Our motto is "Reach for the Stars" and our mascot is a bear - students call themselves Riverbears. Rivercrest Junior School is located in the northern part of Etobicoke, between Kipling and Islington Avenues, and has a diverse student population. Sunny Faces Daycare is located in our school and we have formed a strong partnership with them. Our mission is to develop confident, responsible, lifelong learners, by ensuring a balance of quality learning experiences. Our school culture promotes strong student leadership, active student participation in a variety of extra curricular activities, and student involvement in local and global charitable initiatives. We provide a safe and welcoming learning environment. Peace Team and Character Education are an integral part of our school culture. 

School Focus for this School Year

We strive to improve literacy skills through a focus on reading skills and higher order thinking skills, point of view, referencing, and making connections to text, self, and the world. We use data from assessments to improve student literacy scores. To enhance mathematics skills, we employ a range of problem solving strategies, critical thinking skills, and the use of manipulatives. Students learn to communicate their variety of solutions orally and in writing. We are implementing character education to develop life long values and good citizenship. We encourage the active daily involvement of parents in all aspects of school life.

Interesting Feature

Rivercrest Highlights

At Rivercrest we are committed to helping our students reach their highest potential. Our motto is "Always try your best". We provide a variety of support for students, including English as a Second Language, Home School program, Resource Withdrawal, in-class support, and parent reading volunteers. We offer a wide variety of learning opportunities that enrich and broaden our students' experiences through trips, visiting artists and performers, and Scientists in the School program. Our extracurricular activities provide a balance of music, art, sports, literacy and hobbies. 

More Information about Rivercrest Junior School

Outreach Activities

We teach our students personal responsibility as well as responsibility to their community. In our school we are proactively involved in outreach activities that involve assisting others. Some of our projects include fundraising for the Terry Fox Run, Holiday Food Drive, and and Jump Rope for Heart. We are involved in the Milk Bag program to assist the people of Haiti.

Our philosophy

We believe in your child and encourage our students to recognize their own strengths. Every child has a unique talent. Our goal is to help your child identify that ability. We provide a well balanced program, which stresses academic, emotional, physical, and social developments equally so that children can grow into healthy and productive citizens.

Home and School Partnership

At Rivercrest, we have a strong educational partnership between the school and the home, and open and frequent communication between these partners. Parents are actively involved in the life of the school through volunteering in the classrooms, on field trips and skating days, fundraising activities, and membership on the School Council. 

Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is a priority at Rivercrest. To motivate our students and help them develop lifetime leisure activities, we offer a variety in our physical education program, such as folk dancing, team sports, and skating. Outside professionals have been invited to work with our students. We compete against other schools in volleyball and track and field.

Additional Features

• Welcome Bag Kindergarten program
• Donate-a-Book program
• Monthly pizza lunches
• Annual Holiday Concert
• Parent Education program
• Adjacent skating rink/tennis court
• Yearly Family BBQ
• Teacher Appreciation Lunch 

Student Life - Where You Belong

Students at Rivercrest enjoy learning, challenge themselves to take risks, and readily assume leadership roles. Our students provide leadership as kindergarten helpers, cookie merchants, and learning buddies. They also assume the responsibility for leading the morning announcements. In fact, all of our students from Grades 1 to 5 take turns doing the morning announcements, and leading the monthly Character Education assemblies. Our Grade 3 students are Peace Team members. This involves keeping our school yard safe and noticing students who are playing appropriately. Our students have an opportunity to participate in a clubs at lunchtime. Our students learn in a positive learning environment where they have an opportunity to develop their academic, creative, and social abilities surrounded by caring and talented teachers they will remember for the rest of their lives. Our graduates excel academically when they go on to Middle School, and continue to take on leadership roles.

What Sets Us Apart

Since 1956, second and third generations of families have continued to be a part of our Rivercrest community. We are also welcoming new families from diverse backgrounds to our school. Our teaching staff provide a stable and enriched learning environment for our students. We are a small and friendly school, where students get personal attention from the teachers, who know most of them by name. The teachers work as a team and they are in close communication with each other regarding student behaviour at recess and lunchtime. We have consistent expectations that our students play co-operatively, accept each other's differences, and demonstrate respect for one another. We expect our older students to act as role models, help the younger ones, and lead them by good example. This helps to foster the positive school climate our students and staff experience at Rivercrest. 

Parent and Community Engagement

We have formed strong partnerships with Sunny Faces Day Care, West Humber JMS and Thistletown Collegiate. We receive placement students from York University, Ryerson University, Humber College, and Seneca College. Parent volunteers regularly assist in classrooms, on field trips, on skating days, in the library, and as reading volunteers. The Rivercrest School Council is actively involved in reaching out to our families and regularly sponsors special family events such as the Movie Night, Skate Night, and the annual Barbecue. Local businesses have supported our efforts in this regard. The School Council also sponsors Parent Education evenings on a variety of topics and they are planning a fitness day for parents this year. Parents also organize Pizza Days monthly.

Imagine a TDSB where all schools share a common core set of characteristics. They are community-driven and focused on teaching and learning. Students and parents have a wide variety of opportunities and there are enough students in every school to increase program choices.

Imagine there is a clear focus on achieving student success and every student is engaged, has a voice, access to a caring adult and the opportunity to develop their full potential. Here at the TDSB our focus is on student achievement, parent and community engagement and financial stability