VP Blog

It’s happening quietly, but let me tell you, it is happening. Ottawa is currently going through a school garden revolution, as the number of gardens as well as their productivity and activity increase. With organisations like Growing Up Organic and Nutrients for Life in Ottawa supporting the growth of these [...]

The recommended amount of physical activity for a young person is 60 minutes of “moderate-to vigorous” activity a day.  According to the information on www.participaction.com only 7% of young people get this recommended amount of exercise.   We know that regular physical exercise is directly related to academic performance, and important [...]

The week is over and the Potato Project has been successfully launched.  I wanted to take a minute to reflect on this project, as it has been quite the whirlwind for us here at Heritage Academy.   As a school for students with dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and a variety of other [...]

We have been lucky enough to connect with Shiahan Bill Gatchell of 100% Martial Arts in Ottawa.  He has run a very successful program and is going to be providing a regular twice a week class for our students here at the school.  We are very excited about this for [...]

It is the night before the literacy test in Ontario (the OSSLT), as the administrator in charge of the logistics of the event at my school and I have put the revised touches on the accommodations, room assignments, and logistical instructions for tomorrow. I then took a minute to look [...]

Our students like to get out into our gardens every spring, and this year is no exception, everyone is very excited to get out there, even though we still have snow.  Over the years I have been asked many questions about the gardens, “Can I eat that?” “What is that?” [...]

If food is the “key to a man’s heart”, could it also be the key to a student’s comprehension?   Currently, right now in our grade 7 classroom we are enjoying a language class filled with many different dishes all connected to our personal novel choices. About a month and [...]

Today is Pink Shirt Day, and we had anti-bullying week not that long ago.  As an educator it is great to see the awareness brought to this problem.  Many of the students I work with report being bullied before they came to us.  I recognise that this is a large [...]

Heritage Academy has had organic vegetable gardens in our yard for six years now.  I started them with a small cucumber patch because I had a student who didn’t realise pickles were made from cucumbers, so we grew some cucumbers with the intention of pickling them ourselves.  It was inquiry [...]

It’s kindness week in Ottawa. This is a great initiative to see a city take, we all feel better when someone shows kindness to us. I was reflecting on how this effects my profession, and thought that when adults are working with children it is particularly important that we show [...]