Convent Glen is “The Small School with a BIG Heart”. Our school officially opened on February 12, 1976. As a JK to grade 5 school, we offer the regular English program, middle French immersion (MFI - grades 4 & 5), as well as an autism program. Our boundary runs from east of Jeanne d’Arc south, east of Boyer, west of the Cumberland Township Line, north of Innes, and south of highway 174. Convent Glen is proud of its long standing partnership among students, staff, parents/guardians, and the community. Together, our mission is to enable our students to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and values to be productive members of society. We strive to encourage a lifelong love of learning.

Our school is diverse and multicultural. Our students and their best interests are always our primary focus. We are dedicated to ensuring that our school is a place where all students learn and thrive in a supportive and caring atmosphere. We work with our students in all curriculum areas and continually foster their growth and development as caring, contributing citizens. Through our strong emphasis on academic achievement, the arts, athletics, and character education initiatives, our students, staff, and parents/guardians work collaboratively to build a strong learning community.

The Convent Glen E.S. School Council contributes to our positive school climate. Our active and supportive council works collaboratively with our staff to foster strong relationships between home, school, and the wider community. Our council supports our school in many ways including providing funding for field trips as well as the purchase of technology (i.e. SmartBoards). This year, our school council is fundraising for a new play structure. The Convent Glen E.S. School Council is a volunteer group that fulfils many important roles including political advocacy and advising on school policies and procedures.

We are very fortunate to have many parents/guardians generously donate their time as volunteers in fundraising activities such as pizza days, popcorn days, movie nights, cupcake days, and various other events throughout the school year. Our parent volunteers also assist our teachers, work with students in the classroom, organize events, accompany students on field trips, and attend extra-curricular activities such as sporting events.

The school community provides recreational facilities through Gloucester Parks and Recreation.

To provide each learner, in partnership with parents, an education of the highest quality in a positive environment with caring, dedicated and effective staff members.

Our Motto is: “Together we make a difference”.

Ourstudent pledge: “I promise to do my best to be a bucket filler every day, at school, at home and everywhere I go.”

Convent Glen E.S. houses:

·One-story school building with the library as the main hub of the school

·Library/resource centre

·Large gymnasium with a stage

·Computer lab

·Computer technology in every classroom: SmartBoards, iPads, Ladibugs, media carts

·Autism class

·Body break room

·Large schoolyard

·Large green space with trees, a soccer field, a baseball diamond, and a basketball court (City of Ottawa)

·Self-contained kindergarten yard with a play structure

·Primary/junior play structure

·Pavement area with basketball hoops and games

·After-school care program offered by the City of Ottawa

Convent Glen E.S. has 7 homeroom classrooms. We presently offer one full-day kindergarten class (JK/ SK) as well as 3 regular English classes, all of which are combined classes (i.e., 1/2, 2/3, and 4/5). We have 2 middle French immersion classes (grade 4 and grade 5). We also have an autism program at the school.

We have a special education support team consisting of one Learning Support Teacher (LST) and a half-time Learning Resource Teacher (LRT) who oversee the individual needs of all special education students and provide advice and programming support for all students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) as well as those who are identified through the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) process. Our support team works closely with classroom teachers in developing student IEPs, providing support to students in the regular classroom, teacher consultations, liaison with Learning Support Services staff, and administering educational assessments.

Students requiring additional supports and/or services are referred to the LST and in-school special education team by their classroom teacher. The in-school team follows a tiered approach of interventions and works closely with the classroom teacher to assess the needs of the students and determine a course of action which may include accommodations, classroom support, further observation or assessment, modifications, and/or referrals to our multi-disciplinary team. Our in-school team is always available to assist classroom teachers with planning for the needs of all students. We are also consistently enhancing our use of assistive technology to enable every student to access the curriculum.

Our support staff members follow an inclusive model of program delivery to support special education and English as a second language students. Our support staff works collaboratively with classroom teachers in a co-teaching model to ensure that the needs of all students within the classroom are being met. This model ensures that students remain in their language-rich classroom learning community; learning from, with, and alongside their peers. This approach is consistent with the Ministry of Education’s recommendations from the Report of the Expert Panel on Special Education, “Education for All” (2005).

Our team of educational assistants support both individual students and small groups of students in various classrooms throughout the school.

Our itinerant ESL teacher offers support for English language development.

Students are given the opportunity to develop and demonstrate leadership and citizenship through participating in organized activities at school. Competitive and recreational athletic sports include track and field, soccer, basketball, floor hockey, and cross country running. Arts-based activities include: choir, drama club, and knitting club. Other clubs and activities include: Green Team, Playground Activity Leaders in Schools (PALS), and the Me to We initiative.

Students are also provided with a rich array of activities within their school day:

· “Hot Meal” days, movie nights, popcorn days, and cupcake day organized by the school council

· Sports activities: intramural sports and cooperative games

· Student leadership opportunities: lunch monitors, door monitors, library helpers, kindergarten helpers, PALS

· Winter sing-a-long celebration

· Spring concert

· Theatrical/musical/art presentations and performances

· Field trips

· Monthly school “Bucket Filling” assemblies

· Special spirit days (i.e., orange and black day, winter outdoor play day, pyjama day, crazy hair day, hockey jersey day, etc.)

· Fundraisers (i.e., Terry Fox walk, food drive, Toonie Tuesday, play structure fundraisers)

Convent Glen is committed to promoting a safe and caring environment which is characterized by mutual respect. We provide a learning environment which allows every students to reach his/her greatest potential within a safe and caring atmosphere. We value character traits such as respect, responsibility, empathy, and cooperation. We have established an initiative “How Full is Your Bucket?”, which supports anti-bullying and the OCDSB’s “Community of Character” wheel. Our student pledge is: “I promise to do my best to be a bucket filler every day, at school, at home and everywhere I go.”

We hold monthly assemblies to promote bucket filling, highlight positive character traits, and recognize students who exemplify these important traits. Each year, students review our school Code of Conduct and staff consistently work with students to empower them to live by the code, both in and out of the classroom. The development of these life skills is intended to serve our students well in the future.

Our School Resource Officer is a valuable member of our Safe School initiatives.

· Safe Arrival Procedure

· Emergency Closing Network

· Fire Drill/Lock Down Procedures

· Staff trained in First Aid, CPR, and Behaviour Management System (BMS)

· Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 5