Principal's Message

 Principal's Message:

Welcome to Pinewood Elementary School.

Situated in the heart of what was once known as “The Heights” Pinewood is a superb combination of tradition and innovation. Pinewood’s staff is a highly committed group of dynamic, caring and constantly improving individuals. The staff appreciates the fact that families have trusted us with their children. We take this responsibility seriously, and will continue to work in partnership with the community to foster a love of learning as well as developing caring empathetic students.

I am so excited to be part of such a vibrant community of teachers and learners. I began my educational journey within the walls of Campus B, then Lewis King. This journey has taken me far away from “The Heights”, and has brought me back to where I began. I have worked in the education department of New York City Zoos and Wildlife Centers, within the private science education sector, as a high school Math and Science teacher, and finally as an elementary school administrator. During my travels within education, as a student, teacher and administrator I have come to develop several guiding beliefs:

• • I believe that good schools change the lives of children and can change the world for the better

  • I believe that teachers teach children, not subjects

  • I believe that academics are an important part of the curriculum, but not the entire purpose of school

  • I believe that learning flourishes when children feel safe, nurtured, and valued

  • I believe that hate comes from fear, that fear comes from the unknown or the“different” and that schools must replace fear of the “different” with an acceptance that we need not be the same.

  • I believe that by teaching children to celebrate all the various differences in society, they will come to realize that we are all human, and that the similarities outweigh the differences

  • I believe that children are individuals and that this individuality should be encouraged, fostered and honoured

  • I believe that the world is changing, that the world our students will live in will be different than the one we grew up in, and that it is our duty to prepare children for their lives within their world

To incorporate all that is important, all that is necessary and all that is required into a school day is hard work. But it is good work, and the community of Pinewood embraces this challenge with enthusiasm and vigor. We do this together because our children are worth it!