Avon Public School is located in a quiet, residential area in the west end of Stratford with a gorgeous playground and gardens. I hope you will take some time to browse the website and learn more about our school, and call if you have any questions or need more information.
We are a school that stands for excellence and believes in the potential of each child. We are a hub for the arts with a thriving program for healthy, active living. We are a community that knows that developing empathy in our students is essential to living in communion with others, and a center for community involvement where everyone belongs and has a place. These are all principles that provide the foundation for learning at Avon. To keep building connections both between individuals and nature, we are in the midst of converting the playground into an amazing naturalized playscape. We welcome your interest and support of this project that will add so much to the Avon community for many years to come.
Every year our schools review our learning needs and focus on one area for school improvement. At Avon, we are currently focusing on mathematics, specifically problem solving and critical thinking. All of our teachers are experimenting with the Inquiry process, as we work to achieve deep learning through questioning, investigation, and collaboration.
The Avon school community understands how crucial social and emotional skills are to being happy and healthy. Roots of Empathy, an evidenced-based program that has been shown to reduce incidents of bullying in schools, teaches our children how to be empathetic, caring people. With babies as teachers, students come to understand how to read and respond positively to emotions, skills that they take with them into conflicts with peers and onto the playground. This program has reached over 480,000 students across Canada; their mandate as stated here is a perfect fit with Avon’s understanding of the whole child:
“The cognitive aspect of empathy is perspective taking and the affective aspect is emotion. Roots of Empathy educates both the mind and the heart.”
At Avon we know it takes a community to raise a child and we value input from parents and community members to help us provide the best education for our students. We are fortunate to have the support of wonderful volunteers from our community; parents, retired teachers, and willing community members assist with reading programs, special environmental projects, and help in classrooms. With a High School nearby, we benefit from the experience of Co-op students, peer mentors, and cross-grade buddies.
Avon has a beautiful spirit! We invite you to come and visit.
Barbara Alken,
Principal, Avon P.S.