Mr. Borkowski's Back to School Message

Friends of Star of the Sea School,

Welcome back to another amazing school year here at Star of the Sea! My name is Mr. Jason Borkowski, and I am proud to be entering my seventh year as Principal. The staff and I have been busy for the past couple of weeks getting everything ready for what I expect to be our best year yet.

Our school theme this year is “Rooted in Faith.” This theme is a wonderful reminder of why we do what we do in Catholic schools. Our goal is to help our students and their families develop strong roots in our school, our parish community, and, most importantly, in their relationship with God.

With a strong root system, trees and plants can flourish and thrive, even in harsh conditions. So too, we hope the roots our students develop here will sustain them through difficult times and give them the strength and confidence to do amazing things.

There have been a few additions since we left at the end of June. We have welcomed several new staff members, including new Education Assistants, a new Librarian, and a new Grade Seven teacher. I bet our Grade Sevens are eager to get to know her!  We are also very happy to welcome back our beloved school secretary, Mrs. O’Connor.  

Academically, we are focusing on some exciting new programs, including a new Math program for Grades K–5 and a new reading program in the primary grades. The new Math program is going to be challenging, and I expect there will be an adjustment period for everyone. We are stepping up our expectations and the level of rigour in Math, and I’m looking forward to seeing our students rise to the challenge.

Our playground has also received some exciting updates, with new soccer goals on both the primary and intermediate sides, an outdoor volleyball net, a new sandbox, and more. Best of all, the grass on our field was carefully revived over the summer. Please do not walk on my baby grass! It has never looked better.

Inside the school, we made some big moves too! The Kindergarten and Grade One classrooms have swapped spaces. This will be a significant change, but one that makes a lot of sense for our youngest learners. Our Kindergarten classes are now all together in the Primary Hallway while the Grade One classes have moved into the former Kindergarten classrooms. The move inspired our teachers to reimagine their spaces and create incredibly warm, safe, and calm environments for their students.

Our Young Saints Murals have been completed! Each month we will learn about one of these saints and the virtues they exemplify.  Our Student of the Month program will also revolve around these saints as our monthly role models.

We are also delighted to welcome many, many new students this year. From Kindergarten all the way to Grade Seven, I invite all our returning students to seek out our new students and make them feel especially welcome. 

Finally, just a couple of important announcements before we get started…

Our first day of school is Tuesday, September 8th. The day begins at 8:55 a.m., with an early dismissal at 10:30 a.m. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back through the doors!

Our Annual General Meeting and Meet the Teacher Night will take place next week on Wednesday, September 16th. This is a great opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, reconnect with our school community, and learn more about the year ahead. I hope to see you all there.

Finally, class lists are going home today. I know that this is an exciting moment for students and families—and sometimes an emotional one as well. A tremendous amount of thought, care, and time goes into creating balanced classes that we believe are in the best interests of all our students.  Of course, some students may discover that they are not in the same class as a particular friend they were hoping for, and I understand that can be disappointing, but the lists cannot be changed.  We ask families to trust the care and professional judgment that went into these decisions and to help their children approach their new class with optimism and an open mind. 

Well, that’s all for now! Have a safe and relaxing long weekend with your families. We are excited to see everyone on Tuesday and to begin another wonderful year together, Rooted in Faith.

Sincerely,

Mr. Borkowski