TFS holds a special place in history as the pioneer of French immersion education in Canada. Today, as a French and multilingual international school, we are in a unique position to empower our students to become accomplished individuals, as well as responsible citizens who consciously choose to make a positive difference in the world. That is precisely the sentiment expressed in our motto: Individuals who reflect, citizens who act.
Our school has long been renowned for its excellent academics. In addition, our identity is deepened by ascribing to specific values – integrity, discernment, respect, and engagement – that is lived by staff and nurtured in students every day. Ultimately, a TFS education is based on three major pillars: academic ambition, all-around development, and an international perspective.
In the first place, we want our students to exude academic ambition, to have a knowledge-seeking spirit that embraces the importance of continuous effort, and to see the challenge as an opportunity for learning. We encourage them to adopt a growth mindset, where they never say, “I can’t do that,” but rather, “I can’t do that yet.”
We also want our students to benefit from an all-around development as individuals and citizens. We facilitate their acquisition of skills for life, such as self-confidence, team spirit, creativity, initiative, and entrepreneurship. We nurture a sense of citizenship through our mentorship program, assemblies, and societies. In addition, they have many opportunities to explore and develop a range of passions in areas such as athletics and the arts through a broad variety of clubs and other co-curricular activities.
This explains why our graduates are well-rounded, emotionally intelligent young men and women, who can balance their rights as individuals with their responsibilities as citizens. Finally, as a school that was founded to promote multilingualism as one of its core principles, we are particularly conscious that fluency in other languages gives TFS students a gateway to other cultures and different ways of understanding the world. Our families and staff are linguistically and culturally diverse, and this diversity strengthens us as a community.
Our pupils have many opportunities to experience the power of language and gain intercultural competencies through a range of trips and exchanges abroad. Our international perspective is further reinforced by teaching the curricula of France and Ontario through the framework established by the IB programs.
It is this layering of language, personal interaction, experiential journeys, and varied academic programs that gives TFS students an international outlook and inspires in them a purposeful will to contribute to the progress of humanity. These are the ideals and beliefs that permeate our community, as we walk together in the same direction and share the conviction that we provide the best possible education for our children.
The TFS community develops multilingual critical thinkers who celebrate difference, transcend borders, and strive for the betterment of humankind. Our students are empowered to make an impact on the world. TFS is renowned for its academics. The rigor of our curriculum — in which we teach the curricula of France and Ontario through the framework established by the IB programs — is unparalleled. Our graduates leave TFS with an education that is rich in challenge, diversity, and opportunity, and they study in universities and pursue the programs of their choice.
While this focus on student achievement has always been central to who we are, our goal as a school is to develop academically ambitious students. What is academic ambition? In some ways, it can be summed up through our motto: Individuals who reflect, citizens who act. Our motto emphasizes the responsibility of individuals to engage in reflection and lifelong learning so that they can develop the discernment needed to become active citizens who can make a positive impact in the world.
More specifically, our understanding of effective learning is based on the concept of academic ambition, which views learning as an ongoing journey of wonder and fascination, and the learner as an ethical and intellectually curious traveler in search of meaning.
Learning based on the spirit of academic ambition is characterized by several attitudes and practices. For instance, our students pursue knowledge and understanding through deep inquiry. They develop critical thinking to better understand the complexity of the world and make wise choices. It is common for our students to question respectfully the status quo as a result of their deep understanding of causes and consequences in the local and global contexts. They communicate effectively in a variety of contexts, collaborating closely with others in the construction of meaning.
Our students embrace academic challenges through a model of trial and error and they tackle challenges with integrity, resilience, and self-belief. They reflect constantly on learning so that steps for growth can be established, reviewed, and updated. Ultimately, they continually strive for excellence and use their acquired knowledge, skills, and dispositions to contribute to the betterment of humankind.
TFS is defined as being “Une école exigeante” in the sense that we believe that our attitudes and practices as educators should model, enable and nurture academic ambition. At TFS, our students become bilingual in French and English, and they can choose third language classes starting in Grade 6. We often describe our program as “beyond French immersion” as our students learn French as a first language, following the curriculum from France and, at all times in the day, actively practicing their French with francophones from around the world.
We understand that languages do not exist in a vacuum and are deeply connected to culture, which is why our education introduces our students to the diverse cultures tied to different Francophone countries. They gain an ability to see the world from multiple perspectives, think broadly, and relate more deeply.
TFS believes in coeducation because life is coeducational. Many of our graduating students have been studying together since Grade 1 or before. Their experiences teach them how to communicate and collaborate, and to accept and truly respect one another’s differences. Our community is diverse. Collectively, our families speak more than 60 languages. Our teachers hail from all parts of Canada, and many parts of the francophone world: la Francophonie. And while TFS is non-denominational, we welcome families of all faiths.
A profound sense of ethical citizenship, guided by the four values of integrity, discernment, respect, and engagement, imbues our teaching and learning. We encourage our students to acquire a global outlook based on mastering several languages, developing intercultural skills, and taking a keen interest in local, national, and international affairs. We nurture this sense of citizenship not just because this is good in itself, but also because it is the best way to ensure that they have a positive impact in the world through their chosen professional careers or personal passions.
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