Duke of Connaught Jr./Sr.

70 Woodfield Road
Toronto M4L 2W6
Web Site

Duke of Connaught
My School Review

Key Facts about Duke of Connaught:
• Enrolment approximately 600 students. JK –Grade 3 = 214, Grade 4- Grade 6 = 147. Grade 7-8 = 255.
• The school is physically attached to a “web” of community programs, including Community Centers and Recreation Centers as described below.
• Additional programs are provided as follows:
o ESL
o Learning Disabilities/Special Education
o Extended French
• Parenting Centre is a Family Resource Centre which is part of Applegrove. Applegrove leases space.
• The School is attached to the SH Armstrong city run Recreation Centre
• The swimming pool belongs to the school and is shared with the city
• Woodfield child center (run by Woodgreen)
• Local TCHC buildings and local co-ops mean that low-income students attend the school. Mixed income area in transition. Gentrifying neighbourhood.
• School runs a “snack " program in the early morning. School chosen as the recipient of “Danny” program.The Danny Project is a special project that awarded by EFFTO which provides our staff with P.D. And $10,000 to address Poverty in the Duke of Connaught School.

Key themes with programs and structures under each

Values - Communication skills -Critical Thinkers

• “Bounce out of bed/Hop to the Hub” - want students to love learning
• teach empathy, tolerance e.g. Roots of empathy program
• exposure to diversity e.g. International Languages night
• kindness (working on character g ed.; “We care about….”) – courage
• Tolerance/Acceptance, learned through sharing and celebrating
• Mutual respect, an environment that is respectful of everyone
• Our kids need to be well rounded people who think critically, have the ability to synthesize opinion, work towards aspects of social justice, through the values of teamwork, group dynamics and cooperation.
• Focus on academic achievement

Actions
• fund-raising for local charities
• Job fair for students to have exposure to different jobs – these are the people in your neighbourhood
• Emphasize students,’ staff and community members’ Rights and Responsibilities. Tribes training. Posters available.

School as Hub

• Improved links to community will be helped by the emergence of the Hub model (Duke School, Applegrove, S.H. Armstrong, and Woodgreen). Each of the partners will explore how to work with own clientele and also to share information between different areas – because all serving the same community. All partners are meeting together regularly.
• Developing a common Code of Behaviour being explored so it doesn’t matter which hallway or area anyone is, in: Applegrove, Duke or S.H. Armstrong, an environment of kindness where all are respected - Woodgreen will also be brought in to partnership.
• We need to know our neighbours, bring back aspects of a “small town” atmosphere
• Connect with Queen Street businesses
• Pool presents a lot of opportunities for outreach and inter-generational work. Has been under utilized
• Would like to emphasize Duke as a place where kids from all backgrounds “can meet and learn and play together.”
• Brownies, scouts, girl guides at S.H.
• Potential sources of community interest (Pregnant Women, Families with Infant Children, and Adults with Developmental Disabilities) all need to be addressed
• We need to access outside resources (TTC, Film Studio, Leslie St. Spit) and business partnerships.

Actions
• To develop connections with neighbourhood resources - shared celebrations between all the partners in the hub e.g. 100th Anniversary of Duke of Connaught - Neighbours Nights Out (June 17th) -good opportunity to do community outreach – expand outreach model by phoning parents about events
• Open school for community activity on Saturday
• Focus to develop programs for community members who are from the entire lifespan of needs (babies through seniors)
• Make school more accessible – scheduling wise – as well as physically accessible – elevator for physically disabled and elderly community members. Need to have the elevator repaired
• Eliminate or minimize permit fees
• Outreach to senior population – Intergenerational Program. Seniors offered to teach Grade Eights cards “Bridging the Generations”
• Need to locate seniors in the neighbourhood. Build outreach. Could target seniors’ building at Eastern and Coxwell.
• Read to seniors
• Reciprocal programs; e.g. partner with South Riverdale Health Centre around issues of mental health
• Community connection could be accomplished through the following community activities: Book club, Movie Night, After School Programs, Sporting Teams, Music, and Art. - Seniors enjoy playing euchre in the school every week
• Funding for adult education e.g. more ESL use of creative scheduling for adults courses e.g. Childcare offered with courses in the evenings,
• Potential partnership with Ashbridges Bay to have students come around to shovel snow/cutting grass
• Responding to the idea of Secondary School Community Hours: develop volunteer program for intermediate level students
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• Extracurricular would be enriched by joint use of great facilities. Especially like to open extra-curricular to primary grades.
• Parents would benefit as they do not know about offerings in separate areas (i.e. Homework Club at S.H.)
• Considering a common name, such as ABC (Ashbridges Bay Community School/Academy)
.
Nutrition & Healthy Living

• Currently have snack program with parent help, from 9 a.m. each day. Snack program reaches more kids than a breakfast program would.
• Healthy living also ties to the community hub with S.H. Armstrong, Applegrove and Woodgreen and also community use of the pool

Actions
• Would love to have a Breakfast and Lunch program for every student
• Would like to consider doing a regular hot lunch, i.e. pizza lunch.
• Staff has revamped Home Ec. Room which enables classroom teacher to do curriculum units on cooking. Funding through Danny project helped to develop these units.
• Would like to develop units regarding money management. - Would like to develop a community kitchen (Foodshare could help)

Arts
• Arts should be integrated into the curriculum
• Entire class should learn, rather than selective students
• Arts is an important part of curriculum and an valued part of the Duke of Connaught culture

Actions
• School Council has been proactive inviting artists into the school. Important emphasis on diversity of arts.
• Would like to continue and expand structured instrumental music program. Need to ensure that a specialist music teacher would fit
• Duke of Connaught has physical space in school to accommodate specialized arts programs

Technology
• Challenge to keep up with the current technology.
• School has chosen to keep a computer lab, rather than disperse throughout classes.
• Media Literacy curriculum demands keeping up with computers. Can be used as a tool rather across all curriculum

Actions
• Develop programs to teach parents how to monitor their children on the computer
• Daytime programming for Seniors : “I would like to say Hello to a computer”
• Access Microsoft staff to do training to teach how to keep kids safe on computers.
• Technology can be used to build community, draw in interest from all population groups.
• Receiving 23 new computers soon to replace old ones. Want to ensure a good ratio of computers to students.

Life Skills
• Would like to see Life Skills integrated into elementary programming.
• Life skills as important as Technological skills – may lead to career paths.
• Hands on learning as students all learn in different ways
• Learning to cook, woodworking, budgeting

Actions
• Duke has the space and the equipment. Need it to be build into curriculum – liability issues mean that this is the only way kids could learn, with trained instructors?
• Danny project has helped developed programs which involve cooking

Environment

• Would like to develop Duke of Connaught as an Ecoschool

Actions
• Develop recycling program –especially green bins
• Rooftop gardens (Jackman has one)
• Windpower
• Solar panels
• Would like to develop “the Pit” (area outside school) into a 100 year garden.

Parking Lot Issues

• Safety concerns, relationship -grounds to facility

• Budget, safety, supervision, unions-big picture

• Use of existing facilities by outside groups

• Pilot project -Solar