Branksome Hall Viewbook 2022

Learning at Branksome is filled with exciting opportunities.

At Toronto’s only JK–Grade 12 IB World School for girls, your daughter practises how to approach each new task with determination and delight, and she learns to greet every challenge with optimism.

At Branksome Hall, your daughter discovers that each possibility requires her openminded ambition and any obstacle can be met with grace and perseverance. We don’t just teach her to know the answer. We teach her to be the answer.

Junior School

Your daughter naturally questions everything.

In her earliest years at Branksome Hall, her expert teachers channel that curiosity, her budding ability to create and reflect , and her desire to make connections between what she sees and experiences and what she already knows.

While traditional academic study forms the foundation for your daughter’s learning, her teachers also ask her to think about her own thinking and her identity... What does it mean to wonder? How do our personal histories inform our present? How can we use our imaginations? …sparking a desire for knowledge and an awareness of herself as a learner.

Throughout her entire Branksome experience, your daughter engages in inquiry-based, relationally driven learning. In her JK-Grade 6 years, her teachers focus her learning through the lenses of the same transdisciplinary learning themes every year.

Because these themes remain constant through her progression, your daughter grows as a young, agile thinker—honing increasingly complex ideas that motivate her further explorations.

Primary Years Program (PYP)

INQUIRY

CONCEPTS

EDUCATION

ATTITUDES

thinks about her thinking. And how she learns.

questions and debates the meaning of these significant ideas across every subject area.

Your daughter gains foundational knowledge of subject areas through our concept-driven curriculum.

Through these themes, her explorations deepen.

WHO WE ARE

Her Branksome teachers ask her to inquire about her family—where did they come from? How did they get to Toronto?

As she grows, she also begins thinking about herself: why she prefers spring to fall, why she and her brother look alike, how she tells a story differently from her best friend.

Later, she interviews her friends and family about how media affects personal identity. She learns to consider not only what does it mean to be me but what does it mean to be human?

HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES

In her earliest years, she thinks about colours, experimenting with crayons and paints to draw what she sees outside. Her teachers guide her to find which colours, shapes and lines create more realistic drawings.

She learns to compose her first self-portrait, slowly critiquing and refining her creation. She builds a Piet Mondrian-inspired map of Toronto, considering how to reimagine a renowned artist’s style.

HOW WE ORGANIZE OURSELVES

She learns to count and to sort, to think about short and long distances. How can she figure out how long it takes her to run around the playground? Or how far the soccer field is from the classroom?

She learns to tell time, to count money, to think about how her day is structured or how the local grocery store works.

WHERE WE ARE IN PLACE AND TIME

In Grade 1, she realizes she loves hockey— her teacher urges her to think about how hockey has changed since its beginning in 1922. What caused it to change?

In later grades, she composes a series of travel logs as Ernest Shackleton, outlining the hardships and adventure of the early polar expeditions that broadened our understanding of the globe.

By Grade 6, she and her friends investigate an ancient civilization of her choice, thinking about how the past influences how we live today. She may end the unit by taking her classmates back in time to recreate a day in the life of someone from a past dynasty or village, sharing her latest learning.

Later, she studies a vase of flowers, its lines and curves. She works to render it in a still life and then translate it into a 3D sculpture. Throughout her years she’s always asking: How do I discover, hone and express my ideas artistically?

In later grades, she researches the stock market, currency exchange and international banks while considering economic systems. She wonders: How do our human-made systems connect or separate us?

SHARING THE PLANET

At recess, she and her friends inspect the trees lining the campus. She wonders: How do trees affect my life?

In Grade 4, she learns about biomes and decides to research eco-threats to rainforests. She makes a poster to share her inquiry with her classmates.

By the time she reaches Grade 6, she takes action through Chores for Charity or by starting her own project to fund refugee assistance. She asks: What are my responsibilities to others?

HOW THE WORLD WORKS

She examines a leaf and then a block, a rock and then a ball. She sorts objects into piles—discovering the differences between organic and geometric shapes. Later, she experiments with electricity— how does a flashlight turn on? Why does a light switch work?

By Grade 5 at Branksome, she’s learning the parts of an even more complex machine—the human brain. She builds a model to show how her brain takes in, stores and reacts to information. She’s understanding the basic scientific principles that govern her world—and her imagination is alight with possibility.

Co-curriculars & Well-being

Our diverse array of co-curricular and well-being offerings present your daughter with outlets for creativity and activity. Whether she joins our championshipwinning Debating or Rowing teams, enjoys after school yoga classes, swimming, film or improv club, creates a charity to provide for local families in need, starts a robotics team with her friends, or heads up Model UN—she’s following her passions and evolving interests alongside her academics.

Our state-of-the-art Athletics and Wellness Centre, an inviting, sunlight-filled space, places our ambitions for community-wide individual wellness at the heart of our campus. Through this facility and our versatile, ever-growing opportunities for personal fitness and stress-relieving physical activity, we ask your daughter to consider how she can best balance her physical, emotional, and academic needs to enhance her personal development

So regardless of whether it’s social justice or women’s rights, weight-training or photography, neuroscience, ballet or petitioning the dining hall for more vegetarian options, your daughter is learning that a Branksome girl seizes opportunities to keep growing.

As she focuses her study, she also seeks balance.

A Branksome girl takes action.

After discussing the power of a single voice for change, she leads her classmates in taking a day of silence to commemorate complex global issues like the over 62 million girls worldwide who aren’t in school, constantly evolving women’s rights, or the difficulties faced by the LGBTQ community or indigenous. Together, she and her friends raise awareness for those who cannot speak for themselves. These moments define a Branksome girl.

Senior & Middle School

She’s learning how to learn— and to form connections.

As your daughter transitions into Grade 7, her teachers continue guiding her through conceptdriven, contextual learning.

By this stage, your daughter is adept at structuring her inquiry—assessing what she’s learned and what she still needs to learn—and planning ahead for what’s to come. She respects and values the viewpoints of her peers and teachers, grasps difficult issues like social media privacy and the homeless youth of Toronto, and debates ideas like how genetics inform societal aesthetics or the evolution of selfies as art.

She also uses her growing knowledge framework for practical application: designing environmentally friendly packaging in math class, experimenting with chemistry and assessing national water usage, considering the implications of a brain pacemaker, or understanding the limitations of primary historical sources.

She still eagerly explores her world with open-minded enthusiasm. But throughout Grades 7-10, her teachers guide her to not only expand upon her more abstract questions within larger global contexts, but also to engage in more sophisticated, focused study at the same time.

Middle

(MYP)

Context fosters deeper INSIGHT and new perspectives.

She expands upon her PYP explorations, building a global perspective.

She questions and debates the meaning of these significant ideas across every subject area.

BRANKSOME GIRLS’ PERSONAL PROJECTS

She writes a children’s book promoting awareness and helping destigmatize mental illness.

Or she artistically devises Snapchat Geofilters which reflect the culture, background and attractions of neighborhoods in Toronto.

Or she composes a piano piece for senior citizens to aid in their wellness.

She expresses what she knows. In Grade 10, she places her passion into a global context, analyzing and working to resolve a need in the community.

She focuses and grounds her abstract questioning through foundational understanding of these subject areas.

Or she creates instructional videos in tennis basics, offering these skills to those who can’t afford lessons.

Or she gives up her iPhone for a month to analyze how technology affects personal relationships, personal time and how we communicate with others.

Or she runs weekly soccer training sessions for Branksome Hall students under the age of 14, in order to empower young women to continue playing sports.

Your daughter’s INSIGHTS inform her actions.

Global Engagement

Throughout her entire Branksome journey, we encourage your daughter to be internationally minded. We believe that her learning should not only address her personal experiences, it should also guide her to make connections across a global landscape and between the many people she encounters throughout life.

That’s why, beginning in her Middle Years Program, we offer a wide range of exchange opportunities from Costa Rica to Ireland, Australia to Spain, England to New Zealand. By Grade 9, she has the opportunity to study abroad at our Branksome Hall Asia sister school on Jeju Island, South Korea.

As a Branksome girl, your daughter embarks on many adventures—she also learns to understand, from a young age, her place within an international community.

And what’s more?

She confidently carries her responsibility to build a better global community.

As she explores her world, she becomes globally agile and aware.

A Branksome girl uplifts her peers.

Coming into the final stretch of the race, the crowd is a blur of shouted encouragement. The finish line in view, she can almost hear her opponent’s breathing. She ducks her head in determination and pushes forward. On the last stretch, her opponent trips behind her. She could keep going, but instead she bends to help the other girl up and they finish the race together. In this moment, she realizes competition is also about respect. These moments define a Branksome girl.

She’s learning to think–beyond, between and across disciplines.

During Grades 11 and 12 at Branksome Hall, your daughter engages in challenging, advanced coursework designed to prepare her for university and beyond.

She compares the poetry of Langston Hughes to modern hip hop, shows differences in perception and reality through a series of her photographs, assesses the advertising industry, the movement of indigenous people, or the factors that impact earthquake responses.

She wonders if computers might surpass human intelligence or about the reliability of oral tradition. She analyzes the spread of diseases and dissects the elements of her smartphone. She’s constructing a deeply ingrained and integrated understanding of both her traditional academic subjects and the contextual links that bind human knowledge.

And because her final two years at Branksome are comprehensive, her teachers ask her to repeatedly demonstrate what she knows—through roundtable discussion and debate, through reflection and writing, and through the way she directs her own learning, both in and outside the classroom. So by the time she graduates, she’s not only mastered important content—she’s mastered a way of thinking.

Diploma

THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE (TOK)

In a seminar-style roundtable discussion, she debates questions like:

How certain is science?

To what extent does scientific knowledge determine what is real?

Who is the primary beneficiary of a moral action?

How are consequences judged and who judges them?

Can a machine know? How does our understanding of history shape our perspectives of the world around us?

She reflects on the nature of human knowledge.

She completes independent research

She helps build her community. CREATIVITY, ACTIVITY, SERVICE (CAS) Employing her creative strengths, desire for action, and her responsibility to engage, she contributes to bettering Toronto and beyond.

BRANKSOME GIRLS’ EXTENDED ESSAY TOPICS

She composes a 4,000-word research essay on a topic of her choice.

How has the construction of the Sheppard subway line impacted the development of neighbourhoods?

How is language used in musical theatre to portray the feminist ideal of women taking action to make personal and social changes towards an equal cultural society?

To what extent were Coco Chanel’s designs of the Little Black Dress and the revolutionary Pant Suit a provocative artistic statement of her views on the art of fashion and its relationship with the modern liberated women in 1920s Paris?

Studying a wide range of subjects, including two languages, provides the firm foundation for her university path.

To what extent were the Bolshevik promises of “peace, land and bread” carried out in the Leninist period of 1917-1924?

To what extent does the quantity and method of crop fertilization affect the nitrate and phosphate levels of streams in the Ravenna region of the Ontario Greenbelt?

She’s forming more than positive habits. She’s cultivating a second nature for success, not just occasionally—but INSTINCTIVELY

Her teachers guide her to consistently and courageously DEMONSTRATE what she knows.

Boarding Program

Beginning in Grade 7, we offer your daughter the opportunity to join our inspiring Boarding Program. Housed in two charming heritage houses, our 52 students experience, firsthand, the benefits of living and studying within an enlivening and encouraging environment alongside students from 14 different countries.

Together, our girls in boarding spend weekends exploring new places and enjoying new experiences. They discover Toronto’s museums and restaurants. They spend nights in boarding watching movies, competing for their houses in fun challenges, crafting projects, cooking meals together, or just hanging out with their housemates. As a boarding student, your daughter gains valuable independence, always under the care of her Boarding Advisors.

Our boarding staff, composed of expert educators and caregivers, gets to know your daughter. And by regularly communicating with her and her teachers and Guidance Counsellors, we ensure your daughter’s learning journey stimulates her mind and nurtures her spirit—both “at home” and in class.

The end result? As a day or boarding student, a Branksome girl knows she’s never alone.

She’s building lifelong friendships and community.

She’s prepping for a Physics exam when her friend comes to the classroom door wearing a worried look. She asks to be excused and goes to meet her. They sit talking, and eventually a laugh echoes down the hallway. Studying can wait— because in this moment, her friend needs a listening ear and a thoughtful joke. These moments define a Branksome girl.

A Branksome girl looks out for herself and for others

Apply Now

Your application to Branksome Hall will include:

1) Online application www.branksome.on.ca

2) Family and student interview

3) Grade-appropriate assessments

Please visit our website for more details on these steps.

How to Apply for Financial Assistance

Interested families need to complete the Financial Aid for Canadian Students’ (FACS) form, which can be found on the Apple Financial Services website (www. applefinancialservices.ca). Applications should be completed by late November for returning families and early December for new families.

Branksome is proud of its ability to support students from Grade 7 to 11 through our program of Financial Assistance. Our philosophy is to partner with as many families as possible as they look to finance the Branksome experiences. We offer more than $1.4 million in need-based bursaries and $100,000 in merit entrance scholarships.

Scholarship Programs

Entrance scholarships are available for new day and boarding students entering Grades 7 to 11. Scholarships are awarded in recognition of students’ academic success, co-curricular involvement and interests. Awards range from $3000 to $8500 for the first year. Further details about our Scholarship Programs can be found online www.branksome.on.ca/admissions/scholarship-programs

A Branksome girl

Takes action. Communicates effectively. Questions and inquires. Uplifts her peers. Keeps an open mind. Looks out for herself and others. Thrives amidst challenge. Knows her only limit is the one she’s placed on herself. Stands up for her principles. Acknowledges others’ hard work.

Aims for adventure.

Engages in her world community. Practises the art of scholarship. Knows the value of self-discipline. Learns from those around her. Sets goals—and achieves them. Speaks her mind with confidence. Commands the room. Upholds traditions. Refines her thinking with reflection. Proudly owns her style. Is true to herself.

A Branksome girl defines a path all her own, not just occasionally— instinctively, now and for the rest of her life.

Think beyond the ordinary

We’re passionate about studying how girls learn best.

Our Chandaria Research Centre initiates and develops research to advance the future of girls’ education. With STEAM-focused classrooms, i-Hubs and our future iCAST, we create a hub of innovation, collaboration, and creativity for your daughter. At Branksome, she learns in an environment intentionally designed to motivate and nurture her.

Seek balance and focus

Our Athletics and Wellness Centre—featuring two saltwater swimming pools, yoga and ballet studios, a rowing suite, state-of-the-art technology and fitness facilities, and much more—exemplifies our school-wide commitment to fostering physical, emotional and mental well-being for students, faculty, staff and families alike.

Contribute to her global community

Our immersive, intercultural school community, strengthened by our well-established Boarding Program, our varied study abroad opportunities and Branksome Hall Asia campus, models for students an intuitively global perspective. From Junior Kindergarten, students learn to consider how they can create change in their neighbourhoods, throughout Toronto and across the world.

Express herself with insight and originality

Our Music, Visual, and Performance Arts departments, led by practising artist-teachers, nurture each girl from JK-Grade 12 to begin discovering, refining and expressing her individual creative viewpoint—alongside cultivating a growing awareness of an artist’s social and cultural impact.

Seize each opportunity

Co-curricular, service and athletics opportunities abound at Branksome. Your daughter can join one of our seasonal sports each term, explore her passions and interests through after-school clubs, or volunteer with one of our versatile service learning outlets. No matter which she chooses, she’s seeing the value of teamwork, taking action and shaping her own experience.

Take calculated risks

We support your daughter through her Branksome journey at every step. With the assistance of our expert Social Workers and School Counseling team, specialized Learning Strategies programming, and teachers attuned to reveal her strength and potential, we provide your daughter more challenge when she needs it, support to overcome obstacles and ever-present encouragement to help her become her best self.

Rely on her sisters

At Branksome, your daughter learns in a culture of like- and differently minded girls, each ambitious and courageous in her own way. During her first year, she’s assigned to one of our multi-grade Clans—a group of girls she remains with for her entire time at Branksome— to participate in friendship-building activities that foster lifelong sisterhood and thoughtful leadership.

Boldly move forward, ready for anything

Our girls graduate to some of the most prestigious universities in the world. But more importantly, from an early age, we encourage each Branksome girl to begin thinking about what she needs and wants from her university experience, involving her directly in finding her best-fit choice and ensuring that regardless of her next school choice, she’s more than prepared.

As a Branksome girl, your daughter learns to…

We invite you and your family to discover our IB Advantage for Girls by visiting our school.