School Profile 2013-2014
Earl of March Secondary School
Grades 9 to 12 (semestered)
Address:
No. 4 The Parkway
Kanata, Ontario
K2K 1Y4
Phone: (613) 592-3361
Fax: (613) 592-9501
School hours:
8:30 a.m. – 2:40 p.m.
School Website1
Principal
Jon Harris
Vice Principals
Marilyn Englebert
Monica Leonhardt
Office Administrator
Nancy McConnell
Chief Custodian
Amanda Schiemann
School Council Chair
Catherine Roberts
Superintendent of Instruction
Olga Grigoriev
School Trustee
Christine Boothby
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
Since its inception in 1970, the Earl of March Secondary School has
exemplified the best in a composite general arts education. Students,
staff and the community have been partners in providing an
environment which nurtures excellence in achievement for all
students. Our Goal is to provide destination driven program pathways
for all students within our community. Our Mission Statement is “to
provide a caring, challenging, and safe environment, which will
encourage and motivate students to pursue excellence in all their
endeavours.”
Programming in the school is diverse and provides excellent
opportunities for all students in both the core and optional curriculum
areas. Enriched studies are offered in English, Mathematics and
History. Our Advanced Placement Program offers nine courses that
allow students to obtain university credits while still in secondary
school. French Immersion programs are offered in fourteen courses
in the regular school program plus additional opportunities are
available through cooperative education placement. Extra-curricular
opportunities are available through an excellent athletic program,
award-winning bands, dramatic and dance performances, visual arts,
leadership programs, student council, and over 60 sports and club
activities. We believe school should be a mix of academic excellence
enhanced with extra-curricular activities. Earl of March offers
opportunities for students to excel both academically and foster
qualities of good global citizenship.
Our Students
Our enrolment is comprised of 1155 students who reflect the cultural
diversity of the Kanata community. Four elementary schools provide
students to our school: W. E. Johnston, Katimavik, Castlefrank and
Stephen Leacock.
Many students seek additional educational challenges through our
Advanced Placement Program. Many students obtain Certificates in
French (Immersion/Extended)/Art/Music/Business/Technology as well
as choosing a Co-operative Education Program. We also have two
Community Living programs.
Our Staff
Our 74 highly educated teachers and 13 administrative / support
personnel are committed to excellence in public education. They are
advocates for students, believing in the measure of accountability and
a learning environment whichfosters partnerships within our
community. As a professional learning community they provide a rich
educational platform to enable our students to be successful citizens.
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Our Community
Parents and Community
Parents work closely with students and staff to promote a cooperative and enthusiastic
spirit in the school, which in turn supports a culture of excellence in academics, athletics,
the arts and technology. Parents volunteer as coaches, advisors and chaperones. They
are warmly welcomed and appreciated. The Earl of March School Council meets in our
staff room every third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. They are an invaluable resource in
providing support and direction to our community school.
Mission Statement
Our “Mission” is to provide a caring, challenging, and safe environment, which will
encourage and motivate students to pursue excellence in all their endeavours.
Earl of March Secondary School
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Programs and Services
Academic Programs
The Earl of March provides program pathways for the Academic, the Applied and the World of
Work fields of study. Enrichment courses are offered in Mathematics, English and History at the
junior level. Earl of March offers Advanced Placement courses in English, French, Biology,
Chemistry, Physics and History at the senior level. The French Immersion program provides
students with an opportunity to expand their communication skills in French leading to fluency and
the French Immersion Certificate. Versatile Arts programs allow students to attain a Certificate of
the Arts with a focus in music, visual arts, drama or dance. Technology programming is
comprehensive and includes a compulsory credit in either a business computer course or an
integrated technology course. Pathways to success are available to all our students.
Classroom Organization
The Earl of March is a large community secondary school. Our size and semestered timetable
permits flexibility in course offerings and credit attainment. We are scheduled into three 75 minutes
courses in the morning with a 10 minute break between each class, followed by a 50 minute lunch
prior to our last afternoon session. This permits Co-operative education to experience a full cooperative learning experience in the afternoon. Earl of March offers a Yearbook credit course.
Band, Linkcrew and Leadership Course credits which may be earned outside of our regular school
timetable structure. Where normally students complete 8 credits per year, this flexible configuration
permits additional course attainment for those looking for expanded opportunities.
Special Education and ESL Programs
The Special Education staff is available for remedial support and educational assessments for
students identified as exceptional through the IPRC process and for other students experiencing
learning difficulties. The Earl is a leading advocate for students with special needs. Within our
school we have 2 units to support our community living students providing programs to meet their
individual needs.
Clubs and Activities
Earl students enjoy an extensive program of extra-curricular sports, intramurals, arts productions
and club activities. With 30 teams, multiple arts presentations and more than 40 clubs, there is
something for everyone.
Athletic teams are coached by our staff and community volunteers. For the extensive list of our
teams please visit our Web site. This program is supplemented by an active lunch time intramurals
program which is organized by our students' Athletic Council and Linkcrew.
Arts productions include: a yearly musical, numerous concerts by our Junior and Senior stage
bands and ensembles, Visual Art showings, and Dance recitals. Our arts program, both inside and
outside the classroom, is extensive enough to offer an Arts Certificate of recognition for our
students to include in their portfolio for post-secondary education.
Clubs abound in the school and change from year to year depending on the interest of our
students. These activities include: chess, anime drawing, bridge, school newspaper, peer support,
math and many others.
Our Student Council provides many lunchtime spirit activities and dances to enhance school spirit
and social atmosphere.
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Safe Schools Initiatives
Extensive programs have been put in place to support our mission "to provide a caring, challenging
and safe environment, which will encourage and motivate students to pursue excellence in all their
endeavours".
These include:
 A comprehensive "Code of Conduct.
 A process to identify and track students with special medical needs and to provide them with
the support they require.
 Student Services counsellors, an itinerant educational assistant, a social worker and
psychologist to provide social, intellectual and emotional support to our students as they grow
to adulthood.
 A caring and competent staff many of whom are trained in CPR, First Aid, ASIST, NVCI and
BMS.
 A St. John's Ambulance trained Student Response Team which provides initial medical support
at all school activities
 A School Resource Police Officer who works proactively with administration to ensure
appropriate safe measures are in place.
 A School Response Team to ensure a well supervised safe environment.
 A Crisis Response Team to ensure support to students in time of emotional trauma.
 A prevailing philosophy of restorative justice and progressive discipline when dealing with
issues.
Facilities and Resources
The school is over 200,000 square feet in area. Proud green spaces and gardens
surround this modern complex. Within its interior you will find: a generous foyer, classroom
and study areas, eight state of the art computer labs and a full service library, a 700 seat
auditorium with top-notch dance and music facilities. Three gymnasiums and extensive
playing fields provide the setting for a very successful athletic program. In 2009, a major
renovation occurred in 4 science labs outfitting EOM with state of the art facilities.
Google Map of Earl of March Secondary School
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Achievement and School Improvement Planning
Measures of Student Achievement and Success
School Improvement plans are developed yearly based on the school mission/vision and
the OCDSB strategic directions. The plans are developed with the participation of various
stakeholders in the school community. For 2013-2014 the focus will be on:
 The continuation of a balanced cross-curricular approach to improve literacy and
numeracy using critical thinking tasks throughout all subject areas.
 Building bridges in skills, assessment and evaluation practices between Earl of March
and its feeder schools.
 The continuation of positive intervention strategies by the use of progress reports early
in the semester followed by parental consultations. Tiered intervention process through
the Student Success Program, Student Services and Special Education Department.
 A focus on student engagement in both curricular and co-curricular activities.
 Celebrating the many successes of our students both academic and extracurricular.
 Using data driven high yield interventions
School Improvement Plans and Initiatives
Earl of March students and staff will actively focus on instructional strategies to maximize
the engagement of the learner.
Earl of March Secondary School staff will foster student self-advocacy (student voice) and
promote communication with the community as measured by the indicators of progress.
Student voice Picture
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Leadership Recognition
“Leadership in the OCDSB is the demonstration of personal initiative
to achieve a positive outcome.”
Students
Our students are positive leaders both in the school and in their community. Last year our
Student Council ran a wide variety of programs to enhance student life. Spirit weeks,
barbecues, dances, assemblies and fund raising events were part of their daily agenda.
They supported the local food cupboard, participated in a cancer fundraising event,
supported the Blood Donor program, and numerous other charities. Our Student
Emergency Response Team provides medical support at many school functions. Our
leadership and Linkcrew classes provide the school with student participants during parent
nights and a well-balanced intramural program during lunch periods. Student contributions
are recognized by awards, assemblies, letters of commendation, and certificates of
appreciation.
Staff
The Earl of March staff are highly dedicated to providing our students with the best in education.
All teaching staff have degrees appropriate to their instructional area. Teachers are constantly
enhancing their knowledge through professional activities which include Board and Provincial
workshops, Additional Qualification Courses, Leadership Education, Advanced Placement
Qualifications and numerous other training opportunities. We have a number of Educational
Assistants who have been an invaluable asset both in the classroom and the larger school
community.
We have a dedicated Administrative and Support staff. They constantly upgrade their proficiencies
by participation in Board sponsored workshops and training programs. They provide invaluable
support to our school community by ensuring a smooth administrative foundation which is
responsive to students, staff, parents and the public.
Our Care Staff are an important part of our team. Their persistent attention to details provides our
students and staff with a clean, healthy environment. They constantly ensure the safety and
security of our facility and are tireless in supporting extra-curricular activities.
Parents/Guardians/Volunteers
Our Parents, Guardians and Volunteers provide our school with support through coaching, tutoring
and supervisory activities. Our Music Council yearly raises funds to support our bands in traveling
to diverse regions of Canada and the United States. Our School Council meets monthly to discuss
school issues and to provide valuable advice to administration. The support of these groups is
acknowledged through newsletters, assembly announcements and certificates of commendation.
Community
Our greater community supports the school through awards, co-operative education
placements, and donations. Employers are very supportive of our students’ educational
initiatives. They provide prizes for fund raising events, facilities for special occasions and a
wide variety of experiences which enhance our educational program. They are
acknowledged through the co-operative education employer appreciation breakfast,
publications, assemblies and written communications.
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URL References
1
– http://www.earlofmarch.com/
2
– http://www.ocdsb.ca/
3
– http://www.ocdsb.ca/ab-ocdsb/
4–
http://www.eqao.com/
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