Keelesdale Junior Public School's Mission Statement
Keelesdale JPS opened in 1958 in a temporary site at George Harvey C.I. Our current site officially opened in April 1960. Keelesdale JPS serves a diverse community of approximately 150 students. Many of our students have a primary language other than English. Home languages include English, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Urdu and Cantonese. This diversity enhances and enriches our school community. Keelesdale JPS is a small community school with Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6. We also have a Primary Special Education (Mild Intellectual Disability) class. Our programming supports all areas of study (i.e., Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, the Arts, French and Health & Physical Education).
Keelesdale JPS is a caring, safe and inclusive environment with high expectations for all of our students. We believe that forming partnerships between our school and our community helps to develop and promote academic growth , social development, and a positive feeling of self-worth.
After-School Programs
Macaulay Child Development Centre offers several programs before and after school at Keelesdale JPS. Macaulay CDC offers a Pre-school program, a Kindergarten Before & After-School program, and a School-Aged (Gr. 1 to 6) Before & After-School program. In addition, we offer a FREE After-School program for students in Grades 1 to 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only (excludes P.A. days).
More Information About Keelesdale Junior Public School
Technology & Resources
Our students have the opportunity to use various forms of technology in their classrooms. Classrooms are equipped with Smart or Promethean Boards, iPads, and in our junior classes we have laptops. Each classroom is equipped with numerous resources, such as manipulatives, levelled reading books, etc., to facilitate our students' learning.
Nutrition Program
We offer an optional Morning Meal Program to assist parents in ensuring their child eats healthy foods in the morning. This helps our children to better concentrate on their learning and be more successful in school. This meal is a combination of fruits and vegetables, with a grain and a dairy product. This nutritious combination is varied throughout the week.
Morning Meal is the first chance the body has to refuel its glucose levels. Kids who skip breakfast often feel tired, restless or irritable in the morning. Eating a morning meal helps kids stay focused and do better in school. At Keelesdale, we do our best to ensure that our children are starting their day with healthy foods.
Sports
Keelesdale JPS takes pride in providing our students with ample opportunities to play sports. Our Keelesdale Tigers participate regularly in tournaments for various sports: soccer, volleyball, badminton, basketball, football, Cross Country and Track & Field. The emphasis on our teams is participation, commitment and sportsmanship. Let's go, TIGERS!
Arts and Health & Physical Education Programs
All of our students receive Physical & Health Education for three periods a week. Students are taught basic fundamental skills in sports, and they learn the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Students receive three periods a week of Art. They are taught basic art skills and they are able to express themselves creatively using their skills and imagination.
Additional Features
- Music Specialist (Violin for Gr. 6)
- Numerous field trips
- Roots of Empathy
- ESL itinerant support
- Prologue Performances
- Parent Workshops
Student Life - Where You Belong
GO TEAM
Students have opportunities to contribute to the life of Keelesdale JPS. They have ample opportunities to become part of our sports teams and other extra-curricular clubs. In addition, we have our Student Leadership which offers students opportunities to become involved around the school; for example, Kindergarten helpers, Library helpers, Lunchroom helpers, Morning Announcement readers, etc.
Every end of the month, we hold our Student Recognition Assembly. At our assemblies, our students put on a small performance emphasizing the Character Education trait of the month. Our students are then recognized for their achievements in academic performance or on exemplifying the Character Educational traits.
WHAT SETS US APART
One characteristic that sets us apart from other schools is that we are a small school community. The advantage of this is that all staff have the opportunity to interact with and to get to know every student in the school by name. In addition, as a Model School, we have financial resources to enhance some of our programs already in our school. For example, artists of diverse origins visit our school to lead school art projects or to give performances. Our Grade 5 and 6 students annually attend Sheldon Outdoor Education Centre for a three day overnight trip. We offer numerous opportunities for students to become involved in sports. We attend many field trips throughout the year, such as the Toronto Symphony, Young People's Theatre, the TDSB Day at the Marlies, the Toronto Zoo, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Science Centre, etc.
PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Our students have frequent class visits to Evelyn Gregory Public Library. The Macaulay Child Development Centre runs several Before & After-School programs. We have partnerships with neighbouring high schools for co-op placements, volunteer opportunities, and performances. Throughout the year, we hold many school events, such as Curriculum Night, Parent/Teacher interviews, Math/Literacy Night, an orientation night for new kindergarten students and parents, etc. We also organize parent workshops.