Quick summary of key school information
All the details about this school in their own words
| Number of students |
We have 95 to 120 students |
| Number of nationalities represented in the school |
English, French, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Spanish, Indian, Lebanese, Russian, Polish, Vietnamese, German, Romanian, Polish |
| Most common nationality |
English (third); Chinese (third); blend of international nationalities (third) |
| Ratio of local students to international students |
3 International students to 1 English student |
| Native English and French speaking teachers |
Yes |
| Language support for students not fluent in English and French |
Recommend tutors for who we provide direct oversight to match program |
| Additional language classes offered by the school |
French, Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic |
| Max. number of students per class |
10-14 in smaller sized classrooms; 16 in larger classrooms |
| Average number of students per class |
12 students |
| Does the school employ teaching assistants? |
Yes |
| Use of technology in the classroom |
Grades 3 through 5 students have iPads,; grade 6 to 8 Bring their own laptop devices |
| Is the school ready to use virtual classrooms when needed? (e.g. teaching lessons online if the school is closed, e.g. during COVID-19 closures) |
Yes -We are ready for anything |
| Do students practice religion at the school? What religion? |
No |
| External examinations or assessments available |
CTBS; SSAT's; YRT (Chinese Assessment); varios math contests |
| Results in these examinations |
Canadian Test of Basic Skills (Students are int he top 1%) - and most students range 2 or more grades ahead of other students in other schools. |
| Do teachers assign homework to their students? |
Yes - but more as a way for student to celebrate and share their learning. Parents are not expected to help or teach. |
| Approximate hours of homework given |
Less than an hour for Grade 3 and younger; 90 minutes for older students |
| Percentage of students who pursue further education post-graduation |
100% |
| Dedicated staff/programs for students with special learning needs |
No - but our classroom sizes does permit us to provide individualized instruction. |
| Learning support offered |
Teachers will often provide additional support to students during their "prep" times. |
| The school supports gifted, able and talented students |
Yes, we have a full range of programming to support student project initiatives and learning that would typically be found in high schools. For instance, we built a soundproofing room and recording studio in an enrichment course called: "The Science of Sound and Soundproofing". |
| Student access to education psychologist |
No |
| Entry evaluation for students |
No |
| Brief description of entry evaluation required |
Students in grade 1 to 8 meet with the Academic VP, who speaks with them in French, and asks students to read a French passage for students entering the French Immersion Stream of the program. Students in Grades 4 to 8 entering the program with a beginner French focus will also meet with the Academic VP, to find out more about how well they would fit into the existing classroom of students - socially and academically. |
| Waiting list |
In some grades, yes |
| Deadline for registration (new academic year) |
We have rolling admissions, but offer places to existing families first. |
| Students can join after academic year begins |
It would depend if there are spaces available int he classroom. |
| School start time |
8:30 (currently we have earlier and later starts for certain grades) to stagger our entry during COVID-19 pandemic. |
| School finish time |
4:30pm - but we also have staggered dismissal currently due to COVID-19. |
| Supervised care before/after school |
Normally yes, but we cannot mix students right now - so we are not currently offering this feature, but as soon as can offer it - we will provide it as a service for a small fee. |
| School bus service available |
No |
| School provided lunches |
Parents can order hot lunches from the menu of a delivery service - the lunch lady.ca |
| Food alternatives for special dietary needs (ie. vegan, kosher, halal etc) |
Most families sent their own specialized lunches and snacks. |
| Uniform required |
Yes |
| Extracurricular activities or clubs offered |
Music, band, French theatre, cartooning, visual arts club, dance, swimming, Terry Fox cross country run, soccer, basketball, track and field, yoga, jump rope for heart, reading club, chess, architecture club, Lego story making, coding/robotics |
| Sports activities included |
We have PE classes three times a week in addition to three recesses of 15 minutes each per day. |
| Sports teams or sport competitions available for students |
Yes We have soccer, basketball and track and field sports teams. |
| Facilities at the school |
A small library and a science lab |
| Sports facilities at the school |
Physical activity center with a climbing wall, and we rent a full sized gymnasium in a church across the street. |
| Qualities and characteristics best defining the school |
The Giles School is an independent, non-profit, non-denominational, co-educational French immersion school, founded in 1989 by Harry Giles, CM, QC a pioneer in bilingual French immersion in Canada and the founder of Toronto French School. The school draws its students from Toronto and the surrounding areas of Markham, Richmond Hill, Ajax, and as far as Port Credit, Ontario. |
| Teaching approach of the school |
TGS prepares students, Pre-Kindergarten (age 2 & 3) to Grade 8, to be “world ready,” learning about culture through language and industry.
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