Jack Purcell Recreation Association

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  • Home
  • Children
    • After School Program
    • Basketball Camp
    • Piano Lessons & Private Tutoring
    • Summer Camp
    • Martial Arts
    • PA Days
    • Friday Youth Nights
  • Pool
    • Schedule and Fees
    • Swimming Lessons
    • Wading Pool
  • Programs
    • Tennis
    • Yoga & Dance
    • Fitness
    • Art Programming
    • Weight Room
  • Rentals
  • Register!

Blog

Meet Amy, our Slow flow yoga instructor!

28/2/2022

 
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Amy spends her days working in community health and is driven to share the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of yoga with her neighbours. Her focus is on creating an open and welcoming environment for students to explore connecting to their body, breath, mind, and heart. Amy practices yoga herself to help maintain mental and emotional balance through breath and movement. She loves to share these tools with her students.

Amy’s approach is gentle, supporting students to build strength and flexibility at their individual pace. She includes periods of dynamic movement, creating space for exploration of the students own body and breath within the class. Teaching for all levels, Amy’s goal is to support students in the exploration of their own unique consciousness, strengthen mind-body connection, and foster self compassion within a loving practice.

Link to Slow Flow and Slow Jams Yoga info!

Meet our new tutor, Clara!

20/1/2022

 
English will follow

Bonjour, je m’appelle Clara Ducellier. Je suis une élève bilingue en première année au programme de criminologie de l’Université d’Ottawa et j’offre mes services de tutorat pour les élèves de l’élémentaire dans toutes les matières. Mes qualifications seront listées plus bas; veuillez me contacter pour plus d’informations. Merci et au plaisir! 

Expérience de tutorat/mentorat:
  • Assistante à l’enseignement, Université d’Ottawa, “Éducation artistique” — Septembre 2021 à aujourd’hui
  • Tutrice de mathématiques, “Secondaire 3” — Été 2021
  • Mentore et représentante, Centre d’Excellence Artistique de l’Ontario “Concentration Écriture et Création littéraire” — 2019 à 2021
 
Expériences pertinentes:
  • Animatrice Jack Purcell, Jack Purcell Recreation Center — Août 2021 à aujourd’hui
  • Monitrice de ski alpin & responsable d’un programme de ski, Mont-Ste-Marie — Décembre 2019 à aujourd’hui
  • Monitrice principale d’équitation, Ranch Labelle Vallée — Mai 2020 à Août 2021

Addresse email: tutoring@jpra.ca

Hello, my name is Clara Ducellier. I am a bilingual first year student in criminology at the University of Ottawa and I am offering my tutoring services for elementary students in every subject. My credentials will be listed further down, please do not hesitate to contact me for further information. Thanks!
 
Tutoring/mentor experience:
  • Teacher’s assistant, University of Ottawa, “Éducation artistique” — September 2021 to today
  • Math Tutor, “Secondaire 3” — Summer 2021
  • Mentor at the Centre d’Excellence Artistique de l’Ontario “Concentration Écriture et Création littéraire” — 2019 to 2021
 
Relevant experience:
  • Jack Purcell Counselor, Jack Purcell Recreation Center — August 2021 to today
  • Alpine ski teacher & manager of a youth skiing program, Mont-Ste-Marie — December 2019 to today
  • Head horseback riding teacher, Ranch Labelle Vallée — May 2020 to August 2021

​​
Email address: tutoring@jpra.ca

Seeking Volunteer Board Members for the Jack Purcell Recreation Association

31/5/2021

 
What we do: 
  • The Jack Purcell Recreation Association is a community organization based out of the Jack Purcell Community Centre on Elgin Street. Our vision is to have a vibrant and healthy Centretown community for all. 
  • Our mission is to connect with our community to create and deliver high quality, affordable recreation and leisure activities.
  • Some of our popular programming includes dodgeball, tennis lessons, ballroom dancing, and of course, our very popular After School Program and summer camps for kids.
We need your help! 
  • We are looking for volunteers to join our 11-member Board for a one-year term. There are currently 4 vacancies available. 
  • The main requirement is a dedication and enthusiasm for serving the community.
  • We are particularly in need of people with legal and financial management/oversight experience.
  • We are committed to having a Board that is representative of our community, and would welcome applicants from racialized communities, LGBTQ communities, or any other equity-seeking groups. 
Your role:
  • The Board of Directors is responsible for making sure that the organization is financially stable and setting the strategic direction of the organization. We are in the midst of implementing a 5 year Strategic Plan, focused on evolving our operations, delivering programs, and creating stronger community connections. 
  • We currently meet monthly for an hour on Monday nights. Due to the pandemic, meetings are currently virtual.  

If you're interested to join us learn more, please contact us at: info@jpra.ca. We would be happy to tell you more about what we do and answer any questions you might have. 
Please apply by June 12. Directors may be elected at the AGM in June or appointed by the Board during its term of office.

COVID 19 Protocols

24/2/2021

 
We are so excited to have you back! A few new protocols to keep in mind:
  • Clients will now screen in for COVID-19 at the front entrance of our building
  • You can only arrive 10 minutes prior to class. 
  • Clients are to go straight to their programs, no changerooms or showers will be available. There are public washrooms located on each floor of the building. 
  • Boot trays will be available outside each programming room. 
  • As clients enter their program they are required to sanitize their hands and sign themselves in. 
  • Masks are mandatory in the building and need to remain on until the workout/class starts. Equipment is to be left in place after the class and the instructor will clean and put back. 
  • There will be arrows and signs directing clients out of the building as our exit is now separate from our entrance. 
  • Please keep in mind to keep a 2m distance from others at all times. 

We hope you feel safe and comfortable when returning to our programming!

Body Blast is Back!

24/2/2021

 
We're very happy to be resuming our Body Blast fitness classes! An hour-long cross training workout using a mix of circuit, strength and endurance training, with the last part of the class devoted to your core muscles. Social distancing will be maintained at all times
  • Instructor: Peter Staniforth
  • Starting Thursday, March 4th from 6pm-7pm
  • Drop in only, $12/per person, to be paid at the front desk

Summer Camp Information 2020

23/6/2020

 
Summer Camps 2020

We have decided to run two limited COVID-19 adapted Summer Camps to accommodate families requiring care in our community. This year's camp activities will all take place in the Jack Purcell Community Centre, both indoors and outdoors. Activities will themed around be good ol' fashioned summer fun, with sprinkler activities, crafts, yoga and sports --- all while making sure kids stay healthy and happy! Check out our sample day schedule here! Weather permitting, we have also secured camp-only access to St. Luke's wading pool, to cool off in the summer sun! 

Dates

We will be running weekly camps from July 6, 2020- August 21, 2020.

Times

Please note that times have changed! We will be starting the intake process at 8:30 a.m. everyday; parents and children are to line up 2 meters apart outside and come in one at a time for our intake assessment each morning. Temperatures and health check-ins will be done each morning.

Intake will only be from 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. any late arrivals will not be permitted entry to the camp for the day.
Children can then enter the camp which will run from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (Hours may be subject to change due to COVID-19 restrictions)

*We will not be allowing parents into the building at any point*

What to Bring?

Items from home will be limited to:
  • 1 lunch box, please no nuts or sesame
  • 1 water bottle, filled to the top at the time of drop off
  • 1 beach towel
  • Sun hat, and one bottle of sunscreen that the child is comfortable applying themselves. Leaders will assist using verbal cues only.
 
*Label all items you send your child with daily, do not send them with anything else.

Pricing

The cost will be $260/per week per child. (no discounts of any kind except for families on our subsidy program).

Registration

First come first serve, registration is now open online. 

Please note that ACTIVE Net, our registration portal does charge service fees. Apologies, we do not have control over these fees. 

Ratios and Camps

We will have two camps running in the building for ages 5 -12 and will divide the children based on ages after registration. Each group will include two staff and no more than 8 children and each “bubble” of 10 will not cross paths with any other group.

*Once everyone has registered, we will divide the children, siblings always need to be in the same cohort of 8 children. You will receive an email as to which camp your child will be participating in prior to the start date.

Health and Safety
  • Physical distancing of 2 metres will be emphasized and enforced, with the exception of staff interventions for behaviour management and issuing first aid.
  • Those who have indicated that they or a member of the same household has travelled outside the country in the past 14 days will not be permitted into the program.
  • Campers or staff who are exhibiting symptoms of illness may not be permitted into the facility. Those who exhibit signs or symptoms of illness during the program will be isolated from the group and sent home immediately. Others in the group will be notified immediately.
  • Health questionnaires will be sent out to parents via email in advance to each week of camp, if they are not filled out and submitted back in advance the child will not be permitted into the program.
  • Each camp of 8 children will have the same 2 staff working with them all summer.  
  • ​Unfortunately, due to the COVID situation, there will be no trips, guests or entertainers or specialty camp programming. There are still a few regulations/approvals we need to go through, and please be aware the government could shut down the re-opening at any point. If we cannot run the new camps, rest assured, we will issue a full refund. 

Waiting Lists

We will be putting children on waiting lists once camps are full. If the camp is full please email sarah.routliffe@jpra.ca and you will be put on the list in a first come first serve manner; you will be contacted if there is a spot.

Please note that due to volume of email, we will not be able answer emails requesting status on the wait list -- we apologize for this. 

Sick Child

If your child is exhibiting any signs and symptoms of illness, they will be put into an isolation room and you will be called. Parents must come immediately and pick up their child; if they do not come in a timely manner, we reserve the right to remove the child from camp for the rest of the summer.
 
Camps are subject to change at any time due to COVID-19 restrictions.

this Year's Camp....coming soon!

12/6/2020

 
We have decided to move forward with COVID-19 adapted Summer Camps here at JPRA. 

This camp will run from July 6- August 21, 2020. 

More details including reduced camp hours, pricing, ratios, and registration will be out early next week.

A Note on Summer Camps... (UPDATED)

19/5/2020

 
Dear Neighbours,

We hope everyone is continuing to stay safe and healthy during this time
 
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we are cancelling all current Summer Camps for 2020. We cannot run camps at the same child to staff ratio, pricing and programming. 

We are optimistic that once we receive guidelines from the City of Ottawa, we should be able to run a new Summer Camp Program with strict health and safety guidelines. As soon as we have any information on the new camps, we will email them to you.
 
Refunds:
 
  • If you paid for Summer Camp via credit card- we will refund your card if you are able to do a credit to account instead please let us know by emailing sarah.routliffe@jpra.ca.
  • If you paid with a debit card, we will put a credit on your account for future use.

If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sarah at sarah.routliffe@jpra.ca. For the most up to date information please follow us on Twitter- with the current reduced staffing e-mail responses may be delayed.

The April Centretown BUZZ is here -- but online

1/5/2020

 
Have you been wondering why you haven't seen the Centretown BUZZ at your door?

Centretown's community newspaper has gone online-only for April and May, in order to protect the health of its volunteers and readers.

But it's still available to read! To make up for it not being printed on paper, it's bigger, with more Centretown-specific stories, and all in colour. You can read and download the paper at centretownbuzz.com .

This issue will tell you about the people helping others in Centretown, the fight for more space for pedestrians on Bank Street, Centretown's new public school trustee, how the City of Ottawa responded to the 1918 Spanish Flu, how and where to get your bike back on the road -- plus recipes to comfort you in these difficult times.

Make sure you don't miss future issues: sign up for the new BUZZ notification-only list at subscribe@centretownbuzz.com.

Meet our Amazing General Manager, Sarah

26/7/2019

 
​Sarah Routliffe has spent the past 10+ years working in recreational and community development. Sarah’s passion began when she was an undergraduate student at uOttawa completing her Bachelor of Arts: Communications Studies and minoring in Theatre Studies. During her studies, Sarah worked at Jack Purcell Recreation Association (JPRA) as an After-School Counsellor and upon graduating was moved into the position of Children’s and Youth Program Coordinator. Most recently, Sarah was hired as the new General Manager of JPRA, allowing her to incorporate her passion for recreation into her everyday work.

“A Meeting Place for the Community”
Sarah describes JPRA as a pillar within the Centretown and Elgin community. Her goal is to ensure that those who visit can find something they are interested in doing and working collaboratively with the community to ensure everyone’s recreational needs are met. As such, one can often find Sarah working with clients to facilitate new and exciting ways to generate unique programming that is both accessible and affordable for the community.

Sarah sees JPRA as a place for children, youth, adults, and seniors of all backgrounds and places. As such, she takes every step to make sure that her door is open for clients, kids, and staff. Sarah’s “open-door policy” is built into her philosophy as a manager and improvement expert in the recreation field. Some of her favourite moments are when children that used to be in the After-School program apply to be an After-School Counsellor when they get older. It’s a full circle, Sarah described, seeing children take part in JPRA programming wanting to move into the recreation profession.
​
The Future of JPRA
By mobilizing others and enforcing a community-based philosophy in her everyday work, Sarah hopes to create a community centre that is safe and accessible for anyone who wants to use its services. Her main goal is to modernize JPRA (such as the most recent re-design efforts on social media and website) and to streamline all the processes, policies and procedures. Sarah hopes to increase JPRA’s visibility by online engagement, upgraded equipment, and launching new and innovative programming supported by trained and dedicated staff. 
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“I love the diversity and welcoming environment that we built – people from so many different places and backgrounds come through the centre every day. So many new and interesting challenges. And I strive to make sure that we offer something for everyone. Something for people to do and enjoy” ​
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