Skip to main content


SMUS Icon
  • Discover SMUS
    • Introducing Our School
    • Our People
    • History and Traditions
    • The Campuses
    • Governance and Community
    • Careers with SMUS
  • Admissions
    • Start Here
    • Apply for Boarding
    • Apply for Day
    • Admissions Events
    • Fees and Financial Support
    • International Families
    • Welcome and Orientation
    • Publications
    • Contact Admissions
  • Our Schools and Programs
    • Boarding
    • Senior School
    • Middle School
    • Junior School
    • SMUS Camps
  • Support SMUS
    • Advancement Office
    • Annual Fund
    • Journey for Life Campaign
    • Legacy Circle
    • Vivat Foundation
    • Our Donors
    • Contact Advancement
  • Links for
    • Current Parents
    • Current Students
    • Faculty and Staff
  • News and Calendar
  • Campus Services
  • Alumni
  • Apply Now
  • Contact Us

SMUS Icon
  • Discover SMUS
    • Introducing Our School
    • Our People
    • History and Traditions
    • The Campuses
    • Governance and Community
    • Careers with SMUS
  • Admissions
    • Start Here
    • Apply for Boarding
    • Apply for Day
    • Admissions Events
    • Fees and Financial Support
    • International Families
    • Welcome and Orientation
    • Publications
    • Contact Admissions
  • Our Schools and Programs
    • Boarding
    • Senior School
    • Middle School
    • Junior School
    • SMUS Camps
  • Support SMUS
    • Advancement Office
    • Annual Fund
    • Journey for Life Campaign
    • Legacy Circle
    • Vivat Foundation
    • Our Donors
    • Contact Advancement
  • Links for
    • Current Parents
    • Current Students
    • Faculty and Staff
  • News and Calendar
  • Campus Services
  • Alumni
  • Apply Now
  • Contact Us
Andy Rodford poses with a group of Senior School students

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Discover SMUS
  3. Our People

Welcome from the Deputy Head of School

It is my pleasure to introduce you to what it means to join the SMUS Community and the place we hold in the lives of our students and family.

Photo of Andy Rodford in the Quad with students in the background
Andy Rodford, Deputy Head of School

The SMUS community has a shared mission to prepare students for their adventures ahead, whether that is attending school for the first time in Kindergarten, learning new skills, taking appropriate educational risks, or in the case of our Grade 12 students, planning the next stage of their journey after graduation. It is with these shared goals in mind that we thank you for considering SMUS for your child.

Floreat, our strategic plan, has specific aims, priorities and aspirations that will be fueled by everyone doing what they love. It means students and staff coming to school each day with springs in their steps to learn, to participate, to lead, to serve and to strive for excellence. And, it means parents encouraging from home and doing all that they can to support the school in creating enduring experiences that your child will speak of when they return for alumni events.

"Doing what you love" features prominently on Rodford’s Rules for Life, which hangs on the wall in my office and is the nuclear version of educational fuels. Our community is where that ‘doing’ can happen and proof can be seen each day on our campuses, and is alive in our alumni community. At a recent alumni event, we welcomed seven decades of grads, past parents and former faculty and staff. The room was filled with love; love for the school and especially for the people and experiences that each person had during their days at SMUS. The stories, regardless of generation, seemed to contain messages of academic rigour, resilience and grit, but were always outshone by enduring experiences and relationships that were seminal to who they are today.

Rodford's Rules For Life

Each year, students and staff lean confidently into all things ‘unfamiliar’. The idea of doing things outside of comfort zones can sometimes be unnerving, whether you are in Kindergarten, in your teen years, or as an adult. Nevertheless, trying and accomplishing new things are enormous components of learning, enduring understandings, and personal growth. With that said, SMUS presents opportunities - small, medium and sometimes large - where we encourage students to "forget terms and conditions and just hit accept" (also a Rodford Rule).

SMUS is teeming with opportunities to ‘test your edges,’ and is bolstered by unconditional acceptance when it comes to supporting the pushing of comfort zones. By adopting the notion of “I’m possible – not impossible” (another Rodford Rule), everyone in our community can challenge each opportunity without paralyzing fear, and instead, with a sense of adventure and personal growth at the centre.

Our strength is the sum of all parts, so we thank you for considering SMUS and we look forward to welcoming you for a visit.

Andy Rodford's signature

Andy Rodford
Deputy Head of School

Recent Articles

Photo of Andy Rodford in the Quad with students in the background

Educational Leadership

Educational Leadership

NEWS - November 25, 2022

A Growth Mindset is Not Just for Students

Evaluations and reviews of how we deliver teaching and learning provide fuel for our school's...
Read
Andy Rodford poses with a group of Senior School students

Leadership

Leadership

NEWS - May 13, 2022

Are You Creating a Legacy?

Deputy Head of School Andy Rodford challenges every member of the SMUS community to ensure...
Read
Merrick JS Annex view looking East from Falkland

Facilities

Facilities

NEWS - February 11, 2022

Joining Together to Transform Our School

We are excited to provide an update on the new Junior School Annex with further...
Read
  • Discover SMUS
    • Our People
      • Head of School
      • Deputy Head of School
      • Head Prefects
      • Senior Leadership Team
      • Staff Directory

St. Michaels University School is an independent day and boarding school of 1,000 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Main Reception

3400 Richmond Road

Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 4P5

(250) 592-2411 [email protected] More contact information
  • Student Intranet
  • Staff Intranet
  • Parent Portal
  • COVID-19
  • Careers
  • Staff Directory
  • Media Room
  • Facility Rentals
  • Indigenous Connections
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
  • Website Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn

© St. Michaels University School Website Feedback

We are a proud member of:

CAIS Logo CAIS Logo TABS Logo NAIS Logo ISABC Logo

Event Details