Our School

Featherston Drive PS

We acknowledge that our learning is taking place on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin Territory. We thank the Algonquin Nation for hosting us and recognize their enduring presence on this land.

Our School

In 1964, Featherston Drive Public School opened its doors to students from kindergarten to grade 8 living in the southeast sector of Ottawa. Featherston offers a regular English program, Middle French Immersion from grades 4 to 8, and system Autism program classes.

Our school is diverse and multicultural. Our students, and their best interests, are always our primary focus. We are dedicated to ensuring that our school is a place where all students learn and thrive in a supportive and caring atmosphere. We work with our students in all curriculum areas and continually foster their growth and development as caring, contributing citizens. Through our strong emphasis on academic achievement, the arts, athletics, and character education initiatives, our students, staff, and parents work collaboratively to build a strong learning community.

The EarlyON Child and Family Centre is also located in our school. This centre is part of the Ministry of Education’s Early Learning Initiative. The centre helps prepare children (aged 0 to 6 years) for starting school and encourages families to be a part of their children's learning.

Our Students

Featherston currently serves approximately 330 students. We have a multicultural and diverse student population representing a variety distinct cultural backgrounds, which enriches our school community. The majority of Featherston students live in the Heron, Baycrest, and Walkley Road triangle. The socio-economic profile of our school is wide-ranging, and many Featherston students speak English as a second language. Many of our intermediate students (grade 7 & 8) arrive from Charles H. Hulse P.S., Arch Street P.S., and Riverview Alternative P.S. while students entering our Middle French Immersion (MFI) program in grade 4 arrive from 6 different feeder schools. Upon completing grade 8, most of our students attend Ridgemont H.S., Hillcrest H.S. or Canterbury H.S.

Our Staff

Our committed and caring staff bring a wide range of educational backgrounds, interests, and expertise to our school. Many of our teachers have additional qualifications and specialists in a variety of areas including special education, the arts, English as a Second Language (ESL), reading, and French as a Second Language (FSL). With over 40 academic and educational support staff, we consistently focus on meeting the needs of such a rich, multicultural, multilingual student population.

Teachers are supported by a dedicated team of 9.5 educational assistants, 2 office staff, a library technician, and a chief custodian and two night custodians. Our staff also includes two Multicultural Liaison Officers (MLO's), who works at Featherston three days a week combined. We are also very fortunate to have many volunteers working at the school, as part of our extended staff.

Our Community

Parents and Community

The Featherston Drive School Council contributes to our positive school climate in many ways. Our active and supportive council works collaboratively with our staff to foster strong relationships between home, school, and the wider community.

Our council has supported many initiatives to improve our school such as the development of our new kindergarten yard as well as planting trees, shrubs, and gardens on our schoolyard. The council also strongly supports school programs in the following areas: the arts, literacy, athletics, and our library space (which has recently undergone some changes). 

Many parent volunteers take part in fund-raising activities such as organizing pizza days, bake sales, and various events throughout the year. This fund-raising supports and enhances our school programs. Our parent volunteers also assist at many extra-curricular events.

Mission Statement

“Preparing lifelong learners and caring, contributing citizens”

Facilities and Resources

  • a sprawling school building with a two-storey main building
  • large and small gymnasiums
  • library
  • computer Lab
  • Autism program classes
  • sensory room
  • life skills room
  • a large school yard with three areas:
  • a large green space with many trees, soccer fields, and a baseball diamond
  • tennis courts (City of Ottawa)
  • new trees have been planted annually through our EarthCare initiatives and school council funding
  • one play structure (one fenced) for primary/junior students
  • a pavement area with basketball courts
  • a large front yard
  • a kindergarten play area at the front of the school
  • new trees planted with funding from a grant received by our School Council
  • an EarlyON Child and Family Centre - a great resource for parents/guardian and childcare providers; this centre helps prepare children (from 0 to 6) years of age) for starting school

Programs and Services

Academic Programs

  • English program (junior kindergarten – grade 8)
  • Middle French Immersion program (grades 4 – 8)
  • Autism program (kindergarten - grade 8)
  • English Literacy Development (ELD) System Class (grades 6 - 8)
  • Instrumental Music program at the intermediate level (grade s 7 & 8)

Classroom Organization

Featherston has 18 homeroom classrooms:

  • 1 Full Day Kindergarten class
  • 4 Autism System Program classes
  • 6 Middle French Immersion classes: 4 junior classes & 2 intermediate classes
  • 8 regular program classes: one grade 1/2 class, one grade 3/4 class, one grade 5/6 class, one grade 7 class, one grade 7/8 class, and one grade 8 class
  • 1 ELD System Program class

Special Education and ESL Programs

We have a Special Education Support Team consisting of one Learning Support Teacher (LST) and one Learning Resource Teacher (LRT) who oversee the individual needs of all special education students, and provide advice and programming support for all students who are identified through the IPRC process. Our Support Team works closely with classroom teachers in developing student IEPs (Individual Education Plans) and academic support in the classroom. We also have English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers who support all students who are identified as ELL or ELD learners.

Students requiring additional supports and/or services are referred to the Learning Support Teacher (LST) and/or the in-school special education team by their classroom teacher. The in-school team follows a tiered approach of interventions and works closely with the classroom teacher to assess the needs of the student and determine a course of action which may include further observation or assessment, accommodations and/or modifications, classroom support, and/or referrals to our multi-disciplinary team. Our in-school team is always available to assist classroom teachers with planning for the needs of all students. We are also consistently enhancing our use of assistive technology to enable every student to access the curriculum.

Our support staff members follow an inclusive model of program delivery to support special education and English as a second language students. Our support staff works collaboratively with classroom teachers in a co-teaching model to ensure that the needs of all students within the classroom are being met. This model ensures that students remain in their language-rich classroom learning community; learning from, with, and alongside their peers. This approach is consistent with the Ministry recommendations from the Expert Panel Report on Special Education, “Learning for All”.

Clubs and Activities

Students are given the opportunity to develop and demonstrate leadership and citizenship through participating in organized activities. Competitive and recreational athletic sports include cross-country running, touch football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Other activities include: Hackergal, intermediate band, choir, games club, chess club, diversity club, knitting club, tech club, environmental club and compost club.

Students are also provided with a rich array of activities within their school day:

  • sports events and tournaments, assemblies and special performances, spirit days 
  • character events , field trips to various locations in the National Capital Region, skating at local rinks, and the Terry Fox Walk

Safe Schools Initiatives

Featherston is committed to maintaining a learning environment which allows every student to reach his/her greatest potential within a safe and caring atmosphere. We value character traits such as respect, responsibility, empathy, and cooperation.

We have an active Student Well-Being Committee at Featherston Drive. It promotes our district's character traits and exit outcomes across all grades. Our school-based committee plans activities that promote students making positive choices and reinforce appropriate conflict resolution skills. This initiative integrates concepts related to Safe and Caring Schools and Bullying Prevention.

We are also pleased to be part of an initiative with Me to We, which has provided us the opportunity to students and staff in restorative justice a consistent model of expectations and routines is in place across all grades. Our staff continues to reinforce our Code of Behavior to guide positive student behavior. The goal is that of sending consistent messages for student expectations while helping to build positive experiences at the school.

Our school Code of Conduct was developed with input from students, parents, and staff. Each year, students review the Code of Conduct and staff consistently work with students to empower them to live by the code, both in and out of the classroom. The development of these life skills is intended to serve our students well in the future.

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