Cedarvale Community School

We Feature

Planning for this Year

Cedarvale grade 3 and 6 students participate in the province-wide EQAO assessments. The school assessment results help in the school improvement planning to identify areas of strength and needs. Through an assessment analysis process, a plan of action is developed, implemented, reviewed, revised, and continuously updated. We believe that it is imperative that we continue to review our programs to ensure that we set high expectations for learning and achievement.

Cedarvale Community School's Mission Statement

Cedarvale Community School is located in the Cedarvale Community near Bathurst and Eglinton Streets. The school first opened on September 5th, 1950. Cedarvale is a Kindergarten to Grade 8 school with an exceptional legacy. Our motto is "Committed to Excellence".

Our mission is to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people dedicated to achieving to their fullest potential by developing TDSB Global Competencies that include critical thinking; problem-solving; character development; self-agency; leadership; global citizenship; communication and collaboration skills and creativity.

The Cedarvale school community, where we learn, play and work together, is committed to sharing the responsibility of creating a safe, respectful, positive and inclusive school environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

IB World School

We are an International Baccalaureate World School (Authorized Primary Years Program; Candidate Middle Years Program). The Mission Statement of the IBO "encourages students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right." More information can be found at www.ibo.org

Students learn to become inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, knowledgeable, principled, caring, open-minded, well-balanced and reflective. Teachers use the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum guides to develop Inquiry Units at every grade - as follows: Who We Are; Where We Are in Place and Time; How We Express Ourselves; How the World Works; How We Organize Ourselves; and Sharing the Planet
More information can be found at www.ibo.org

More Information About Cedarvale Community School

Strategies: Literacy

Lanaguage Arts: Partners in Action; library available to staff, students and parents all day; First Steps reading, writing, and oral language programs; Reading Buddies program; Reading-at-Home book bag program for Primary Division students; daily, nightly reading for Junior Division students; parent and community volunteers to listen to Grade one readers

- teachers work toward differentiating instruction to meet the individual needs of learners

- emphasis on higher level open-ended questioning

- assessment reflects the four areas of the achievement chart as outlined by the Ministry

- all students use self-edit, peer edit and revision techniques
- "whole school" understanding of the EQAO assessment expectations
- additional writing resources to support different styles of writing

- development of higher level thinking skills and making connections

- ensuring that reading and writing is a priority and integrated in all subject areas

Strategies: Numeracy

Linking mathematics to communication by teaching all students to express how they arrived at mathematical answers; expectation that students, in every grade, will explain, describe, and justify their mathematical answers; a variety of assessment techniques including authentic assessment and demonstrations.

Computers in the library and classrooms were upgraded for students to integrate information technology into the curriculum; mastery of basic math concepts; additional resources to supplement the math program; emphasis on and practice of problem-solving questions

IB - Primary Years Program

IB - Primary Years Program - The PYP uses the existing knowledge that the child brings to new experiences, and emphasizes the importance of children making connections between their experience and the incremental pieces of new information they encounter. Inquiry is the leading, but not the exclusive, pedagogical approach of PYP.

PYP, continued

Inquiry can mean: exploring, wondering, questioning, experimenting, researching, collecting data, reporting findings, making predictions, testing theories, and elaborating on solutions to problems. In addition the PYP encourages students to be internationally-minded and to look at ideas and issues from a global perspective i.e. being socially responsible and caring.

Student Life - Where You Belong

GO TEAM

Our students belong to a vibrant learning community. Along with all of the good learning that happens in the classroom, we offer a variety of clubs and activities: ECO-Schools, Equity, chess, library helpers, Silver Birch, Blue Spruce, French, Dance, board games (e.g. Scrabble). Intramural sports include: cross country running (inter-school), volleyball, soccer, basketball, dodgeball, running club. We also offer inter-school team sports i.e. cross country running, basketball, soccer. Student involvement in our school also includes: peer mediators, safe school committee, equity committee, fund raising (i.e. book drive for the Gambia, helping a library in Ghana, Toronto Foundation for Student Success, UNICEF and our annual Food and Toy drive), Remembrance Day assembly, Earth Day assembly and picnic, Hat Day, Ground Hog Pajama Day, daily litterless and boomerang lunch (everything goes back home in the students' lunch bag) and pizza lunches. Our grade 6 students go to Sheldon Centre for Outdoor Education each year.

WHAT SETS US APART

As an International Baccalaureate World School, teachers focus on student inquiry and international mindedness. We were thrilled to be chosen by Today's Parent magazine's September, 2009 issue as one of Canada's top 20 schools! Along with our enthusiastic students and staff, we have a very active and involved parent community. Parents volunteer to work on committees, and help our students with their reading. Parents organize our pizza lunches, and run our magnificent Spring Fair. These activities are just a few of the ways parents can get involved at our school.

PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Children's Garden; Local business community field trips; Classroom visitation by members of the business community, various elected officials, and other representatives of the community; Safety programs sponsored by Division 13 Toronto Police Force.

Active School Council; Parent volunteers supporting classroom programs, the school library, fundraising, school committees, Spring Fair, Book Fair, Toy, Clothing and Food Drive, Snuggle Up and Read, Arts Committee, sports activities, pizza lunches, and field trips