REDWOOD ACRES PUBLIC SCHOOL

4625 Carl Street, 
Hanmer, Ontario P3P 1C3
Phone: (705) 969-4435
Fax: (705) 969-9609

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.

  

Ten Year Old Girls Show What Christmas Is All About

 

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.

  
Grade 4/5 Class From Redwood Acres Enjoys Pizza Party For Participating in Mothers' Day Card Display

  

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

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.

  

Grade 5 Students From Redwood Acres Sing Christmas Carols At The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre

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.
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.
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.
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.
 
Redwood Acres Public School Offers Choice of Gift Baskets In An Impressive Display
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.

Redwood Acres Public School FundRaising Committee Is Very Active In The Community
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.

 
Redwood Acres Open House Is Always A Big Hit With The Entire Family
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.

“My mom came to conference with my teacher, I came for the popcorn” says Lauren Oliver below.

Mrs. Mackenzie LRT teacher at Redwood Acres handed out lollipops to children.

 

Student Page Is A Free Public Education Service Provided To
The Schools of Valley East by
Robert Kirwan, B.A. (Math), M.A. (Education)
Independent Education & Career Planning Advisor
Member of the Ontario College of Teachers
His office is located at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, Hanmer, Ontario
Office Phone: (705) 524-7006       Home Phone: (705) 969-7215