Highcastle is a Kindergarten to Grade 8 school serving students in the Seven Oaks and Brooks Road Community. The school opened in September 1967 as a ten room "junior" public school. The population peaked at 855 in 1969 but then dropped to 464 the following year with the opening of Brooks Road and Military Trail Public Schools. Since that time the population has continued to diversify and Highcastle has become a truly diverse school and community. Our strong base of volunteers and parent support, along with caring, focussed students, make Highcastle "A Wonderful Place To Be".
School Focus for This School Year
We will continue to focus on Literacy, Numeracy, Personal and Social Responsibility.
- use early literacy programs in Senior Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2
- integrate language-based computer programs in the classrooms
- provide remedial in-class and/or withdrawal support
- promote the use of mathematical language and problem solving in everyday life
-strive to integrate technology
- Peer Mediation; Character Education; Shanti: Free the Children
- We're Erasing Prejudice for Good
Interesting Feature
Personal and Social Responsibility
Our school has a variety of programs to support personal and social responsibility among our students. Peer Mediation; We're Erasing Prejudice for Good; Character Education (supported by library resources); and Shanti social justice leadership group (fundraises for Free the Children as well); are examples of school wide initiatives. We continue to have Personal and Social Responsibility as a focus in the daily planning and interactions among our staff, students and community
More Information about Highcastle Public School
Special Education Programs
A variety of special education programs and services are offered to meet the needs of all students, including students with exceptionalities, such as behavioural, communication, intellectual, physical and multiple learning disabilities. We implement the Community Based Resource Model (C.B.R.M.) to better serve our special needs students in an integrated setting.
Board approved/supported programs and curriculum
An example of what we offer:
- Languages
- English as a Second Language and French
- Mathematics, Science and Technology
- Arts - Music, Visual Arts, Drama and Dance
- Social Studies, Health and Physical Education; in grades 7-8: History and Geography and Guidance
The Arts
Folk Dancing; Live Productions/Plays; Concert Band; Choir; Itinerant Music Teachers; Music Concerts/Performances; Music Festivals; Drama; In-School Performances By Professional Artists; Excursions to Toronto Symphony Orchestra, McMichael Art Gallery.
Clubs and Teams
Craft Club; School Safety Patrol Program; Peer Mediators; Gingerbread Club; House League; Gardening Club; Primary Games Club;Yearbook Club; Chess Club; Boys to Men; Young Women on the Move as well a wide, diverse variety of other clubs and sports reflective of the students' interests.
Additional Features
- Instrumental Music
- C.B.R.M. Special Education model
- Snack Program
- Literacy & Math resource rooms
- Caring and Safe school initiatives
- Read 180 Program
- Library and Computer Lab
- Dedicated and Committed staff
Student Life - Where You Belong
This is what some of our students say about Highcastle Public School:
"Highcastle is a wonderful place to be because of the great teaching staff." Grade 7 student
"Student life is great at Highcastle because there are a lot of friendly students and teachers in our school." Grade 7 student
"There are a lot of kids and a lot more friends to make." Grade 6 student
"Highcastle is a wonderful place to be because the students have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of extracurricular activities." Grade 7 student
"Better teachers than other schools." Grade 7 student
"I like the snack food." Grade 1 student
"We get to do lots of fun stuff and learn lots." Grade 3 student
"Highcastle is a wonderful place to be because it just is!" Grade 5 student
Obviously, our students enjoy this school. Opportunities to participate in house league and a wide variety of other co-curricular activities, supervised by our staff, contribute to a truly balanced learning environment.
What Sets Us Apart
At Highcastle Public School, we are fortunate to have many programs and school wide initiatives that are unique to our school. We have a very successful fundraising program, which involves community members as well fundraising led by our students. Some of the money supports building a school in Sierra Leonne. We have an amazing Snack Program. Our committed volunteers provide a healthy variety of snacks to our students every day. We celebrate the successes of our students each month with our CASTLE Awards. Recognition related to the TDSB Character traits is given to students at these assemblies. Our students also enjoy participating in class presentations related to these traits. We also take pride in the many programs which support good character among our students, such as "We're Erasing Prejudice For Good". Our intermediate students demonstrate their leadership in the school by being positive role models for the younger students. They have also participated in equity conferences and continue to promote equity in our school.
Parent and Community Engagement
We are always endeavouring to reach out to our various communities. At Highcastle, we recognize the importance of parental and community involvement in the learning partnership. We welcome and encourage active participation in daily programs and special activities. We value input and feedback which is offered either spontaneously or in public forums. School Advisory Council meets monthly to discuss issues and to provide input to staff. Our community helps by volunteering in the classrooms, library and snack program, driving to sporting events and planning fundraising initiatives. They are also involved with parent evenings, Education week and concerts. We also appreciate support during graduation, excursions, sporting events, pizza lunches, Terry Fox run, play days, our nutritious snack program that runs 5 days per week and CASTLE Awards Assemblies.
