Growing our Significance TMS Community
Welcome to TMS I’m thankful for your decision to join our School; it is a community we love and in which we believe our students thrive. And it is a community we want you and your child to be fully part of.
Choosing a school for your child is a centrally important decision. At its best, a school will provide a landscape and “family” from which your child can fall in love with learning and establish friendships that sustain them for a lifetime. A great school immerses children in a strong culture where they develop a strong sense of who they are and an understanding that engagement in their community is the true measure of goodness. By intention, TMS cultivates our students’ desire to pursue personal excellence in their areas of passion. Equally, we value goodness, particularly a commitment to practical engagement that benefits one’s own community, however you choose to describe community. This combination of excellence and goodness creates a palpable yearning in our students, not for mere success, but rather to strive for Significance. But we know that is not enough. The world our students, your children, will step into as adults is a rapidly changing, intensely competitive place in which being academically strong will not be enough. At TMS we ask our families to join us in an intentional, planned pathway designed to cultivate three mindsets in each student; we believe these mindsets are essential ingredients seen in individuals who thrive. They are a mindset of positivity, a mindset of resilience and a mindset of entrepreneurial thinking. Research comprehensively supports the fact that these three intertwined traits of optimism, grit and an ability to pivot, innovate and network are essential to succeed in a rapidly changing world, even in the most traditional of professions. At TMS, each student travels at their own pace with their preferred end in mind. They have experienced guides in the form of their teachers, ongoing support from their peers which is uniquely felt and a connection to the larger TMS Community which offers additional opportunities for meaningful partnerships. While the role of the teacher as expert advisor is pivotal, the partnership between school and family also ensures that each student finds success during this time of rapid and radical change. We are delighted you are here. I would love to meet with you and get to know you further. My door is always open as are the doors of every teacher and my leadership team. Please ask questions, suggest ideas and enter fully into a partnership with this school that will be an integral part of your family’s life for years to come.
David Young, Head of School, TMS
Welcome
Our families understand and benefit from the knowledge that a great independent school depends on an ‘all in’ community. We hope, in time, you will both benefit from and be a full participating member of this community about which we care so much.
Time, Talent & Treasure at TMS Building a Culture of Giving At TMS, we believe in the power and possibility of an engaged community. In our TMS Strategic Plan, one of our key areas of focus is Growing our Significance which we define as growing and enriching the fullness of the TMS Community. We desire to actively engage our parents who are invested in TMS. The most effective way to do this is to build relationships across all parts of the School Community.
Creating a Culture of Giving We are committed to creating a Culture of Giving. We define a Culture of Giving as an “all in” culture that is evident through the whole TMS Journey and experienced in a similar way in all parts of the School. At the heart of this Culture of Giving is good connections with parents, building I Am Known into everything we do, providing clear communications and using inclusive language. A Culture of Giving clearly places equal value on the many ways in which our community can engage with the School. Our Culture of Giving focuses on the concept of Time, Talent and Treasure.
Time is a way to define and celebrate meaningful volunteer opportunities. We
welcome the involvement of parents to help with a range of activities and events and to be active participants in the daily life of the School. We have a range of volunteer opportunities such as parent ambassadors, event organizers and committee members. These are posted on the Parent Portal under Volunteering at TMS.
Talent refers to opportunities where parents lend us their expertise. Knowing
we can count on parents’ specific expertise or knowledge makes a big difference to the School. Examples of this in action are parents who offer career advice to our Upper School students or who take on committee positions such as finance and strategic planning.
Treasure, of course, refers to financial donations to TMS. We are an independent, not-for-profit organization with charitable status. This means that the majority of the school tuition is used to cover the costs associated with the School’s day-today operations. TMS relies on the generous support of our families to raise funds to assist with the development of new and existing facilities and the enhancement of programs. TMS offers two ways to help financially: • Annual Giving donations support a specific need at the School. As part of our Strategic Plan, in the 2019-2020 school year all Annual Giving donations supported the creation of more sustainable campuses. The 2019/2020 Annual Giving campaign has enabled TMS to install solar panels at both campuses. • Capital Campaigns are special appeals to raise large sums, typically for longterm improvements such as our Campus Development Plan. TMS is proud to have completed Phase 1 of the Building our Significance Capital Campaign at our Lower School, unveiling a brand new Atrium, Gym and outdoor Grove area. These amazing new spaces were made possible by the generosity of our donors. TMS is now in the second phase of our Capital Campaign which will support exciting new expansion and redevelopments at both the Upper and Lower School through the fundraising support of our families. Please visit www.tmsschool.ca/buildingoursignificance to see the results of Phase 1 of the campaign.
For more information about the Culture of Giving at TMS or to get involved with your time, talent or treasure, please contact our Director of Advancement, Rakesh Tripathi at rtripathi@tmsschool.ca or 905-889-6882 Ext. 2248.
A Culture of Giving
Growing our Significance means we value TMS as a true community that believes strongly in our role of caring for, supporting, guiding, nudging and celebrating our students. We engage our families who often make sacrifices to ensure their children are at TMS. We reach out to our alumni to make sure they always feel a connection to TMS. We seek out ways to make an impact on people and places in the extended community. This is work done best in partnership with our whole School Community.
What We Stand For It doesn’t take long for someone new to TMS to see that something here is special. Throughout the School, from the youngest learners in the Toddler Program to alumni who return again and again to visit, students are passionately engaged in their academic pursuits and committed to improving the world around them. Our students live the TMS promise of defining and realizing success in university, career and in life through our unparalleled educational experience.
Our Vision To be embraced as an outstanding school with an unparalleled educational experience.
Our Mission TMS delivers a seamless, internationally-acclaimed educational experience designed to inspire and challenge students to discover the best of who they are and to achieve their full potential.
I Am Known I Am Known Is a central tenet of TMS. This phrase seeks to capture an aspirational truth about education that is dear to us: only when a child is deeply and individually known within a teacher-student relationship can a child navigate their own unique journey towards personal excellence both in terms of the development of their character and their learning.
TMS Pillars Academics, Arts, Athletics and Citizenship
IB Mission Statement IB aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment. These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
What We Stand For
We invite you to read through our Vision and Mission, experience The Journey at www.tmsschool.ca, learn about our young but already very engaged alumni, and see how our students are making a difference in their communities.
Lower School Student Life (Toddler to Grade 6) Toddler Program (Half Day) 8:30 – 11:50 am Staggered entry 8:30 – 9:00 am / Staggered dismissal 11:30 – 11:50 am Toddler Program (Full Day) 8:30 am – 4:00 pm Staggered entry 8:30 – 9:00 am
Children’s House Program (Full Day) 8:30 am – 4:00 pm Staggered entry 8:30 – 9:00 am Elementary Program 8:30 am – 4:00 pm (Dismissal between 3:30 and 4:00 pm) Before School Care 7:15 – 8:30 am (Extended Care fee for service) After School Care 4:00 – 6:00 pm (Extended Care fee for service)
Extended Care Program TMS offers before school care from 7:15 – 8:30 am (7:15 – 8:15 am for Elementary), and after school care from 4:00 - 6:00 pm for a fee for service. All students who arrive before or stay after regular school hours must be enrolled in the Extended Care Program. For more information please call the Manager of Extended Care at 905-889-6882 Ext. 2335 or visit our Parent Portal at www.tmsschool.ca/parent and click on the Student Life tab on the menu.
Extracurricular Programs TMS offers a range of Extracurricular Programs to students from Children’s House 1 to Grade 6. Discovering new interests, finding hidden talent and committing to something bigger than oneself are important moments in the growth of any child. That’s why we offer optional clubs and activities to engage the mind and excite the spirit. These programs run after school, some for five to eight weeks and international language programs for the full year. The programs range in cost from $150 to $1,200 depending on topic and length. Some programs are open to students in Children’s House while others are for Elementary students only. Extracurricular Programs are not part of our in-class work and are completely optional. Students can choose from the following Extracurricular Programs: Ballet • Bucket Drumming • Cartoons / Comics Unleashed • Chess • ESL and ELD Farsi • Gymnastics • Italian • Judo • Karate • Leadership and Public Speaking Lego Architects and Lego Robotics • Mandarin • Mixed Martial Arts My Early Cents Level 1, 2, 3 and Making Cents Level 1, 2, 3 • Soccer • Sportball Tennis/Badminton • Voice Power Jam • Ukulele Jam • Piano • Violin
Co-curricular Programs The Lower School Co-Curricular Program is designed to complement the four TMS Pillars of Arts, Athletics, Academics and Citizenship. Each program has been created to support our students’ desire to experiment, take risks and extend their knowledge. TMS students develop spirit and courage while they pursue new experiences such as helping communities in need, playing sax in the band, joining the robotics team, singing in the choir or perfecting a basketball layup. It is a place where students expand the depth of how they are known at TMS. In some cases students tryout or apply for these groups. Some Co-curricular Programs include: Intra-mural & Inter-school Athletics • Choirs (Grades 1 to 3 and 4 to 6) Junior & Senior Concert Bands • Drama Group • Art Club • Media Creation Team TMS Robotics Team • Friends of the Community • Lower School Ambassadors Lower & Upper Elementary Science Clubs • Lower & Upper Elementary French Clubs Upper Elementary Drone Team
Student Life
Children’s House Program (Half Day) 8:30 – 11:50 am Staggered entry 8:30 – 9:00 am
Upper School Student Life (Grades 7 to 12) Daily Schedule School starts promptly at 8:15 am each morning (Monday – Thursday) and students are expected to be at school by 8:00 am to get ready for class.
Student Life
Morning sports practices start at 7:15 am. The school building is open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm with adult supervision. Each Friday, we have a delayed start, with school starting at 9:20 am.
Co-curriculars In the Upper School, the learning environment is a positive, effective, adaptable place and incorporates input from staff, students, Student Council, and parents. Students participate in the four TMS Pillars, the MYP Community & Service (CS) and the DP Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) programs as they engage in life beyond academics. Co-curricular activities enhance the richness of the learning environment, allowing students to develop further in certain areas of interest and skills and offer opportunities for inquiry and independent thinking outside the classroom.
Structure of the Co-Curricular Program at the Upper School Students are encouraged to initiate clubs. Each club must have a teacher who supervises and guides the group. The structure and calendar is flexible to accommodate these requests. There is no charge for the Co-curricular Program, although there may be additional costs for trips and supplies. In order to balance the opportunities across the four Pillars, the Student Council and the Upper School staff review the club offerings each term. Co-curricular Programs change from year to year based on student interests and range from a single workshop to a yearlong club. Some current Co-curricular Programs include: Student Council • House Council • DECA • Model UN • Debate Reach for the Top • Justice League • Robotics • Programming Social Justice and Amnesty International • Art Club • Watercolours • Rock Band Jazz Band • Upper School Play • Writer’s Corner • Photo Exhibition CIS Music Festival • Wellness Club • Red Cross Club • Tutorials Conservation Club • Art Curating • Athletic Intramurals • Coaching Fitness Fridays • Volleyball • Basketball • Cross Country • Badminton • Curling Track & Field • Ultimate Frisbee • Field Hockey • Chess Club • Coding Club World Religions • Language & Culture • Japanese • Peer Tutors • French Club
Weather Closures TMS will remain open during all but the most severe weather. If the decision is made to close the School:
Please note we will be listed as TMS and not Toronto Montessori Schools. In bad weather, absences and lateness will be excused if severe weather makes it difficult for a family to travel.
Safe Arrival / Student Absences Please call 905-889-6882 Ext. 1 if your child will be absent. Lower School Safe Arrival For ANY planned or unplanned late arrival or absence, we ask that you call or email our centralized Safe Arrival reporting line: 905-889-6882 [press 1] or email SafeArrival@tmsschool.ca. Upper School Safe Arrival For all Upper School student absences, please send an email to SafeArrivalem@tmsschool.ca. More information can be found on the TMS Parent Portal under Handbooks.
TMS Traffic Safety Policy Student safety is the first and foremost consideration in determining how students are dropped off and picked up. The TMS Community must ensure that these guidelines are followed by all students, parents and staff with no exception to the rules.
Drop-Off Zone at Both Campuses • Please do not leave vehicles unattended in the “Drop-Off Zone” (Kiss and Go area) or in the “No Parking Zone”. This zone is a fire route and parked vehicles are subject to being tagged or towed. • Please do not stop in the marked pedestrian crossing. • Please do not park or stop in left lane next to the “Drop-Off Zone”. If a spot isn’t immediately available, circle, and stop when a spot becomes available. • Parents of children in Toddler and Children’s House are encouraged to use the entrance close to Bayview Avenue. Students in Toddler and CH1 must be escorted to their classes.
Lower School Parent Parking Lot • Students in Grade 6 or lower must be accompanied by an adult when in the parking lot. • Parking is available only in designated areas. • Please read and obey the traffic signs and the lane markings. • Maximum speed is posted at 20 km/h. More information can be found on the TMS Parent Portal under Handbooks.
Quick Facts
• An email will be sent to all parents and staff by 6:30 am. • Information will be recorded on the School telephone line 905- 889-6882 ‘press ‘7’. • The Home page of our School website at www.tmsschool.ca. • Radio stations 680 AM and CHFI 98.1 FM and social media. • School closures are then listed on the Storm Centre of 680news.com.
Pick-Up at the Lower School
Quick Facts
Toddler and Children’s House students must be picked up at their classrooms. After 4:00 pm, students will be taken to Extended Care for supervision. Parents are required to sign their child out of the program when picking up from Extended Care. Elementary students not in Extended Care or Extra Curricular Programs are encouraged to use the Kiss and Go at the main school entrance. This service is available from 8:00 am to 8:30 am and 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm each day. Staff are on hand to greet the students and guide them to their classrooms.
Bus Transportation TMS is excited to launch a new bussing pilot, coming September 2020. TMS will run four routes across the GTA/York Region to and from the Upper School. There is an annual fee for service for the four routes in the bussing program. TMS also offers a shuttle bus service between both campuses for a separate fee. For more information or to register visit the Parent Portal: www.tmsschool.ca/parent/ bussing-pilot-registration.
Visitors/Parent Badges Parents/Guardians are provided with a TMS identification badge and are asked to wear it at all times on School property. All visitors, including parents without their badges, are required to sign in at the Main Office and obtain a visitor badge, which must be worn while in the School. For more information visit the TMS Parent Portal under Handbooks.
Communications The Home-School Partnership and Two-Way Communication At TMS we recognize the paramount importance of an effective home-school partnership. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time in person, by telephone, by e-mail or with a note. We much prefer to hear about issues or concerns directly so we can address them immediately.
When students, parents or staff members want to initiate an event, implement an idea, discuss an area of concern or suggest recommendations about an issue, they should contact the appropriate person via e-mail or telephone.
Academic David Young Head of School dyoung@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2252 Carolyn Reid Head of Toddler & Children’s House creid@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2251 Rachel Marks Head of Elementary rmarks@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2264 Sheila Thomas Head of Upper School sthomas@tmsschool.ca 905-780-1002 Ext. 3360 Blaine Seamone Director, Teaching & Learning, Lower School bseamone@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2237
Athletics Dave Cordner Athletics Director, Lower School dcordner@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2372 Ashley Willis Athletics Director, Upper School awillis@tmsschool.ca 905-780-1002 Ext. 3267
Community Development
Student Services
Peter Hill Assistant Head Kirsten Eastwood of Upper School Executive Director, Community Development phill@tmsschool.ca keastwood@tmsschool.ca 905-780-1002 905-889-6882 Ext. 2234
Marketing & Communications Dionne Malcolm Director, Strategic Communications & Marketing dmalcolm@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2261
Enrolment Management Silvana Fazzari Director, Enrolment Management sfazzari@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2230 Sharron Cooper Enrolment Management Officer scooper@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2254
Advancement Rakesh Tripathi Director, Advancement rtripathi@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2248
Lower School Extracurricular Programs & Extended Care Program Jennie Yeung Manager, Extracurricular Programs & Extended Care, Lower School jyeung@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2335
Finance Vince Haines Chief Administrative Officer vhaines@tmsschool.ca 905-889-6882 Ext. 2233
Communications
A successful partnership depends on good communication between family and school. Your child’s teacher is the first person to contact if you have questions concerning your child. If your question is not answered to your satisfaction please see the appropriate Academic Head, and ultimately, you may contact the Head of School.
How We Stay Connected • Thursday Envelopes (Lower School) • Classroom Pages (Lower School) • Managebac (Upper School)
Communications
• Twitter Updates through our Academic Heads’ Accounts • @SheilaThomasTMS • @RachelMarksTMS • @CarolynReidTMS • TMS Headlines stories that celebrate School events and updates as they happen • Regular e-Notify email messages from the Head of School • Going Beyond, bi-annual School magazine
TMS Parent Portal The TMS Parent Portal is our “one-stop” for all information at TMS. While some sections of the Portal are accessible without a password, others are passwordprotected. Those sections are marked with a padlock and designed to protect proprietary school information. Parents will be assigned a username and password once their child is enrolled at TMS. For new to TMS parents, this typically happens in August. Parents can click on the Forgot Username or Password option if login information is forgotten, and the information will be sent by email. For any questions regarding the TMS Parent Portal, please email website@tmsschool.ca.
Go to: www.tmsschool.ca
Select: Parent Portal (Top Left)
For more details on using the Parent Portal please refer to the Parent Portal page in this kit.
TMS Website Student Portal Access is available to all Grade 7 to 12 students
TMS Website Alumni Portal Access is available to all TMS Alumni
TMS Alumni Network The TMS Alumni Network enables our alumni to find and connect with other TMS alumni, share information about themselves, find a mentor or offer their services as mentors, and provide employment and internship opportunities to our alumni.
TMS Printed Calendar The TMS printed calendar is distributed to all families during the first weeks of September. Please contact the Main Office if you do not receive one. The printed and updated electronic versions are available on the Parent Portal. Please note that the calendar on the Parent Portal is updated each week so that version is the best one to check for any event changes or addition of new events.
August 24, 2020 Classes commence at 12:00 pm for DP Students (Grades 11 and 12)
September 8, 2020 Toddler Phasing-In begins - 8:30 -10:00 am or 10:30 am -12:00 pm (time assigned by TMS)
Children’s House 2 (4 year olds) and New to TMS Children’s House 3 (5 year olds) commence regular hours Elementary Classes Gr 1, 4, 5, 6 & New to TMS begin - 8:30 am Elementary Classes Gr 2, 3, begin - 9:30 am Classes begin for Grade 7-10 students
September 9, 2020 Toddler Phasing-In continues – 8:30 -10:00 am or 10:30 am – 12:00 pm (time assigned by TMS) Children’s House 1 (3 year olds) Phasing-In continues - 8:30 am – 12:00 pm (all Children’s House 1 students) Elementary Classes commence regular hours
September 10, 2020 Children’s House 3 (5 year olds) commence regular hours All Toddler and Children’s House 1 Classes commence regular hours
September 17 to 19, 2020 Upper School Outdoor Leadership Camps
October 9, 2020 Professional Development Day (School is Closed)
October 12, 2020 Thanksgiving (School is Closed)
November 13, 2020 Professional Development Day (School is Closed)
November 16, 2020 Mid-Term Break (School is Closed)
December 17, 2020 Last Day of School before Winter Break
December 18, 2020 to January 3, 2021 Winter Break (School is Closed)
January 4, 2021 Return to School
February 12, 2021 Mid-term Break (School is Closed)
Year at a Glance
Children’s House 1 (3 year olds) Phasing-In begins - 8:30 -10:00 am or 10:30 am -12:00 pm (time assigned by TMS)
February 15, 2021 Family Day (School is Closed)
March 5, 2021 Last day of classes before March Break
Year at a Glance
March 8 to March 19, 2021 March Break
March 22, 2021 Return to School
April 2, 2021 Good Friday (School is Closed)
April 5, 2021 Easter Monday (School is Closed)
May 21, 2021 Professional Development Day (School is Closed)
May 24, 2021 Victoria Day (School is Closed)
June 18, 2021 Last Day of School
TMS Parent Portal The TMS Parent Portal is our “one-stop” for all information at TMS. While some sections of the Portal are accessible without a password, others are passwordprotected. Those sections are marked with a padlock and designed to protect proprietary school information.
Go to: www.tmsschool.ca
Select: Parent Portal (Top Left)
Navigating the Portal TMS Logo - Clicking on the TMS Logo will bring you back to the main website, tmsschool.ca Athletics - The Lower and Upper School Athletics pages are updated by the Athletic Directors at both campuses. Calendar - Sorted by Lower School and Upper School (events, activities) as well as all School holidays and closures, the calendar is constantly updated. Parents can also sync their iPhones to the calendar. There is a how-to manual on the calendar tab. Volunteering at TMS Learn about the different volunteer opportunities for parents at TMS.
Classroom Pages - This is an exciting platform used at the Lower School to communicate the events in the classroom. The Classroom Pages are designed specifically by each classroom teacher as a way to share updates, resources, assignments, special days and events. Forms - Organized by Grade, parents can find all forms pertaining to their child’s level of the School. Handbooks - All the handbooks for both the Lower and Upper School are located here. Handbooks include information on uniform, lunches, inclement weather, outdoor activities and the TMS Code of Conduct.
Headlines – This is constantly updated with all the events that take place at TMS. Every Monday, parents receive an email reminder (TMS THIS WEEK) to check out photos and stories about what happened at TMS and what’s coming up.
Photo Gallery - You can find photos here, from events to classroom activities. Important Resources This is updated weekly and provides quick access to forms/ documents from the pizza day form, monthly food menu (Real Food for Real Kids (Toddler to CH1), TMS Health Policy and much more. Student Life - You can find information about extended care, extracurricular programs and co-curricular programs offered at TMS. Parent Resources - All resources and guidebooks are located here.
Announcements – You can find a range of community announcements here from upcoming uniform sales through InSchoolWear to school photograph information
Parent Portal
Parents will be assigned a username and password once their child is enrolled at TMS. For new parents, this happens in August. Parents can click on the Forgot Username or Password option if login information is forgotten and the information will be sent by email. For any questions regarding the TMS Parent Portal, please email website@tmsschool.ca.
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