School Profile 2013-2014
Devonshire Community P.S
JK to 6 EFI
Address:
100 Breezehill Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario
K1Y 2H5
Phone: (613) 729-3169
Fax: (613) 729-8462
School hours:
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
School Website1
Principal
Michèle Tatartcheff
Vice Principal
N/A
Office Administrator
José van Zijl
Chief Custodian
Brian Szabadkay
School Council Chair
Megan King (Co-Chair)
Lianne Ouellette (Co-Chair)
Superintendent of
Instruction
Susan Macdonald
School Trustee
Jennifer McKenzie
Chair of the Board
Jennifer McKenzie
Director of Education/
Secretary of the Board
Jennifer Adams
General Board
Information:
Phone: 613-721-1820
OCDSB Website2
Accessibility Information3
Our School
Devonshire Community Public School is a single stream Early
French Immersion School. Our mission is to provide each child with
the opportunity to achieve his or her potential and become fluent in
a second language. We strive to develop in all our students, social
responsibility, critical thinking skills, creativity, academic growth to
meet established outcomes, and a life-long love of learning.
The notions of family and community are highly valued at our
school. The relatively small size of our school means that children
feel a warm welcome here. Students, teachers, support staff,
parents, School Council, and the community at large work together
in promoting a true partnership that makes Devonshire Community
Public School everything a school should be.
Our Students
Devonshire Community Public School has an enrolment of
approximately 360 students in an EFI setting. Devonshire serves
students from Senior Kindergarten to Grade 6. Most children arrive
in SK at the age of 5 years with little French language skills. The
average grade 6 student upon leaving Devonshire demonstrates an
ability to converse, work and learn in French. Students with Special
Education needs are integrated in classrooms and our Learning
Support and Resource Teacher works with students and teachers to
ensure all academic needs are met. Our students come from
diverse backgrounds, speak several different languages and
represent many different nationalities and religions.
Our Staff
Devonshire Community Public School has 23 highly qualified
teachers on staff. An inspiring blend of new and seasoned
professionals work on a variety of committees to enhance school
life. Devonshire's high academic standards are reflected by the staff
who share best practices to assist all children in achieving their
potential regardless of ability.
Here are some comments from our students:
“My teacher does a lot of fun stuff, like using art to teach geometry.”
“I like knowing everybody here.”
“I especially love the special events.”
“Our teachers teach us well.”
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
1
Our Community
Parents and Community
Our large attendance area from Holland to Bronson and Carling to the Ottawa River
provides the school with children representing a variety of socio-economic backgrounds.
The notions of family and community are highly valued at our school. Volunteers
participate in fundraising and they enhance student learning through in-class and extracurricular activities. Teachers, support staff, parents, School Council, community
members, and students work together on a wide variety of school initiatives and projects.
Our yearly traditions include our Family Barbecue, Winter Carnival, a wide variety of lunchhour clubs including dance, choir, chess, and knitting, skating at the Tom Brown Arena
and the Annual Spring Book Sale and Barbecue bringing together parents, children, staff
and the community.
Mission Statement
At Devonshire, in cooperation with the community and family, we strive to develop in all
our students:
 Social responsibility
 Critical thinking skills
 Creativity
 Academic growth to meet established outcomes
 A life-long love of learning within the bilingual program
Goals:
 To promote literacy through creative and academic endeavours.
 To expand our links with the broader community.
 To encourage an atmosphere of mutual respect.
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
2
Programs and Services
Academic Programs




Single-track Early French Immersion
SK to Grade 6 - Early French Immersion
SK and Grade 1 - 100% French programs
In Grade 2 English is introduced and accounts for 20% of the program in Grades 2 and
3, and 40% in Grade 4, 5 and 6. In Grades 4, 5 and 6 English Language Arts and
Mathematics are taught in English.
Classroom Organization
Devonshire is a SK to grade 6 Early French Immersion community school. There are 15
homeroom classes from Grade 1 to 6. Presently there are 3 Senior Kindergarten classes
offering programs in both the morning and afternoon.
Special Education and ESL Programs



Resource unit - enrichment and remediation
Learning Support Teacher
Learning Support Consultant, Social Worker, Speech Pathologist, Itinerant ESL
teacher, Occupational Therapist and Psychologist are available to assist staff and
assess students.
Clubs and Activities
















Skating
Soccer and volleyball teams
Yoga
Coding Computer Club
Cross-country running/track and field teams
Spirit days
School concerts/plays
Milk program/Pizza program
Ski Club
Knitting Club
Bilingual choir
Chess Club
Cultural presentations
Dance, drama and environmental clubs
Public speaking
Winter carnival
Safe Schools Initiatives
Devonshire Community Public School has a ‘Code of Behaviour’ which was developed
jointly with students, staff and School Council. It is printed in the students’ agenda. Our
mascot, Oscar R. the dragon, reminds us of Ordre (order), Sécurité (safety), Coopération
(cooperation), Apprendre (learning), Respect (respect) and Responsabilité (responsibility).
Other Safe Initiatives include:
 Safety and Emergency protocols
 Safe Arrival Program
 Annual Ottawa Safety Council Presentations
 Educational program with School Resource Officer
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
3

All aspects of character education (e.g. empathy, respect, appreciation, etc.) are
embedded within the curriculum
We have a Safe School Committee comprised of parents, teachers, Principal, students,
and community members. The Committee works on a variety of initiatives throughout the
year to encourage and actively promote equity and inclusive education.
Facilities and Resources
Our school is a beautiful Heritage two-story building that was constructed in 1910.
Students have access to a gym with full stage and in-classroom access to computers
using Computers on Wheels (COW). We have, in addition, two SMARTBoards that are
shared by staff.
Primary and Junior playgrounds:
 a new play structure was installed in the summer of 2006 on our Junior yard;
 a new (age 5 – 12) play structure was installed on our primary yard in 2011;
 a new kindergarten structure (18 months to 5 years) was installed in the Spring of 2012
 a Library Resource Centre with over 10,000 volumes and resource materials
 a gymnasium with a stage
 an in-school daycare and after-school program
Google Map of Devonshire Community Public School
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
4
Achievement and School Improvement Planning
Students are involved in various demonstrations of their learning, including public
speaking, and dramatic productions. Through the process of explaining their work,
evaluating their own progress and goal setting for improvement, children become more
responsible for their own learning and are able to establish realistic learning objectives.
Students in grade 3 and grade 6 take part in the provincial EQAO testing. Their results are
on the following page.
Throughout the year, student achievement is evaluated through teacher observation,
student participation in activities and discussions, collaborative learning, oral reading and
presentations, written assignments, projects, quizzes, rubrics, self-evaluation, and peerevaluation. Our assessment tools include: PM Benchmarks, GB+, CASI, and EQAO.
Formal educational assessments such as the WIAT lll and the CCAT and CAT4 are
conducted by our Learning Support Teacher. Ongoing teacher feedback and dialogue
continue to be a focus for our School Improvement Plan.
School Improvement Plans and Initiatives
In light of the new results, the school targets are reviewed and updated during annually to
better reflect the learning needs of our student population. During the 2013-2014 school
year, we will continue to:




Kindergarten and Primary students will focus on reading by recognizing relationships
between themselves, their ideas and the world to make and extend meaning.
Junior Grades will focus on reading to become aware of a point of view presented or
missing from a text.
School-wide focus on numeracy (problem-based mathematics that focuses upon
connecting mathematical ideas and developing conceptual understanding)
Promote a positive, inclusive community where everyone feels welcome to learn in a
safe and caring environment
The School Improvement Planning team for Student Achievement (SIPSA) support the
staff through various initiatives including professional development at staff meetings and
Professional Activity Days examining student data and student work. SIPSA plans and
progress are shared with our School Council.
Other Initiatives:





Early Literacy Program
Regular newsletter communication
School-wide arts performances
Safe Arrivals Policy
School Travel Planning Project
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
5
Leadership Recognition
“Leadership in the OCDSB is the demonstration of personal initiative
to achieve a positive outcome.”
Students
As representatives of the student population, our School Leadership Team provides input
for our school-wide events and fundraising for the community. Our students also show
leadership in sports, as they participate in many OCDSB events. In addition to informal
recognition on a regular basis, we also acknowledge their contributions in our classrooms,
school announcements, lunch music program, newsletters, assemblies, Principal’s Report
to School Council, lunch monitors and end-of-year Grade 6 ceremonies. As well, we
recognize student leadership by incorporating their suggestions into our planning.
Staff
Our staff members have a wealth of professional qualifications including Bachelors and
Masters in Education, as well as additional qualifications in Special Education, French as a
Second Language, English as a Second Language, Music, Visual Arts, Guidance, and
Computers in Education. They actively participate in numerous Board-wide professional
development activities in literacy and numeracy, assessment and evaluation and
opportunities for further professional growth is supported. We also recognize formal and
informal staff leadership via personal interactions with one another, letters of thanks,
school announcements, school newsletters, assemblies, performance appraisals, and our
Principal’s Report to School Council.
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
6
Parents/Guardians/Volunteers
Last year, our volunteers contributed hundreds of hours of support for the benefit of
students in our school. Our dedicated School Council meets monthly and contributes to
support the organization of school presentations, acquisition of technology and funding
buses for field trips and the grade 6 end of the year event. As invaluable partners, we
recognize our parents, guardians, community members, and volunteers on a regular basis,
acknowledging them in school announcements, our report from the principal to School
Council, school newsletters, and our annual volunteer appreciation event.
Community
We are very fortunate to have a supportive community. Throughout the year a variety of
community groups have come forth to enrich the lives of our students. Volunteers from the
community help to strengthen our learning environment. Many local businesses support
our school’s environmental and fundraising initiatives. We always recognize our valued
community partners through our school announcements, newsletters and report from the
principal to School Council. Our School Council presently meets on the last Tuesday of the
month at 5:30 pm in our staffroom with pizza served for parents and students at 5:30pm.
Our meeting begins at 6:00 and the children are treated to a movie. Our meeting ends at
7:30 pm coinciding with the end of the movie.
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
7
URL References
1
http://www.devonshireps.ocdsb.ca/
http://www.ocdsb.ca/
3 http://www.ocdsb.ca/ab-ocdsb/
4 http://www.eqao.com/
2
Educating for Success – Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship
8