All-Round Development
Citizenship
Citizenship, in all its facets, is at the heart of the school. It’s not surprising, then, that our motto is “Individuals who reflect, citizens who act.” It’s also why citizenship is part of everything we believe and do as a school community, including parents, students and staff.
Our four values — integrity, discernment, respect and engagement — promote citizenship. Integrity and discernment are the primary values that define us as private individuals, and as human beings. As citizens, we must show respect towards others and be eager to engage in bettering society. These four values guide us in our being, our thinking, our feeling and our acting, and they are reflected in all areas of school life.
It starts in the classroom
TFS teaches the curricula of France and Ontario through the framework established by the IB programs, creating an education that is singular in its excellence, scope and global perspective.
All three programs of the IB connect learning directly to students’ lives and to the world around them, and require students to develop and demonstrate their citizen skills.
In Grade 10 (Level III) students complete the MYP Personal Project. In addition to extensively demonstrating the skills and experience they acquired during their MYP years, students must create a product, maintain a process journal and produce a personal statement. These activities require personal inquiry, action and reflection on their chosen topics.
During the two diploma years of the IB, students engage in a component called Creativity, Action, Service (CAS). They are long‐term service team projects that take place over a minimum of four months, outside of TFS. Whether volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or in a long-term care facility, our students are having a positive impact on our community.
All three programs of the IB connect learning directly to students’ lives and to the world around them, and require students to develop and demonstrate their citizen skills.
The PYP Exhibit, the culminating activity of the PYP in Grade 5, asks groups of students to create their own unit of inquiry on a current world issue. They have to conduct research or interviews, come up with areas of concerns, identify possible solutions, take an action to alleviate the problem, and present all of this to an audience of their parents, teachers and peers.
In Grade 10 (Level III) students complete the MYP Personal Project. In addition to extensively demonstrating the skills and experience they acquired during their MYP years, students must create a product, maintain a process journal and produce a personal statement. These activities require personal inquiry, action and reflection on their chosen topics.
During the two diploma years of the IB, students engage in a component called Creativity, Action, Service (CAS). They are long‐term service team projects that take place over a minimum of four months, outside of TFS. Whether volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or in a long-term care facility, our students are having a positive impact on our community.
Mentorship and assemblies
Through mentorship sessions, our students from PK to Grade 12 (Level V) develop sophistication of thought, as they discuss important ideas about what is means to be a citizen and current world issues.
Assemblies at all ages and grades also take place regularly in each branch. Led by the principals, they often include student presentations and talks by outside experts on diverse topics.
Assemblies at all ages and grades also take place regularly in each branch. Led by the principals, they often include student presentations and talks by outside experts on diverse topics.
It's in athletics, arts and co-curriculars, too!
Being a citizen doesn’t stop once you step onto the playing field, into the art studio, during the lunch-hour math club, or after-school Spanish.
TFS expects students to model our values no matter the school activity they take part in, and the roles and responsibilities of the individual and citizen are built into everything we do.
Developing Citizenship Away from TFS
A person cannot be an effective citizen without interpersonal and intercultural competencies. Learning to respect and embrace others’ differences are vital skills which lead to understanding one another and working together toward a common goal.
A key aspect to developing these qualities in our students comes from meaningful journeys away from TFS.
Overnight trips start in Grade 3. They include outdoor education and leadership camps, travel to Canadian cities of cultural and historical significance, where students can be immersed in francophone environments, and eventually, to locales far beyond our own borders.
Each trip is specifically designed to thoroughly engage students in an environment and experience that promotes personal growth, deepens the ability to connect with others from different backgrounds and cultures, and, in some cases, contributes to the community visited through service activities.
