Summit Micro School is a private school in west Toronto with students from many corners of the city including Etobicoke, north Toronto, downtown, and around our area of Bloor West Village and Baby Point. At Summit Micro School we believe that all students have the potential to be active, independent thinkers and learners. Confidence and motivation are the seeds of life-long learning and with these, education can be an exploration of ideas and values. Student engagement is critical to inspire students to pursue their interests and push their limits of achievement. Effective education must prepare students with the skills needed for success in an ever-changing world.
At Summit Micro School we meet the changing educational demands that students face in the 21st Century with a skill-based curriculum and a strong academic foundation. We give priority to developing skills of collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. While fostering a sense of global mindedness as well as self-awareness, students are given opportunities to stand in their strengths and build a personal sense of citizenship.
Depending on what part of the world they are located in, Micro Schools are often independent or private schools offering an alternative to mainstream schools. Curriculum and methodologies vary from school to school but the essential component is their small size. Often, the micro-school model is counter to the industrial age educational model and its impersonal, standardized environment. Micro schools thrive on an approach that reaches the whole child within community-building skills needed to adapt to today’s world and beyond.
Summit Micro School started as ‘High Park Day School’ with a vision, three students and two passionate, experienced educators. HPDS quickly became a place where kids wanted to be and were motivated to learn. As the school grew, we expanded our goals and purpose to provide an education that will help prepare today’s youth for success and to develop the skills students need for effective learning in the “21st Century”. Incorporating current evidence-based research we introduced Project-Based Learning as our core curriculum approach. Our programs continued to grow to include our “Maker Space” and STEM program and a Reggio-Emilia Inspired Kindergarten program.
Doing what few schools in the city have done as an educational model, we have become leaders in many areas of progressive education. As of August 2018, High Park Day School took on its new identity as Summit Micro School. Our name is now reflective of our vision and mission to continuously push the limits of education to new heights as we move forward so that we can continue to offer our community a responsive education for our modern world.
We know that a positive experience in the first years of a child’s education is critical to establish a love of learning and future success as a student. Our Primary Program provides small classes in a nurturing environment to foster the development of the whole child and support inquiry and exploration.
Guided and inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, we focus on fostering self-esteem and self-respect because we understand that these traits set the stage for a lifetime of confidence, kindness, and empathy. Reggio Emilia programs aim to develop curiosity, exploration, and problem-solving skills through the liberal use of “projects”. Teachers frame children’s interests based on an emergent project-based curriculum that emphasizes collaboration, reflection, and dialogue. These projects may be geared to an individual student, a small group of students, or the class as a whole. Projects can last from a few days to the whole year and incorporate art and other different forms of media as part of the children’s many “languages”. Teachers actively participate in projects alongside students, rather than sitting back and observing. A high degree of parent involvement is also encouraged, particularly when forming curriculums and project plans which happens throughout the academic year.
Reggio Emilia programs foster inquiry and curiosity through exploration and play. Watch how a provocation about patterns develops into rich learning experiences and an exciting project for our JK and SK students. Our Junior School program focuses on developing a strong academic foundation, confidence, and learning skills. An emphasis on character and community citizenship allows students to recognize their impact both as individuals and as part of a collaborative team. Students are inspired to work towards their true potential and meet the challenges of a rigorous program. Small classes offer a strengths-based approach to learning.
Our Inquiry and Project-Based Learning approach drives students to engage in work that has context and purpose. Our students strive towards developing a deeper understanding of content and connecting complex concepts while becoming active participants in their learning. Language and Literacy, Social Studies, Art, History, Geography, and Media Literacy are integrated through exciting units of themed study. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) are combined logically as they are in real life, during hands-on, experiential lessons.
Our middle school program focuses on building strong academic knowledge and skills to prepare students for success in high school, and life. An emphasis on character and citizenship allows students to recognize their impact both as individuals and as part of a collaborative team, inspiring them to work towards their true potential. Small classes support development that leads to confident students who know how to stand in their strengths. Our middle school curriculum is rigorous and challenging.
Our Inquiry and Project-Based Learning approach drives students to engage in work that has context and purpose. Our students strive towards developing a deeper understanding of content and connecting complex concepts while becoming active participants in their learning. Language and Literacy, Social Studies, Art, History, Geography, and Media Literacy are integrated through exciting units of themed study. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) are combined logically as they are in real life, during hands-on, experiential lessons.
