2015/16

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Information About Proposed Changes to French Instruction in Kindergarten and Early French Immersion

This fall, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has been considering changes to the delivery of French as a second language which would affect all kindergarten programs and grades 1-3 into the Early French Immersion (EFI) program. In October 2015, parents and staff were asked to provide feedback about the recommended changes to how we deliver these programs and the recommended changes went forward to the Board of Trustees.

The school district heard from many parents who felt that more time was needed for school councils, parents and staff to be aware of the recommendations and to have the opportunity to discuss the recommendations, consider the research on this topic and to provide feedback to the Board. As a result, the Board asked staff to undertake additional consultation on this topic and to do that with a timeline that could still allow for a September 2016 implementation, if the Board decides to proceed with of any changes.

It is important to know that no decision has been made yet about the changes or the date of implementation. Additional consultation will occur in December and January; staff will present a summary report, and Committee of the Whole will consider the recommendations on February 2, 2016.

Attached is a document which explains the proposed changes in more detail. Please take a few minutes to review the document and to complete the online survey by January 11th. If you have additional questions, there is plenty of information on the district website at www.ocdsb.ca.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

November 26, 2015

BLUE AND WHITE DAY IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th!

Our family GINGERBREAD HOUSE PARTY IS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5th!

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Spirit Wear Orders deadline is Friday, November 28th!

 

Forms can be found on our website or in the main office!

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Pizza orders can be made at any time!

Please go to devonshire.hotlunches.net

Access Code: DCPS15

or

Paper forms in the main office.

Milk orders can be made at any time. Please contact the office.

If you would like financial assistance towards our Pizza or Milk program, please contact Julie Derbyshire at 613-729-3169.

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This is the time of year when we discuss student progress.

Each November, we also gather requests from staff and parents about students to be considered for OCDSB gifted screening process.

The Ministry of Education currently describes the exceptionality of Giftedness as: an unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school program to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated.

We will be accepting request for consideration by email or letter until Friday, December 4, 2015. Send communication directly to my attention (Julie Derbyshire).

You can read a lot more information on the board website

http://www.ocdsb.ca/programs/se/sepr/Pages/GiftedProgram(Gifted).aspx

We are happy to answer your questions:

Learning Support Teacher: [email protected]

Please call 613-729-3169 or email. Thank you!

November 24, 2015

School Council 6:00-7:30 in the staff room
Pizza at 5:30 in Mme Joan`s Classroom



November 19, 2015
Pizza Program Forms & Gingerbread Party Forms are in the forms tab.
Mondays 1:10-2:00 LTPA Gamepack 1-3
Tuesdays 1:10-2:00 Yoga Grades 1-2
Wednesdays 1:10-2:00 Yoga Grades 3-6
Thursdays 1:10-2:00 Basketball - all grades
Fridays 1:10-2:00 LTPA Gamepack 4-6
November 13, 2015

We play outdoors all year round (except when temperature is below -25 degrees)!

LABEL EVERYTHING!

RAIN: Hooded waterproof rain jacket, rain pants, rain boots. Umbrellas are OK at recess.

WINTER: Hooded winter coat. Warm hat, mitts & winter boots. Waterproof snow pants once the temperature dips below zero. 

For COLDER or WINDIER Days: Add a scarf or neck warmer.

We are often outside multiples times a day, and we let kids play in the rain and snow. Items do not have time to dry between recesses.

All students should have extra pairs of socks AND extra pairs of mitts in their backpacks. 

November 12, 2015

Progress Reports and Interviews

I wanted to share information with your regarding progress reports and parent teacher interviews. Under the terms of the central agreement for elementary teachers, the timing of the fall progress report was delayed. At the OCDSB, elementary progress reports will be issued for all students in grades 1 through 8 on December 10, 2015. These reports will cover the regular fall reporting period, from the first day of school to October 30th, 2015. The reports will include information about progress and teacher comments.

A reminder that Friday, November 20th is a Professional Activity Day. This is the date scheduled for parent teacher interviews. Under the terms of the central agreement, teacher-parent interviews remain at the discretion of the teacher and will be initiated if the teacher has a concern about a student’s progress. If your child’s teacher feels that an interview would be required, he or she will contact you directly to arrange a time on either the evening of Thursday, November 19th or on the morning of Friday, November 20th. As always, parents are encouraged to contact their child’s teacher if they have any questions or concerns about their child’s progress. Teachers remain committed to ongoing communication with individual parents/guardians regarding student progress and development.

Although job action has ended for elementary teachers, we continue to have sanctions in place for our educational support workers. This does have an impact on school operations and we appreciate your ongoing support as we work through those issues.

I want to assure you that our key priority remains working to ensure students have a successful school year. We appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

Kindest regards,

Julie Derbyshire
Principal

Devonshire Spirit Wear!

We have water bottles! Mugs! Tuques! Lanyards and more!

Have a look and buy for Christmas!

Order forms coming home this week! 

Order form due date is THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26th


For children

For Adults and Children

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November 6, 2015

Are you interested in paid lunchtime sports or yoga? Activities will take place at second recess between 1:25 and 2:00. Forms went home this week! Please be sure to include your child's name and classroom. Merci

Milk order forms went home this week as well and information about Pizza lunches will be heading home next week! Be sure to sign up for this fundraising programs.

Our students will be participating in Remembrance Day activities on November 11th from 9:00-10:00. At this time we will not be able to accomodate parents/guardians as we are limited in space and seating. Parents would be welcome to stand.

We will be launching our SCHOOL SPIRIT CLOTHING next week! We will have t-shirts, baseball shirts, hoodies, tuques, lanyards, mugs and water bottles. More info to come!

Allerject recall/Avisde rappel Allerject 

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French Immersion Consultation survey deadline is extended until Friday October 20th. The OCDSB wants your feedback! Voice your feedback this week.

Consultation

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October School Council Meeting: Tuesday, October 27th at 6:00 in room 5. 

Free Pizza beginning at 5:30 in room 9. Please sign up for free Pizza and free daycare

Free Pizza (click here)

School Council Agenda (click here)

Topics on the agenda...

  • French Immersion Consultation 
  • Devonshire Swag
  • Pizza and milk
  • Lunchtime programming
  • Staff wish list
  • Renovation update

October 22/15

Have a look at the video taken by Stephen Skoutajan's class for the Student Vote

Video

Girls and Boys Soccer

The boys' and girl's soccer teams represented Devonshire very well at the tournament on October 19. The girls won all 3 of their games in the round robin, then in the playoffs lost a hard fought game 1-0 in overtime. The boys won 2 of 3 games in the round robin, won their first game in the playoffs and then lost their second playoff game.

The team members played with enthusiasm and determination and were excellent ambassadors for Devonshire. Many thanks to the parents and teachers who helped with practices and the tournament.

October School Council Meeting: Tuesday, October 27th at 6:00 in room 5. 

Free Pizza beginning at 5:30 in room 9. Please sign up for free Pizza and free daycare

Free Pizza

October 20th

The Federal Election is in the gym ALL DAY MONDAY!

For the safety of students, no general members of the public are permitted in the school. Our front door will remain locked all day. Staff will be more visible in the hallways all day. Election staff are permitted to use our washrooms for the day (will have name tags)

 

Watch Global news Monday evening for interviews with our grade 5/6 students and other students from the school. Students have been involved in many lead-up learning activities for the Election, including the creation of a video "Get out & Vote" with Hey Buster and a student vote opportunities for our grade 4-5-6 students. Thank-you to Mr. Stephen Skoutajan for bringing the real world into the classroom! Here is the link to the video: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/video-kids-say-get-out-and-vote

Thank-you to Anna Sorokan for helping to organize the Cross Country event for the grades 3-4-5 and 6 students! Thank-you to Mme Marie-Eve for attending the event with the group! We had many great finishes and overall excellent participation. What a great event!

 

Monday, our girls and boys soccer teams are headed to the regional tournament. I have appreciated Mme Joan’s and M. J’s dedication to the morning practices. Bonne chance et amusez vous! Photo Retake day is on Wednesday, October 21st.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION about public consultations... ***NEW - Deadline Extended for Consultation on French Instruction for Kindergarten and Primary Early French Immersion - Survey now closes October 31st

The OCDSB is considering changes to the delivery of French language instruction in the kindergarten program that include:

Moving to a 50/50 English and French delivery model in JK and SK;

Adding English as a subject fro 60 minutes per day in grade 1 Early French Immersion classes; and

Changing math instruction from French to English in grades 1, 2 and 3.

We believe that these changes will enhance learning opportunities, provide equity of access and opportunity and support both the English with Core French and French Immersion programs. Watch our video and/or learn more on our website here.

We want your feedback on the proposed changes. Please complete our survey or join us at a consultation session. We have held two sessions and the next one will be on October 22, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. - Fallingbrook Community E.S. - 679 Deancourt Crescent, Orleans. You can also send us your thoughts at [email protected].

The School as a Community Hub


The OCDSB supports the use of our schools and facilities as Community Hubs. Partnering with community organizations and service providers can enhance student learning and well-being, and can also introduce students to more opportunities which support their development as engaged citizens.

To formalize and embed the role of schools as community hubs, the District is in the process of developing a policy which will provide direction for the future.

We value your input. Please take some time to review the draft policy on our website and submit any feedback/input by email to [email protected] by October 28, 2015. Our goal is to have the new policy in place before the end the year.

I am pleased to announce that our grade 5/6 has a new teacher! Mme Anousha Appanah will begin with the class on Monday, November 19th. She currently works part of her day at Fielding Drive Public School and comes to Devonshire with experience in French Immersion at different grades. We welcome her to the Devonshire team! She will work with Mme Radi, Mme Desjardins and Mr. Stephen to provide a rich learning environment to the grade 5/6 students.

October 14th

We are asking for your cooperation with the parking lot next to St. Ambrose.

We require all parking spots in our lot in the morning and until 3:15. 

If you are dropping off your child or children for the Devonshire School Age Program, you will be required to park on the street.

All staff members, including the Devonshire School Age Program staff have been designated parking spots effective immediately (both here at St. Ambrose and at Heritage Academy). Some staff will be parking on the street.

We are also looking for your help at morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.

We are asking that students and parents refrain from biking on school property after 8:15 AM (Supervision of students begins at this time) and at 3:00. 

For the safety of ALL students, students and parents are asked to walk their wheels during these times.

Lastly, walkers and bikers are reminded to use the PATHWAY/WALKWAY beside the school and NOT the driveway. We are very concerned someone will be hit as staff exit the parking lot.

Thank-you for your cooperation with all of these routines and safety issues.

October 7th

School Picture Day is on Thursday, October 8th.

Family Picture Evening is Thursday, October 8th from 4-7 in the gym. No appointment needed!

The fall is a time when we practice many safety drills.

Earlier this fall, we had our first Fire Drill at St. Ambrose.

We have also practiced Secure School.

Secure School is a situation in which student safety is best achieved by ‘securing’ the school rather than implementing a general evacuation. In such instances the principal will suspend the normal daily routine and require all students to remain in or proceed to designated areas within the school until such time it is determined that it is safe for the regular routine to resume. All exits will be locked.

We will have a lockdown practice next week with our School Resource Officer.

Reminders to parents: Students do not have class on Friday Oct.9th this week and the school will be closed next Monday, Oct 12th for Thanksgiving.

I am happy and sad to announce that Don Jung has increased his contract status and will no longer be part of the Devonshire team. He will be teaching for the remainder of the year at Blossom Park P.S. Mr. J. will continue to coach the girls soccer team - merci! We wish Mr. J. the best of luck in his endeavors and look forward to the day when he is able to find his way back to Devonshire.

Our timetable, including nutrition breaks is changing slightly effective Tuesday, October 13th. 

Students will eat from 10:30-10:45 and play outside from 10:45-11:10

Students will eat from 1:10-1:25 and play outside from 1:25-2:00.

Please see the timetable page for the full timetable.

October 6/15

Canada Votes! All Candidates meeting for Junior Classes! Thanks to Mr, Stephen Skoutajan for organizing this fantastic learning opportunity and to Heritage Academy for providing the space!

Please see link for more info!

October 5/15

For the SCHOOL YEAR 2016–2017

• Junior Kindergarten (JK) and Senior Kindergarten (SK) classroom instruction to consist of 50% English and 50% French education.

• The introduction of 60 minutes of daily English (as a subject) in Grade 1 Early French Immersion.

• Mathematics to be taught in English from Grades 1 through 12 in all OCDSB schools.

Visit the board website for all the supporting documentation and to access the survey

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Photo Day is Thursday, October 8th.
Family Photo evening is Thursday, October 8th from 4:00-7:00pm in the gym.

October 1/15

OSTA EMPTY SEAT APPLICATION PROCESS

September 30/15

We had an excellent first School Council meeting last night! Thank-you to those who were able to join us! We have new School Council Co-Chairs, a new secretary and treasurer. More information to be soon posted !

We are experiencing some vandalism in our washrooms here at St. Ambrose and we have increased supervision during breaks and instructional times. Please refer to this link for more information about the use of our washrooms by students.

September 27/15

At the elementary level, the union (ETFO) has imposed sanctions in school districts across Ontario. These sanctions are having some impact in our schools. A letter from the Director was sent home to elementary parents via Synrevoice email today with more information. The letter has been posted on the Director's webpage.

 As the letter explains, parents may notice the following:

  • Elementary field trips are cancelled;
  • Fundraising - teachers will not participate in fundraising including the collection of money for school programs. This may affect the operation of milk and lunch programs and other activities. In some schools this work is being undertaken by school staff, sometimes with the assistance of volunteers. The actual impact will vary by school based on the regular fundraising activities that are undertaken;
  • Individual Education Plans - teachers are not completing the documentation by established timelines, but are using appropriate accommodations with students;
  • Communication with parents is now restricted to situations where there is a safety concern or where a teacher has a concern about a child's progress; teachers are not engaging in regular communication including email, newlsetters, websites or other apps/programs that may normally be used;
  • Professional development - teachers are not participating in planned professional development activities;
  • Extra-curricular activities are not subject to sanctions, however, the paperwork associated with extra-curricular activities is subject to sanctions. The district has made some adjustments to regular practice in order to facilitate the ongoing operation of extra-curricular activities such as cross country running. However, student safety remains our first priority and if the school principal does not believe appropriate safety mechanisms are in place, the extra-curricular activities may be cancelled;
  • Fall progress reports - the union has advised teachers to submit progress report information to the principal in paper copy only. At this time the district is reviewing the impact of this sanction, but there may be changes to the timing and/or distribution of fall progress reports. More detail will be provided as we move closer to the reporting period.

The union has also advised that effective October 1st, they may begin rotating one day strikes. We are working with the union to confirm that advance notice will be provided. We will share more detail as it becomes available.

This is a challenging situation for everyone involved. The district is very appreciative of the additional work undertaken by administrators to support schools in maintaining regular school practices. We are continuing to work to address the issues associated with the sanctions as they arise.

We will continue to keep our school communities up-to-date via our website and social media channels.

September 23/15

The Crossing Guard from Bayswater and Laurel will be moving to Bayswater and Beech.

Parents/Guardians - please use the walkway next to the school for pedestrian traffic and AVOID using the driveway to exit our yard.

Drivers - please respect all parking signs and AVOID blocking our driveway.

September 21/15

There is lots of news on the labour front. The Director's webpage has been updated with new information. At the secondary level, the central agreement with secondary teachers and secondary occasional teachers has been ratified. This is great news! At the local level, negotiations with secondary teachers and secondary occasional teachers are ongoing and we remain committed to negotiating a fair and fully funded local agreement. There are some sanctions which have been imposed by the local secondary school teachers union (OSSTF). 

At the elementary level, there was an announcement Friday that the union (ETFO) would increase sanctions across Ontario beginning today, September 21st. The OCDSB is reviewing the list of sanctions and will provide more information about any impact of the sanctions. We remain hopeful that a central agreement will be reached in the near future. Locally, negotiations are ongoing with the elementary teachers union and we remain committed to negotiating fair and fully funded local agreements.

We will continue to keep our school communities up-to-date via our website and social media channels.

September 13/15

Please the attached information sheet about lice.
Lice Info Sheet

Concussion Management

September 11/15

We have had a wonderful first week at Devonshire.

Students are settling into their new classrooms and adjusting to new routines!

We are still looking for 2 Lunchtime Monitors. Please see the following link for further information. We are flexible with hours of work and days available.

September 5/15

Please join us in the school yard at 8:15 on Tuesday, September 8th to meet your child's teacher (if raining, we will meet in the gym).

Please be sure your child knows the dismissal plan for the first day of school. Any changes should be provided in writing.

Looking forward to a great year together!

August 28/15

Our school office reopens on Monday, August 31st at 8:00.

We are located at 175 Beech Street (St. Ambrose P.S.)

August 16/15

Devonshire Community Public School is at a temporary school site for 2015-2016 due to renovations.

We are located at St. Ambrose P.S.

175 Beech Street

Our phone number remains the same: 613-729-3169

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