Culture

At James L. Alexander School you will be greeted with a smile. JLA provides students with a warm, safe and supportive environment where we work toward improved academic achievement and life long learning. We serve just over 260 students in Kindergarten to Grade 8.

Our school culture is enhanced through weekly assemblies where students have the opportunity to be recognized for their achievements, share good books, hear presenters, tell jokes, and sing songs led by our talented staff. A sense of community at JLA is strengthened by Care Partner groups providing opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and develop strong relationships through classroom pairings.

Academics

Students are encouraged to strive for excellence in reading, math, music, science, writing, etc. Our staff uses a wide variety of teaching strategies so that students experience growth both socially and academically. Technology is utilized to provide students with enriched learning experiences.

Our school embraces the Literacy for Life initiative and fully supports the Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) and Read to Succeed. Our staff has created and implemented ways to encourage daily reading and celebrate our reading success. We are very proud that reading is an integral part of our school culture. The library is the hub of our school promoting strong research skills. Our schools love of reading is responsible for our library circulation rates increasing each of the last five years.

Arts and Athletics

Students at JLA reap the benefits of strong music and athletic programs. These programs are comprised of curricular and extra curricular opportunities. Kindergarten to Grade 5 students receive over 150 minutes of music instruction per week. Students in Grade 6 to 8 have the opportunity to participate in Band programs. We also have a Junior Choir, Senior Choir, and Hand bell group that students may join. Brain-based research emphasizes the importance of left brain/right brain learning which is developed through our excellent music programs as well as through our Core French Program for students in Grade 6 to 8. Students physical needs are met through regular physical education classes, In-Motion, and house leagues as well as via extra curricular activities such as cross country, volleyball and basketball.

Relationships

At JLA, we promote direct communication between parents and school staff. A Restitution philosophy is used to help students learn how to fill their needs in responsible ways as well as developing character and core beliefs. We recognize the importance of addressing bullying behaviour in schools and have implemented a plan to help kids learn to deal with bullying.

Our school is committed to forging strong relationships with the Parkridge Community. We are proud to be the home of the Huskies Den Preschool which provides an excellent learning environment for preschoolers. We are also fortunate to have the Fun Times Before and After School Program operating out of JLA. This program has provided an essential service to our working families for over 15 years. Families have access to an enriched, safe environment for their children with drop-offs as early as 7:15 a.m. and pick-ups as late as 6:00 p.m.