Dear Porter Elementary Community
Here it is, my first official post as a Principal of Porter Elementary. Wow, it has been an interesting time since the announcement came out of my appointment. As you can imagine, it was filled with a myriad of emotions, ranging from the excitement felt about coming back to SD 43, to the sadness of leaving Delta after fifteen wonderful years.
Here is a little bit about me:
- I am married and have two boys that attend schools in SD43.
- I have been in education for twenty-five years (teacher, faculty associate at SFU and administrator).
- This is my fifteenth year as a school administrator.
- I am a Vancouver Canucks fan, holding on to the dream that the Stanley Cup will be coming to our city.
- I enjoy being active. My hobbies include working out and playing golf.
As all of you already know and I quickly found out, Mr. Passaglia was a huge presence in the Porter community. He was very respected by the students, staff and parents. A friend of mine gave me some good advice. He said, 'you don't have big shoes to fill, as you will make your own path'. I have a feeling my path will not be very different from that of Mr. Passaglia as we both have very similar core values. We both embody the importance of relationships and connections. Speaking of Mr. Passaglia, I am very grateful to him as he has worked hard to make the transition a smooth one.
I will usually be outside before and after school so please drop by and say hello. My plan is to get into every classroom on the first day so I can meet all the students. I have been called to a district meeting at Banting Middle on Monday so I won't be at Porter from about 12:30pm to 2:00pm but will be back before the end of the day so I can be outside with the students
I am looking forward to being the principal of Porter Elementary. I have already asked a few students (especially those in Kindergarten) to help me with my French.
Until then…
With respect.
Mr. Ashif Jiwa
Principal
Email: asjiwa@sd43.bc.ca
