News

Elmwood Girls are having a great year!

At Elmwood, we have long been dedicated to providing a top-quality Early Years Programme, offering a holistic, International Baccalaureate education for even our youngest learners. How- ever, the 2018/2019 school year brought forth a series of exciting changes, as we proudly launched a newly expanded, fully licensed Pre-Kindergarten programme last fall. This means that our Pre-K class, which has been operating on a smaller scale since 2017, is now officially recognized as a licensed preschool by the Ontario Ministry of Education. As a result of this change, we can now accommodate a greater number of students, while still maintaining the high level of quality and expertise that families have come to expect from Elmwood. Christine Blackadar, Deputy Head of Elmwood’s Junior School, helped spearhead this recent transformation. “We went through an exciting and thorough process to become Ontario licensed,” she says. “We have been delighted to establish a licensed Pre-Kindergarten program to include three-year-olds.”

When Mackenzie Johnson came to Elmwood in Grade 6, she never would have imagined that she would begin her Grade 12 year as Elmwood’s Head Girl. Shyness was a significant obstacle for her before she came to Elmwood and applying for a prefect position was not something that would have been on her to-do list back then. After spending the past six years at Elmwood, that shyness has become a thing of the past. Her family is so proud that she is headed into her final year at Elmwood as Head Girl. She is thinking about the big footsteps she is following in, but is also ready to make her mark on this position of leadership within the school.

The trend in many schools these days is to cut back on electives like art and music, focusing instead on programs like science and math. But as one Ottawa all-girls private school has discovered, investing in high-quality arts programs has a profound impact on students’ success in any field. 

The new Junior School Enrichment program, which was introduced in September 2018 after a months-long design-thinking process. At Elmwood, we are always looking for innovative ways to inspire our students to reach their full potential. Through these programs, our Junior School girls have been encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones, uncover new talents, and develop their friendships. It was wonderful to see them respond so enthusiastically and embrace the programs wholeheartedly. As both the Enrichment and Skill Builder programs continue to grow, we look forward to providing even more rich, meaningful learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

The spirit of generosity has been part of the fabric of Elmwood for more than 100 years. Last year was a shining example of what is possible when our community comes together in support of our girls and the mission of our school. Our community’s collective investment in, commitment to and support of Elmwood made so many things possible and continues to strengthen our financial future.

The Elmwood family is very pleased to announce the appointment of James Whitehouse as Elmwood’s new Head of School.

Prior to his new appointment, James was the Deputy Head of the Middle and Senior Schools, a role he had held since 2012. Selected as Head of School for his impressive professional background, including an understanding of cutting-edge trends in education and in-depth knowledge of the challenges young women will face in the future, James also brings personal traits of integrity, empathy, strong communication and interpersonal skills to his new role.

Girls today have access to many more opportunities than in previous generations. One by one, the barriers separating girls from boys’ activities have fallen, and more women are now seen at boardroom tables, in science laboratories, in government and even in space. Despite these gains, women are still under-represented in many fields.