Pupil Accommodation Review Committee Victoria Park Elementary School April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 1
Our Community “When you first come upon Topham Park you quickly sense the pride of ownership that is painted on the face of every home in the neighbourhood. This is a tightly knit community of only a few hundred homes situated on quaint boulevards and pretty culs-de-sac. Its the type of neighbourhood where children have chosen to return as adults to raise their own families. “ * “Topham Park was an apple orchard until 1944, when the crown purchased this property for War Veterans housing. The Topham Park neighbourhood was developed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation between 1944 and 1946. The streets were given military names like 'Warvet' and 'Valor'. Some streets were named after military men. “ ** • Victoria Park Elementary School has existed for over 100 years – was developed as a rural schoolhouse prior to the development of Topham Park • There are many residents of the neighbourhood, who are second and third generation, who can describe the community and the school as it was in the early half of the 1900’s. • The current school was erected in the early 1950’s, but on grounds that served as the community school location for generations before * Toronto Neighbourhood Guide: http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/neighbourhoods/east-york/topham-park ** Toronto Neighbourhood Guide: http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/neighbourhoods/east-york/topham-park/history April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 2
Ministry of Education PARC Guidelines April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 3
Ministry of Education – PARC Guidelines • “Guidelines – The Guideline ensures that where a decision is taken by a school board regarding the future of a school, that decision is made with the full involvement of an informed local community and it is based on a broad range of criteria regarding the quality of the learning experience for students. – In recognition of the important role schools play in strengthening rural and urban communities and the importance of healthy communities for student success, it is also expected that decisions consider the value of the school to the community, taking into account other government initiatives aimed at strengthening communities. • School Information Profile – School boards are required to develop a School Information Profile to help the ARC and the community understand how well school(s) meet the objectives and the Reference Criteria outlined in the Terms of Reference. The School Information Profile includes data for each of the following four considerations about the school(s): � Value to the student � Value to the school board � Value to the community � Value to the local economy” (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/reviewGuide09.pdf) April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 4
Value to the Student • Proximity to students encourages and supports a walkable community • Program offerings include: – EcoClub, Chess Club, Scrabble Club, Silver Birch reading club, drama programs, Folk Fest participation, district track-and-field participation, Bollywood dance, district cross-country participation, basketball club • Safe private playground – Fully accessible school to provide access to all school rooms and resources – Fully accessible bathroom facilities – Fully accessible school grounds with ramps and electric doors to the front (drop off/pick up zone) and back (playground) – Preschool aged children have a separate, age appropriate playground that is fenced within the school grounds – Overall school playground is fenced, gated and strictly school grounds (not public park) – Playground space, green space and paved space provide a wide variety of physical activities • School offers a library, a large gymnasium with portable cafeteria-style tables for lunch, a computer lab, and kitchen (used by students, staff and ISP classes for life skills) • School, student and staff size contributes to easy identification of anaphylactic students to provide increased health-and-safety awareness • Integrated, non-profit daycare provides affordable, community based pre-school and before/after school care. This includes nutritious meals and snacks, and proximity to classrooms • Engaged and active parent council and Home and School Association supports and funds programs such as Scientist in the School, regular community activities (Movie Night, Disco Dance, Fun Fair, Craft Night), purchase books for the classrooms and libraries, fund buses and supplement admission fees for fieldtrips, monthly meetings with childcare provided, operates a lunchtime milk program, provides graduation photos for all graduating students, etc. • School pride – logo wear (Go Sharks!) April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 5
Value to the Student - continued • Victoria Park offers a Primary Intensive Support Program (ISP) and a Junior ISP – TDSB Special Education Report indicates: � “Particular areas of focus in the behaviour ISP include social skills training and the development of self control, adaptability, and responsibility.” – The size of Victoria Park, combined with the full accessibility for physical disabilities, makes it an ideal school to offer this program. The ISP students are integrated, where appropriate, to classrooms, performances and activities with � the other students. The student body is an appropriate size for integration – not overwhelming volume of kids and noise, � students often know all other students by name, students develop a kinship with each other � Senior grade students routinely and eagerly spend their lunch hour with the ISP students to provide mentoring and social integration opportunities � Provides an enlightened and real life education to all students as they interact with and learn about their peers. – An investment of $75,000 has been made on a Snoezelen environment (“Snoezelen Multi Sensory Environment incorporates a specialized selection of sensory equipment to help students adapt their responses to sensory stimulation and to help meet specific educational goals.”) – The value that the ISP brings to the regular stream students and the ISP students is immeasurable. This program ties many of the key points of the TDSB Vision of Hope to the environment of Victoria Park: � “Social justice and gaining passion for the plight of disadvantaged students” � “Learning for All” � “Understanding that all students do not learn at the same way and at the same rate” April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 6
Value to the School Board • Integrated daycare funds capital improvements to their areas of the school – Tiago Avenue Community Childcare has been providing non profit, affordable daycare in the school for over twenty years. It is highly regarded and an asset to all aspects of the school and community. – Daycare provides rental income to the TDSB year round – Daycare contributed fifty percent of funds required to build outdoor storage – Daycare contributed fifty percent to the development of the pre-school playground – Daycare provided all capital improvement costs to the daycare rooms (previously a gym) – Daycare contributed funds to the school fax machine, tvs and vcrs. • Facilities are used twelve months of the year (daycare operational during all school holidays including March break, PA days, summer holidays, and Christmas break) • Wide breadth of extracurricular offerings as provided by the teachers and with support from parents and the Home and School Association • Provides volunteer opportunities for local high school students – particularly through community based activities such as the Fun Fair, Disco Night, Movie Night, and Craft Night • Daycare offers co-operative education placements for ECE students to further their studies in Early Childhood Education, as well as high school co-operative education placements. • Numerous recent upgrades provides safe, fully accessible facility for our ISP and regular stream students • Provides an appropriate integration environment to promote and foster empathy, social awareness, and community involvement. April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 7
Value to the Community • Offers affordable, non-profit community based daycare employing six full time staff and several part time employees. The daycare has been in operation for over twenty years and has remained financially viable • Home based daycares operating in the community are based on proximity to school and are also critical in supporting working families • School grounds immensely popular within the community – Has age appropriate play equipment for preschool age and school age children – Has paved surfaces regularly used for bicycle riding, scootering, ball play, and skipping – Has a baseball diamond and soccer field and long jump – Is fully fenced and gated and strictly school owned property – Is the only playground available in the immediate area • School grounds used as a practice location for several community sports associations – Softball/T-ball – Soccer – Volleyball • Home & School Association regularly offer community based events – Disco Night – Fun Fair – Movie Night – Craft Night – Parenting Seminars – Parent book swap and Meet and Greets Events are widely attended and immensely popular in the community April 2012 Victoria Park Elementary School 8
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