Our School
History
The original Poplar Bank school was located on the south-west side of Yonge Street and Poplar Bank Sideroad. It was built of logs and the original site dates back to 1802. This school ceased being used in 1862. A new one was built of wood construction on the same site that same year. The original Poplar Bank school closed on June 29, 1965.
The old school was demolished in 1998. Some items remain such as the old electric bell, a silver pitcher that was displayed on the school’s float during the annual Newmarket parade as well as several photographs. On Yonge Street, just north of Bonshaw Avenue on the west side, there is a cairn monument made of bricks that were salvaged from the old school. It is hoped that this monument will eventually be relocated closer to the new Poplar Bank school.
We are very appreciative of the role that Doreen Needler, a former student of the original Poplar Bank school, has played in connecting us with the past and allowing us to house some of the historical artifacts at our new site. Ralph Magler of the Newmarket Historical Society has also been very helpful in this regard.
Facilities
Poplar Bank P.S. was officially opened in September 2003. It is a French Immersion school. The building itself is brick, two-storey with 21 classrooms. There are 19 regular classrooms, a library resource center, Music room, Science room and Art room. The majority of classrooms are arranged in a unique cluster of four classes sharing a Discovery area or computer pod. Each classroom and Discovery area is equipped with computer drops allowing access to the Internet, local and wide area network.
The school is located on Woodspring Avenue which is off Bonshaw, west of Yonge Street and north of Davis Drive. The permanent boundary as well as the French immersion boundary are described by the map attached. The French immersion feeder schools for Poplar Bank are Clearmeadow, Crossland, Denne, Maple Leaf, Poplar Bank, south of Mulock elementary school, Holland Landing, Park Avenue and Sharon.
Programs
As with each school in the York Region District School Board, Poplar Bank P.S. support student learning through the curriculum standards set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education and many other co-curricular activities.
Our school
- is a single track French Immersion School
- promotes a safe and supportive learning environment. This is done through the Board’s Safe Schools Policy and Procedures and the Character Education Initiatives
- provides Special Education Programs
- provides a before and after school program. Service is provided by Denison Child Care.
We are also very proud to offer the following programs to our students:
- Ongoing and informal social skills counseling
- Kinark Family Services
- Progressive Discipline Model
- Student Leadership program
- VIP program
- Second Step Violence Prevention Program
Safe and Supportive Schools/Character Education/Equity Education
Every student has the right to learn in a safe and supportive environment. The York Region District School Board has a Safe Schools Policy and a defined procedure to implement the policy. Both the policy and procedure support the view that student discipline involves a continuum of support including prevention, intervention and appropriate consequences.
In addition, Poplar Bank P.S. supports the development of character education in the York Region District School Board. The following is an overview of the school’s Character Education initiatives:
- Developing respect and responsibility.
- Demonstrating caring for others.
- Promoting student leadership.
- Lunch monitors.
- Bus buddies.
- Snack program.
