Seneca School was originally built in 1967 and at that time, it served students with developmental disabilities who ranged in age from 7 to 21. Currently, our barrier free school provides a structured team approach to support primary, junior and intermediate students, aged 4 to 14, who have developmental disabilities.
Seneca School Mission Statement: We recognize the uniqueness and diversity of our students and work as a team of professionals within a safe and caring environment. We forge partnerships with our families and the community. We offer our students a variety of experiences to help them to reach their potential and we celebrate their achievements.
Vision for Learning
Student Achievement Goal:
For each student to develop voice, engagement and independence through the achievement of functional communication and numeracy strategies, life skills learning, and gross and fine motor skills.
Equity Goal:
For each member of the Seneca community of students, families and staff to be provided with opportunities for his or her voice to be valued and acted upon.
Well-Being Goal:
For relationships to be fostered among students, families, staff and community partners to enhance a sense of belonging and ensure access to opportunities that promote well-being.
Interesting Feature
Technology at Seneca
We continue to use iPads and Promethean Boards when programming for our students. The iPads allow our students to practice classroom skills in a variety of ways (i.e. matching, sorting, exploring cause and effect tasks). By providing physical touch, voice and eye gaze options, students have greater success achieving their goals. Promethean Boards increase our students' ability to access more sophisticated technology. These interactive tools enhance our students' programs and increase their engagement.
More Information about Seneca School
Links to Our Community
Our school is situated in an ideal location which enables our students to regularly participate in community outings to: No Frills, The Etobicoke Olympium, Centennial Park, Elmbrook Library and Tim Hortons. Our students also participate in an adapted aquatics program and they learn to swim at the Etobicoke Olympium.
Parents as Partners
The staff at Seneca School welcome parents and guardians and invite them to be active participants in their children's education. We regularly facilitate workshops for members of our community. Strengthening our working relationship with our School Council and supporting the growth and initiative of our members remains a priority.
Staff Development
The staff at Seneca School continue to attend professional development sessions focused on autism, integration, alternative and augmentative communication, as well as literacy and numeracy initiatives. This year, class teams are working with our learning coach on using the inquiry process to strengthen classroom practice and documentation of student learning.
Assessment at Seneca
Among other assessments, Seneca School staff members use the Brigance Inventory of Early Development, which allows teachers to assess a student's progress and create programming goals that are relevant to key areas of student learning (Communication, Functional Academics, Activities of Daily Living, Social Skills and Motor Skills).
Additional Features
- Breakfast Club
- Monthly Spirit Assemblies
- School Council
- Reading Buddies
Student Life - Where You Belong
At Seneca School we offer a variety of activities that provide our students with an opportunity to explore various aspects of student life. Students participate in arts projects throughout the year in our expressive arts program. In music and dance, they make music with their voices and instruments, as well as moving to the music and interacting with props. In reading buddies, students from Hollycrest Middle School visit our classes to read stories and enjoy literacy activities with our students. This year we hope to be participating in a movement program with students from Hollycrest and a professional artist.
What Sets Us Apart
A variety of special education services are offered to help meet the needs of all of our students. Our students' exceptionalities are identified through the Identification, Placement and Review Committee process, which results in students being identified as exceptional in one or more of the following categories: Behaviour, Communication, Intellectual and Physical Exceptionalities. A variety of supports exist to offer assistance to our students and our staff. On site specialized supports include health care, nursing and school staff trained in medical crisis intervention. School support team meetings with our professional support staff are held regularly to discuss student strengths and needs, and to determine our next steps. Selected students participate in our communication program which has been developed according to individualized recommendations made by our speech language consultant.
Parent and Community Engagement
At Seneca, we welcome volunteers from the community, community agencies and educational settings and we have partnerships Toronto Public Health and Holland-Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Parents and other family members are invited to assist in classrooms and on field trips. School Council and Let's Talk meetings are held at least 4 times a year. Several nights for families, such as Winterfest and the Community Barbeque, are held throughout the school year. Parents and staff are also involved in a variety of fundraising activities. Parents and school staff work together to develop strategies that students can use at home and at school. "The Seneca Star", our school newsletter, is sent home every month.
