At the Ernest C. Drury Elementary School, we believe in educating and empowering our students to become life-long learners and productive citizens. We are committed to providing opportunities for our students to acquire and develop language, literacy, numeracy and inquiry skills in American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Our programs promote biliteracy by providing bilingual-bicultural educational programming for students from Kindergarten to Grade 8.
All student admissions require an Identification, Placement, and Review (IPRC) meeting conducted at the child’s local school board. A Provincial School Admissions Committee considers all applications to our school.
The following Ministry of Education Ontario Curriculums are the foundation of our programming:
- Language
- Science and Technology
- History & Geography
- The Arts
- Mathematics
- Social Studies
- Health and Physical Education
Kindergarten
The acquisition of literacy skills in American Sign Language is formally taught through the American Sign Language Curriculum. Students enrich their literacy skills through learning experiences as the ASL Curriculum promotes:
- learning the language,
- learning through the language,
- learning about the language,
- the rich literature of American Sign Language (ASL), and the culture.
Cross language learning (ASL and English) occurs wherein students are taught to analyze and use first and second language referencing to provide background and comparative knowledge for being bilingual.
Developing our students’ technological literacy is another part of our students’ program, with the goal of developing the skills and competencies required to become successful 21st Century learners. One of the goals of our school is to use technology to engage students in learning, and promote confidence so they may embrace future career opportunities that will inevitably include some form of technology.
Academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular teams, clubs and activities and a strong partnership with our Residence activities all foster the development of sportsmanship, healthy relationships and friendships.
As a school, we are committed to providing educational, cognitive and social opportunities that will promote strong academic success, self-confidence, health and well-being as well as responsible, active citizenship, both in the classroom and in the diverse communities to which they belong, within and outside the school.