Welcome back Gordon Denny students and families,

On behalf of the staff at Gordon Denny Community School, we extend a warm welcome to all our students and families.  It is our hope that all students will find our school to be a warm, friendly and culturally responsive place in which to learn social skills, build positive relationships, enjoy extracurricular activities, and achieve academic success.

Goulet and Goulet state “We need to recognize the enduring nature of cultural ways of being. As we have seen, Indigenous languages, knowledge, and understandings provide the key to meaningful, engaged learning. Indigenous philosophies, knowledge systems, and social relationships can be used to create new educational systems that are successful for Indigenous students” (p. 214, 2014).

With the belief of “mitho-pimatisowin” it is our vision and mission to ensure all our students are receiving a high standard of education, that will provide them with “the good life”. By promoting and developing the essential components of a community school: the learning program, which is culturally responsive for our Indigenous students, family and community involvement, integrated services, and community development, we are ensuring our students are receiving “mitho-pimatisowin”.

Gordon Denny Community School is a school we can be proud of, but it takes teamwork and effort by everyone to maintain standards of excellence.  Collaboration of staff, students, families, and the community is essential if our school is to realize its full potential.  We encourage all stakeholders, students, families, community members, to become an integral part of our school. In the Cree language this is called weechihitowin (supporting and helping each other). We must work and support one another in our children’s learning.

Sincerely,
Marlina Ballantyne, GDCS Principal