Greenbank Middle School

Infobox School
name = Greenbank Middle School


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established = 1963
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type = Public
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principal = Jennifer Offord
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enrollment = 490 students
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colors = Green, White
mascot = Greenbank Gator
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free_label = School Board
free_text = OCDSB
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location = Nepean, Ottawa, Ontario
country = Canada
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Greenbank Middle School is an intermediate public school in Nepean, a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1963, it aims to be a student-centered learning environment where students become informed decision-makers. It is located on Greenbank Road, from which it gets its name. It is paired with Knoxdale Public School, a primary school and a principal feeder to Greenbank.

Students

GMS, as it is known by its students, houses an enrollment of nearly 500 Grade 7 and 8 students, representing over 20 countries and languages, including Romanian, Russian, Persian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, Polish, Bangali, Arabic, Algerian and Somali. It serves mainly students from the areas surrounding Greenbank, including Barrhaven, Centrepointe, and Bayshore.

When the students graduate from Greenbank Middle School, most go to Sir Robert Borden High School, although some choose to go to Merivale High School, Woodroffe High School, Bell High School, Glebe High School, Colonel By Secondary School and Lisgar Collegiate Institute.

Greenbank Public School is also one of the only schools in Ottawa to house a gifted program.

Faculty

As of 2006, Greenbank Middle School has a staff of 29.5 teachers. All staff members have earned additional educational qualifications through ongoing professional development including Special Education, ESL, Masters degrees in various fields, Visual Arts and Computers in Education. Teachers are also involved in extracurricular activities.

Principal Jennifer Offord was the subject of an Ottawa Citizen profile as a part of their series on her previous school, York Street Public School. [cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/york/story.html?id=18dfc69f-17a1-41ea-b0aa-b5d64ca126ff|title=Jennifer Offord takes a bow|date=2007-12-01|work=Miracle on York Street|publisher=Ottawa Citizen|accessdate=2008-06-14]

Curriculum

GMS is proud of their well-established curriculum:
*All GMS students maintain a portfolio of their work. The portfolio is shown to their parents in regular and student-led conferences.

*Students are involved in various performances of their learning, including public speaking, musical, art and drama presentations.

*There is an elaborate motivational system through which GMS students earn recognition for excellence in academics, athletics, and citizenship. In addition, GMS also has a series of more formal recognitions for our grade 8 graduates.

*On-going individual assessments are utilized to inform teaching and learning and to provide information regarding the individual needs of students. Professional dialogue among Greenbank staff and their secondary colleagues assist in developing programs that support the transition of students from middle School to high school.

It has a number of specialist programs such as French Immersion, English as a Second Language, and a Gifted program.

Athletic Program

The GMS students are known as the Greenbank Gators. The Intra-murals program has won the Outstanding Intramural Achievement Award of the Canadian Intramural Recreation Association of Ontario from 2003 to 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/external/cira/template/documents/All_Outstanding_Intramural_Award_Winners.pdf|title=All Outstanding Intramural Award Winners|publisher=Canadian Intramural Recreation Association of Ontario|accessdate=2008-06-14]

Sports include:

*Track and Field
*Cross Country
*Basketball
*Volleyball
*Touch Football (sometimes tackle)
*Soccer
*Walking/Running (Gator Trek)
*Ultimate (Frisbee)
*Badminton
*Synchronized swimming
*Bodybuilding
*Sumo wrestling

Alongside their athletic teams are the "Gatoraids, the athletic council of the school which helps to organize athletic events around the school.

Entrepreneurial program

Mme. Christina Organisto-Martin's grade 7 French Immersion class decided that it wants to help prevent global warming and decided that it will make a project selling reusable bags and giving profits to the Institute of Environmental Sciences at Carleton University for research and education into reducing greenhouse gas emissions. [cite web|url=http://www.earthcarecanada.com/EarthCARE_News_and_Events/OCDSB/Greenbank_4.asp|title=Recyclable Cloth Bag - A Hit at Greenbank|date=2007-05-02|publisher=EarthCARE Canada|accessdate=2008-06-14]

Kids Helping Kids

A big part of what makes this school notable across Ottawa is Kids Helping Kids, a 3 on 3 basketball fundraiser. The first program of its kind, it was established several years ago, fueling school spirit while allowing for thousands of dollars to be fundraised for schools support student- oriented programs in neighboring OCDSB “Beacon Schools”. (That is to say some schools without enough financial support to operate proper athletic programs or established extracurricular activities.) The program has now since spread from the one school several years ago, to across multiple schools in Ottawa wishing to lend a hand as well to the beacon schools.

Planned, organized and run by the school's athletic department (which consists of a small team working hundreds of hours for preparation), the 2-day event, allowing competition in Recreational and Competitive teams,this years competitive grade 8 winners was the Fab Five,has in the past attracted media attention from local news organizations (e.g. CHRO and the "Ottawa Sun"). As well it has been commended by the school board for its program. (See reference below)

Extracurricular Activities and Clubs

* A Student Government
* Choir and Arts Clubs
* A fall and spring outdoor intramural program
* A winter indoor gym-based intramural program
* Spirit Days
* Many interscholastic athletic teams

Creative Learning Techniques

GMS uses creative techniques to teach, including:
*A Grade 8 stock market simulation game; the GSX is a unit designed to teach and explore the word of stock trading, then allow the students to simulate the real thing.
*A School-wide Environmental Club; including a Recycling Program and a team to help with the landscaping.
*A wide variety of day and multi-day curriculum related field trips; these include museums, nature hikes, etc., all designed to teach in a fun learning atmosphere.
*A Homework Club
*An Arts Department involving:
**Instrumental Music
**General Music-**Dramatic Arts for all classes, the 8th grade Late French Immersion class being excepted
**Visual Arts
*An extensive curricular based “End-of-Year” Trip for 8th grade students with a high enough average

Notes

ources

* [http://www.ocdsb.edu.on.ca/Board/News_Releases/News_Releases_2002/NR_May24(2)_2002.htm Greenbank Middle School Honoured for "Kids Helping Kids" program]