Our School

Alta Vista PS

We acknowledge that our learning is taking place on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin Territory. We thank the Algonquin Nation for hosting us and recognize their enduring presence on this land.

Our School

Our Vision: Have each child become a knowledgeable, pro-active and contributing member of society.

Our Motto: Excellence in a Safe and Caring Community. Alta Vista Public School has been proudly serving the Alta Vista community since 1947. We are a large school offering a variety of programs to our culturally and linguistically diverse students. What makes us special? Engaged students, staff, and parents! We are proud to offer all our intermediate students (grade 7 & 8) the choice of a quality Strings or Band program. Students in the primary and the junior divisions are introduced to ukulele and the drums.

Our Students

Alta Vista P.S. has an enrollment of about 650 students. Our students come from varied ethnic backgrounds and many speak a third language. Most of our students begin with us in Kindergarten and we receive a number of students in grade 7 from Charles Hulse, Pleasant Park and Riverview schools. Our students go on to attend Ridgemont, Hillcrest, Brookfield, Canterbury, Colonel By International Baccalaureate program and the Ottawa Technical Secondary School for their high school education. Students display pride for their school through their involvement in a variety of extra-curricular activities. We are very proud of our students. They work hard, play well and give much back to the local and global community. As well as assisting others, our students contribute to their school through volunteer initiatives.

Our Staff

Alta Vista P.S. has a dedicated staff of more than 50 who work together with students and parents to offer a supportive, positive learning environment for students. Our teachers, educational assistants, office staff, custodial staff, library technician, and multicultural liaison officer, continually upgrade their skills through courses, workshops, professional reading, meetings, and discussions with colleagues. We are proud of our success in promoting student learning. We encourage students to strive for academic excellence and develop and demonstrate Respect, Responsibility, Safety and Perseverance in their academic and personal lives.

Our Community

Drawing from a variety of local Ottawa-Centre communities, Alta Vista P.S. families are a richly diverse group who work together to make Alta Vista a safe and caring place to learn.  We have an active and supportive School Council who do much to support our students and staff.  In partner ship with School Council,students benefit from many initiatives. Together as a team, parents, volunteers and the community work closely with school staff to enrich the learning experiences of our students. The school is widely used by the community outside of school hours and we enjoy a close partnership with the AVCC Alta Vista Child Care Centre (third party day care) on site offering before and after-school care for students ages 4–12.

Mission Statement

Alta Vista Public School is a safe and caring community where we develop independent, respectful and responsible citizens who engage in life-long learning.

Facilities and Resources

  • A digital classroom as part of the library/resource centre
  • 24 laptops

  • Music rooms (for our intermediate strings and drumming programs)

  • Reflection/ Resource Room to support students with educational and behavioral needs

  • 2 Gyms - with change rooms

  • A large yard with a soccer field on the Intermediate yard, a play structure and green space in the junior yard and a large play structure/sandbox in the primary yard.

Programs and Services

Academic Programs

We offer:

    We offer:

  • Regular English with Core French for JK to Grade 8
  • Early French Immersion (EFI) for SK to Grade 8
  • System Learning Disabilities Class grades 4 to 8

Classroom Organization

Regular English (10 classes):

  • Three Full Day Kindergarten (JK/SK) classes, grade 1 /2, grade 3 / 4, grade 4 /5, grade 6 /7, grade 7 and grade 8.
  • Early French immersion (16 classes):
  • Two Senior Kindergarten (SK) classes, two grade 1 classes, grade 1/2, grade 2, grade 2/3, two grade 3 classes, two grade 4 classes, grade 5, grade 6, two grade 7 classes and a grade 8 class
  • A System Learning Disabilities class (Grades 4 to 8)

In September 2013 we started offering full day Junior and Senior Kindergarten programs.

Special Education and ESL Programs

We follow an inclusionary model, making every effort to support students with Special Education and ESL needs in the regular classroom. Withdrawal support is provided as needed. Our support team includes two special education positions one ESL position, and full-time educational assistants who support the work of the teachers. The Learning Support Teacher (LST) also conducts educational assessments and assists classroom teachers with the writing and implementation of the Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

Clubs and Activities

We are grateful to the many staff and parents who volunteer their time to provide many extra-curricular cultural, sports and academic enhancement opportunities. Sports activities include intramural, and intramural (school) sports for junior and intermediate students such as cross-country running, soccer, touch football (Grade 7& 8), volleyball, basketball, Borden ball (Grades 4-6) and track and field.

Clubs include:

P.A.L.S. (older students helping younger students with sports activities), Intermediate: Strings Orchestra Band, and Student Council

  • Skating during the winter months for students in SK-grade 6
  • An after school ski program organized by School Council
  • Daily Breakfast Club, Daily Milk Program, Weekly Healthy Pizza Fridays

We also offer after school literacy and numeracy Clubs for students in grades 3-6 and Saturday literacy and numeracy clubs for students in grades 7 & 8.

Safe Schools Initiatives

Please see our web-site for a description of our Safe Schools initiatives. We know that student achievement is higher in safe and caring schools. We work hard to create a pleasant and safe (physical and emotional) teaching and learning environment for all and encourage school practices which model and support responsible, respectful and caring behavior on the part of all school members. Our school Code of Conduct is revised annually with staff, parent and student input. We hold a variety of school assemblies to promote student engagement and to help students take responsibility for creating and maintaining a safe school environment. Each year students are offered the opportunity to participate in a number of initiatives which build a positive school climate.

Character Development: Anti-Bullying Education

Teaching Pro-Social skills through assemblies and school workshops is ongoing. The Stand By Me club is made up of students from every Grade 6, 7 and 8 homeroom. Their mission is to educate peers about the impact of bullying and harassment and provide suggestions and resources to help deal with it. These students have been trained to take an active role in a safe and respectful school culture. The club worked many long hours preparing and delivering bullying and harassment prevention presentations to students in Grades 4, 5, 6 and 7 they will be working on the junior yard at recess to help monitor conflicts. They have created an informational bulletin board that highlights resources for students who are being bullied or harassed.

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