Academic Ambition
Senior School - Collège (Grade 6-Level II)
Welcome to the Senior School!
It takes a lot of work to get there — the IB Diploma years are definitely busy! But these years are also full of moments of friendship, self-awareness, and pursuing passions in academics and beyond. Their pursuit of top-tier competitive sports, enlightening arts offerings, meaningful service and cultural exchanges at home and abroad, are just the tip of the iceberg.
Coming from a francophone community in Saskatchewan, and having lived many years overseas at some exceptional schools, has made me a believer in international education, language-based schools and the immense opportunity that comes from pursuing the IB, along with the curricula of Ontario and France.
I am so proud of the teachers we have at the Senior School. They hail from Toronto, Quebec, and many parts of the world, including Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Many have extensive international teaching experience, and they are all committed to putting students first. I am amazed at the amount of personal time the teachers spend with our students – ensuring they are supported, challenged and known as individuals.
Our team of educators are as much teachers as they are mentors. They facilitate many opportunities for our students to develop leadership, team-building and what we like to call citizenship skills.
Whether you came to TFS as a “lifer,” or you join the Senior School because you have a French background, you will find a good friend, a group of friends, for life. And these connections with peers and teachers will serve you well, at TFS, in university and far beyond.
Norman Gaudet
Principal, Senior School
Academic Ambition in the Collège
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.
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.
