Quick Facts
- Our school welcomes approximately 190 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 each year.
- We offer full-day bilingual Kindergarten, the English program with Core French, and Early French Immersion.
- After completing Grade 6, students from the English Program attend York Street Public School and students from Early French Immersion attend Queen Elizabeth Public School for Grade 7 and 8.
Mission Statement
Viscount Alexander is committed to providing a safe, equitable, inclusive, and productive learning environment where individual identities are valued and respected. Students, families, and community volunteers are welcomed and encouraged to support the learning process as students grow and become committed, socially responsible, and productive members of the community.
Registration
Interested in registering your child at our school? Contact us or visit the OCDSB Registration page for more information.
About Our School
Located in the Sandy Hill community, Viscount Alexander Public School opened its doors in 1951. At Viscount children come first and their individual needs are our priority. We extend caring, collaboration and commitment to every student, their parents, and the community. Working together as a positive, optimistic family, we focus on preparing our students academically, socially and physically for an ever-changing and demanding society. Our unique location in Sandy Hill has allowed us to build strong relationships with many partners in the community.
The staff of Viscount Alexander Public School would like to extend a warm welcome to our families both old and new. We look forward to working with you, our parents and community, through parent conferences, the volunteer program, school council, and special events. Together we can all strive to make Viscount Alexander a safe and caring school in which our students feel included and challenged as they take part in the exciting voyage of discovery and learning.
Students
Viscount Alexander PS welcomes a diverse population of students from Sandy Hill community, which includes children who are newcomers from countries around the world including from the various embassies in our neighbourhood. At Viscount, we encourage our students to be proud of the many factors that make up their identities, including race, gender, linguistic background, and cultural heritage. They are ambassadors for themselves and others as they represent us during school trips and at sporting events.
Staff
Viscount Alexander has teachers, early childhood educators, educational assistants, a library technician, an office administrator, an office assistant, and custodians. Our dedicated staff possess many additional qualifications in Special Education, English as a Second Language, Music, Visual Arts, Physical Education and Computers in Education. Our custodial and office staff provide valuable support and assistance to ensure the smooth and seamless running of the school.
Community
Community partnerships have enriched our school in many ways. These partnerships include uOttawa Athletics, uOttawa Faculty of Education, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Sandy Hill Community Centre, Action Sandy Hill, and MASC (Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities).
We offer the following academic programs:
- Full-day Bilingual Kindergarten (JK-SK): 50% English instruction and 50% French instruction.
- English Program with Core French (Grades 1-6): Instruction in the English language in all subject areas as well as instruction in French through Core French (40 minutes daily).
- Early French Immersion (Grades 1-6): In grade 1, students receive 80% of instruction in French. In grades 2-6, students receive 60% of instruction in French.
We have Learning Support programs to support the academic and language learning needs of students. Both programs assist each student to reach their learning potential.
Our school offers:
- Spacious classrooms with tall windows
- Gymnasium
- Stage
- Library
- Kindergarten and grade school play structure and picnic tables
- Nearby City tennis courts and Sandy Hill Arena for skating
- Proximity to the University of Ottawa
- Field trips to the nearby National Arts Centre, the National Art Gallery, Museum of Nature, Lowertown Pool, Rideau Library
- Outdoor field trips to Baxter Conservation Area, MacSkimming Outdoor Education Center, Gatineau Park
- Sports Tournaments: Soccer, Bordenball, Basketball, Volleyball, Cross Country Running
At Viscount Alexander we strive to create a safe and inclusive environment free from discrimination, racism and bullying and improve academic outcomes for all students, especially those at risk. As a staff we work hard to know and understand the families in our school and the barriers that they face. Our efforts to better serve our students include:
- A commitment to considering equity when making decisions in a variety of domains (special education, EA support, school fundraising, field trip cost, announcements)
- A commitment to professional learning about equity on the part of our staff (Culturally Responsive Education, social justice issues, Right to Read Inquiry Report, Trauma Informed Education)
- A strong connection with Sandy Hill Community Health Centre to facilitate and host programs that benefit our most marginalized families (homework club, arts events and in school opportunities, athletic opportunities)
- A commitment to embedding Indigenous teachings into our curriculum all year long, with an increased emphasis in the weeks leading up to the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
- A concerted effort made throughout the entire school year to ensure that our curriculum reflects the variety of identities which make up our student body and more broadly, our surrounding community
- A library revitalization project that includes the removal of old texts that contain outdated messaging and a commitment to the purchase of new books that reflect and represent the diversity of identities that we see in our school community and greater Canadian society
OCDSB Extended Day Program (EDP)
Our school offers the Extended Day Program (EDP), which operates before and after the regular school day, providing children the opportunity to participate in activities that complement what happens during the school day. The program is open to all children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 registered in their designated OCDSB school. For more information, visit the OCDSB website.