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Opening a brand new school can be daunting, but Lynne Charette has not let the complexity of the task hinder her enthusiasm. Charette has been busy with architectural logistics, staffing changes, and purchase orders since being appointed in January as principal of the latest school constructed by the Ottawa Catholic School Board. She is eagerly counting down the days until St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School opens its doors for the first time in the South Barrhaven community of Half Moon Bay.
The classroom furniture is finally in place and the entire community has been helping with the effort. Students at neighbouring high schools have hand-crafted religious crosses for the prayer tables in each classroom and built lost-and-found boxes for the new school hallways. The project also involves collaboration from almost every department in the Ottawa Catholic School Board – finance, planning, learning technologies, purchasing, student success, special education, human resources, communications, and more.
“I have to admit, it’s been a lot of fun,” Charette said. “I have found myself leafing through instructional supply catalogues on Sunday afternoons, investigating the very best learning tools for our new students. Plus, new shipments arrive at the door every morning, and it’s so fulfilling to piece everything together in a meaningful way.”
After spending the last four years as principal of the Elementary Student Success department for the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Charette is not shy about reaching out to board consultants to determine which tools are the very best for her students, in math, science, art, and language. She said she is going into her new role with a good understanding of how to equip her students for a world connected by technology by focusing on instilling global competencies in communication, collaboration, and creative thinking, grounded in Catholic principles which respect the universal values of all faiths.
The school structure itself features all of the modern tools needed to facilitate a thrust on socio-emotional learning as part of student well-being. Specially equipped learning pods in the hallways, standup desks, and even toned-down wall colours will have a role to play in education at St. Benedict School. A “Roots of Empathy” program is being introduced, designed to teach students emotional literacy and help reduce aggression. Everything seems to have been optimized to allow teachers to deliver focused, purposeful education.
Charette has been active from the get-go on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to help build a relationship with the community. “It’s important to ensure that parents and students have a voice in shaping the school’s culture,” Charette said. “Selecting the school name was the first big step. It involved a comprehensive process of surveys and votes, guided by a committee comprised of parents, school board staff, and the board’s chaplain. St. Benedict was voted in by an overwhelming majority.”
Like all of the schools in the Ottawa Catholic School Board, St. Benedict takes “community-based” schooling to another level, and demonstrates why these schools have become so popular with families. Students do not have to travel to different schools outside of their neighbourhoods to get the programs they need, such as French immersion or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.
Charette explains, “Like all of our schools, St. Benedict offers French immersion beginning in junior kindergarten, special education support, and an extended day program for parents requiring childcare before and after school. As a result, parents can easily choose the closest school to their home, allowing their children the opportunity to attend the same school as their neighbourhood friends.”
Children in this neighbourhood need only strap on their backpacks and head out the door – on foot. The majority of the school’s new population of children are within the walkzone to the new school. On the first day of school, you will only see one lone school bus outside the front door. More children and their families will be walking together, growing, sharing, and building community.
And, community starts at home, they say. One of Charette’s proudest moments over the past year came when she gave her father Ron Larkin, who once held the position of Superintendent of Construction with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, a tour of her new school while it was under construction.
“It was nice,” she said. “I have a better understanding for the work he did before he retired, and he was very happy to meet the architect and see how schools are built now. Our school facilities are incredibly innovative and really resonate with this generation of learners.”
There are still a couple things left to do to get this new school up and running. The interactive Smart Boards are still being installed in every classroom, and the library shelves of the Learning Commons need to be stocked. The parent council will be forming a plan to seek donations from the community to complement the resources being purchased by the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Oh, and St. Benedict still needs to pick a school mascot. The kids will tackle this one.
Parents and children wanting to see the completed school for themselves will soon have an opportunity to tour the new school with staff on hand to talk about the school’s exciting program opportunities. An open house is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at St. Benedict Catholic School, 2525 River Mist Rd., from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Everyone in the community is welcome. Visit ocsb.ca/benedict.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of the Ottawa Catholic School Board.
查看原文...
Opening a brand new school can be daunting, but Lynne Charette has not let the complexity of the task hinder her enthusiasm. Charette has been busy with architectural logistics, staffing changes, and purchase orders since being appointed in January as principal of the latest school constructed by the Ottawa Catholic School Board. She is eagerly counting down the days until St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School opens its doors for the first time in the South Barrhaven community of Half Moon Bay.
The classroom furniture is finally in place and the entire community has been helping with the effort. Students at neighbouring high schools have hand-crafted religious crosses for the prayer tables in each classroom and built lost-and-found boxes for the new school hallways. The project also involves collaboration from almost every department in the Ottawa Catholic School Board – finance, planning, learning technologies, purchasing, student success, special education, human resources, communications, and more.
“I have to admit, it’s been a lot of fun,” Charette said. “I have found myself leafing through instructional supply catalogues on Sunday afternoons, investigating the very best learning tools for our new students. Plus, new shipments arrive at the door every morning, and it’s so fulfilling to piece everything together in a meaningful way.”
After spending the last four years as principal of the Elementary Student Success department for the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Charette is not shy about reaching out to board consultants to determine which tools are the very best for her students, in math, science, art, and language. She said she is going into her new role with a good understanding of how to equip her students for a world connected by technology by focusing on instilling global competencies in communication, collaboration, and creative thinking, grounded in Catholic principles which respect the universal values of all faiths.
The school structure itself features all of the modern tools needed to facilitate a thrust on socio-emotional learning as part of student well-being. Specially equipped learning pods in the hallways, standup desks, and even toned-down wall colours will have a role to play in education at St. Benedict School. A “Roots of Empathy” program is being introduced, designed to teach students emotional literacy and help reduce aggression. Everything seems to have been optimized to allow teachers to deliver focused, purposeful education.
Charette has been active from the get-go on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to help build a relationship with the community. “It’s important to ensure that parents and students have a voice in shaping the school’s culture,” Charette said. “Selecting the school name was the first big step. It involved a comprehensive process of surveys and votes, guided by a committee comprised of parents, school board staff, and the board’s chaplain. St. Benedict was voted in by an overwhelming majority.”
Like all of the schools in the Ottawa Catholic School Board, St. Benedict takes “community-based” schooling to another level, and demonstrates why these schools have become so popular with families. Students do not have to travel to different schools outside of their neighbourhoods to get the programs they need, such as French immersion or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.
Charette explains, “Like all of our schools, St. Benedict offers French immersion beginning in junior kindergarten, special education support, and an extended day program for parents requiring childcare before and after school. As a result, parents can easily choose the closest school to their home, allowing their children the opportunity to attend the same school as their neighbourhood friends.”
Children in this neighbourhood need only strap on their backpacks and head out the door – on foot. The majority of the school’s new population of children are within the walkzone to the new school. On the first day of school, you will only see one lone school bus outside the front door. More children and their families will be walking together, growing, sharing, and building community.
And, community starts at home, they say. One of Charette’s proudest moments over the past year came when she gave her father Ron Larkin, who once held the position of Superintendent of Construction with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, a tour of her new school while it was under construction.
“It was nice,” she said. “I have a better understanding for the work he did before he retired, and he was very happy to meet the architect and see how schools are built now. Our school facilities are incredibly innovative and really resonate with this generation of learners.”
There are still a couple things left to do to get this new school up and running. The interactive Smart Boards are still being installed in every classroom, and the library shelves of the Learning Commons need to be stocked. The parent council will be forming a plan to seek donations from the community to complement the resources being purchased by the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Oh, and St. Benedict still needs to pick a school mascot. The kids will tackle this one.
Parents and children wanting to see the completed school for themselves will soon have an opportunity to tour the new school with staff on hand to talk about the school’s exciting program opportunities. An open house is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at St. Benedict Catholic School, 2525 River Mist Rd., from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Everyone in the community is welcome. Visit ocsb.ca/benedict.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of the Ottawa Catholic School Board.
查看原文...
