The first two months have sped by in a blur of new faces, meetings, planning,building relationships and the list goes on and on. It is easy to get carried away on the wave of do, do,do and one can forget to take a moment to reflect on what we really have done.
The last few days have been filled with reflection...what have I done? Is it enough? Are people happy with me? my decisions ? and so on.
But today I stood still, took a deep breath and took a really good look at the last 7 weeks. A lot has been accomplished. I am learning about the culture and personalities of a new building. I know some student's names, have spoken to and met some parents and even baked cookies with my Kindergarten class today. We started a breakfast program and received generous donations from the community to help support it. We have weekly assemblies and I have met with each teacher at least 3 or 4 times. I have been in classrooms, had many meetings, started a school Facebook page and a Kindergarten Twitter account.
For the first time I have a Vice Principal and we are navigating through our roles and creating a team.
I have also been planning a wedding! Actually the more I go on the more I can think of.......whew I really have accomplished a fair amount. Is it enough? Yes I think so. Are people happy with me and or my decisions?  Not sure but I know that I base them on the best interests of the child and thats what really matters.
I realize that we all have to stop and reflect and sometimes pat ourselves on the back for what we have accomplished and sometimes ask ourselves some tough questions but what matters is that we take the time to do it.

Today as I pause to give thanks for all the wonderful people and good fortune in my life I think about everyone who supports me on my journey in education.
I am lucky to have a Superintendant that saw promise in me when I did not. Her vision for our Division and the school leaders helped lay the foundation for my journey into school administration. Professional Development through our division helped facilitate my learning of the skills I needed to become a competent adminstrator. Descriptive feedback as well as support and a little pressure when needed helped me to continue to learn and grow. This is an ongoing process. Most importantly she serves as a model for me as I begin a new journey this year. I will work hard this year in providing my teachers with the PD opportunitues, support, ongoing feedback and a little pressure when they need it. Thanks J!

As summer comes to an end there is a promise of new beginnings. Every August holds the anticipation of a new school year. This year held that promise as well as some apprehension as I began the year in a new school with new students and staff.
Over my career I have held many positions and should be used to change as that seems to be the path I have been on. This year felt different, I was excited for the challenge of a bigger school with more students and staff yet unsure of how my role would play out.
For the first time I have a vice principal. It is taking time to build our relationship and navigate our roles as we hit the road running at full speed. We spend as much face time as we can manage throughout our days getting to know each other as well as e-mails and texts into the evening. We realize that building a strong relationship and team will help us support our students and staff.
 The importance of building relationships should never be taken lightly as it is the foundation of what we do. As such, I have spent the majority of time learning about the people, big and small that I spend my days with while trying to balance the other responsibilities of my roles.
It is this journey of balance that I hope to reflect upon.
( I realize it is October already but September sped by in a blink of an eye.)