Welcome to Avon Public School

Attack of the Veggie Monsters!
In the final installment of our stories and videos for Healthy Schools Awareness Week, we travel to Avon Public School where students are packing veggies and fruit, not jammers and juice.

 

 

 

Avon P.S. is located in a quiet, residential area in the west end of Stratford. The original, forty-year old building was designed as a Junior High.  Six years ago it was reborn as a JK-6 school with the addition of a beautiful K-3 primary wing, new windows, upgrades to the lighting, flooring and the main entrance – making it a very beautiful and functional single-storey structure housing 275 students and a wonderful staff team of 22 – with room to grow! 

Avon follows a “Balanced School Day” schedule (9:00 - 3:20).  Three blocks of instruction are balanced with two nutrition breaks and outdoor playtimes, providing optimum learning conditions for students.  The “FIRST BASE” before and after school program run by the Stratford YMCA offers parents the opportunity for “seamless” childcare for school-aged students in our building (7:00-8:45 and 3:15 -5:30).   In September 2012 we will offer FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN at Avon.

Avon has a rich tradition of academic excellence in the community it serves.  Our teachers and support staff believe that ALL students can achieve their potential academically and socially.  In 2011-2012 we’ll be in our second year of a strong emphasis on improving student writing.  This year teachers will experiment with a “Collaborative Inquiry” approach as we continue to use Writer’s Workshop in all classrooms. Lucy Calkin’s well-researched Units of study In the Teaching of Writing will guide our Professional Learning Community and provide continuity in all classrooms.  Insisting on high expectations, providing topic choice within the predictable workshop structure, conferencing with individual students to provide descriptive feedback and explicit teaching of the skills and strategies students need to become deep thinkers and thoughtful writers will be the heart of our work this year – whew, that’s no small order!

As part of our work with Equity and Inclusivity, this year we have brought the ROOTS OF EMPATHY program to Avon.  Six Babies and their families and six trained ROE instructors come regularly to classes in an effort to develop empathy and caring among our students. This program is proven to decrease incidents of bullying and playground issues.  We also continue to expand our students’ understanding of conservation and stewardship to the environment.  We hope to involve students in nature whenever possible as they study curriculum.  We need their help (and the help of parents) in expanding our beautiful, Butterfly Garden, creating new gardens, planting shrubs and trees as well as planning for more natural play spaces in our enormous playground area.  Classroom composting and becoming more energy-efficient are important as we attempt to become a more eco-friendly, “green” school. 

Education in the Arts is alive and well at Avon!  We are very fortunate to have a strong music program, producing an annual Junior Operetta in which all students have a role.  “Mr. Mac” has been responsible for developing a life-long love of music among Avon students while supporting literacy and numeracy skills. Our choirs always do well at the local Kiwanis Music Festival. This year we’ve planned monthly School Spirit Assemblies to build school spirit, showcase choirs and provide opportunities for students to share their learning.  After school Literacy and Math Clubs are offered.  Classes participate in a school-wide “Buddies” program to support literacy and build our school community. A strong Intramural sports program striving for 100% participation is going strong in Gr. 3-6 and variety of extra-curricular activities and sports teams are organized to support the varied interests of our students throughout the year.
Special needs students are supported in classroom settings by our Special Education Resource Teacher and Educational Assistants. Support services (e.g., Speech & Language, Occupational Therapy, Behaviour Resource Team) are readily accessed and the services of our School-based Public Health Nurse are available upon request to our families (two days per month).

We’re fortunate to have the support of wonderful volunteers from our community; parents, retired teachers, and willing community members assist with reading programs, special environmental projects and help in classrooms. With a High School nearby, we take advantage of Co-op students, peer mentoring and cross-grade "buddies".  Many of Avon’s teachers share their expertise by acting as mentors for practice teachers from several Teachers’ Colleges.

We have wonderful, supportive parents and guardians at Avon.  Our active School Council meets on the last Tuesday of each month at 5:30.  Our Parent Teacher Group plans great activities for students (e.g., Movie Nights, Skate Night, Author’s Night, Avon Fest) and provides funding to enhance student experiences (e.g., sponsoring excursions, theatre productions, Kiwanis Music Festival, classroom supplies, playground equipment, etc.) We are beginning a concerted effort to raise funds for “smart” technology and Ipads as we will have WIFI by September of next year. 

At Avon we know it takes a community to raise a child and we value input from parents and community members to help us provide the best education for our students.  Please call if you have questions or need more information.
Avon has a beautiful spirit!  We invite you to come and visit.

Janet Jamison,
Principal, Avon P.S.