​Dear Families of Montroyal Students,

Happy New Year! My name is Doug Beveridge, and I am pleased to be working as the new Principal of Montroyal Elementary School. I have been working in North Vancouver as an educator in elementary schools for over 25 year and have worked in a number of different schools over the years.

It has been a pleasure to get to meet all the wonderful students and staff of this great school. The classes are warm and welcoming. Thank you to all the students and teachers who have welcomed me into their rooms. It is a pleasure to talk to students about their learning and to see them engaged in quiet work, collaborative work and/or class discussions.

Some of my initial observations from my first week include;

• The lower playground contains some very active children during our recess and lunch breaks. The smiles and joyful noises that one hears when children are playing together can bring sunshine to a cloudy day. Thanks to one of our Kindergarten students for giving me a tour of the lower playground areas. She taught me who can play where and what the best play areas are.
• The Upper field and North East part of the playground had some active play happening, and students were well spaced and running around burning off a lot of energy.
• The forest area and the creek are quite special. I met up with a few of our newer students and we were all so pleased to be at a school that is so close to nature. We all agreed that it was cool to spend time in the woods.
• I am not the only new person to the school. This week we welcomed several new students to our classes, as well as a new cohort of students in our Literacy Centre.

Prior to the Winter Break, I was able to join some classes via MS Teams where I was able to introduce myself to students and have them ask questions of me. It was a great way to learn a bit more about the school, and I am pleased that our students continue to introduce themselves to me whenever they see me in classes, in the hallways or outside. I look forward to memorizing all their names soon and getting to know more about each of our learners.

I would like to offer my thanks to Mr. Joe Campbell, who has shared with me his thoughts and insight prior to his move to Cleveland Elementary School. I would also like to extand my thanks to Ms. Erin Vandekerkhove (Vice Principal), who is helping me to learn more about the students, the school culture and the rest of the Montroyal community. We make a great team. 

I recognize that I am joining an incredible school community, filled with amazing students, wonderful staff and supportive parents. I look forward to doing my part to help us all learn and grow.

Please feel free to reach out to me via email should you wish to connect.

Take care,

Doug Beveridge

dbeveridge@sd44.ca