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Dear colleagues,
Last month, I wrote about the heart at the centre of our work. I keep coming back to that truth as I reflect on our recent conference. When we gathered at Sparrow Lake, something remarkable happened—not a polished performance of perfection, but something beautifully "ish."
We came together perhaps a bit tired, maybe a bit uncertain about what the day would bring or the new connections to come. We brought our curiosities, our questions, and the challenges we're navigating in our programs. And in response to the large sheets of paper around the space—invitations to share what we're taking away, what we're curious about, and what we want to try—you filled them with honesty, intention, collective wisdom, and a little humour (which is always welcome and appreciated – how else do we stay afloat, if not through shared joy?!).
Reading your reflections, I was struck by how much we already know. How deeply we understand what children need, and how open we are to leaning into what we don’t know. How courageously we're trying to align our practice with our values, even when systems make this difficult.
I was also struck by the themes woven through your words—threads that appeared again and again, creating a kind of collective portrait of where we are as a field right now, and where we're trying to go.
So, I've done something different this month. Rather than summarizing everything in this email newsletter, I've created a collection of documented reflection pages—each exploring one of the key ideas that emerged from your sticky notes. There are photos from our time together, quotes from your reflections, small nudges from research and our speakers, and questions to sit with. Because, as we explored together, documentation isn't just for children's learning—it's for us too. It's a way of slowing down, of paying attention, of saying "what happened here matters." Your words matter. Your curiosities matter. The trying matters.
I hope that these serve as ongoing, standing invitations to keep wondering, keep trying, and keep supporting each other in this impossibly important work. Because, as someone wrote on our reflection sheets: "It's not going to be sustainable if it's not meaningful."
Let's keep making it meaningful—together.
With gratitude for your presence and your practice,
Vanessa
P.S. If any of these themes spark something you want to talk through, or if you're trying something new in your program and want to think it through together, you know where to find me. Phone calls, in-person chats, emails—whatever works for you.
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