I am very excited to assume the role of Principal at Allenby Public School. To those students and families who are new to Allenby, welcome to your new school! I am confident that you will find the school as welcoming as I have. I have been thoroughly impressed by the enthusiasm, commitment and compassion shown by Allenby staff. It is this caring attitude that makes the school an inviting and vibrant learning environment.
I have also seen how supportive and welcoming the Allenby community is. Every parent and neighbour that I have met over the summer has been extremely welcoming and it is clear that Allenby is, and will continue to be, the heart of the community. By working collaboratively we will continue to create amazing learning opportunities and experiences for all of our students.
In order to ensure a smooth and successful transition back to school, I would like to communicate a few useful items about classroom placements and first day routines.
- It is important to note that student placements took considerable time and attention by the staff. There were many factors that staff considered during student placements, such as academic needs, learning styles, social skills, diversity of strengths and needs, ratios of boys to girls and the number of students in each class. I am confident that the staff and my predecessor made decisions that they felt were in the best interests of students, as a result, I will be respecting the placements made in the spring. Please help your child(ren) get excited about school (teacher, class).
- Grade 1 to 6 class lists will be posted inside the front doors of the school and online by OEN (Ontario Education Number) starting on Thursday, September 3 at 4 p.m. The OEN can be found on previous report cards. Due to the large number of students at Allenby, it is not feasible for office staff to field calls regarding OENs. I would also ask that parents/ guardians and students refrain from visiting classrooms this week as the staff is busy preparing for the new school year.
- On Tuesday, September 8, all Allenby staff will be outside to greet students. Please look for your child’s class (signs will be posted) and check-in with his/her teacher when you arrive. Specialty teachers will be on hand to assist students in finding their teachers.
We are very fortunate this year to have a new schoolyard with a turf field. No more dust storms, fenced off areas and no need for indoor and outdoor shoes! The new schoolyard is due to the fundraising efforts of the entire school community, led by the Allenby Parent Association. This summer there were numerous emails and onsite meetings and Gillian Uy and Shannon Phillips were alongside me at all stages of the construction process. A huge thank you, to them both, for their attention to detail and assistance in monitoring the progress.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our caretakers for ensuring the school is clean and ready for us to start back on the right track. They did a marvelous job! I would also like to thank the entire teaching staff for the time and effort they have put in over the summer, preparing their classrooms and their programs for Allenby students.
We were fortunate this summer to hire three permanent teachers to join our staff. I would like to welcome Sean Gillespie as our new grade 3/4 french immersion teacher and Anna Ma as our grade 1/2 french immersion teacher. Both Sean and Anna worked at Allenby last year as LTOs and we are pleased to be able to hire them into contract positions. We are also pleased to welcome Nellie Caruso as our Grade 1 french immersion teacher. Nellie comes with fifteen years of teaching experience from York Region District School Board. I know that all three teachers will be fabulous additions to the Allenby staff.
I look forward to the opportunity of getting to know all of the students and their families over the coming school year. When you see me in the school or the school yard, please take a moment to introduce yourself.
Tracey O’Toole
Principal, Ecole Allenby Public School