Thames Valley School Board

Thames Valley School Board

When we speak about a school with student leadership opportunities, an advanced learning process, and pioneering arts programs – Thames Valley School Board is what comes to mind. Located in southwestern Ontario, Canada, the school board provides for the maintenance of a variety of elementary, and secondary schools, continuing education, and environmental education centers.

The area covered by Thames Valley School Board amounts to over 7,000 square kilometers, three counties, and concerns cities in London, such as St. Thomas, Ingersoll, Strathroy-Caradoc, Woodstock, and Tillsonburg along with a couple of smaller towns. Thames Valley School Board registers around 80,000 students together with 10,000 staff across schools to proceed with its goal to improve the educational process with quality teaching and learning. 

Programs

As an educational institution that eagerly accepts international students, Thames Valley School offers many opportunities for foreign citizens in terms of their programs. Teaching strategies include English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD) for those who want to improve their knowledge and feel more confident in new conditions. 

As an international student one can also try Thames Valley Board’s exchange and travel programs that offer language schools, summer travels, and exchange programs in Canada, Ontario in particular. Thames Valley School Board's vision is that students gain numerous language skills and life experiences while participating in such programs. These international programs will likely enhance your future profile when applying for another institution or a job. 

Speaking about careers, Thames Valley School arranges for all the students to have a go at Cooperative Education program with the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) partnership, which helps students develop attitudes that are useful in today’s society, and involves on-site learning practices. Also, 22 Thames Valley School  secondary schools now recruit students into Work Internship programs providing hands-on experience. Thames Valley School  doesn’t only contribute to children’s education. Its programs are devised to help both adults and children improve in the subjects they are most interested in. Thus, Thames Valley School Board presents English (ESL) courses, a Day Away Dual Credit program, Day School, Literacy and Basic Skills, a Personal Support Worker program, and Student Services (Guidance) to help grown people rediscover education more enjoyably. The Dual Credit programs are available also for children, the student needs to be eligible for them first. The fact that Thames Valley School Board gives students a chance to spend their studying at different sites makes their programs flexible and easy to understand for everyone. Among the site-based programs, places are Oneida, Cornerstone, Merrymount, Wiingashk Centre, and Blossom Park classrooms. Aside from that, Thames Valley School Board makes use of the APPLE Program for its students.Thames Valley School  is convinced that a student who was suspended or expelled from their home has a chance to make amends and proposes a program called U-Turn to provide a possibility to continue the learning process. 

The Kindergarten program is where it all starts. Thames Valley School prepared numerous safe spaces and learning environments for its junior students. As children will engage in socializing, and free play activities they will learn about the world around them. Parents can choose what their child does in their day-to-day studies, be it Play-Based Learning in Full-Day Kindergarten, Literacy, or Mathematics. To enroll in such a program a child must turn 4 years old (junior program), or 5 years old (senior program) by the end of December of the current year. While 1st-grade students start from age 6.  Available to all students in Thames Valley, the Aviation School learning process starts at Montcalm Secondary School, where students engage in experiential activities within the aviation community. All students of Thames Valley School Board grades 10 through 12 may apply for this program and find out how to restore aircraft, maintain and repair them, and learn about flight simulation and cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The innovative department of Thames Valley School is the BealART program at the BealART Secondary Art School utilizes specialized, unmatched approaches to examining artworks. With two programs: studio or classroom-based, students can choose to be tutored either in multi-credit courses with an immersive curriculum or opt for a less rigorous program in class. At any rate, students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible for application. Another option is to attend Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts as a part of Thames Valley School Board’s program. It focuses mainly on dance, drama, music, and visual arts. Beginning from grade 4 any student can be admitted to Pearson 

Following everyday environmental issues, Thames Valley School Board implemented Environmental Education Centres as part of its program along with Environmental Leaders’ Projects. Jaffa, London, and Vansittart Woods Environmental Education Centres suggest students have fun while enhancing their physical and mental health, observing nature, developing problem-solving skills, and critical thinking on a variety of topics connected to environmental protection. Thames Valley School Board Environmental Education program aims to raise responsible, caring citizens out of their students.

Translation, reading, writing, and speaking skills are all those that students can obtain at the Language Department of Thames Valley School Board. The many programs for aspiring language learners include English, French as a second language (FSL), International Languages, Native Languages, and Translation and Interpretation. French Immersion classes are available from grades 1 to 12, while Core French starts from 4 grade. When it comes to International Languages, Thames Valley School Board provides a myriad of language programs that involve maintaining and understanding their cultural background, while at the same time exploring new languages and cultures. One can take Saturday morning classes in such languages as Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Hindi, Korean, Kurdish, Malayalam, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, and Ukrainian. For the Tuesday evening program, the Polish language is suggested. For those who are willing to learn the German language, instructions can be offered through the German Language School.

The mathematics department of Thames Valley School Board states that there are exactly 7 key principles for improvement in Mathematics: conceptual understanding, empowering schoolers, teaching based on students’ interests and strengths, a collaborative method of learning, responsive environment, a diversity of evaluation plans, and several instructional resources with materials. Thames Valley School Board is committed to providing students in grades 9 and 10 with the needed knowledge for their future education and career.

A Thames Valley School Board specialty is a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program that concentrates on specific courses, industry-standard certifications, and experience in the real world. Students in grades 11 and 12 may apply for such programs as Business, Construction, Sports, Hospitality and Tourism, Environment, Manufacturing, Transportation, Arts and Culture, Information and Communication Technology, etc. in a variety of schools. A co-op in this program is a required measure.

In the Thames Valley School Board the Native Communities are deeply respected and appreciated. Thus, together the board is working to create programs that will tell more about Native People’s history, culture and language. So far, Thames Valley School Board boasts 3 Indigenous Programs and Initiatives. Visiting Elders and Cultural Teachers – means the inclusion of Indigenous aspects of culture and life in the program of elementary and secondary schools. First, Nations, Métis, and Inuit School Within a College investigate a way to create a full-time secondary school in an alternative way. A. C. Askew Native Bursary can be awarded to a student of Native origin which makes it easier for them to remain in the same school.

Finally, most of the courses can also be taken online within the eLearning program. The board believes it to be a great interactive way of learning. 

Summer Programs and Camps

Thames Valley School Board encourages students who want to take some additional credits during the summer period. As well as credit programs, the summer school offers non-credit programs, such as High School Here I Come! for grade 9 students, together with Literacy and Numeracy for students in grades 7 and 8. 

Among its credit programs are New Credit In-Class, New Credit eLearning, ESL Summer Programs, Improvement Course Online, Cooperative Education, Dual Credit Day Away Summer, Travel for Credit, and Wilderness-Bases Interdisciplinary Leadership Development (WILD). Non-credit programs also present a Summer Arts Camp within Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts.

Accommodation

At Thames Valley School Board a homestay option can be managed. The board has a partnership with Canada Homestay Network (CNH) – a pioneering private Homestay placement agency in Canada - which makes it possible for international students to enjoy warm welcomes and study in the preferred educational institution at the same time. The program is a must for students under 18 who are not currently staying with a family friend or a relative who can be a custodian. 

All homestay hosts are carefully vetted using reference and criminal record checks as well as interviews. So, every student can connect with their host beforehand and find the right host for themselves.

All the accommodations include a personal room (furnished), private storage, a shared bathroom, and a place to study.

Future Prospects

At Thames Valley School Board a student can discover learning styles, plan secondary school courses, explore career interests, and build resumes. Here one can choose multiple pathways to a variety of post-secondary destinations. The board recommends starting early by thinking about one’s future: understanding the current realities of work and education is crucial. Students can research exchange programs that Thames Valley School Board provides and, most likely, it would be easy to travel to Canada for a college or university to study. If that’s preferable for a student, they can afterward apply for a post-graduation work permit in Canada and work their way towards the status of a permanent resident. Then, they either leave Canada to try themselves in different spheres or stay there for good with Canadian citizenship.

 

In case, if you need help with Custodianship in order to study  in Canada, please fill in application below or contact us directly.