Heydon Park Secondary School

We Feature

21st Century Learners

We have made it a priority that all students are exposed to the tools of the 21st century, in particular, global competencies. We utilize interactive white boards, assistive technology, wireless mobile laptops and a variety of apps such as Read and Write Gold to ensure our students can engage in equitable learning opportunities.

Heydon Park is offering an Experiential Learning program called “Empowerment through STEM” project, which seeks to better integrate technology and computational skills into our students' school-based experiences. This is a fantastic way to teach and have students apply the concepts of problem solving in all fields of academic achievement. The Empowering through STEM program will enhance the Grade 9 Academic Pathways De-streamed Math course, (MTH1W) and Grade 9 Science course (SNC1W), and our Life Skills/MID numeracy, science and tech courses.

Heydon Park Secondary School's Mission Statement

Welcome to TDSB's only small student-centred public high school for young women, transgender & non-binary students. We are a strong school community dedicated to the common goal of ensuring students reach their full potential. We offer a multi-disciplinary program leading towards an Ontario Secondary Diploma (OSSD), an Ontario Secondary Certificate (OSSC) or a Certificate of Accomplishment (CoA). We offer small class sizes with additional classroom support & access to social work, CYW and mental health professionals.

Our Mission: To provide a solid foundation for students in their academic & career aspirations through programming, curriculum, leadership development, experiential learning opportunities & community partnerships.

At Heydon Park our Life Skills/MID students are partially integrated allowing them to attend classes in both the Life Skills/MID program and simultaneously work towards their OSSC and/or OSSD. We have many Experiential Learning opportunities including cosmetology, green industries, culinary arts, photography, computer technology, and coding, robotics and computational thinking. In a student's final years they are enrolled in cooperative education programming where they are able to choose an area to specialize in and gain valuable work experience, enhancing their resume along the way. Situated in the downtown core helps facilitate community partnerships and work placement opportunities for our students.

How to apply to Heydon Park Secondary School

Students come to us through one of two options.

1. Placement Process: Students wishing to enter our Life Skills/MID Program, do so through an IPRC or SEPRC (for out of board students) process at their homeschool and require an Offer of Placement in order to attend.

2. Out of Area Admissions: Students entering our Academic Pathways can obtain an Out of Area Admissions Application from our Guidance department.

Grade 9 Bridges Program

**please refer to attached flyer

More Information About Heydon Park Secondary School

Post-Secondary Pathways at Heydon Park

Our integrated programming is designed to prepare students for post secondary opportunities including but not limited to apprenticeship programs, colleges and universities.

Diploma Program - OSSD

Students can select from a variety of university and college-level courses at Heydon Park in order to work towards obtaining their OSSD.

Certificate Program- OSSC

Students in this program attend compulsory academic courses in areas such as English, math and science. In addition, Life Skills development classes will prepare students for the workplace and independent living.

Credit Recovery

This is a program that is offered to students who are just shy of passing a credit. Instead of doing the entire course over again, students have an opportunity to complete missing or failed work in order to meet the requirements to successfully earn the credit. Teachers provide one-on-one support in a small group setting to help students obtain their credits.

Community Partnerships

We open doors by working with our community partners. Through support from our local community, students are provided with unique opportunities for success. Outside supports want to be involved and contribute to our vision of preparing our students for life after high school.

Community partnerships include:
Canadian Opera Company, Central Toronto Youth Services, Corbrook, Frontier College Tutoring Program, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), Pathways to Education, Planned Parenthood, Project Search, Social Circus, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape, Urban Indigenous Education Centre, to name a few.

Additional Features

Free breakfast and lunch programs
Supportive Resource Centre
TTC tickets & busing available
Gender Inclusive Programming
Focus On Success program
Extra-curricular activities
Focus on Anti-Oppressive Pedagogy
Wheel chair accessible

Student Life - Where You Belong

GO TEAM

We encourage our students to build their skills, knowledge and confidence in and out of the classroom. Extra-curricular activities are an important part of our student life. We offer:

book club
dance classes
drama club
music: choir, karaoke and variety show
visual arts: art shows and events
sports: track and field, basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc.
clubs: student council, student ambassadors, Black Student Alliance (BSA), Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), coding, math club, healing garden.

In addition, we encourage our students to attend Camp Kawartha, a Heydon Park tradition. It is a 3-day adventure that has become a valuable tool in helping our students foster positive relationships, build self-esteem and develop social skills.

Our mental health initiatives include: Mindfulness Practice, Building Healthy Relationship Workshops, CYW-led workshops on creating a community of kindness and empathy, the Caring Adult Program and MHAN partnership.

WHAT SETS US APART

We are a small school community with a high staff to student ratio. Heydon Park is an inclusive and supportive community, built around respect and a strong belief that everyone can learn and achieve. Parents remark how attending our school has helped their children increase their confidence, become more independent and take on new challenges.

Our team ensures that all students have a transition plan when they leave school. We work with employment agencies and colleges to bring resources closer to you and ensure you are prepared for the next stage of your life. We want all students to succeed and we believe planning for the future is an important step towards success.

As part of our mission to help our students achieve career success, we offer an impressive co-operative education program where our students can gain valuable work experience while exploring different careers. Participation in these temporary work terms often leads to summer or full-time employment.

PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

We have a School Council which meets four to six times a year. Through their creative efforts we organize special events for our families and community. We hold engaging workshops, information nights and other activities which are always well attended both virtually and in-person to accommodate our parent/caregiver community.

We value our parents and strong community partnerships.

Community supporters include:

OYAP, Frontier College Tutoring Program, Urban Indigenous Education Centre, Central Toronto Youth Services, Canadian Opera Company, Project Search, Corbrook, Pathways to Education, Social Circus, Planned Parenthood, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape.