Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- Jewish Peretz Shule
- JPPS
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Jewish People’s School & Peretz School (JPPS) was formed through the merger of the two schools in 1971. At the time of the merger, the Jewish People’s School student population was 865, while the Jewish Peretz School was 260. The merger amalgamated all aspects of the schools including budget, finance, pensions, administration, education goals and philosophy. The union of the schools was a difficult process. One of the more pressing needs for the merger was the financial difficulties of the Jewish Peretz School, including the inability to honour teachers’ wages and a debt totalling $250,000.
The education goals and philosophy of JPPS includes the need to instil in students the importance of a Jewish studies program (the study of Yiddish and Hebrew, and Jewish history); an attachment and a sense of responsibility to the State of Israel and its people; and a sense of general social justice. Once the schools were united, JPPS was able to pursue the goal of creating a day high school. Bialik High School was founded in 1972. In 1984, Bialik High School was moved to 6500 Kildare Road, where it is currently located. This school system as a whole is commonly known as JPPS-Bialik.
By 1984, JPPS elementary consisted of two campuses: Van Horne and Cote St-Luc. In 2004, JPPS/Bialik made the controversial move to merge these two elementary campuses. The pressure to merge was partially due to an influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union (who generally could not speak English or French), adding considerable strain to the Cote St-Luc campus. As a result, the Cote St-Luc location was closed. JPPS elementary is now located at 5170 Van Horne Avenue. That same year, the JPPS celebrated its 90th anniversary.
The JPPS is funded by enrolment tuition and fees, provincial government grants, the Federation CJA, fundraising campaigns, and private contributions. Important student events organized by the JPPS consist of the JPPS Music Festival, the Concert Society’s Annual Concert, and the Bialik Festival of the Arts and the organization of student trips to Israel. JPPS also runs a Children's Centre, located at 7950 Wavell Road.