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Hari Adnani says his first year at J.H. Putman middle school was “awesome.” He made lots of friends and was elected president of the student council, even though he was only in Grade 6.
“It was kind of a risky move on my part to run, but it worked out all right,” he says cheerfully. Hari joined seven clubs, including the band (“way cool”), the ecology club, the Makers club (eat lunch, hang out and make things) and the equality alliance that brought together kids of all sexualities.
But as he ends his first week in Grade 7, Hari is focused on a new project: keeping his school open.
J.H. Putman is one of seven schools targeted for closure in the west end as the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board tries to ensure school buildings are located where they are needed. Hari plans to start a petition to “Save our School.” Parents are organizing a lobby campaign.
Enrolment is not the problem. Last year J.H. Putman was close to its capacity of 340 students in Grades 6 to 8. But the school is caught up in the “accommodation review” that covers 26 schools in the west end. A staff report recommends closing seven schools and changing programs and grade configurations at many others.
Trustees also made a policy decision to eliminate middle schools. It may take awhile, but the plan is to enlarge high schools to include Grades 7 to 12, or expand elementary schools to include K to 8, squeezing out middle schools and junior highs.
The latest educational research shows that students fare better if they have fewer transitions, say board staff. Attending only two schools — elementary and high school — allows students more time to develop deeper friendships and closer ties to the school community, says a staff report.
The board’s Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School in Barrhaven now houses Grades 7 to 12. Trustee Donna Blackburn says she has received no complaints about the grade configuration, and students enjoy several gyms and a theatre.
Some parents of students in middle schools are skeptical.
Middle schools provide a welcome transition between elementary school and the stress and responsibilities of high school, says J.H. Putman parent Caroline Laviolette, whose son Dominick is in Grade 6.
“Kids are excited to be going to middle school,” she said. “This gives them a chance to grow up, but not high school grown up. It’s that in-between time.”
Caroline Laviolette and son Dominick Martin, grade 6, say J.H. Putman middle school provides a nice transition between elementary and high school.
Parent Jeff Elzinga says he doesn’t want his son Alex sent to a high school in Grade 7, where he will be exposed to teen behaviour, from cliques and serious relationships to drug use.
Alex is at Leslie Park PS, also recommended for closure. Staff suggest Leslie Park students be redirected to Briargreen PS, then to Sir Robert Borden High School beginning in Grade 7.
It’s difficult to generalize about the educational value of middle schools, says Charles Pascal, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and a former Ontario deputy minister for education.
All school transitions should be managed carefully, whether it’s kids meeting a new teacher, adapting to a more challenging curriculum or starting at a new school, he says.
“Transitions are taking place all the time … how well those transitions are made, that’s where the attention should be. If the school board saves some money (by closing middle schools) I hope it will go into professional development to increase the capability of all teachers to become great teachers, and adapt to the individual differences of the kids, and to manage transitions from one year to the next, and even transitions within the school year.”
Once any school is established, the community rarely wants it to close, regardless of the grade configuration. Parents at J.H. Putman say they value their small community school.
“There’s something awesome about being in a small school,” says Hari. “You can get to know people better.” He knows most of the kids and all the teachers. “It’s full of a lot of happy people. I have never, personally, experienced bullying. I’ve made some pretty good friends.”
“It isn’t just a building,” he adds. “It’s kind of like a house of memories.”
The board report recommends that J.H. Putman students be sent to either Agincourt, Woodroffe or Pinecrest schools, depending on where they live and what program they are enrolled in.
Sending the children back to elementary school will be a backward step, say some parents.
J.H. Putman has been set up to accommodate Grades 6 to 8, from the library to the newly renovated tennis courts, said parent Hilary Wright, whose son Jonas is in Grade 7.
If the school closes, Jonas would be sent to Agincourt PS for Grade 8, then head to Woodroffe High School in Grade 9.
“Agincourt is a great school, but it’s already crowded, and it’s geared for little kids,” says Wright. “I’d rather have my child have an extra transition (to Putman) in Grade 6 to 8, then have him spend Grade 7 and 8 in a portable in the back of the kindergarten yard (at Agincourt).”
Some trustees acknowledge that it may be easier to close middle schools because parents there can be less emotionally attached to the schools. Their children only attend them for two or three years, and are at an age when parents don’t tend to congregate in the playground to chat or come into schools to volunteer as much.
Middle schools targeted for closure in the west end of Ottawa
J.H. Putman Public School
Where: 2051 Bel-Air Dr.
Grades: 6-8
Programs: English, Early French immersion, behaviour intervention program and autism classes
Enrolment: 321
School capacity: 340
Staff recommendation: J.H. Putman would close in September 2017. Students would be redirected to Agincourt, Woodroffe or Pinecrest elementary schools, depending on where they live and what program they are enrolled in. Behaviour intervention and autism classes would be relocated to Agincourt PS.
Facilities: Art room, a library with both English and French materials, computer lab, science lab, gymnasium with a stage, maker space, workshop and gardening area, culinary area, instrumental music room. All classrooms have computers and access to a digital projector and document camera. The school is wheelchair accessible and there is an elevator to the second floor. The school has a large schoolyard with a soccer field, baseball diamond and picnic tables for outdoor lunches, and tennis courts.
Fun fact: Club activities last year included Student Council; Junior, senior and Jazz bands; Improvisation team, Ski Club, Talent Show; Creative Labs, Go Girls, Game On, Leaders In Action, Putman Slam Poetry Society, Voice of the Pumas Blog, Intramural and interschool sports including cross-country running, soccer, touch football, badminton, volleyball, basketball, track & field, and Hudson Sargeant relays.
History: The school opened in 1961. It is named after the Chief Inspector of Ottawa Public Schools, Dr. J.H. Putman, whose recommendations led to the introduction of intermediate schools in Ottawa in 1929.
Draws students from: Agincourt and Woodroffe elementary schools
Parent Council: on Facebook @J. H. Putman Parent Council: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=J. H. Putman Parent Council
School website: https://jhputmanps.ocdsb.ca/Pages/home.aspx
Trustee: Anita Olsen Harper, College Ward
Contact: 613-868-0076; anita.olsen.harper@ocdsb.ca
D. Aubrey Moodie Intermediate School
Where: 595 Moodie Dr.
Grades: 6 to 8
Programs: English, early French immersion, middle French immersion, Developmental Disabilities and General Learning Program system classes
Enrolment: 354
Capacity: 502
Staff recommendation: D. A. Moodie would close in 2017. Grade 7 & 8 students would attend Bell High School. Grade 6 students would be redirected to Bells Corners, Lakeview or Bayshore elementary schools based on program choice. The intermediate developmental disabilities program class would be relocated to Bell HS. The junior DD class would move to Roch Carrier PS. An Intermediate General Learning Program would open at Bell HS and the junior class would be reconfigured with students attending either Katimavik ES or A. Lorne Cassidy ES, dependent on home location.
Facilities: Large library with a computer lab, smart tablets purchased by school council, elmos, media carts. Large double gym, two soccer fields, baseball diamonds and six outdoor basketball hoops. In the Greenbelt, bordered by forest walkways.
Fun fact: Almost half the students speak languages other than English and French. Arabic, Chinese, Urdu, Farsi, Hindi, Russian, Bosnian and Somali are some of the first languages spoken in the homes of students.
History: The school was named after D. Aubrey Moodie, Reeve of Nepean Township from 1954 to 1969, known as the “Father of Nepean.” Moodie, a farmer, was first elected to council in 1950. He was a member of Nepean Council from 1973 to 1976. He lobbied for the creation of the Queensway-Carleton Hospital and sat on its first board of directors. He died in 2008 at the age of 99.
Draws students from: Bayshore, Bells Corners and Lakeview elementary schools.
School website: https://daubreymoodieis.ocdsb.ca/Pages/home.aspx
Trustee: Anita Olsen Harper, College Ward
Contact: 613-868-0076; anita.olsen.harper@ocdsb.ca
Greenbank Middle School
Where: 168 Greenbank Rd.
Grades: 7 and 8
Programs: English, early French immersion, middle French immersion, congregated gifted EFI class and an intermediate learning disabilities system class.
Enrolment: 357
Capacity: 551
Staff recommendation: Greenbank Middle School would close in September 2017. Grade 7 and 8 students would go to Sir Robert Borden High School. MFI students from this area would go to D. Roy Kennedy PS for Grades 4-8.
Facilities: Instrumental music room, library with computer lab, large gym, science labs, dance/drama studio, yard with multiple soccer pitches, baseball diamonds and basketball courts.
Fun fact: The school is on a large property next to parkland that offers students access to soccer pitches, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and a community rink.
History: The school was founded in 1968.
Draws students from: Knoxdale, Briargreen, Manordale, Leslie Park elementary schools
School website: https://greenbankms.ocdsb.ca/Pages/home.aspx
Trustee: Donna Blackburn, Barrhaven-Knoxdale
Contact: 613-816-6509 donna.blackburn@ocdsb.ca
查看原文...
“It was kind of a risky move on my part to run, but it worked out all right,” he says cheerfully. Hari joined seven clubs, including the band (“way cool”), the ecology club, the Makers club (eat lunch, hang out and make things) and the equality alliance that brought together kids of all sexualities.
But as he ends his first week in Grade 7, Hari is focused on a new project: keeping his school open.
J.H. Putman is one of seven schools targeted for closure in the west end as the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board tries to ensure school buildings are located where they are needed. Hari plans to start a petition to “Save our School.” Parents are organizing a lobby campaign.
Enrolment is not the problem. Last year J.H. Putman was close to its capacity of 340 students in Grades 6 to 8. But the school is caught up in the “accommodation review” that covers 26 schools in the west end. A staff report recommends closing seven schools and changing programs and grade configurations at many others.
Trustees also made a policy decision to eliminate middle schools. It may take awhile, but the plan is to enlarge high schools to include Grades 7 to 12, or expand elementary schools to include K to 8, squeezing out middle schools and junior highs.
The latest educational research shows that students fare better if they have fewer transitions, say board staff. Attending only two schools — elementary and high school — allows students more time to develop deeper friendships and closer ties to the school community, says a staff report.
The board’s Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School in Barrhaven now houses Grades 7 to 12. Trustee Donna Blackburn says she has received no complaints about the grade configuration, and students enjoy several gyms and a theatre.
Some parents of students in middle schools are skeptical.
Middle schools provide a welcome transition between elementary school and the stress and responsibilities of high school, says J.H. Putman parent Caroline Laviolette, whose son Dominick is in Grade 6.
“Kids are excited to be going to middle school,” she said. “This gives them a chance to grow up, but not high school grown up. It’s that in-between time.”
Caroline Laviolette and son Dominick Martin, grade 6, say J.H. Putman middle school provides a nice transition between elementary and high school.
Parent Jeff Elzinga says he doesn’t want his son Alex sent to a high school in Grade 7, where he will be exposed to teen behaviour, from cliques and serious relationships to drug use.
Alex is at Leslie Park PS, also recommended for closure. Staff suggest Leslie Park students be redirected to Briargreen PS, then to Sir Robert Borden High School beginning in Grade 7.
It’s difficult to generalize about the educational value of middle schools, says Charles Pascal, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and a former Ontario deputy minister for education.
All school transitions should be managed carefully, whether it’s kids meeting a new teacher, adapting to a more challenging curriculum or starting at a new school, he says.
“Transitions are taking place all the time … how well those transitions are made, that’s where the attention should be. If the school board saves some money (by closing middle schools) I hope it will go into professional development to increase the capability of all teachers to become great teachers, and adapt to the individual differences of the kids, and to manage transitions from one year to the next, and even transitions within the school year.”
Once any school is established, the community rarely wants it to close, regardless of the grade configuration. Parents at J.H. Putman say they value their small community school.
“There’s something awesome about being in a small school,” says Hari. “You can get to know people better.” He knows most of the kids and all the teachers. “It’s full of a lot of happy people. I have never, personally, experienced bullying. I’ve made some pretty good friends.”
“It isn’t just a building,” he adds. “It’s kind of like a house of memories.”
The board report recommends that J.H. Putman students be sent to either Agincourt, Woodroffe or Pinecrest schools, depending on where they live and what program they are enrolled in.
Sending the children back to elementary school will be a backward step, say some parents.
J.H. Putman has been set up to accommodate Grades 6 to 8, from the library to the newly renovated tennis courts, said parent Hilary Wright, whose son Jonas is in Grade 7.
If the school closes, Jonas would be sent to Agincourt PS for Grade 8, then head to Woodroffe High School in Grade 9.
“Agincourt is a great school, but it’s already crowded, and it’s geared for little kids,” says Wright. “I’d rather have my child have an extra transition (to Putman) in Grade 6 to 8, then have him spend Grade 7 and 8 in a portable in the back of the kindergarten yard (at Agincourt).”
Some trustees acknowledge that it may be easier to close middle schools because parents there can be less emotionally attached to the schools. Their children only attend them for two or three years, and are at an age when parents don’t tend to congregate in the playground to chat or come into schools to volunteer as much.
Middle schools targeted for closure in the west end of Ottawa
J.H. Putman Public School
Where: 2051 Bel-Air Dr.
Grades: 6-8
Programs: English, Early French immersion, behaviour intervention program and autism classes
Enrolment: 321
School capacity: 340
Staff recommendation: J.H. Putman would close in September 2017. Students would be redirected to Agincourt, Woodroffe or Pinecrest elementary schools, depending on where they live and what program they are enrolled in. Behaviour intervention and autism classes would be relocated to Agincourt PS.
Facilities: Art room, a library with both English and French materials, computer lab, science lab, gymnasium with a stage, maker space, workshop and gardening area, culinary area, instrumental music room. All classrooms have computers and access to a digital projector and document camera. The school is wheelchair accessible and there is an elevator to the second floor. The school has a large schoolyard with a soccer field, baseball diamond and picnic tables for outdoor lunches, and tennis courts.
Fun fact: Club activities last year included Student Council; Junior, senior and Jazz bands; Improvisation team, Ski Club, Talent Show; Creative Labs, Go Girls, Game On, Leaders In Action, Putman Slam Poetry Society, Voice of the Pumas Blog, Intramural and interschool sports including cross-country running, soccer, touch football, badminton, volleyball, basketball, track & field, and Hudson Sargeant relays.
History: The school opened in 1961. It is named after the Chief Inspector of Ottawa Public Schools, Dr. J.H. Putman, whose recommendations led to the introduction of intermediate schools in Ottawa in 1929.
Draws students from: Agincourt and Woodroffe elementary schools
Parent Council: on Facebook @J. H. Putman Parent Council: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=J. H. Putman Parent Council
School website: https://jhputmanps.ocdsb.ca/Pages/home.aspx
Trustee: Anita Olsen Harper, College Ward
Contact: 613-868-0076; anita.olsen.harper@ocdsb.ca
D. Aubrey Moodie Intermediate School
Where: 595 Moodie Dr.
Grades: 6 to 8
Programs: English, early French immersion, middle French immersion, Developmental Disabilities and General Learning Program system classes
Enrolment: 354
Capacity: 502
Staff recommendation: D. A. Moodie would close in 2017. Grade 7 & 8 students would attend Bell High School. Grade 6 students would be redirected to Bells Corners, Lakeview or Bayshore elementary schools based on program choice. The intermediate developmental disabilities program class would be relocated to Bell HS. The junior DD class would move to Roch Carrier PS. An Intermediate General Learning Program would open at Bell HS and the junior class would be reconfigured with students attending either Katimavik ES or A. Lorne Cassidy ES, dependent on home location.
Facilities: Large library with a computer lab, smart tablets purchased by school council, elmos, media carts. Large double gym, two soccer fields, baseball diamonds and six outdoor basketball hoops. In the Greenbelt, bordered by forest walkways.
Fun fact: Almost half the students speak languages other than English and French. Arabic, Chinese, Urdu, Farsi, Hindi, Russian, Bosnian and Somali are some of the first languages spoken in the homes of students.
History: The school was named after D. Aubrey Moodie, Reeve of Nepean Township from 1954 to 1969, known as the “Father of Nepean.” Moodie, a farmer, was first elected to council in 1950. He was a member of Nepean Council from 1973 to 1976. He lobbied for the creation of the Queensway-Carleton Hospital and sat on its first board of directors. He died in 2008 at the age of 99.
Draws students from: Bayshore, Bells Corners and Lakeview elementary schools.
School website: https://daubreymoodieis.ocdsb.ca/Pages/home.aspx
Trustee: Anita Olsen Harper, College Ward
Contact: 613-868-0076; anita.olsen.harper@ocdsb.ca
Greenbank Middle School
Where: 168 Greenbank Rd.
Grades: 7 and 8
Programs: English, early French immersion, middle French immersion, congregated gifted EFI class and an intermediate learning disabilities system class.
Enrolment: 357
Capacity: 551
Staff recommendation: Greenbank Middle School would close in September 2017. Grade 7 and 8 students would go to Sir Robert Borden High School. MFI students from this area would go to D. Roy Kennedy PS for Grades 4-8.
Facilities: Instrumental music room, library with computer lab, large gym, science labs, dance/drama studio, yard with multiple soccer pitches, baseball diamonds and basketball courts.
Fun fact: The school is on a large property next to parkland that offers students access to soccer pitches, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and a community rink.
History: The school was founded in 1968.
Draws students from: Knoxdale, Briargreen, Manordale, Leslie Park elementary schools
School website: https://greenbankms.ocdsb.ca/Pages/home.aspx
Trustee: Donna Blackburn, Barrhaven-Knoxdale
Contact: 613-816-6509 donna.blackburn@ocdsb.ca
查看原文...
