Thursday 18 May 2017

A Breath of Fresh Air

The rooftop terrace is an ideal way to bring a bit of the outdoors into the school while
optimizing our square footage.

Our new rooftop terrace reflects Greenwood’s commitment to the outdoors while creating an urban oasis for our community.

At lunchtime on the first truly hot day of spring, the terrace is filled with students enjoying the May sunshine. Most are eating lunch, while some are chatting quietly; later in the day, students on spares will head up to the fourth floor to study or read.

The rooftop terrace is an ideal way to bring a bit of the outdoors into the school while optimizing our square footage. Our LEED Gold certified expansion also includes a green roof, which covers 30% of our roof space.




Like all of the spaces in our new building, the rooftop terrace was designed with flexibility in mind. A variety of seating choices, including benches, picnic tables and cafe tables, give students options to match up with their use of the space. A sliding door connecting the terrace to our rooftop classroom turns the room into an indoor/outdoor space for science and Food and Culture classes. Teachers from other subjects have also used the ample seating on the patio to hold class outdoors.



Thursday 11 May 2017

Maximizing Spare Time

Study bars and cruiser tables placed throughout the school provide additional options for
students looking for that perfect study spot.

The value of our new study spaces is more apparent than ever as final evaluations approach.


To a senior student in May, a spare is a precious gift: a whole 75 minutes that can be dedicated to completing homework and preparing for upcoming year-end evaluations. But to do that, students need spaces conducive to quiet study and collaborative work that are accessible throughout the day.

A quick tour through the school at any time of day makes it clear that our students are making the most of the new spaces Greenwood has to offer. The Learning Commons is as busy as ever - the booths, tables and soft seating are frequently in use, and the three breakout rooms are popular group study areas. The second-floor breakout rooms adjacent to the Student Success Centre are constantly filled with students reading, working on their laptops or chatting quietly in groups. The study bars and cruiser tables placed throughout the school provide additional options for students looking for that perfect study spot.


The booths in our Learning Commons are frequently in use.


Our second-floor breakout rooms are constantly filled with students reading, working on
their laptops or chatting quietly in groups.



Friday 5 May 2017

Reviewing the Research and Sharing Stories: Parent Conversations

"I really appreciated the opportunity to get to know so many parents," says Mary Gauthier,
Executive Director of the Greenwood Centre for Teaching and Learning and the facilitator
of our Parent Conversations.

Adolescence can be a very challenging time for both teens and their parents. Keeping up with the latest research is one way parents can navigate the thorny issues that arise during this time; sharing their stories with other parents is another.

Mary Gauthier, Executive Director of the Greenwood Centre for Teaching and Learning, began hosting “Parent Conversations” at Greenwood this year with these two goals in mind. Parent Conversations provide an opportunity to talk about the world outside the school, as well as current research that can help all parents better understand their children.

These conversations also encourage parents to share thoughts and ideas with each other. In fact, some of the most valuable insights to come out of these sessions came from parents - whether it was from a book they read, an article they reviewed or an experience they had with their own children. That’s why these sessions were conversations and not seminars - parents have much to contribute!

Mary has loved facilitating these conversations. “I really appreciated the opportunity to get to know so many parents, and it was wonderful that parents could take the time to join us,” she says. “Seeing how engaged parents were in the sessions highlighted the importance of continuing to provide opportunities like this.”

Some topics raised during these conversations also yielded follow-up opportunities for future sessions. For example, several parents were interested in learning more about teens’ use of technology - including social media and online games - and how they can help their children to manage that usage.


What did parents talk about?


Some of the most valuable insights to come out of these sessions came from parents.


Conversation topics this year included:


Click on the links above for summaries of the first two conversations. Read on for a summary of the year’s last conversations on “Teens and Finding Purpose,” held on April 24 and May 1.

Teens and Finding Purpose


There are three main ingredients that go into creating purpose:

  • A need
  • A skill
  • A love/passion

After learning about this framework, parents shared examples of when their child has been especially purposeful. This may have been in school (e.g. preparing for an upcoming evaluation) or outside of school (e.g. training for a big ski race). In every example, a need, a skill and a love or passion were present. In the studying example:

  • The need was performing well on the evaluation
  • The skill was anything from writing skills to study skills to research skills
  • The love was an affinity for the subject being studied

Parents then identified situations where they felt their child had lacked purpose - in these cases, one of these elements was usually missing. 

An “aha” moment for many parents involved discovering what purpose is not. We often attach our own adult definition to this concept and think of purpose as knowing what career we want to pursue, or what to study at university or college. For teens, finding purpose could mean deciding which courses to take in high school next year or what their summer plans are. As long as they combine a need, a skill and a passion, these decisions are purposeful.

Over 20 parents contributed to a very lively and engaging discussion of purpose at these sessions. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Resources