Photo Gallery

Active kids are happy kids!  We recognize the benefits associated with both creative play and physical activity.  Our students get time for both, taking full advantage of the amazing parks and green spaces in our neighbourhood on a daily basis.  Here, students play at Beresford Park.

HPDS students enjoy a pancake dinner hosted by the 75 Old Mill Scouts held at local St. Paul's Church (home to our JK/SK and Gr.1/2 classes and our gymnasium!) On a scale of 1 to 10, the boys rated this flap-jack dinner "infinity"! 

Seasoned HPDS skaters were happy to lend a helping had to first-timers on the ice at our local Lessard Park!  A huge thanks to our neighbours who have maintained the ice for us to enjoy!

From caterpillar to pupae to chrysalis, the monarch finally emerges. HPDS students wait in anticipation of their butterfly's first flight after studying the amazing creatures through each stage of life.

Students celebrate the French tradition of La Fête des Rois during French class with a delicious 'galette des rois'.  The lucky 'King' found the charm in his cake and promptly chose his queen! 

Students practice physical postures, breathing techniques and focussed intention through Qi Gong. Regular mindfulness practices help us all start each day!

Can students build a hydraulic car with limited materials?  What's the furthest distance it can travel?  Challenge accepted! 

With the opportunity to assess and revise their designs, students built a car that demonstrated the hydraulic principles (Pascal's Law) with success.  How far did it travel?  Over 3 meters!

Beautiful things happen when you combine technique and creativity. Here, students play their original pieces for each other after learning new chords. 

Guest Educators give students more authentic learning experiences and opportunities for deeper inquiry.  Here, plant enthusiast and teacher, Lucy Belvedere, helps Grade 1, 2 and 3 students to care for sick house plants brought in by the school community, so the plants can recover and thrive. (PBL Unit: Planet Earth, Project: Jane Street Planter Boxes)

They say that 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. Here, an HPDS student, along with his furry friend, honour his favourite characters in print, 'Calvin and Hobbs'. Dressing up as a favourite character is part of one of our favourite HPDS events held each spring- BOOK WEEK!  

Students collected garbage along the Humber River and display it at the 'Protect the Humber River Open House' which was held to educate our community on how they can help to protect this important water system. (PBL Unit: Planet Earth, Project: Protecting the Humber River)

Lessard Park is just one of the local parks we frequent for recess breaks, skating in the winter, and outdoor learning. 

Working collaboratively is a part of our daily learning at HPDS. Students build collaborative problem solving skills such as , self-awareness, group goal-setting, communication, flexibility and understanding others' perspectives. Project-Based Learning lends itself naturally to the development of these skills.

Welcome back everyone! The HPDS team is ready for an exciting year!

Beautiful Lessard Park is only minutes away from High Park Day School. Students enjoy two long breaks here each day, as well as Phys. Ed. class during the fall and summer. Besides having a huge green space and jungle gym to play in, students and staff enjoy interacting regularwith the familiar faces of our community- neighbours and dogs alike! 

Junior students are introduced to their first unit of the year "Planet Earth" with a reading of Dr. Seuss's classic, "The Lorax".

Students collect waste in Magwood Park at the Humber River to help the earth, and to identify the types of garbage end up as litter in our green spaces.  Coffee cups, plastic bottles and cigarette butts are big offenders! (Unit: Planet Earth - The 4 Rs)

This student tries out a Muse brain-sensing headband to help him learn to calm his mind. Students learn various mindfulness practices and are encouraged to take mindful moments when needed throughout the day.

Who needs a fire to make s'mores when you can make them in your  solar oven? (Unit: The Natural World - Survival)

Colouring mandalas are a popular choice amongst students during daily mindfulness routines..

Students stretch their divergent thinking abilities and find new uses for items that were destined for the dump.  Here, a broken pocket flashlight becomes a whistle!  (Unit: Plane Earth - the 4 R's)

HPDS students welcomed game developers Unai and Takashi from 13AM Games who discussed how their WiiU hit "Runbow" went from concept to development to being picked up by Nintendo - all while they were still in school studying game design!  Students had an opportunity to play the challenging and fast paced game "Runbow" - up to nine students at a time! It was quickly dubbed "the official video game of HPDS"!

Frasier is having fun playing Runbow on the WiiU with the games developers, Takashi and Unai!

Individual Competency-Based programs that are always at the appropriate level for skill development allow students to also focus on how they learn.  Becoming self-aware of strengths and challenges means that students can set meaningful goals for themselves as learners, including executive function and study skills, and acknowledge their development and accomplishments.  All of this helps students develop a growth mindset.

Students work on individual programs for Language and Math which are developed for their personal levels and needs.  Students progress when skills are mastered, rather than working through standards, ensuring there are no gaps and that they are always challenged and moving forward.

Students experience the United Nations documentary "Clouds Over Sidra" through Virtual Reality.  The movie tells the story of life in a Syrian refugee camp through the eyes of 12-year-old Sidra. 

Ruba Alnazar (left) of Artscape has worked with the UN on the Sidra Project and brought this experience to HPDS.  While students, parents and staff took turns using the VR headsets to view "Clouds Over Sidra", Ruba shared her own experiences as a refugee and engaged our community in dialogue about the global refugee crisis today. 

Students complete simple tasks with basic tools and tech before trying the same with newer iPad equivalents to answer the question: Is new tech always better?  Initial opinions quickly changed as we explored benefits and drawbacks of each.  While the students anticipated the Polaroid would be tricky compared to digital photo tools, they were surprised that old fashioned paper calendar was actually easier to use than iCal! 

It was love at first sight when students were introduced to Milo, a sweet and playful Australian Kelpie who will be spending his days with us at HPDS!  Milo is a trained therapy dog who has been lonely since leaving his former home and school in Australia. We are thrilled to have a new furry friend with us and look forward to spending time together!  

HPDS students know that they are a special part of our community and very often are happy to give back. Fostering a sense of community is priority at HPDS and makes all the difference.  One of our favourite things to hear is that our school "feels like home".  A huge thanks to one of our junior students who volunteered to water all of our plants, and helped to take care of our "home".