International Student Program
The goal of our program is to provide a welcoming and supportive learning environment for international students at the elementary school level. International students will improve their English language competency and develop strong academic skills in preparation for middle and high school, while experiencing Canadian culture and the North American lifestyle.
We value diversity and our program emphasizes cross-cultural learning. We incorporate activities that allow our international students to “be the teachers.” Our Canadian students will learn from their international classmates about the countries and cultures that they come from. In this way, our International Student Program helps us to bring experiences from around the world into our classrooms, expanding the horizons of all our students.
International students participate fully in school life and classroom activities. Daily sessions with an ESL tutor are provided to support students’ English language competency. Additional individual ESL tutoring (after school hours) can be arranged for an extra charge.
Families should bear in mind that we expect a parent or custodian to be involved in school life and in supporting each student’s learning, as outlined in our Parent Handbook. Where possible, we prefer students to be living with at least one parent or a close relative.
Application Process
Application forms and fee must be submitted by March 1st. This will be followed by an interview with the Principal and a member of the school Board of Directors. A Skype interview can be arranged instead of a face-to-face meeting when necessary.
Upon receipt of an acceptance letter, families will be required to submit a 25% tuition deposit payment to reserve their child’s space. The remaining 75% must either be paid in full by April 1st, or can be divided into 2 equal payments to be made on April 1 and October 1st.
After we receive the application, we conduct an assessment of each student’s English language competency in order to determine how much ESL support will be necessary for the student to succeed and learn in our classrooms. The assessment process determines whether or not each student should enrol as an international student for their first year at Touchstone.