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REDWOOD ACRES PUBLIC SCHOOL
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4625 Carl Street,
Hanmer, Ontario P3P 1C3
Phone: (705) 969-4435
Fax: (705) 969-9609 |
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Redwood Acres Public School
JK to Grade 5 - Enrolment 356
School Profile
"Success Big or Small, Every Child Every Day"
Redwood Acres Public School is a JK to Grade 5 English Program
school located in Hanmer, Ontario. Our school is the only English
public school in the Valley, north of Sudbury, and draws students
from Val Caron, Val Therese, Blezard Valley, and Hanmer.
Redwood Acres Public School has a large primary population with
350 students under the age of 10. We also accommodate students with
special needs in our Comprehensive Class and Early Intervention
Class. These classes are available to our family of schools - Val
Caron Public School, Valley View Public School and C.R. Judd Public
School.
Due to the increased population in the Valley, Redwood Acres
Public School was renovated this summer. A six-classroom modular
addition has created some much-needed space in our school. The
office was also moved to be more visible for parents and visitors.
Redwood Acres Public School is very Literacy focused. Several
staff members have completed Reading Courses to fine-tune their
instruction. With the addition of Literacy Resource Teachers this
year, we continue to work with our young students to improve their
skills. Core French begins in Grade 3.
The staff at Redwood Acres Public School is a dedicated,
community-oriented group of professionals. We offer many
extra-curricular activities throughout the year, both in the areas
of athletics and the arts.
Staff and students start every day with “happy exercises” dancing
in synchronized steps to current music, which reflects the character
trait of the month. Our young Cross-Country team is composed of
students from Grades 3 to 5 with over 60 members. For those students
who cannot remain after school for this team, we offer a recess
running club, which has several 5, 10 and 15 km members early in the
school year. Other athletic activities include primary and junior
soccer, a year-round running club, beach ball volleyball, junior
basketball, and cross-country skiing.
Redwood Acres Public School also has a wonderful Drama Club whose
members perform every spring in a musical production featuring
incredible talent. We also have a yearly Christmas Choir and Concert
enjoyed by the entire community. At Redwood Acres, we complete our
school year with our very own Redwood Idol and a slide show of
pictures from all of our monthly spirit days, school events and
excursions.
Our community is very involved in the school, evident by our
active School Council and Parent Volunteers. Parents offer students
Healthy Snacks, sponsored by Better Beginnings, Better Futures and
Scholastic Book Fairs. Parents are welcome members of our school
community. They are involved in their children’s classes and
volunteer countless hours in many aspects of the school.
As part of the new “Pay It Forward” initiative, Redwood Acres
Public School staff and students do ordinary good deeds that lead to
extraordinary good things. We participate in the Terry Fox Run, the
CIBC Run for the Cure, Nickels for the North, Christmas Food Drive,
CNIB Crocus Sale, Toonies for Autism, and Jump Rope for Heart.
The Redwood Acres Public School vision statement “Success Big or
Small, Every Child Every Day” reflects the level of commitment of
the staff to our students. Our Professional Learning Communities
speak to our belief that student progress is a collective
responsibility. Staff members offer Kindergarten, Literacy and EQAO
information nights for parents, demonstrating our understanding that
a child’s education is a partnership between home and school. |
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Ten
Year Old Girls Show What Christmas Is All About
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The two girls in the photo may only be ten years old, but
their attitude towards helping the less fortunate in our community is
something that you would expect from people with many more years under
their belts. Sarah Draper, on the right, and her friend Laura Lafreniere
both attend Grade 5 at
Redwood
Acres
Public School
.
When Sarah saw some students from Pinecrest signing carols at the
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre the week before, she approached her mother,
Lorrie Draper, and asked if it would be ok for her and Laura to do the
same. Lorrie, who indicates that she and her husband, Dan, have always
tried to instill in their daughters the importance of helping others in
need, was thrilled at the request. The Drapers have one other older
daughter, Mariah (14) who attends
Bishop
Alexander
Carter
Catholic
Secondary School
.
The girls practiced singing the songs at home during the week in
preparation for their first public performance. That week, their Grade 5
class even visited the recording studio at
Confederation
Secondary School
to create a CD, so the girls’ interest was further stimulated. Then, on
December 2, after school, Lorrie brought the two girls to the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre after school where they sang carols for a couple of
hours in front of Desjardins’ Food Basics.
According to Lorrie, “The shoppers were very generous. Just about
everyone who walked by was dropping some money into the
container.”
When the girls left the mall, you could tell by the smile on their
faces that they were very pleased with what they had just done.
And you could tell from the slight glistening in the eyes of Sarah’s
mother, Lorrie, that this was one young mother who was very proud of her
daughter.
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Grade 4/5 Class From Redwood Acres
Enjoys Pizza Party For Participating in Mothers' Day Card Display |
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Mrs. Danielle Gagnon, Grade 4/5 teacher at Redwood Acres Public School, is
shown with her happy students just before receiving their pizzas for lunch.
The Pizza Party was provided by Val and Violet Mazzuca, owners of the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre in appreciation for the class participation in the
Annual Mothers' Day Card Tribute which was held at the mall. The card that
was done by the students is being held up in front. A total of 13 different
elementary schools from Valley East and Capreol took part in the
display.
Members of the class, in no particular order, include:
Rebecca Book |
Jessica Busch |
Brandon Delisle |
Shelby Ernst |
Zachary Farnel |
Ethan Hovi |
Natalie McDevitt |
Baylee Ouwens |
Hannah Paquette |
Curtis Thompson |
Kyle Wilson |
Glen Winegarden |
Sierra Crooks |
Jenny Emms |
Sean Everest |
Tyler Grainge |
Deidre Lynn Imbeau |
James Innocente |
Jessica Lloyd |
Sarah MacDonald |
Cameron McDonald |
Brent St. Pierre |
Logan Stamp-Elliott |
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The students were also taking part in Crazy Hair Day. Mrs. Gagnon's class
won a School Spirit Award for having 100% participation in the event.
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Grade 5 Students From Redwood Acres Sing Christmas
Carols At The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre
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Visitors to the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre were treated to some wonderful singing by close to 70 Grade
5 students from Redwood Acres Public School on Thursday, December 14, 2006.
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The students stopped by the mall after first entertaining the residents at
the Elizabeth Centre in Val Caron. Before arriving at the mall, however,
they did make one very enjoyable stop at Harvey's in Val Caron.
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Grade 5 Teacher, Mrs. Kaitlin Lemega watched as her students as well as
those from Ms. Nadene Houston's and Carole Burke's classes sang for almost
30 minutes in the centre court area of the mall.
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The very well-behaved and polite students were great ambassadors for Redwood
Acres. Everyone in the mall who heard them commented on their tremendous
self-discipline and on the way they handled themselves while in this public
venue. After the show was finished, many of the students took time to say
hello to one of the most attentive listeners in the audience. Below, several
of the students are shown with Klondike, a seeing-eye dog who accompanied
one of the visitors.
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Redwood Acres
Public School Offers Choice of Gift Baskets In An Impressive Display |
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The parents and staff of Redwood Acres Public
School have put together an amazing selection of gift baskets in their
latest fund-raising drive. Shown above are several volunteers, including
Mary Lyons, on the far left; Linda Parker, a JK teacher at the school,
standing 4th from the left; and Cindy Plint, SK teacher, beside her. There
were also three students helping out in selling tickets at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre the weekend of December 9 and 10, 2006. The creative
initiative allowed visitors to purchase tickets at $2 each of 3 for $5.
Then, in a "penny table format", the person could select which of the
baskets he/she wished to enter to have a chance of winning. The winners will
be announced after the Christmas Concert which will be held at the school on
the morning of December 21, 2006.
The baskets were assembled with a variety of items falling into specific
categories such as: Christmas, Literacy, Men, Women, and Children.
The funds are to be used for school trips and general enhancement of
school programs. |
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Redwood Acres Public School
FundRaising Committee Is Very Active In The Community |
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It is extremely difficult to introduce Mrs. Mary Picciottoli-Lyons. Here
she is show with her two children, Erik Lyons (6) and Jessika Lyons (9).
Erik is in Grade 1 and Jessika is in Grade 4 at Redwood Acres Public
School of Hanmer. On this day Mary is introduced in her capacity as the
Fund-Raising Coordinator for the Redwood Acres School Council. This
particular project involves the selling of chocolate bars and
chocolate-covered almonds to generate revenue for school field trips which
will enhance the curriculum program at the school. Mary has a very
ambitious plan for the year and will be setting up at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre several times during the year for Penny Table Sales and
Gift Basket Raffles.
As Past Chair of the School Council Mary finds that it is important for
schools to get out into the community. "I just love spending time
letting the general public know what we are doing at the schools. I think
it is important for everyone, not just the parents of children in the
school, to be aware of what is going on with the activities at the school.
Besides her responsibilities at Redwood Acres, Mary is also a Full-time
student in the Child & Youth Worker Program at Cambrian College and is
currently on placement at Immaculate Conception School in Val Caron. She
is also a Guide Leader with the 1st Valley Guides which meet at Immaculate
Conception School every week. On top of that, Mary operates an
"after-school" Day Care Program out of her home. When asked how
she manages, Mary simply states, "Well you do what you have to do
when you are a mother. I think it is important to be involved with my
children and I just love helping out in any way I can." Mary also
indicated that she still has a few hours open in case something else comes
up.
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Redwood Acres
Open House Is Always A Big Hit With The Entire Family |
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On
September 13, 2007
Redwood
Acres
Public School
held their annual Open House.
This year featured a circus theme with face painting, juggling and
clowns. It was a huge success
with parents coming with their children to see their classrooms and meet
their teachers. Below are
moments captured at the event.
Below, Cody, the son of Educational Assistant Mrs.
Olivier, juggles teddy bears. |
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“My mom came to conference with my
teacher, I came for the popcorn” says Lauren Oliver below. |
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Mrs. Mackenzie LRT teacher at Redwood
Acres handed out lollipops to children. |
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