School Profile Earl of March Secondary School Grades 9 to 12 (semestered)

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1 School Profile Earl of March Secondary School Grades 9 to 12 (semestered) Address: No. 4 The Parkway Kanata, Ontario K2K 1Y4 Phone: (613) Fax: (613) School hours: 8:30 a.m. 2:40 p.m. School Website 1 Principal Jon Harris Vice Principals Marilyn Englebert Monica Leonhardt Office Administrator Nancy McConnell Chief Custodian Mandy 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: OCDSB Website 2 Accessibility Information 3 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 which fosters partnerships within our community. As a professional learning community they provide a rich educational platform to enable our students to be successful citizens. Educating for Success Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 1

2 Parents and Community Our 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. Picture of Earl of March Secondary School Educating for Success Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 2

3 Academic Programs Programs and Services 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 Cooperative education to experience a full co-operative 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. Educating for Success Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 3

4 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 Educating for Success Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 4

5 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 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 Educating for Success Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 5

6 Students Leadership Recognition Leadership in the OCDSB is the demonstration of personal initiative to achieve a positive outcome. 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. Educating for Success Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 6

7 Further information about the school can be found at the following websites: Educating for Success Inspiring Learning and Building Citizenship 7