Our School
History
Ellen Fairclough P.S. is named after Canada’s first female federal cabinet minister. She made political history in 1950 with this appointment, following a period as the only female Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. In 1957 she was named Secretary of State – the first woman to hold a federal cabinet post. Ellen Fairclough was later named Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Postmaster General. She was named to the Order of Canada in 1980. She was a pioneer trailblazer and an excellent Canadian role model for students.
Our school motto is “The Spirit to Try, the Courage to Fly”.
Our school mascot is the falcon. Interestingly, after choosing the falcon as our mascot, our students learned that falcons have been spotted nesting on the Ellen Fairclough federal building in Hamilton. As a symbolic gesture to our mascot, the Student Council at E.F.P.S. then decided, through the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, to adopt “Oscar”, a peregrine falcon.
The Ellen Fairclough P.S. community is a Healthy School community. A Healthy School community is one in which members of the community work together to inspire and support children and youth to lead active, healthy lives. Members of our school community have come together – students, parents, school staff, health professionals, and recreational organizations – to develop programs and policies that increase access to, and opportunities for, active healthy living. These opportunities include the sharing of community facilities and resources, effective health and physical education programs, nourishment programs, recreational activities and school-run events.
Facilities
Ellen Fairclough Public School is a modern two-story building that officially opened in the fall of 2005. Its beautiful Learning Resource Centre is front and centre on the main floor, and is the first space you see as you enter the building. E.F.P.S. has 21 classrooms, as well as a designated Science Lab, Art Room, and a Music Room on the main floor that has a ceiling that opens to the top of the second floor. The building has wide hallways and has been designed to allow for a great deal of natural light, as each of the three stairwells is fully enclosed by glass windows.
Programs
As with each school in the York Region District School Board, Ellen Fairclough P.S. supports student learning through the curriculum standards set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education and many other co-curricular activities.
Among other activities, we offer:
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Badminton
- Soccer
- Winter Elective Days
- Bands
- Glee Club
- Touchstone Student Leadership Teams
- Battle of the Books/Blue Spruce Reading Program/Red Maple Reading Program
- House League
- Cross Country
- Track and Field
- Family Literacy Sessions
- Learning Buddies
- D.P.A.
- Dance Club
- Daily Snack Program
- Daily Breakfast Program
- Kilometre Club
- Homework Clubs
- Extended Library Hours (2:45 – 3:45 pm)
- Terry Fox Run
