Entering Grade 6 and 7 is an important development in the life of students at TFS. Students make the transition from the Junior School to the Senior School. It also marks three significant changes in the students’ academic lives.
In Grade 6, students make the important change from being taught in a dedicated classroom generally by one assigned teacher, to rotating among classrooms, as they are now taught by subject-specialist teachers. They also, for the first time, have the opportunity to select an optional language course.
Students in these grades are becoming independent learners, while also undergoing dramatic physical, emotional, social and psychological changes. In support of this, starting in Grade 6, students receive formal guidance instruction. The guidance curriculum addresses their developmental needs, with topics that include peer relations, health and well-being, along with time management, organization and study skills.
In Grade 6, students continue with the curricula of the Ministry of Education of Ontario and the Ministry of Education of France. It is also at this point when the Primary Years Program of the IB ends and the Middle Years Program (MYP) begins.
The IB is a high-quality program of international education. Like the PYP (Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 5), the MYP is inquiry-based, allowing students to connect the acquisition of knowledge, skills and insight to their own lives and the reality of the world around them
MYP subjects are studied on their own; however, exploring connections between various subjects is an important part of the program.
In Levels I and II (Grades 8 and 9), students complete their formal studies in the curriculum of France. Students benefit from the French program, which allows them not only to master French, but also to learn about French culture and traditions, and gain a more international perspective. TFS students have the opportunity to take the Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB), which is a series of examinations in support of the curriculum of France. The DNB assesses the knowledge and skills students have acquired by the end of middle school, and includes tests in math, French, history-geography, science and an oral exercise that could focus on art or citizenship. Tests are externally marked, providing students with an external measure of their competencies, skills and knowledge. As well, students gain the opportunity to broaden their academic portfolio with a recognized diploma from France.