Heydon Park Secondary School's Mission Statement
Welcome to TDSB's only small student-centred public high school for young women, transgender & non-binary students. We are a strong school community dedicated to the common goal of ensuring students reach their full potential. We offer a multi-disciplinary program leading towards an Ontario Secondary Diploma (OSSD), an Ontario Secondary Certificate (OSSC) or a Certificate of Accomplishment (CoA). We offer small class sizes with additional classroom support & access to social work, CYW and mental health professionals.
At Heydon Park our Life Skills/MID students are partially integrated allowing them to attend classes in both the Life Skills/MID program and simultaneously work towards their OSSC and/or OSSD. We have many Experiential Learning opportunities including cosmetology, green industries, fashion, culinary arts, photography, computer technology, and coding, robotics and computational thinking. In a student's final years they are enrolled in cooperative education programming where they are able to choose an area to specialize in and gain valuable work experience, enhancing their resume along the way. Situated in the downtown core helps facilitate community partnerships and work placement opportunities for our students.
How to apply to Heydon Park Secondary School
Students come to us through one of two options.
1. Placement Process: Students wishing to enter our Life Skills/MID Program, do so through an IPRC or SEPRC (for out of board students) process at their homeschool and require an Offer of Placement in order to attend.
2. Out of Area Admissions: Students entering our Academic Pathways can contact the Guidance department to book a tour and to learn more about life at Heydon Park.
Grade 9 Bridges Program
**please refer to attached flyer
More Information About Heydon Park Secondary School
Post-Secondary Pathways at Heydon Park
Our integrated programming is designed to prepare students for post secondary opportunities including but not limited to apprenticeship programs, colleges and universities.
Diploma Program - OSSD
Students can select from a variety of university and college-level courses at Heydon Park in order to work towards obtaining their OSSD.
Certificate Program- OSSC
Students in this program attend compulsory academic courses in areas such as English, math and science. In addition, Life Skills development classes will prepare students for the workplace and independent living.
Our Mission: At Heydon Park Secondary School, we are
dedicated to empowering young women, transgender, and non-binary students. As a
small, student-centred high school that centres special education needs, we
provide a nurturing environment where students thrive academically and develop
essential life skills. Our academic pathways, coupled with exciting specialized
programs in culinary arts, hair and aesthetics, robotics, and fashion and the
arts, equip students with practical and entrepreneurial skills. We proudly partner
with the community to offer experiential learning opportunities, ensuring our
students are well-prepared for post-secondary education, apprenticeships, or
the workplace.
Credit Recovery
This is a program that is offered to students who are just shy of passing a credit. Instead of doing the entire course over again, students have an opportunity to complete missing or failed work in order to meet the requirements to successfully earn the credit. Teachers provide one-on-one support in a small group setting to help students obtain their credits.
Community Partnerships
We open doors by working with our community partners. Through support from our local community, students are provided with unique opportunities for success. Outside supports want to be involved and contribute to our vision of preparing our students for life after high school.
Community partnerships include:
Best Buddies, Branksome Hall, Canadian Opera Company, Central Toronto Youth Services, Community Living, Corbrook, Dramaway, Indigo, Jake's House, Kensington Gardens and Second Mile Club, Kiwanis Club Casa Loma, Music for Every Child, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), Pathways to Education, Planned Parenthood, Project Search, Social Circus, Special Olympics, Urban Indigenous Education Centre, Victims Services, to name a few.
Best Buddies, Branksome Hall, Canadian Opera Company, Central Toronto Youth Services, Community Living, Corbrook, Dramaway, Indigo, Jake's House, Kensington Gardens and Second Mile Club, Kiwanis Club Casa Loma, Music for Every Child, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), Pathways to Education, Planned Parenthood, Project Search, Social Circus, Special Olympics, Urban Indigenous Education Centre, Victims Services, to name a few.
Additional Features
- Free breakfast and lunch programs
- Supportive Resource Centre
- TTC tickets & busing available
- Gender Inclusive Programming
- Focus On Success program
- Extra-curricular activities
- Focus on Anti-Oppressive Pedagogy
- Wheel chair accessible
Student Life - Where You Belong
GO TEAM
We encourage our students to build their skills, knowledge and confidence in and out of the classroom. Extra-curricular activities are an important part of our student life. We offer:
- book club
- dance classes
- drama club
- music: choir, karaoke and variety show
- visual arts: art shows and events
- sports: track and field, basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc.
- clubs: student council, student ambassadors, Black Student Alliance (BSA), Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), coding, math club, healing garden.
In addition, we encourage our students to attend Camp Kawartha, a Heydon Park tradition. It is a 3-day adventure that has become a valuable tool in helping our students foster positive relationships, build self-esteem and develop social skills.
WHAT SETS US APART
We are a small school community with a high staff to student ratio. Heydon Park is an inclusive and supportive community, built around respect and a strong belief that everyone can learn and achieve. Parents remark how attending our school has helped their children increase their confidence, become more independent and take on new challenges.
Our team ensures that all students have a transition plan when they leave school. We work with employment agencies and colleges to bring resources closer to you and ensure you are prepared for the next stage of your life. We want all students to succeed and we believe planning for the future is an important step towards success.
As part of our mission to help our students achieve career success, we offer an impressive co-operative education program where our students can gain valuable work experience while exploring different careers. Participation in these temporary work terms often leads to summer or full-time employment.
PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We have a School Council which meets four to six times a year. Through their creative efforts we organize special events for our families and community. We hold engaging workshops, information nights and other activities which are always well attended both virtually and in-person to accommodate our parent/caregiver community.
We value our parents and strong community partnerships.
Community supporters include:
OYAP, Frontier College Tutoring Program, Urban Indigenous Education Centre, Central Toronto Youth Services, Canadian Opera Company, Project Search, Corbrook, Pathways to Education, Social Circus, Planned Parenthood, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape.
OYAP, Frontier College Tutoring Program, Urban Indigenous Education Centre, Central Toronto Youth Services, Canadian Opera Company, Project Search, Corbrook, Pathways to Education, Social Circus, Planned Parenthood, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape.