News from Viscount Alexander School
Michael Barnes
Our principal retires
Sadly for Viscount Alexander, our principal for the past two years, Paula Slesar, is leaving the school for retirement. An educator for 30 years, Mrs. Slesar has been extremely supportive of the school in so many ways, including organizing sports and arts events, addressing parental concerns, and supporting this community. Her hard work made Viscount better for all. Best wishes and thank you!
Standing up for Sandy Hill!
The Viscount Alexander school council, a parent/staff group, took the initiative to write a letter to Mayor Watson and all councillors, addressing the concerns of many residents with respect to housing development in Sandy Hill. That letter stressed that the increasing development and presence of “bunk houses” in Sandy Hill undermines our family-friendly community for all residents. We have asked for a meeting with city planners to further this conversation.
Seeking volunteers
Viscount Alexander is always looking for volunteers from our community to help in a variety of ways, including reading, handing out fruit and vegetables snacks on Monday and Friday mornings, and supporting our community events. If you are interested, please get in touch with Cristine Elrick, cristine.elrick@ocdsb.ca.
Basketball tournaments
May 1, our Junior Girls team played at Gloucester High School with Emma, Sofia, Tasnia, Jada, Ola, Nadia, Hala, Kayla, Arty, and Mehrangez. They finished first in their division! Coach Laura Bruin, thanks for all the hard work!
April 30, our Junior Boys team – including Ismaila, Sebastian, Yusuf, Tarek, Nati, Rayan, Yahya, Austin, Andrew, Hamse, and Omar – made us all very proud for being the most well-disciplined and respectful group in the tournament held at Gloucester High School. They played some outstanding basketball and finished first in Tier 3, second in Tier 2, and first in Tier 1! A big thanks to our coach, Mr. K!
Viscount Wax Museum
April 25, 40 students from Grades 5 and 6 participated in our annual Wax Museum. This year’s theme was Best Singers of all Time. The students dressed as their favourite singer, and memorized a two-minute speech about the background and life of their singer. They also created a storyboard with images and text; then, small groups of students from Grades 1 to 4 were invited to listen to the speeches. The singers stood in their spots like wax figures. When the light re-animated them, they spoke to their captive audience. We truly thank Mrs. Kristi Fulford for organizing this successful museum!
The annual bike rodeo
This year, 20 bikes were given to children who needed a bicycle. Grades 1 to 4, got 45 minutes outside to learn about helmet fitting, road rules, and then riding the slalom course. The Grade 5 and 6 students cycled to Mooney’s Bay and back on bike paths.
None of this would have happened without our sponsors and event coordinator. Many have supported our bike rodeo for years. We truly appreciate their dedication to this Viscount tradition. This year, the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre supplied loaner bikes, bells, and repair services. The Kiwanis Club of Bytown provided financial support to obtain bicycles. Ruth Watson of Cycle Salvation fixed 20 bikes for the cause. Trish and Rob from the Ottawa Safety Council ran the event. A big thank you goes out to all donors and volunteers, including the students in Lisgar Collegiate’s Outdoor Education program, who helped run the bike stations and assisted new riders. Finally, Cristine Elrick kept it running smoothly. It was a great day!
International potluck dinner
June 12, Viscount Alexander continued its special tradition of hosting an international potluck, where families are asked to bring food to share from their country. The teachers serve the food, and the school council help with appetizers and calling table numbers. This gives families new to Canada and Viscount a sense of community, and allows everyone to make new friends and meet old ones.
Volunteer breakfast
June 6, the school showed its appreciation for all our volunteers. Our teachers served tea, coffee and breakfast. Thanks to Mrs. Contant, our organizer. Congratulations to our Volunteer of the Year, Dianne Hough!
With notes from Cristine Elrick and Kate Wigston