Victoria Park

145 Tiago Avenue
Toronto M4B 2A6
Web Site

My School Review 2008
Vision Document
Victoria Park Elementary School

A bit about Victoria Park…
• Smaller school population of 200 students
• 4 special ed classes which service students with developmental disabilities
• ITLC program

The following themes* listed below were identified as skills or areas that were most important in visioning for the future for children and community at Victoria Park School.

Along with each theme* are the programs, structures and practices that would be needed to support the areas which were important for the group. These themes emerged over 3 Victoria Park MSR meetings from January to March 2008.

*Building and fostering resilience
Note: This leading theme links to the following themes throughout the document as we want it to be the outcome in our visioning (not only for children…but also for the community overall)
- To build resiliency to help to deal with situations where people can feel comfortable and safe.
-To develop confidence, leadership and self-respect.
-To help children develop intuition to read situations.
-to help children to cope (which may include learning how to lose or fail, to help cope later in life)
-adaptability
Creating Family and Community Connections (parents want to be involved and connected with their children and each other)
Reducing ‘stress’ for children and parents
“Giving kids more time to be kids” as kids have stress at an early age. (Concerns about children being over-programmed)
-Parents also have high stress particularly with both parents working and time pressures. Stress also the result of limited financial resources.

The programs / practices /structures that would be needed to support the theme:
• Life and social skills programs
• Self esteem programs
• Joint Parent and Child programs
• Parent support groups (twofold - for info and support)
o Parents can model for other parents
o learning how to talk with others
o having connection to others
• Daycare onsite in school
• Programs on-site at Victoria Park School will help to reduce stress with more accessibility ie: after school and weekend programs within walking distance
• “Family Fun” Fridays
• Weekend family programs
• Community Yoga, Yoga for Kids
• Speaker’s Series
o “Good Eating and Living”
o “Street proofing” and also “teaching children how to interact”

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*Volunteerism and Community Interaction
Note: This theme is two-fold and includes the following:
1. A volunteer pool could assist with barriers to funding and also promote community interaction. (volunteers from the Victoria Park School community such as seniors and community members who do not have children at school but live in the com.)

2. Children making connections with seniors can promote ‘caring’ and a sense of community. Also children can learn from seniors and have a sense of ‘giving back’ within the community
.
The programs / practices /structures that would be needed to support the theme:
• Develop a volunteer program
• After school recreation programs (with Volunteers)
• Communication to the community and Community Outreach re: recruiting volunteers and also polling the needs, and outreach to spread the news re: programs:
o Creating a community newsletter
o East York Mirror
o web-designer parent
o Interactive Website
o Victoria Park School website
o Consulting with seniors
o Poll community using ‘Survey Monkey’
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*Physical awareness / activity & Nutrition
To promote health – fun – fitness – teamwork
-Nutrition and healthy foods important for children’s health and being ‘productive’ learners

The programs / practices /structures that would be needed to support the theme:
• After school activity and recreation programs
• Breakfast program
• Milk program during lunch
• Toronto Argonauts Breakfast programs -Swimming at G.A. Brown

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*Improving literacy skills

This includes not just the act of reading, but ‘learning how to love books’ and developing skills in how to pick a book, and how to research.

The programs / practices /structures that would be needed to support the theme:
• Story programs
• Library Programs after school
• Community Volunteers and involvement
o Getting readers from the Community after 4pm (maybe a retired librarian)

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*Helping children develop ‘organizational skills’

Includes problem solving skills and time management.

The programs / practices /structures that would be needed to support the theme:
• Tutoring programs - Extra school work help
• Children/students having and using agendas

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*Environmental Awareness

Includes the importance of children growing with an environmental awareness and shifting to eco-practices.
-and the whole community taking pride in their environment
-want to also make it fun for the people who volunteer
- V. Park currently at ‘silver-eco’ standards but no formal practices yet in place

The programs / practices /structures that would be needed to support the theme:
• Eco gardens / planting
• Becoming an Eco school
• Vic. Park School Gardening
o Kids planting seeds in classrooms (flowers and vegetables that can be planted outside of school)
o Gardening club to plant and maintain – Summer involvement from community

*Becoming a Kindergarten to grade 6 School
Currently Victoria Park is a K-5 school and there is pressure for kids to grow up when entering a middle school. Even one more year (to Grade 6) at V. Park would make a difference in helping to foster resiliency in children.

My School Review is a project sponsored by Trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher www.trusteesheila.com and the Toronto District School Board.