newsdurhamregion.com
RELATED FACTS

Involved students learn well

Feb. 23, 2007

Involved. Our school is all about getting involved. We have a student government elected by the student body and we run all the spirit days and spirit activities.

We have an Intramural council which anyone can join. It runs the daily lunch-time sports and games in the gym. We have basketball, volleyball, Newcombe-ball, soccer and European handball teams.

We have two choirs, an environmental club, a Random Acts of Kindness Club, four reading programs, a chess club and a games club.

The teachers are always encouraging and ready to help or talk. They make sure everyone gets the educational attention they need, whether it is through recess math clubs or the Gifted Program for those who want more of a challenge. The teachers do their very best, but with growing class numbers (some classes number over 30 students!) it can sometimes be hard to make sure each student is doing well. It is also scheduled perfectly so that you could be in the gifted classroom and in French Immersion, or in English or just French.

Our school building is great. We have a huge gym, a big stage, nice-sized classrooms but small halls and lockers.

The one thing I think could be better in our school would be to have full-sized lockers for the intermediates or at least wider halls.

Right now, in the mornings, four classes are crammed into a small space along with their backpacks, trying to get to and from their lockers in the five minutes before the teachers wants us in the classroom.

I think our school is a fabulous and I am proud to be a student here.
Amy Hutchinson is a Grade 8 student at Dr. G.J. MacGillivray Public School.
« Back
Font Size: Default Font Size  Medium Font Size  Large Font Size
Dr. G. J. MacGillivray ‘good place to be’


Apr 24, 2007 By: Jennifer Stone

COURTICE -- Dr. G. J. MacGillivray School in Courtice is a lot like a really big family, says its new principal.

Jean Marchand, who used to be at the helm at Ontario Street Public School, made the jump to the Courtice dual-track French Immersion and English school last September.

There are currently 765 students at the school, which has regular English programming for students in JK to Grade 8, French Immersion from SK to Grade 8 and a Gifted Program for both junior and intermediate students.

“Even though we’re very, very large, it’s like a family,” said Mr. Marchand.

The 54 staff work well together, he said.

“There’s a wonderful joie de vivre in this school,” said the principal.

Dr. MacGillivray was named for a Clarington pediatrician, who worked in the area for more than 25 years and died in 2001.
`The school hosts the gifted program for all of Clarington and takes French immersion students from the west end of the municipality.

Originally slated for opening in September 2002, students didn’t get into the school until October of that year due to construction incompletion, said Mr. Marchand.

There is a great deal of spirit within the school’s community, he noted.

“There is tremendous community involvement and support from the school council,” said the principal, noting the support comes in an array of ways, including financial.

The group recently purchased three SMARTBoards for the school and they “put huge amounts of money into the library,” said Mr. Marchand.

As well, the organization supports development of Character Education and recently paid for a series of anti-bullying workshops, which were to be held at the school on Feb. 19 and 20.

Three years in a row, the school has received provincial awards for student intramural participation.

“Teachers volunteer to supervise” the events, with separate primary, intermediate and junior groups participating, said Mr. Marchand.

“Almost anything that can happen happens here,” said the principal. “It’s just a good place to be.”