High School - The Next Frontier

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If you are like me, starting high school in the 1990's (okay, okay it was the '80's ;).....you had one choice - you went to the local high school with all your other friends - no options, no discussions.  This is SO not the case any longer!Navigating through this process with my grade 8 daughter, I couldn't believe the multitude of choices and the confusion that ensued.  We travelled from open house to open house in the hopes of finding some clarity, but ended up in a bit of a mom vs. teenager power struggle over which school we each thought was 'the one'.  There are A LOT of high school options in the west end of Toronto, depending on where your child's interests lie.  This is a great thing, but for the unprepared (me), it can also be a little daunting.This is my attempt to simplify this process a little bit, in the hopes that you have an easier time of this than I did!

Specialty Programs & Key Dates

Bishop Allen Academy (Catholic)

  • Congregated Advanced Placement Program - an internationally recognized program that fosters success in higher education by encouraging students to develop critical thinking skills at the highest level

  • application & strong academic performance in grades 7 & 8 required - applications are due October 26th and notification of acceptance is on December 10th, 2018

Bloor Collegiate - Open house November 7th, 5:30-8:30pm

Etobicoke School of the Arts - Parent open house November 6th, 6-8:30pm

  • arts focus in dance, drama, music & film

  • applications available October 31st and are due November 26, 2018

  • acceptance dependent on audition - auditions are being held January 18, 2019. Offers of admission e-mailed on February 1, 2019.

Father John Redmond (Catholic)

  • Congregated Advanced Placement Program (CAP) - applications due October 25th and acceptance letters mailed out early December 2018

  • Regional Arts Program (RAP) - applications due October 25th. Visual Arts and Drama workshops will be held November 3rd and Regional Arts Program auditions will be November 21st. Acceptance letters will be mailed out early December 2018.

Humberside Collegiate - Open house January 22nd,  6-8pm

  • extended french & french immersion programs for students coming from feeder schools

  • students in the english program must live within the school's catchment to attend

Parkdale Collegiate - Open house December 5th at 7-9pm

Runnymede Collegiate - Open house November 14th at 7-9pm

  • Masters of Math, Science & Technology Program

  • application and exam required - applications available on-line and should be brought to the exam, held December 1, 2018

Ursula Franklin Academy - Open house November 6th at 7-9pm

  • Integrated technology & academics for the real world with a focus on 5 core values: spirit of inquiry, democracy, social justice, community of learners, and connected knowledge

  • application and admissions assessment required - assessment must be scheduled on-line (link accessible as of November 6th) and held either November 28th at 4pm or December 1st at 10am (300 spaces available per session)

  • applications due December 10, 2018

  • if the number of eligible students exceeds the number of spaces available, a lottery will be held on January 18, 2019. Acceptance letters will be sent out January 21st.

Western Technical-Commercial School - Open house November 13th at 6:30-9pm

  • Specialized High Skills Majors (SHSM) in leadership, design studio, engineering robotics & hospitality studies

  • applications are available on-line and are due by January 11, 2019

Please click here, for a list of open houses at all TDSB schools. Happy open housing and the best of luck to all of you.....high school is a whole other post ;).

It's Kindergarten registration month at the TDSB!

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It really does seem like yesterday that we went through the kindergarten registration process with our own three children. I was nervous and totally not ready to send them out in to the world. (I actually feel this way EVERY September so I never got over it obviously.)

A lot has changed since then but the TDSB Kindergarten Registration process is getting easier every year. Hello, online registration!

All children that will be turning 4 by December 31, 2018 are able to attend a kindergarten program in the City of Toronto in September of this year. If you are new to Toronto and not sure which grade to register for, just contact your schools principal.

Looking to send your child to the local school within your catchment area? It's pretty straight forward. To find your local school for the TDSB or TCDSB you just need to enter your address and then register in-person or online.

Oh, and get used to using loads of acronyms, the board loves them! (FDK, LOI, EQAO, DPA, ECE, FEX, IEP, HSP...you'll be throwing these terms around in no time.)

If you are hoping to send your wee one to a school that is not your designated school you can apply for optional attendance. Many schools in Toronto are closed for optional attendance due to crowding but you can contact your school of choice and find out.

If you're interested in French Immersion programs, they don't begin until Senior Kindergarten (SK) and applications are done in January of your childs Junior Kindergarten (JK) year.

There are also many other programs offered by the TDSB including home schooling, alternative schools and  academic academies .

To register for any TDSB program you will need proof of age (birth certificate/passport), address (2 pieces of I.D that show address) and your child's immunization record. If you don't have the necessary documentation you can contact the admissions office at either the TDSB or TCDSB.

Many parents are concerned about before and after school care and not every school can accommodate all of the children that need it. These fee-based programs are run by a third-party child care provider at the school. Programming usually runs from about 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. When you register your child at the school, speak with the Administrator or Principal about the availability of an Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) Before & After School Program, including details about registration and how to get on a wait-list if there is one!

Here's a brief summary of what to expect in Kindergarten at the TDSB.

Have fun wee ones!

In Kindergarten, children learn in a play-based learning environment with a team of responsive educators who plan learning experiences that promote inquiry and higher order thinking in language, mathematics, science and technology, personal and social development, health and physical activity, and the arts.Children learn through the integration of the four frames: belonging & contributing, self-regulation and well-being, demonstrating literacy and mathematics behaviour, and problem solving and innovating.Over the course of a two-year program, children develop self-regulation, and build literacy and numeracy skills while developing positive attitudes toward learning and school. Opportunities exist throughoutthe Kindergarten day for children to explore learning centres that include drama, writing, math, reading, writing, painting and visual arts, and working with materials such as sand, water, and construction blocks. - TDSB website