This new school year has brought many new faces to Thomson. Ms Mantini, our new principal, has many experiences after being in about 10 schools, including our neighbour Bendale. She has interacted with a wide range of people, from those university and college to those in apprenticeships. Ms. Mantini feels very positive towards our school, and says, “The students are friendly, warm, and very involved. Many of them introduced themselves to me in the hallways …”
Throughout the interview, Ms. Mantini talks a lot about various school programs and activities. This leads to her praise on Thomson’s new program - the Link Crew - in which she notices that the Grade 9’s this year are fitting in very well. Moreover, she is very happy about this year’s Graduation Ceremony brought many good reviews from teachers and parents.
In every school, certain things are done for many years, and eventually lose the reason behind them. In this aspect, Ms. Mantini is confident in providing “ new eyes” for Thomson and bringing new methods of operation into the school. In regards to the alliance of Thomson and Bendale, Ms. Mantini explained that the main goal is to expand the access to various program choices for students from both schools, such as the tech-programs at Bendale and our academic and physical courses at Thomson. Ms. Mantini also added that she understands the main concern is keeping the history and identity of Thomson, but she stressed that she sees it as “Thomson plus”, rather than a complete merge of the two schools.
When it came to Thomson’s weak point, Ms. Mantini answered, “I haven’t discovered any weak point yet.” However, with her belief in giving students a chance to understand their career areas more in depth, she would like to have more programs in the school, especially those relating to work and career fields. One focus to administration improvement is choosing and hiring the right staffs and teachers. Another change Ms. Mantini mentioned, which takes place in every school in the TDSB, is shifting the head of each curriculum every three years according to the School Board’s policy.
Ms. Mantini’s own values and principles focus on providing a variety of experiences and a respectful and safe environment for the students. “I believe that every child can succeed and it is our responsibility to help.”
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