Photo (from left to right): Mary Donaghy, Superintendent of Student Success, Elementary; Students Nathan O’Hare, Basma Mohammed, and Shela Lamug; Mirella Frost, Creative Arts Department Head; Carrie Bowie, Principal; and Mark D. Mullan, Chairperson. 

Reaching out from Ottawa to Afghanistan

Mary Donaghy, Superintendent of Student Success, Elementary 

OCSB Trustees were delighted to welcome students from St. Patrick’s High School to hear about their participation in the global art project: The Memory Project. The Memory Project provided St. Patrick’s High School art students with the opportunity to brighten the lives of children living in a war-torn country. Each student received a picture of a child from Afghanistan. The high school student then drew the image of the child, creating a portrait that was sent to a child in Afghanistan.

Teacher Mirella Frost wanted her students to become global citizens, in word and in action. She described The Memory Project as Deep Learning at its finest. This project fostered a connection between students attending school at refugee camps in Afghanistan and the St. Patrick’s Art Club. The idea of reaching beyond the classroom was appealing to both the students and their teacher. Using the children’s photographs as a reference, the students carefully sketched the portraits of the children from Afghanistan. The drawings were then shipped overseas.

The Memory Project administrators produced a montage of video clips showcasing the children receiving their portraits. It’s hard to say who was happier — the children receiving the portraits or the St. Patrick’s students watching them!

In total, ten of the Art Club students took part in The Memory Project. This is not the first time Ms. Frost organized this initiative: two years ago, her students sketched students living in severe conditions in Syria.

Fall in Love with #ocsbOutdoors Learning Conference 

Mary Donaghy, Superintendent of Student Success, Elementary

The second annual Outdoor Learning Conference: Fall in Love with #ocsbOutdoors was held this Fall, welcoming 39 different presenters to share their expertise with attendees. Those participating included Early Childhood Educators, Library Technicians, system class teachers, occasional teachers, teachers from our elementary and secondary schools and central staff including Learning Partners, Consultants, and Coordinators. Several community partners also provided workshops. The Indigenous community, the Canadian Geographic Education group, and a local bee-keeper were all represented. The presenters helped provide a roadmap for how educators can include outdoor education in their classrooms.

The conference was held under the direction Kristen Charles, Arts Consultant in the Elementary Student Success Department.  A big believer in taking your inside classroom outside, Kristen was determined to share her love of nature with her peers — and it worked! Participants are already looking forward to next year’s conference. The event demonstrates yet another benefit of how innovating can create a sense of community and contribute to overall well being.

 Outdoor learning has many benefits, including:

• supporting the development of children’s large muscle groups
• supporting independence, resilience and social skills as children become confident about their abilities in the outdoors and develop an “I can” attitude towards learning
• enhancing the well-being and mental health
• encouraging collaborative play and relationship building
• encouraging connection to nature which is a building block to teaching and learning about sustainability
• helping to meet the needs of students with special education needs
• developing imagination, a sense of wonder and the ability to observe

Final approval of OCSB Capital Plan

Miro Vala, Superintendent of Planning & Facilities

The Capital Plan is a comprehensive multi-year planning tool that looks at a range of variables including:

• enrolment projections for each school within the system for a 15-year period;
• enrolments in areas of rapid growth where new schools, additions, or possible boundary modifications might be required;
• areas of the District where enrolment may be in decline and where school consolidations may be considered in the future; and
• maps identifying the location of designated future school sites.

While the document covers a 15-year planning horizon, significant emphasis is placed on the first five years. The OCSB’s first priority is a new elementary school in Findlay Creek! 

Short term capital priorities (2021 to 2025)

1. A new Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 Elementary School Findlay Creek (Leitrim)
2. A new Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 Elementary School Fernbank (Kanata South)
3. The consolidation of St. Rita and St. Augustine Elementary Schools at a new Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 Elementary School (to be located at the former OCDSB McGregor Easson Public School site)
4. A six classroom addition to St. James Elementary School in conjunction with a boundary change for St. Anne and St. James Elementary Schools
5. A new Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 Elementary School in Barrhaven South (Half Moon Bay)
6. A ten classroom addition to St. Philip Elementary School

The above six capital projects were submitted to the Ministry for funding approval on September 30, 2019. The submission was made in response to the Province’s request for school board capital priorities.