Humberwood Downs Junior Middle Academy is located at the edge of the Humber Arboretum on the east side of Humberwood Boulevard in north Etobicoke. The school was opened in partnership with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Toronto Public Library and Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation in 1996.
- The school serves approximately 1000 students representing almost 25 different language groups.
- Humberwood Downs shares a school yard, gymnasiums, resource centre, unified arts, music, science lab with our site partner, Holy Child Catholic School.
- The school grounds are designed and operated as an extension of the Humber Arboretum and on-site activities respect and preserve the natural balance of this environment.
The Humberwood Centre
Humberwood Downs is one partner of the unique Humberwood Centre. Other partners include Holy Child Catholic School, Etobicoke Public Library, and Toronto Parks, Forestry, and Recreation. Facilities include the Macaulay Child Development Centre, Music rooms, an Art studio, Design and Technology room and Family studies rooms for grades 6-8 students. The centre is 292,000 square feet of learning for students, staff, and parents!
Interesting Feature
School on the Move
Humberwood Downs continues to be a SCHOOL ON THE MOVE, a recognition given in 2008 by the Ministry of Education to 40 schools in the Province of Ontario. Our intentional and single focus on literacy, numeracy, technology and social justice all combine to produce young men and women of character, responsibility, and empathy. Test scores attest to this intentionality as do the number of visitors who request to come and see focused learning and discover more of our learning journey. Staff, Parents and students work together to create a focused learning environment.
More Information about Humberwood Downs Junior Middle Academy
Math is Everywhere!
Math is a high priority at Humberwood as it is in our culture. Teachers from JK to Grade 8 have a focus on problem-solving through diagrams, manipulatives and student writing. Mastering basic facts is essential to all of the above. Students work individually, in pairs and in small groups. As students collaborate with other students their thinking is refined and stretched.
Technology: Student IT Team, Robotics and BYOD
Our technology journey has been very focused and intentional. We have 18 state of the art Promethean Boards, iPads in Kindergarten to Grade 4 and 4 carts with over 60 netbooks/Chromebooks. All of this is to embed technology as a meaningful tool in the classroom learning.
The Arts
Humberwood has an amazing art studio! All students in Grades 6 to 8 take part in the Unified Arts program for one third of the school year. In addition, we have a Grade 8 Art Club that meets weekly to focus on a single art theme (e.g., the works of Norval Morisseau).
Media Literacy and Social Justice
Media Literacy is a strand in the Literacy curriculum for all students. The goal is to equip students with critical thinking skills as they interact daily with various forms of media. In Grade 7/8 Media Literacy is taught by our School Librarian focusing on responsible digital citizenship. Students learn how to analyze and determine the audience for whom media targets.
Additional Features
- Single Gender Classes
- Partnership with the Arboretum
- Community Cricket Matches in Spring
- Robotics Team
- Student Leadership
- Intermediate Art Club Annual Show
- 18 Promethean Boards in the school
- Helping Families with Social Media
Student Life - Where You Belong
Students who return to Humberwood Downs from a variety of high schools often tell us: "Humberwood is a great school. We are really prepared for high school" This gives us great encouragement as we see our grads being responsible global citizens and productive contributors to society. The intersection of school extra-curricular offerings and those of the Community Centre and the Public Library provide a gold mine of choices for 1,000 students.
What Sets Us Apart
We have a fabulous state-of-the-art facility, and four partners with whom we collaborate. We are set apart by:
- Staff representing our dominant cultures.
- Staff who give their students the gift of honesty and encouragement.
- Staff who enjoy the students and want them to learn.
- Staff who are sensitive to the whole child and stand with students in times of crisis or life surprise.
- Staff who honour the cultures, faiths, and sexual orientation of students.
- Staff who are continually taking courses to show their commitment to professional growth.
- Staff who engage themselves in extra-curricular offerings with students.
- Staff who call home regularly and look for new ways to reach students and their families.
- Staff who use a variety of teaching strategies.
Parent and Community Engagement
Many of our parents and caregivers are new to Canada. We, as a staff, want to give "meaning" to what school looks like in Canada, what parents can expect, and what the school expects from parents/caregivers. We have Coffee Chats for parents who have children new to JK, English as a Second Language Evenings, Family Literacy Day, EQAO preparation, and Managing Social Media for Mothers and Daughters in Grades 6 -8. These initiatives build the relationship between the school and parents. Not only do we invite parents into the school, we also go out to our community centres such as the local mosque and Hindu temple. Parents volunteer on school excursions and at school events.
