German International School Toronto

What is education about? Our answer is: It is about the whole child. It is about building a great mind, but it is also about shaping a kind heart. The fast-changing world of the 21st century will ask for the independent and critical thinker, for the culturally aware individual, but also for the empathetic and respectful leader. The GIST’s program combines academic excellence with a high-quality character education. Allow me to explore this a little further.

Our Kindergarten is based on play. Children explore and discover. However, we also offer a fully bilingual environment, phonetics programs in English and in German, and an innovative pre-school concept called “Eingangsstufe” (Entry Level Program). Our native-speaking experts for early childhood education create a joyful place, where learning and growing up happens in a supportive way.

The GIST follows a state-of-the-art school curriculum, which combines the accelerated and competency-based German curriculum and the highly respected Ontario Curriculum to a superior blend. The GIST offers an outstanding multi-lingual education in German, English and French. Our students are confident language-users who write poems in French and participate in Canadian writing contests.

Modern, state-of-the-art education has to go beyond academic excellence. We are convinced that a balanced and challenging character education program sets children up for lasting success. Results of third party inspections and standardized tests, both Canadian and German, provide strong evidence of the school’s overall quality. We proudly hold the Seal of Excellence, awarded by the Federal President of Germany.

We provide high-quality internationally-relevant education based on a synthesis of content & competency-driven instruction for students who aspire to be multi-lingual global citizens. A GIST education offers a well-blended school curriculum, which links the progressive and competency-focused German curriculum with the highly respected and content-based Ontario curriculum. The result is a fascinating educational offer that is both challenging and future-orientated.

Our program, “CHARAKTER” educates the whole student and speaks to the heart, mind, and soul. A GIST education offers excellent trilingual education in German, English, and French. In today’s and tomorrow’s world, intercultural competency and proficiency in more than one language are the pathways to success. A GIST education brings modern character education to the classroom and school community.

Kindergarten is a German word! It reflects the German understanding of early childhood education: “Kindergarten” is different from “School”. Our Kindergarten is open for all children between the ages of three to six. It is not necessary to speak English or German. The Kindergarten places the child into complete focus. Each child’s development is promoted by an educational program which is both child-centered and play-based.

Children learn all the time! It is important that an educational program ensures that learning is a positive encounter. Kindergarten is not about worksheets and school desks. It is about experiencing, exploring and discovering, it is about smelling and feeling, it is about being active, and it is about getting your hands dirty. Children are passionate about what they are doing, our program helps them to discover and foster their strengths. Our CHARAKTER Program and the close connection to our Primary School ensure that every child can make full use of their potential.

The very core of a school’s educational offer lies within its curriculum. At the GIST, we work with a unique school curriculum, because it makes the best use of Germany’s and Canada’s remarkable curricular foundations.

• We teach the German language based on a German curriculum. This curriculum comes with tailored teaching and learning supplies. Our language support program called “support and challenge” helps all students to acquire strong German language skills.
• We teach English based on the Ontario Curriculum, because our students deserve to excel in English. It ensures that no student falls behind their respective peers in Ontario. Students who are new to studying English benefit from our language support program delivered by our E.S.L. experts (English as a Second Language).
• Mathematics is taught according to German curricular standards. This means that children learn times tables, explore the world of probability, operate with data, and expand their ability to arrive at solutions with formulas and calculations.
• Beginning in Grade 3, we teach French based on a German curriculum. It is comparable with Ontario’s core French curriculum; however, it is competency-based and accelerated.

A curriculum featuring the best of Germany and Canada – competency oriented and content enriched. Students are provided with the opportunity to develop into well-rounded students who can interact proficiently with others on a local, national, and international stage in more than one language. Students learn to think critically, to debate, to exercise independence and initiative, while taking responsibility for themselves and their studies through discovery, projects and problem solving; in turn, they enjoy academically challenging programs. Within our small classes and due to the individualized and differentiated learning atmosphere, students can excel beyond their peers. When transitioning to a Canadian school or a German school (in Germany or another German School Abroad), our students have had nothing but seamless and successful experiences.