Our School
Avalon Public School ‐ “Where Legends Begin”
Avalon Public School, located in the community of Avalon, opened its doors to students in September 2008. Avalon is situated in a lovely park‐like setting, with a small forest at the back of the school and Portobello Park adjacent to the school property. While some students are bused to school, many others walk and bike to Avalon.
Our Students
Avalon provides programming to students in Kindergarten to Grade 6. Programs are provided in English and Early French Immersion. Early French Immersion begins in Grade 1. Students with Special Education needs are integrated into classrooms and support teachers/educational assistants work in the classrooms to offer assistance. Our students come from diverse backgrounds and represent 49 nationalities, many religions and 18 languages. Some of our students are from military families and have lived and gone to school in many regions of Canada.
Our Staff
Our staff members bring a rich variety of expertise and talent to our students. We have literacy experts, musicians, science and technology aficionados, special education experts and artists – just to list a few.
Our Community
Our Avalon School Council first gathered in March 2008 before the school officially opened. The Council worked very hard to assist in naming the school, selecting a logo and a mascot, planning a June event for the families in preparation for the move, helping with the planning and implementation of the official opening and preparing the constitution and fundraising policy. It was an immense undertaking! Family Movie Night is very popular and has grown to include 2 films – one for younger children and one for older children.
We appreciate the support we receive from parents/guardians, grandparents and community members who volunteer in the school, reading and working with children in the classroom, going on field trips and organizing special events. OCRI volunteers and the Tutors in the Classroom program also provide additional supports to our students. Businesses in our community also support us – Sobey’s often donates edible needs for different events, and Starbucks treated us to coffee at special events.
Programs and Services
Academic Programs
Avalon offers English and Early French Immersion programming for students in Kindergarten to Grade 6. Our Kindergarten program follows the provincial model of Full-Day Learning (FDK). Instruction in Kindergarten is 50 % English and 50 % French. The entry point for Early French Immersion programming is Grade 1.
Special Education and ESL Programs
At Avalon we have a Learning Support Teacher, a Learning Resource Teacher and a half-time ESL Teacher on our team to support our students' specialized learning needs.
Clubs & Experiences at Avalon
Running Club
Primary & Junior Choir
Primary Art Club
Lego Robotics Club
Design & Technology Club
Ukulele Club
Skipping Club
Cafe Francais
A variety of sports: Cross country running, soccer, volleyball, bordenball, badminton, basketball, track and field
WE/WITS Team
Lunch Monitors
Milk Helpers
WITS Schoolyard Helpers
Green Team
Facilities and Resources
Our school is a beautiful structure, designed by Barry Hobin and is wheelchair accessible with a small elevator to assist movement to the second floor. Students can access a high school sized gymnasium with a stage, an instrumental music room, a science lab and an art room. Our library is a large open space with a modest but growing collection of books. We have a large, two story atrium, with a raised stage which is used for special events. A daycare facility is attached to our school with programming run by the YMCA-YWCA.