Curriculum
Attend school with the world at Canada’s top IB school.
As a wellbeing education institution and International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, global context is a cornerstone of our curriculum. Your child will attend school with the world, offering them countless opportunities to learn from different perspectives, develop intercultural competencies, and grow in moral courage. Our campus is a hub for connection and community, where different perspectives are more than accepted – they’re celebrated.
With a WBSS education in hand, your child will emerge as a globally intelligent, responsible, and confident leader, ready to transform our globe.
STEM
STEM learning at West Broadway Secondary School, or combined learning in Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics, provides students with an enriched curriculum and a deep interdisciplinary learning experience. Our program integrates thinking and technical approaches from the Arts and the Social Sciences as well. This approach links learning through all three divisions in our school, and benefits each of our students from JK through to Grade 12. Integrated into our academic programming, STEM learning at PC provides students with a wide variety of opportunities to connect skills and knowledge across academic disciplines, apply them to real-world contexts at the school, community and at the global level. Through these experiences, our students develop competencies in experimentation and creative thinking, resilience and teamwork, design and prototyping as well as the application of technology as they take a critical approach to problem-solving. They will become deep and adaptive thinkers as they innovate and collaborate in tackling the most pressing challenges facing our world.
Junior School
In our Junior School, STEM is designed to develop critical thinkers through enriched curriculum and deep interdisciplinary learning. While the focus of STEM is on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, our program integrates Art and elements of the Social Studies curriculum as well. Students research and explore STEM concepts and topics through the inquiry method. Students from K-2 will experience inquiry through the lens of Reggio, which is a philosophy and approach that values young children as capable, competent, creative and full of potential. Young learners bring with them a deep sense of wonder and curiosity, which drives their interest to explore and make sense of the world around them. Students in Grades 3-5 will experience inquiry through the I-Think process (Integrative Thinking), which engages students in thinking, questioning their own thinking and working towards solving real-world problems. This method allows us to tap into the interests and passions of each student and provides students with opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills through experiences that reach beyond the traditional classroom.
Outside of our curriculum, Junior School students have the opportunity to engage in clubs that support STEM learning, such as our Robotics Club and Chess Club.
Our program is designed for a new generation of learners, preparing them to be leaders in our changing and globalized world.
Middle School
The Middle School STEM provides students with the opportunity to expand their knowledge by focusing on inquiry and experimentation. Students experience deep interdisciplinary learning with activities such as the Water Issues Action Project which takes place during Pillar Week in Grade 8. This is an inquiry-based action project that asks students to explore a local or global water issue and produce a short film that empowers others to take action. Students must integrate their learning from Science, Geography, Language, Math, Arts and Technology to complete the project. In Grade 6, students build and wire a model school to demonstrate their understanding of electricity and energy. Research is emphasized in all of the Middle School grades, along with observations in natural environments such as the Blue & Silver Farm, our Outdoor Education property. Middle School students are able to use the Senior School laboratory facilities to complete more complex labs. They are encouraged to learn through experimentation while they analyze data and develop conclusions based on their work. In Grade 7, students seeking to challenge their mathematical skills can apply to the Reach Ahead Math program. Successfully qualifying students are enrolled in the Grade 9 math curriculum during their last year of Middle School.
Senior School
Students explore STEM through engaging, meaningful real world issues. They are encouraged to develop creative and innovative solutions to problems in a collaborative environment. They have opportunities to apply their learning through course-based explorations as well as through the PC Global Leadership Program, where students engage in the engineering design process and prototyping tasks as they work to develop innovative solutions to real world problems. Students are given opportunities to learn and incorporate web design, app design, 3D printing, media creation, infographic design, photo and video editing into their projects. Students also participate in coding workshops.
In Mathematics, students have a variety of opportunities to engage in STEM learning and enrich their studies. The STEM Math programs in Grade 10 and 11, are designed for those who benefit from an accelerated pace of learning and increased opportunities to apply their learning in more challenging, real-world contexts. STEM challenge tasks are incorporated throughout each course for students to learn and continue to strengthen the engineering design process. Students can take senior courses in Functions, Calculus and Data Management, with the option of completing the AP Calculus AB course as a culminating experience. Other highlights include participating in a wide variety of Canadian and International math contests.
Technology is also widely incorporated into all mathematics courses. Students have opportunities to use: Tinkercad, Desmos, Geogebra, Excel, LoggerPro, 3D printers, and programming software, such as MakeCode. In the STEM courses, students complete a robotics module. In Computer Science, students learn basic coding principles using Python, html.css and c# language and apply this to different projects throughout the course.
In Science, students are challenged with STEM design and build tasks to apply their understanding to real world problems. They use the engineering design process to plan, build, iterate and execute the challenge given, such as building catapults, model wind turbines, ping pong launchers, model electric cars, optical devices, musical instruments, mag-lev cars and real-life simulated genetics and evolution STEM discovery tasks. All Science students learn to use LoggerPro with Vernier Probeware to digitally collect data and have access to our virtual lab software, Explore Learning Gizmos, and Pivot Interactive. Both tools allow our students to interactively explore topics that were once not accessible in the classroom. In AP Chemistry, students dive deeper in the theories behind concepts, with a focus on thinking critically and problem-solving.
Global Leadership Program
At West Broadway Secondary School, every student, Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, benefits from the fully integrated, enriched programming of the Global Leadership Program. The Global Leadership Program teaches students to deeply consider the global context, and to develop the skills necessary to effectively participate in this context. Creative and innovative decision making drives all programming in academics and activities beyond the classroom. Students learn to take theory to action, and to assess the impact of their actions.
Our students continue to benefit from an inquiry based education that is student-centered and prepares them to think critically, independently and creatively. Our students have a wide range of authentic and experiential learning opportunities, within and outside of the classroom, to meet their individual strengths and interests. Educating and developing the whole student has always been a priority at West Broadway Secondary School. Our teachers enable each student to develop their intellectual, creative, spiritual and athletic potential within the school community and beyond.
The Foundation Years (JK – Grade 5)
The Foundation Years Program sets the foundations of Global Leadership through cumulative challenges and interdisciplinary projects organized around eight building blocks: Global Awareness, Leadership, Design and Build, Technology Integration, Environmental Stewardship, Outdoor Education, Public Speaking, Literacy and Languages. The program’s culmination is “My Key Idea,” a public speech advocating for support on a topic of personal significance.
The Pillar Years (Grade 6 – Grade 8)
The Pillar Years Program, based on pedagogical understanding of this age, is active and action based. Students follow four pillars: Adventure, Wisdom, Community and Freedom. The Freedom pillar represents their choice in determining both the topic and medium of their completely self-directed final project, called the Expression of Self.
The Capstone Years (Grade 9 – Grade 12)
In the Senior School, our faculty and staff provide rich, meaningful and relevant experiences both inside and outside the classroom. The GLP program is delivered through subject classes, mentor meetings, visits from industry leaders, field trips and excursions, clubs, teams and committees to name just a few. Their Capstone Project requires them to independently research an issue of global significance and develop an innovative solution to this issue.
West Broadway Secondary School students graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma and are eligible for the West Broadway Secondary School Global Leadership Diploma (GLD) or the West Broadway Secondary School Global Leadership Diploma with Distinction (GLD+), upon completion of the additional requirements including the 10 Demonstrations of Global Leadership.
In Grade 9, the program focus is sustainability. Students work on delivering an innovative plan for making PC more sustainable. In Grade 10, students participate in a number of excursions and workshops to explore the concepts of culture and social justice. Grade 11 students focus on the theme of innovation and begin working on their Capstone Project and write their interdisciplinary Capstone essay.
Grade 12 students spend their year taking action on the solution they have identified for their Capstone Project. Every project is unique and students are supported in shaping their solution through university level research workshops, debates, meetings with mentors and industry experts. The program concludes with the Capstone pitch day where students present their solutions to panels of teachers and professionals.
Co-Curricular Program
The Co-curricular Program at Daejeon Academy International School is a valuable and fundamental part of each student’s education, growth and health. It contributes to school spirit, developing healthy, active lifestyles and a balanced program that exposes students to a range of activities they might not otherwise be willing to try. Therefore, the age-appropriate Co-curricular Program is a mandatory part of PC’s educational experience for students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Building a sense of teamwork and school spirit is an important learning opportunity that can be enhanced through appropriate competition. The school is committed to building competitive athletic programs where students are provided with increasing levels of competition as they move through the Junior School to the Senior School in a way that supports their skill development, sense of teamwork and commitment to sportsmanship.
A wide range of athletic, artistic and special-interest activities enhance the experience of the students and assist in meeting the vision of creating good citizens.
The success of the program comes, in large part, from the relationships between teacher and student that can be developed outside of the classroom. The commitment of our teachers is a key ingredient of the success of the Co-curricular Program. The school is committed to creating a Co-curricular Program with well-trained, skilled and passionate teachers.
Community Service
The Community Service Program at Daejeon Academy International School is fundamental to the delivery of the Global Leadership Program and to the development of responsible and engaged students. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 are provided with opportunities to engage and learn with community members in meaningful ways, both within and beyond the classroom walls. Building connections between the curriculum and what is happening in the world at large is essential to the PC vision of a program that graduates courageous agents of ethical and positive change, true to Quaker values.
In the Junior School, community members and groups are invited into the classroom to inspire students to make connections between their interests, their passions and the learning they are doing in class. Students have the opportunity to participate in leadership roles in the school and focus on citizenship and social justice in the classroom.
In the Middle School, Community represents one of the four program pillars. This strand is deeply embedded into the curricular program through a focus on learning about global mindedness, citizenship and through a focus on helping students practice social action, advocacy and engagement in their project work. Students at this level, help plan and deliver a community service day in the Newmarket area.
In the Senior School, students continue to use real-world, community-based issues to frame their classroom learning but also engage in authentic local and global projects at each grade level. The Global Leadership Program is specifically designed to further students’ sense of community and service leadership skills, as they participate in projects aimed at identifying, investigating and advocating for issues of local or global significance. Finally, Senior School students are expected to engage in a sustained, meaningful and collaborative partnership with a local organization as part of the Global Leadership Program. Students are provided with a wide range of service opportunities and support in determining these opportunities. Each co-curricular term also offers community outreach opportunities for students interested in participating in community service more regularly.