School and Contact Information
Vision Statement: We, at Dr. Emily Stowe, believe in a safe, respectful, inclusive and supportive environment that encourages all students, staff, families and community partners to develop resiliency through authentic learning opportunities that prepare them for purposeful, life-long learning.
School Environment:
Dr. Emily Stowe P.S., a junior kindergarten to grade 8 school that opened in 1990. We currently have approximately 375 students registered at our school.
Situated in Courtice, our school serves the learning needs of students in the established subdivisions residing east of Farewell Creek, north of Glenabbey Drive, west of Lydia Trull’s eastern boundary and south of Highway #2. Students graduate to attend secondary programs at Courtice Secondary School.
School Staff:
There are 18.15 FTE staff (Special Education 1.25, French 1.11 and Library 0.4, Planning 1.39), Administration 1.0, 2.0 Educational Assistants, 3 Early Childcare Educators, 1 secretary, 1 day-time custodian, and 2 night-time custodians at our school to provide instruction and a supportive learning environment for students. Teachers are constantly updating their qualifications and teaching skills through courses, conferences and workshops.
School Program:
Dr. Emily Stowe offers programming from Kindergarten to grade 8. We provide support for identified special education students and for those students who have intensive needs that require accommodations. The grade 7 and 8 program includes a mixture of core and rotary subjects. We have minimized rotary to facilitate the integration of various subjects and to provide consistency in programming to our students.
School Facilities:
Our 15 classes are housed in 15 classrooms. We also have a gymnasium, Learning Resource Centre, an Early Literacy workroom, a guidance/conference room, Instrumental Music Room and two Computer Labs. Three outside areas are available for supervised recess including a gated enclosure for Kindergarten students and Stuart Park for grade 6-8 students with primary and junior students using the back school yard.
Dr. Emily Stowe has a highly supportive School Council who have actively participated in improving student safety, school yard facilities, while supporting student achievement financially. With our support from committed volunteers, we have been able to reach out to parents, improve communication links, provide input on board and school policies and have, through fundraising contributed many resources and learning opportunities to our school.
Student Services:
A wide range of services are available for our students. Academic support along with Special Education services for students with specific needs and to assist teachers in programming for those students. All students from grades 1 – 8 participate in the agenda program to teach planning and organizational skills as well as to provide a format for daily communication between home and school. Board language assistance is available for those students who qualify.
Our school promotes and maintains a safe learning and work environment for students and staff through the implementation of Safe Schools Policy, Emergency Preparedness and the Safe Arrival Program.
Student Leadership:
Many opportunities are offered for students to develop the skills of being proactive citizens who care and show respect for themselves, their fellow students, teachers and the environment. Through reading buddies, older and younger students work to develop literacy skills. An extensive student volunteer program offers leadership roles which include: announcement helpers, office helpers, library monitors, lunch helpers and recycling monitors. Grade 8 students participate in a community service program working as classroom helpers, sports leaders and computer helpers throughout the school.
Co-curricular activities provide a positive environment for students and offer opportunities to build new skills. Dr. Emily Stowe participates in many extra curricular activities which include, but are not limited to: junior and intermediate sports, choirs, bands, yearbook committees, student well-being committee, student council, ski club, and environment teams (ECO Schools). Within individual classrooms we often raise the awareness of needs within our own community, working to support these organizations.
Dr. Emily Stowe’s Student Council offers grade 7 – 8 students the experience of decision making and leadership while providing the rest of the student body the opportunity to participate in dances, spirit days and fundraisers for valuable causes. Our Student of the Month program also showcases the learning that occurs in individual classes and builds school spirit through the celebration of student achievements and the demonstration of Character Attributes. Our Student of the Month bulletin board in the hall encourages students to reflect on their character and to discuss their attributes amongst their peers.
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING
Teachers gather detailed information on students on a regular basis. In addition, Provincial and System assessments offer teachers and parents a snapshot of how well students are achieving the learning expectations. Results from these tests will assist teachers, schools and the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board to pin-point strengths and weaknesses in achievement for individual students, for schools and for the system as a whole.
Currently, the provincial standards are:
Level 1 – well below the provincial standard
Level 2 – approaching the provincial standard
Level 3 – meeting the standard
Level 4 – exceeding the standard
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
The School Improvement Plan (SIP) is updated on a yearly basis, with input from staff and the School Improvement Team (SIT). Dr. Emily Stowe P.S. uses a variety of resources as they review and update their School Improvement Plan.
Provincial and system assessment results
The previous School Improvement Plan
The current System Improvement Plan
The Principles of Effective Schools
School generated data (from teacher observations, diagnostic assessments and other data that is collected in the classroom)
EQAO results for Dr. Emily Stowe P.S. are shared with school staff in staff meetings and with School Council. In Professional Learning Committees (PLCs), teachers participate in: analyzing data, looking at trends from past information and targeting areas for improvement through collaborative planning and reflection.
