Superintendent's Weekly Digest - April 27, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

As we move into the month of May, I want to pause and recognize that May 1 is National Principals Appreciation Day — an important opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the principals who serve and lead across Central Okanagan Public Schools.

The role of the principal is one of the most important and complex leadership roles in public education. Each day, principals hold responsibility for creating the conditions where students feel safe, known, included, challenged and supported. They lead learning, support staff, engage families, respond to community needs, and make hundreds of decisions, often quietly and behind the scenes, that shape the daily experience of students and staff.

In a rapidly changing world, the work of school leadership has never mattered more. Our principals are leading in a context of increasing diversity and complexity among learners, families and society. They are supporting students with a wide range of strengths, needs, identities, cultures, lived experiences and aspirations. They are helping staff respond with care, skill and professionalism. They are building school communities where belonging, wellbeing, equity and excellence are not separate priorities, but deeply connected commitments.

We know from research and from our own experience that effective school leadership has a significant influence on student learning. Principals improve learning not only through the decisions they make, but through the cultures they build: cultures of trust, collaboration, high expectations, professional learning and shared responsibility. Their leadership helps shape the life trajectories of students by ensuring that every learner has access to meaningful relationships, strong instruction, rich opportunities and a sense of hope for the future.

Principals also play a critical role in system-level change. The priorities we hold as a district; improving literacy and numeracy, strengthening equity and inclusion, advancing Truth and Reconciliation, supporting student voice and agency, deepening family and community partnerships, and sustaining healthy learning environments come to life through the daily leadership of principals in schools. They translate system direction into meaningful local action. They help staff make sense of change. They listen to students and families. They lead with both courage and compassion.

On behalf of Central Okanagan Public Schools, I want to extend heartfelt appreciation to every principal in our district. Thank you for the leadership you provide to your staff, your students and your communities. Thank you for the care you bring to difficult decisions, the hope you create for students, and the steady commitment you demonstrate to improving learning experiences for every child.

Our district is stronger because of your leadership, and our students’ futures are brighter because of the work you do each day.

Jon

For Your Action

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Ministry of Education and Child Care Reminders

Upcoming Board Events

Important Dates in April/May