Kew Beach Jr.

101 Kippendavie Avenue
Toronto M4L 3R3
Web Site

Kew Beach Elementary School
My School Review

Key Facts about Kew Beach:

• Enrollment approximately 389 students. JK–Grade 3 = 244, Grade 4 -Grade 6 = 133.

• The school is one of the oldest schools in Toronto dating back to 1889.

• It is an Ecoschool

• 95% of Kew Beach students were born in Canada

• Day Care Center on the first floor of the school

• School has a Reading Clinic.

Kew Beach Community Comments:

1. JK-8
This is the most significant issue for parents. Boundaries mean that classmates are split at Grade 6/7 and then again with different boundaries at Grade 8/9. Could portables be used to respond to expansion? Kew currently has one portable.
• Look at way to change boundaries to allow students to stay in their neighbourhood up to Grade 8.
• Also look at alignment of boundaries especially Glen Ames to Malvern and others have to go to Monarch Park

2. VALUES
Parents felt that many of these values are already integrated, i.e. causes and fundraising, food for Daily Bread Foodbank, Raised $13,000 for Kenya last year (target was $5,000); Mitten tree at winter concert, Diabetes, Jumprope for Heart, Terry Fox Run, Two for Autism.
• Desire for schools that teach students how to be “caring “in the same way students integrated being a “green” school –
• Desire to have schools teach students to be “critical thinkers”, problem solvers, adapters and “people who know how to learn”. While emphasis on the core (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic) is very important, schools need to teach these with a “joy of learning“in the background.
• Roots of empathy program
• Strong desire for socialization-citizenship values to be included in school vision.
• Conflict resolution focused on as a an important skill – concern re safety
• Personal health- hygiene awareness
• Desire for focus on achieving teaching students about the concept of respect for themselves and others, i.e. “their responsibilities as well as their rights “
• Need to teach the value of a multi cultural society, with the celebration of differing cultural experiences and strengthened curriculum. “We each enhance each others’ lives”. This was accomplished at Kew in “Ryan’s’ Well“ project. Kids learn to do such things through participation themselves and such projects could be duplicated in future school years.
• Some teachers have partnered with teachers at other schools and visited to gain new ideas and resources.

Actions
• Local acts of charity- students doing volunteer work in their own community
• Would like a structured program to address conflict resolution
• High school students mentoring younger students –or high school volunteering or co-op after hours
• The above highlighted qualities are what the Kew community wants its students to graduate with

3. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• Get more of the community involved offering program in the school –parents, community business
• Interested in expanding program offerings and hours of school use. Good way for community to centre on the school as a hub. May be possible with growing Community Use of Schools provincial funding.
• School presently offers two lunch-time programs run by external; karate and tennis
• Kew runs after school programs in Fall and Spring, Drama, Babysitting, Music
• Team sports are offered by teachers

Actions
• Strong interest by parents to develop community partnerships with organizations to offer more after school programs – yoga- arts and crafts, cooking. Also offer non-competitive activities and sports (in past difficult to get instructors)
• Interest in intramural sports
• Development of after-school programs would only be a nominal charge. Could explore if parent volunteers or others could offer this, especially using school grounds outside. Could see if any parents or high school volunteers available
• Seniors to be involved in programming in school – reading etc.

4. PROGRAMMING
• Computer training and accessing technology to begin at a younger age
Action
• Is happening already because of two dedicated staff. School Council working with the school to establish a Technology Centre in the library. It also depends on teacher’s curriculum design.

• Water awareness – quality-scarcity- living so close to the lake
• Possibility of using swimming pools at other schools – e.g. Duke of Connaught. This idea will be explored with teachers and parents.
• Exposure to different languages

ECOSCHOOL
• Well established as an Ecoshool
Action
• Solar panels, living roof- will do anything to further develop ecoschool
• Green waste – students bring their green waste home.

5. MUSIC
• Have band and strings with itinerant music teachers.
• Stronger school and student interest in the annual musical production through “Broadway Junior” program begins in Grade 3.

PARKING LOT CONCERNS:

• Students doing volunteer work in the community- are there legal ramifications for this
• JK- Gr. 8