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.
School Improvement Goals and Theories of Action 2023-24
In consultation with our staff and our community, we created during the 2022-23 school year Goals and a Theory of Action for Mental Health and Well-Being, Instruction and Assessment and Equity and Inclusivity. We also created a parent friendly version of our Theory of Action to support our work going forward. Our next steps are to work with staff and our community to define action and supports that will help us reach these goals over the next 3-5 years.
Who Are We?
The Arts are very important to our school and our community. Below is information about collaboration with Allen Class, a markham resident who worked with our students and our community to create this identity playground. You can find a video with the Artist sharing this work with our school community at https://youtu.be/ktIqDu5D9lw
