Equinox school
Toronto, ON, CA
About Equinox SchoolEquinox School is an alternative school operating within the public board in Toronto, Canada. In 2006, a group of likeminded parents and educators came together and conceived of The Whole Child School and, in 2007, submitted a formal proposal to the Toronto District School Board to open a holistic alternative school that would use an arts-integrated and experiential learning curriculum to promote the development of healthy, responsible, inquisitive and creative human beings. Equinox School opened in September 2009.
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Physical Composition & Location
Equinox School shares its address with “regular” public school Roden Public School in Toronto’s residential Danforth neighbourhood. Roden Public School was built in 1907 and can accommodate over 700 students, but declining enrolment since the 1960s left the school with enough space to house a second school within its walls. Now, the popularity of Equinox School has the building bursting at the seams. Equinox School is considering looking for a new home in the future. The two schools share common areas, such as the gymnasium and library, but have separate entrances/drop-off areas and Equinox School has a separate outdoor kindergarten classroom on school property.
Demographics & Staff
As Equinox School is part of the public board, admission (by lottery) is open to all students residing within the catchment area of the board, not just to those living in the catchment area of Roden Public School. The demographics of the school reflect Toronto as one of the world’s most multicultural cities. The school hosts about 250 students from junior kindergarten to Grade 8, with a waitlist for every grade. For the upcoming school year, the waitlist for junior kindergarten is 70 students strong. Waitlists tend to get smaller as grades get higher.
Equinox School employs separate teaching staff from Roden School, though Equinox teachers are still employees of the Toronto District School Board. Many of these teachers were handpicked at the opening of Equinox School for their interest and work in holistic education or training in visual arts, music, drama and outdoor education; some of these teachers were on the committee that proposed the school to the board. Roden and Equinox share a principal and administrative staff.
Equinox School employs separate teaching staff from Roden School, though Equinox teachers are still employees of the Toronto District School Board. Many of these teachers were handpicked at the opening of Equinox School for their interest and work in holistic education or training in visual arts, music, drama and outdoor education; some of these teachers were on the committee that proposed the school to the board. Roden and Equinox share a principal and administrative staff.
Holistic Curriculum
Equinox School (formerly Whole Child School) was founded on Waldorf principles of education initially, but these were found to be too restrictive for a public school eventually. The school’s curriculum soon grew to include the “best of” Waldorf, Montessori, Froebel, Reggio Emilia and other holistic curriculums to arrive at seven teaching and learning principles. These are the principles the school feels are essential to a holistic approach:
1. Narrative-based: Oral storytelling is a way of life at Equinox School.
2. Arts-based: The arts engage children in the learning process with their hands and hearts.
3. Experience-based: In the primary years, a lot of the science and math curricula are taught outside, which lends itself to hands-on, experiential learning.
4. Inquiry-based: Techniques to develop intuition include visualization and metaphor.
5. Cooperative-based Learning: Children work collaboratively on problems and in groups.
6. Teacher-led Learning: Aims to strike a balance between student-led and teacher-led activities.
7. Project-based Learning: Projects help to bring together a number of concepts and skills into an authentic learning activity.
The curriculum also draws on the Ontario curriculum and students at Equinox School do participate in standardized tests in Grades 3 and 6.
1. Narrative-based: Oral storytelling is a way of life at Equinox School.
2. Arts-based: The arts engage children in the learning process with their hands and hearts.
3. Experience-based: In the primary years, a lot of the science and math curricula are taught outside, which lends itself to hands-on, experiential learning.
4. Inquiry-based: Techniques to develop intuition include visualization and metaphor.
5. Cooperative-based Learning: Children work collaboratively on problems and in groups.
6. Teacher-led Learning: Aims to strike a balance between student-led and teacher-led activities.
7. Project-based Learning: Projects help to bring together a number of concepts and skills into an authentic learning activity.
The curriculum also draws on the Ontario curriculum and students at Equinox School do participate in standardized tests in Grades 3 and 6.
Personal and Leadership Development
The ultimate aim of Equinox School is to help children develop into “healthy, responsible, inquisitive and creative human beings.” In order to do this, the school emphasizes Community Connections, Earth Connections, Inner Connections, Body-Mind Connections, Subject Connections and Intuition and Inquiry Connections from junior kindergarten upwards. For example, “the curriculum emphasizes a natural connection between body and mind. Students are encouraged to explore the connections between their body and their emotions, and to develop a sense of what their bodies have to say. A priority is placed on healthy, positive communication and mindfulness in all actions.”