“Leadership in the OCDSB is the demonstration of personal initiative to achieve a positive outcome.”
Students
At Stittsville Public School, students are encouraged to develop leadership skills in a number of ways. Older students help with kindergarten students in the morning and after school, assist as monitors in classrooms at lunch time, and contribute to morning announcements. Student Council is a voice for all students when seeking input on Spirit Days, fundraising initiatives, allocation of funds to charities and a variety of other activities that occur in the school. Students are also committed to global issues. As well, SPS takes part in the annual Terry Fox walk and contributes to the Terry Fox Foundation and the Education Foundation. All students participate in a school-wide recycling program, bringing litterless lunches and monitoring both paper and actual garbage generated.
Staff
Staff members of Stittsville Public School possess a wide range of professional qualifications that include Bachelors and Masters degrees in Educational Administration, Education, and Psychology. As well, various teachers hold qualifications in the Primary and Junior divisions, as Literacy Support teachers, as a Principal, in Special Education, French as a Second Language, English as a Second Language, Physical Education, Science, Reading, Mathematics, and Visual Arts. Several are associate teachers who host student teachers from various universities in their classrooms, as well as students from the local high schools, and from Algonquin College. They attend Board sponsored workshops, many of them in the areas of literacy and numeracy, and attend numerous training sessions and workshops on their own time. Staff’s ability to work as a team is evident and recognition is given to them via school announcements, school newsletters, assemblies, performance appraisals, Principal's report to School Council, letters of thanks, and peer feedback.
Parents/Guardians/Volunteers
There are a number of parents who attend the School Council meetings and participate in a number of ways, both on the Council and through the various committees. They, and others, are a very enthusiastic group of parents who perform a great number of duties that include going on field trips, supporting primary and junior activities, organizing books fairs, Family Fun Fair, Family Dances, Meet the Teacher Night, Movie Nights, Cake Walk, laminating, operating a food program, and fundraising a considerable amount of money to help school staff purchase items from the Needs Assessment list, enhance the curriculum by providing support for in-class experiences, such as Scientists in School program or field trips. All of these contribute to the enrichment of the learning environment for all students. As invaluable partners, we thank our parents, guardians and volunteers on an ongoing basis, and look for opportunities to acknowledge them through avenues such as school announcements, the Principal's report to School Council, school newsletters, and the annual volunteer appreciation breakfast.
Community
The IODE donates food items to help needy students at lunch time. We have partnerships with Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa Hydro, Ottawa University and Algonquin College. We recognize our community partners through school announcements and newsletters, the school website, Principal’s report to School Council, and personal thank you cards.