Ryerson Community School's Mission Statement
Egerton Ryerson, the founder of Ontario's public education system, founded Ryerson Community School in 1877. Ryerson studied various education systems in the U.S., England, and Europe and combined the best of these to develop his own system in Ontario. Today, Ryerson Community School is a vibrant and diverse K to 8 school, both culturally and linguistically. We are the 1999 recipients of the Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Award for excellence in community based programming. In 2008, Ryerson received the prestigious Anne Hope Award for our commitment to promoting social justice, human rights, and anti-racist education. We celebrated our 125th Anniversary Celebration in 2002. Our motto is "Ryerson Community School...Where you belong."
Opening September 2012, The Downtown Vocal Music Academy (VMA) is housed in Ryerson Community School. The DVMA helps shape our future musicians and artists. This unique program in the TDSB engages students with a passion for music and performance. Singing, creating and performing are at the core of the VMA for boys and girls with a passion for self expression through performance. Students will experience music from around the world and learn about the musicians and music that have shaped our world, history and culture.
Downtown Vocal Music Academy (DVMA)
Students will develop musical knowledge, creativity and confidence through choral singing and the creation of their own music. Students will have numerous opportunities to participate in a variety of glee clubs, large ensemble singing groups, musical theatre, small groups, chamber ensembles and solo performances in the school and their community across the GTA. Students will be part of a culture that balances academic excellence with personal leadership, character development and innovation.
Application to the DVMA is online through the TDSB Out of Area application process. For more information or to apply, go to: www.tdsb.on.ca/academies or email: Ryerson@tdsb.on.ca or Phone: 416 393-1340 or visit us in person at 96 Denison Avenue (just east of Bathurst and Dundas).
More Information About Ryerson Community School
Literacy / Numeracy
We will continue this year to improve student achievement in literacy through Teaching Learning Critical Pathways, Professional Learning Communities, and innovative co-teaching. This year we invested in brand new literacy resources for the Kindergarten and Primary grades.
Our goal this year is to strengthen our students' knowledge and understanding of numeracy concepts, and their abilitiy to explain these concepts in words. We use rich tasks, 3-part lessons, TIPS, and the Cathy Fosnot approach, to teach mathematics.
Parenting and Family Literacy Centre
Our Parenting and Family Literacy Centre helps parents and grandparents prepare their youngsters for school through reading, stories, playing, and singing.
George Brown Fashion District and Jing Bao Daycare
This daycare, a lab school, offers a new toddler program, an enriched Pre-school/Kindergarten program for 2 -1/2 to 5 year olds, and an exciting before and after school program. Programs develop a love of learning. The play-based curriculum offers many opportunities for problem-solving, seeing patterns, making predictions, testing them, and evaluating the results.
Jing Bao daycare offers daycare to families with pre-school aged children (age 2-5 years old) in a bilingual setting (Mandarin/English). For more information on Mandarin learning programs and Jing Bao Daycare visit www.torontomandarinschool.com
International Languages Programs
We host an after school International Languages Program with students enrolled in one of the following languages: Mandarin, Spanish, African Heritage, and Arabic. We also have a Saturday School International Languages program.
Additional Features
- Many Extra-Curricular Activities
- Music - choir, band, steel pans
- Sister School - Shanghai
- Eco-School - Silver Certification
- Snack & Lunch Programs
- ESL Support for Newcomers
Student Life - Where You Belong
GO TEAM
We encourage student leadership in many of our activities and many of our students participate in Student Cabinet. Currently, the Student Cabinet and other intermediate students are involved in a "Ribbons for Haiti" fundraising campaign. Their ongoing participation in other charitable causes such as " "Terry Fox," and "Jump Rope for Heart," helps to build character development and equity into the curriculum and foster an appreciation for good citizenship in our students. "Some participate in our nutrition program; others play a variety of sports such as badminton, cross country, soccer, track and field, basketball, volleyball, etc. All students have music and many of the older students participate in choir, recorder, band, or steel band programs. Students also attend the library or community centre programs after school.
WHAT SETS US APART
We are a community school in every sense of the word. Over the years we have had an All Day Experience Kindergarten program, and we have established partnerships with local community centres, high schools, universities, hospitals,child care centres, arts organizations, a dental school, a law firm, a bank, and others. We are proud of our recent sister school partnership with Huaping Elementary School in Shanghai, China. We have 2 to 3 yearly video-conferences with Shanghai to exchange best teaching practices. Our integrated international languages classes help to develop students' literacy skills, and our Settlement worker, LEAP programs, and ESL support helps newcomers.
PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
School Advisory Council meetings; Community partnerships - Scadding Court, Alexandra Park, Alexandra Park Community Centre, St. Stephen's Community House, Sanderson Library, George Brown College Daycare, Student Teachers at OISE.