMDSB is its reputation in the province for being a progressive, innovative and well-run board. This board focuses on building programs that engage students through their interest areas and that lead to higher levels of student achievement and well being. In addition, this area of our province offers many rich resources which we can tap into to enhance learning. My family and I are in transition to moving to this area as well, to become part of your community.
So you know a little bit about my background, I have worked in education for 27 years, serving as a classroom teacher, vice-principal, principal and superintendent, primarily in York Region District School Board. I have taught teachers and leaders throughout my career as a professor in an Ontario faculty of education, and in many other roles with the Ministry of Education, and local education providers. My most recent role was that of Chief Assessment Officer at the Education Quality and Accountability Office, where I met regularly with educators from across the province and learned about using different types of data to strengthen education programs. Overall, my approach to education is rooted in a belief that each student, regardless of his or her background, can succeed when schools have the right strategies in place to meet the learning needs of students and communication with families is positive and supportive.
As educators, I believe we are able to accomplish so much more for each student when we have mutually respectful working relationships with students and their parents, that help us to understand student’s strengths and needs. You know your child best and it is with you, our partners, that we will continue to enhance and strengthen our system. I do look forward to meeting many of you at various events and during my visits to schools over the next number of weeks and months.
As always, when you have questions or concerns, please address them with the teachers and school administrative teams in your schools. We are all here to serve the students in our care and we appreciate having open, transparent and trusting relationships with you as our partners.
Sincerely,
Lisa Walsh, Ph.D.