Small Classes
6:1 ratio in all classes, allowing for personalized and enriched learning opportunities.
Outdoor Education
At least 2hrs every day is spent learning outside in our community and natural surroundings.
Experiential Learning
Hands-on learning and site-based learning.
Arts-Enriched Curriculum
Enhanced learning through the Arts, including daily dance, music, movement, art and creative expression.
Learning Exceptionalities
Personalized instruction to support all learners, including Gifted, LD an Mental Health needs.
STEAM
Integrated learning through Science, Technology, Engineer, Arts and Math.
Oak Learners offers progressive, interdisciplinary, inquiry-based programming in a student-driven, teacher-facilitated, alternative learning environment.
Each learner goes through a cyclical process of identifying their unique strengths, needs, goals, and interests. Through collaboration with teachers, peers, parents and members of their community, they design inquiry-based projects to guide their learning over the course of a term.
Each day at Oak Learners brings new learning opportunities through an integrated and immersive approach to elementary education. Ontario Curriculum content and skill achievement guidelines are covered and enriched through a holistic approach to learning in a project-based inquiry model, leading to a much deeper and richer learning experience for the students.
Take a look inside our classrooms:
Upper Elementary Curriculum
Integrated Literacy
Overview
Reading and Writing form the building block for communication and learning. At Oak Learners, we approach literacy through an integrated approach, which means that reading and writing skills are taught within other subject areas, such as science or social studies. Children develop strong literacy habits and communication skills through meaningful experiences with text.
Skills Gained
Students in Upper Elementary at Oak Learners will:
* Develop a life-long love for reading, which will be used as a basis for reading instruction
* Engage in a variety of meaningful discussions and written activities to improve reading comprehension
* Enhance reading comprehension strategies and vocabulary development through explicit instruction
* Use cooperative learning to promote reading development and positive peer relations
Teaching Strategies
The Upper Elementary program at Oak Learners is delivered by experienced teachers who have a passion for instilling the love of reading and writing in adolescents. Through many years of experience, the teachers recognize that the middle school grades are often the time that a love of reading truly develops and needs to be fostered in a way that inspires curiosity and confidence, as well as a way to navigate the world around them.
Mathematics
Overview
At Oak Learners, we feel that all students have the capability to thrive in Mathematics through research-based teaching practices, a positive classroom environment, and opportunities to develop and communicate strategies. In Mathematics at Oak Leaners, students value math, develop a deep understanding of the connections among concepts and the real world and, are confident using mathematics as a way to solve problems.
Skills Gained
Students in the Upper Elementary program at Oak Learners will:
* Compare and order integers, decimals and fractions in a variety of contexts
* Develop a deep understanding of equivalent fractions and decimals and utilize the knowledge to investigate community issues
* Understand the relationships between operations to solve problems involving whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and percentages
* Identify, create, extend, and predict patterns in natural environments
* Analyze and use data to make informed decisions and convincing arguments (e.g., bar graphs showing more litter in certain areas as an argument for having another garbage can)
* Read and utilize coordinates on a Cartean plane to locate objects and complete challenges
* Determine, compare, and estimate measurements in various contexts (e.g., estimating the height of a tree to determine ground cover)
* Use a variety of coding languages to build and solve problems
* Identify financial goals and work toward achieving them
* Maintain positive motivation and perserverence, while effectively coping with challenges related to Mathematics
Teaching Strategies
Each Mathematics class in the Upper Elementary program will follow a three-part lesson: 1) Minds On (i.e., activating prior knowledge); 2) Action (i.e., students have the opportunity to work in small groups to solve a problem and share their strategies, via “conference style”, with teachers and peers); 3) Consolidation (i.e., independent practice with teacher support). Many Math classes will take place within the community so students can witness the subject in real-world contexts.
S.T.E.A.M. *Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math
Overview
At Oak Learners, we believe that STEAM Education plays a very important role in providing young leaders with 21st Century learning, problem-solving, collaboration and critical thinking skills. The more students can observe, explore, question and design the world around themselves, the more they have the opportunity to construct true understanding of new concepts.
Skills Gained
Technology is the future and although it cannot fully predicted what the employment opportunities or challenges that our students will face in the years to come, we can certainly prepare them to ask questions, engage in design challenges and think like innovators through an integrated approach. The most important skills that students will learn through engaging in STEAM activities at Oak Learners are problem-solving, communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. Through hands-on skills such as website and app development and design, coding, building and engineering, students will feel confident in bringing their STEAM skills to life.
Teaching Strategies
Oak Learners takes a hands-on, experiential, project-based approach when teaching STEAM so that students can be fully immersed in each step from start to finish. Each design challenge begins with a question and students, as innovators and creative thinkers, devise ways to solve the problem (e.g. Is there a way to design an app that will help ensure clean drinking water to remote Indigenous communities?).
The Arts
Overview
We believe that Arts Education plays a very important role in educating young learners. We make sure to integrate Art, Music, Drama and Dance throughout our days, throughout every subject area. The Arts brings learning to life and provides a context for deep emotional and social learning.
Skills Gained
In Visual Arts, students will gain skills in each of the five elements of art: line, colour, shape, form and texture and use these skills to create beautiful and functional art pieces that express creativity and individuality. In the Upper Elemetary program at Oak Learners, Eco Art and digital art are also important components, where students will learn skills in photography, such as lighting, framing and compositon, while exploring a variety of editing software programs. In Drama, students will work collaboratively to learn skills in performance and improvisation, with the incorporation of dance routines and techniques. In Music, students will learn theory and composition through the playing of a recorder.
Teaching Strategies
In the Upper Elementary program, the Arts are taught in a variety of ways- sometimes involving explicit instruction, whereas other times allowing for collaboration and experimentation. Students will learn a variety of art forms and techniques and use these to create expressive pieces of art.
Outdoor Education
Overview
Outdoor Education is the centre of everything we do at Oak Learners. Research has demonstrated that interacting with nature on a consistent basis is highly beneficial for the mental health and well-being of children and teenagers. In particular, the World Health Organization has found that children raised with exposure to green spaces are 55% less likely to develop mental health concerns, such as stress-related illnesses. Also, children have demonstrated improved concentration, increased productivity, better behaviour and more positive relationships amongst their peer group when frequently learning in an outdoor environment.
Skills Gained
Utilizing the outdoor classroom as the “third teacher”, students at Oak Learners have the opportunity develop skills in stewardship, navigation, observation and stewardship. Skills in other subject areas are not learned in isolation; rather, students see how they are used in the community to ask questions and devise plans to solve real-world problems.
Teaching Strategies
All subject areas can be taught in an outdoor environment; however, the learning involves interaction with the outdoors and using our natural world as an opportunity for deeper understanding. Through Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and the Arts, students gain knowledge about their role as stewards and take responsibility for their role in preserving their environment. In particular, students are given many opportunities to see ‘treasures’ and ‘troubles’ in their community and work towards devising solutions.
Start the Admissions Process
We are currently accepting applications for the 2024-25 school year for all Grade Levels, JK through Grade 8.
Complete an Intake Questionnaire to begin the process today!
Highlights from our School
Mimico Village BIA Mural Project at Oak Learners
Together with Oak Learners, the Mimico Village BIA has undertaken the commission of an innovative and inspirational for the community.
NEW Mural welcomes students at the Oak Learners Lake Shore Campus
Designed, illustrated and painted by Julia Taylor. Julia taught at Oak Learners from 2020 through 2023 and helped lead the launch of the Lake Shore Campus Location in September 2022.
Move and Groove at Summer Camp with Oak Learners
Wow… time flies when you are having the BEST time ever! This week at the Royal York campus Summer Camps, our theme was “Move & Groove” and we certainly did that! Read more about Summer Camps at Oak Learners.
A Natural Way to Learn
On a beautiful spring afternoon in mid-May, we noticed that our local park was blanketing in gorgeous yellow dandelions. The fields of green and yellow seemed to stretch forever, providing us an opportunity to reflect on the absolute beauty of the natural world around us.
Creating a Culture of Inclusivity: How Our School Values Diversity and Equity
At its core, inclusivity means recognizing and valuing the diversity of our students and ensuring that each and every one of them feels welcome, supported, and included in our learning community. This includes students of all races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities.
2022-23 Diversity Unit: North America
Students in our class each chose one spirit animal or First Nations image to paint. Following a “paint by colour” template, the children painted with traditional native American colours (black, red and blue) to form an image.
Spring Wonder Walks
The weather is getting warmer and the sun is shining brighter and it helps us all feel a little bit better each day. It’s the perfect time to get outside and take a walk!
2023 Top Choice Awards: Best Private School In Etobicoke
Oak Learners was voted Best Private School In Etobicoke in the 2023 Top Choice Awards.
Oak Learners Summer Camp 2023
Oak Learners Summer Camp overview. Spots are filling up quickly for our new 2023 Summer Camps and the time to act is now! We offer a unique summer camp experience designed to engage children and make them want to return year after year. Check out our new specialty camps!
Smaller Classroom Ratios Bring Measurable Results
At Oak Learners, we believe that small classes benefit everyone. Students receive more individual attention and are able to build constructive relationships with both teachers and peers.
Partner Showcase: Humber College Placement Student
Oak Learners has teamed up with Humber College and various other colleges to gather talented students from across Canada to work inside the school. Nick started at Oak Learners in the summer of 2022 as a placement student on the administration team. Nick shared what he has learned from working at Oak Learners and what takeaways he has from the placement.
The Oak Learners Eco Adventures Summer Camp 2022
Oak Learners had another amazing summer! Our Eco Adventures Camp focused on themed activities, and...