Catch the Friendly Feeling! Cliffside Public School is 62 years young! The school, according to the Scarborough Archives, received its name because of its location at the side of the cliffs by Lake Ontario. Opened in 1952 on the site of the old Cliffside Golf Course, Cliffside has throughout the years welcomed children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 and currently serves 150 students and their families. As a staff, we are committed to providing a safe and caring learning environment that promotes the development of academic skills while enhancing each child's sense of self worth and appreciation and understanding of our diverse Canadian culture. At Cliffside we value our partnership with our parents and encourage their active involvement.
Student Success
As part of the Model Schools for Inner Cities initiative, Cliffside Public School is committed to focussing on the needs of each and every one of our students, while working in partnership with our families. Our school is the heart of our community where a culture of respect encourages fairness, equity and high expectations so that our students have everything they need to reach their full potential.
Our School Focus
Through Cliffside's School Improvement Plan, our priorities for this year include increasing support for our at-risk students, and we continue to improve the delivery of reading and writing instruction in all grades. Changing the mathematics mindset is a focus for our teachers this year as we adopt a 'yes you can' approach. Our teachers attend in school and Family of Schools based professional development sessions that provide them with new strategies that encourage students to believe in themselves as learners. We are expanding students' sense of social responsibility to self, school and community through the development of social skills.
More Information about Cliffside Public School
"Catch the Friendly Feeling and Make a Difference!
At Cliffside Public School we strive for excellence in achievement through the academic program and extended learning opportunities in the arts, athletics, and technology, to both enrich students' lives and assist them in becoming lifelong learners in an ever-changing world. We are a caring and safe school Cliffside staff is committed to fostering a safe, caring and inclusive environment that meets the academic, social, emotional and physical needs of our students. Through character education, social justice initiatives, and leadership opportunities we strive to instill the qualities students will need to be responsible and successful citizens of the global community.
Eco-Schools
After our first year in the Eco-Schools program, our school has reached Gold Status. We are very proud of our achievements as we have made a commitment to caring for our environment. Our Eco-Schools Ambassadors, the Caring Cardinals, together with our Eco Club members lead the way in ensuring that each of us make a difference within our school and out in our community.
High Expectations
We are committed to setting high expectations, guiding our students towards realizing their full potential. Through problem solving and inquiry based learning our students work to reach their personal best.
Additional Features
● Bands, Strings and Orff
● Nutrition Program
● Eco-Schools
● Basketball and Volleyball Teams
● Literacy and Numeracy Tutoring 1-8
● Terry Fox Walk - a - Thon
● French Club
● Yoga and Mindfulness
Student Life - Where You Belong
Cliffside is a small but busy school. Students enjoy learning in a safe, caring, warm and friendly environment. They are encouraged to take on leadership roles as Eco-Schools Ambassadors, Masters of Ceremony, and doing the announcements. Students have the opportunity to participate in numerous extracurricular clubs; French, Gardening, Guitar, Running, Eco-Schools. Our sports teams include basketball, cross country, track and field and volleyball . Students receive music instruction from our Itinerant teachers. We have a junior and senior band, juior and senior strings and primary students receive instruction in orff. All students enjoy performing in school concerts throughout the year. Students are recognized at monthly assemblies based on character attributes. They have the opportunity to work with visiting artists on an ongoing basis. Our school is equipped with a computer lab where all students are taught IT. Our dedicated teachers provide tutoring for all students from grades 1 to 8 in numeracy and literacy.
What Sets Us Apart
Cliffside is a small Kindergarten to Grade 8 school nestled in the Cliffside community. In the last few years, our school has been receiving students from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Often, these students live in our community for a short time before moving onto different locations. As a result of this influx, we have increased our (English as a Second Language) E.S.L. support to our students. A majority of our students reside in apartment units as well as in single family dwellings. We have several interesting attractions near our school. Within walking distance there are 6 large wall murals which depict the history of the area. The Scarborough Bluffs and Rosetta McClain Gardens are just a short walk away.
Parent and Community Engagement
The partnership between school and home is key to our students' success. We welcome parent volunteers in the classroom, at curriculum-based sessions like numeracy and literacy afternoons. We also encourage our parents to be active participants on our School Council. Together we can make the biggest difference for our students. Cliffside's School Council is an active group that meets every first Monday evening of the month from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Cliffside collaborates with community social agencies through food drives, and UNICEF. We have been involved with the annual Terry Fox Walkathon for 20 years and received a special 20th Anniversary banner this year to commemorate our participation. Cliffside works with Toronto Police Services and our school liaison officers provide an safety awareness program for all of our students.
