Kingslake Public School's Mission Statement
MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission at Kingslake P.S. is to ensure success for all students by providing learning environments that are safe, engaging, challenging, and respectful of diversity.
Our school is located in the northeast quadrant of Don Mills Road and Sheppard Avenue. The school opened on December 10, 1964 and currently serves approximately 235 students. Approximately 80% of the students speak English as a second language at home. At Kingslake P.S. we view such diversity as one of our main strengths. Our school cultivates student voice/student leadership, inclusive practices, and values shared partnerships with our parents. Our school goals are focused around student achievement, well-being and equity.
Our school also serves two special education classes for students with developmental disabilities. The students in our regular program have enjoyed learning about diversity and ways in which to welcome the inclusion of all students at Kingslake. Many of our junior students volunteer their leadership skills to build relationships with their 'Special Buddies' by befriending these children at lunch and recesses.
With so many newcomers to Canada arriving in our school throughout the year, we support a program called 'Welcoming Communities for TDSB Newcomer Youth & Kids' program. Our children are given opportunities to enjoy activities such as table tennis, excursions, crafts, cooking, homework help and leadership development.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Many of our staff volunteer hours of their personal time and expertise by coaching teams such as track & field, soccer and cross-country; overseeing various house league activities; leading numerous clubs such as chess, reading, morning sports, table tennis, EcoSchools, robotics, crafts, and stitching clubs; producing our annual school-wide musicals; and as host of other projects. As a result, our students are treated to wide range of enrichment activities where they can discover new talents and interests and develop leadership skills within the school.
At the end of every month, the school becomes involved in a school-wide spirit day to celebrate special themes/activities such as the Terry Fox Red T-Shirt Run day, Crazy Hair Day, Pyjama Day, Jump Rope for Heart day, Super Hero day, Autism Awareness day and Winter Sing-a-long day. They also celebrate special parades such as our Hallowe'en parade and Chinese New Year parade as well as special assemblies throughout the year.
It is the extra-curricular activities that keep many of our children engaged and motivated to learn. They develop ownership and pride in the school and become positive ambassadors when their voice is heard and they feel they are a part of this big family! Synergy is created and students are happy here!
More Information About Kingslake Public School
Literacy at Kingslake
Our teachers have access to well-stocked literacy resource rooms to help our students improve their literacy skills. Students are regularly involved in reading and writing workshop activities during their block of literacy periods, which also includes computer literacy skills. This year a school emphasis is on improving reading levels at the primary grades.
Our staff take great care in utlizing the rich resources to enhance and support our student's learning. A regular borrow-a-book program is strongly encouraged to cultivate a love of reading at home. Online text skills are taught within all classrooms. Parents are encouraged to access the Read Write Gold program from home for their children to gain further supports with practice.
This year we will be providing student reading buddies as well as parent volunteers to help support our SK and grade 1 students improve their reading achievement by June. Families are also encouraged to participate in the classroom and library borrow-a-book program to cultivate a love of reading at home.
Math at Kingslake
Our focus is to build a strong foundation in number sense and problem solving. A deep understanding of numbers gives students the confidence that allows them to communicate their thinking effectively. Three-part math lessons and the use of manipulatives allow students to take ownership of their learning and to appreciate the math thinking behind diverse approaches.
This year our staff will focus on developing a growth mind-set in our students so that they are less concerned about making mistakes and more interested in persisting with efforts to seek solutions. By giving our students the language, tools and strategies to approach complex problems, we are hoping to see an increase in their level of academic achievement. The EQAO data also revealed that our grade 3 students require greater help with Geometry and Spatial Sense so we will be focusing on this strand this year. The teachers will be using a newly purchase math resource to enhance their lessons.
In the fall, at our 'Family Math Night' our parents enjoyed learning a variety of fun math games to play with their children at home!
Community Partnerships
It is important to partner with the community to cultivate a safe, caring and inclusive learning environment. Our partners include The Parenting & Family Literacy Centre, Settlement and Education Partnerships in Toronto, The Learning Partnership, the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, a local Seniors group, Toronto Public Health and Toronto Public Library.
However, our most important partners are the parents of our students. This year we were so encouraged by the large number of parents who signed up to be a part of our School Council and/or to volunteer in our school. Their leadership in researching new ideas (e.g., school uniforms), fund raising events, reading to our children, supporting our special education classes, and helping supervise trips is greatly appreciated. The new monthly Morning Coffee Drop-ins for parents has also proved to be successful in helping parents feel welcomed in the school. We continue to seek ways in which to collaborate with our families and invite their input to help us tailor our programs to meet the needs of all our children.
Arts at Kingslake
One of our school-wide activities that has become a trademark of our school is the Kingslake Theatre Company, established in 2013. Each year the students have an opportunity to audition for a fabulous school-wide musical production. Students try out for acting/singing parts, assist with the set production, sing in the choir and a host of other responsibilities.
The students commit to attending rehearsals during recesses and lunch hours from November to March and their dedication and efforts is clearly evident by the quality of work they produce. This commitment is only made possible because of a large number of staff and parents who volunteer hours of their time, resources and talents to work with our children. The school show draws together our families as well as former staff and students.
This past October, the grades 1-5 students travelled downtown to see the live performance of 'Beauty and the Beast', at the Young People's theatre. What a thrill it was for the majority of students who experienced live theatre for the first time!
Student Life - Where You Belong
GO TEAM
Student life at Kingslake is exciting! There are always special events, school clubs, and special projects where students can get involved. There are also numerous leadership opportunities to help our students develop a sense of responsibility, a spirit of volunteerism and citizenship skills as they serve others within the school. As a result, our students take great pride in attending our school and their exemplary behaviour is always admired by visiting school guests and supply staff.
Julia, Grade 3
WHAT SETS US APART
At Kingslake, we have an inclusive culture and high expectations for all our students.
Our Parenting and Family Literacy Centre helps to prepare children for starting school and encourages families to be a part of their children's learning by helping children build essential literacy and numeracy skills through stories, music, reading and playing.
We actively seek the participation of parents through our Parent Coffee Drop-Ins, on the second Wednesday of every month. This provides an opportunity for parents to receive updates from the School Council Meetings and to discuss other pertinent school-wide initiatives with the principal, Settlement Worker and Council Chairs.
PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Fairview Public Library class visits - Community volunteers assist in school programs - Collaboration with community schools and colleges - Use of community resources - Oriole Community Centre - Parenting & Family Literacy Centre (a free program where families with children up to age 6 are invited to visit) - Settlement and Education Partnerships in Toronto (S.E.P.T.) They will provide ongoing assistance to new Canadian families. - School Council with active parent participation - Regular parent volunteers assist in the school's classrooms e.g., reading guides and special education support - Special event volunteers e.g., pizza lunch days, field trips, Jump Rope for Heart, Terry Fox Run, and the School Show. Some of our parents regularly volunteer to help find solutions and fixes to broken equipment problems, which is greatly appreciated by our students.