Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy opened its doors September 3rd, 2013. Some highlights of our new facility are: 24 classrooms with two educators: 1 teacher and 1 early childhood educator, a large muscle area and exercise/play area in addition to our gymnasium, and outdoor gardens for hands-on environmental studies. In terms of community use, we partner with the Ontario funded Parenting and Family Centres by providing an on-site location for this and a childcare centre through the Child Development Institute. We permit space after school hours to the Ontario Early Years Centre, and have a built-in community kitchen which is also available for permit use to the community for special events and celebrations.
What Sets Us Apart
We actively engage in linguistically appropriate practice that recognizes the rich home language experiences young learners bring to the classroom. Our student population speaks a combination of the following 39 home languages: Albanian, Arabic, Azeri, Bengali, Cantonese, Creole, Croation, Dari, Edo, English, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Kannada, Konkani, Kurdish, Kutchi, Macedonian, Marathi, Pashto, Persian, Philipino, Punjabi, Russian, Sindhi, Sinhala, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Tigre, Tigrinya, Turkish, Urdu, and Urhobo.
Play Based Learning
Play is the work of children. Each child operates at his/her own developmental age. Children require ample time to discover, learn, and create. Scientific research supports that neural pathways in children’s brains are shaped and advanced by play-based exploration that requires children to use their thinking and problem solving skills.
More Information about Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy
School Population
Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy is a full day kindergarten public school. We have approximately 650 JK/SK students who come to school speaking a range of home languages other than English. Out of the 39 different home languages spoken by our students at Fraser Mustard, the most frequently spoken home language is Urdu followed by Pashto, Gujarati, and Dari.
We Value
1. Each and every student
2. Bilingualism/multilinguilism
3. The uniqueness & diversity of our students/community
4. Parental engagement through class visits, field trips, celebrations, workshops, community garden, volunteer and school council
5. Providing a learning environment that is safe, nurturing, and respectful
6. Community partnerships
Pedagogical Perspectives
“Play is the highest form of research”-Albert Einstein
“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play”-Abraham Maslow
"The straight line is something cowardly drawn with a rule, without thought or feeling; it is a line which does not exist in nature." Hundertwasser
Play and Inquiry Based Learning
Language expression and the brain develop during play when children are intentionally provided with challenging and dynamic play-based learning opportunities. Intentional teaching is the opposite of teaching based on traditional methods like rote teaching. Inquiry based learning emerges from students' natural curiosity about the world in which they live.
Student Life - Where You Belong
Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy is a school that also houses a Parent and Family Literacy Centre and which also partners with the Child Development Institute on-site, to provide all day child care. This enables Fraser Mustard to make strong connections with families of students whose student life is still very much centred around parents and home life, prior to student actually becoming of school age. What Sets Us Apart We offer a range of programming beyond the classroom that includes Math Studio, Inquiry-play based Music, dedicated Gross Motor space and equipment, Inquiry based Visual Arts, and Aboriginal Perspectives and Environmental Education.
Parent and Community Engagement
This past year, we were able to offer a five week Literacy series for parents. It covered topics such as the importance of the continuation of home language learning, early readers, reading strategies, questioning and discussions. There were about 180 attendees.Math Sessions for Parents: Parents of Senior Kindergarten parents were selected to be part of sessions that reviewed math skills and strategies, involving games that can be played at home to reinforce skills learned at school.Functional English Literacy Skills Workshops: This past year, we ran workshops in many languages with the help of interpreters. This workshop covered basic English literacy skills in order to support parents in engaging with the school. It also provided opportunities for parents to connect with other parents in the school community who share the same home language skills.