Quick Facts
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Our school welcomes approximately 740 students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 each year.
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We offer full-day Bilingual Kindergarten, and the Early French Immersion (EFI) program.
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Upon completion of grade 8, our students attend Osgoode Township High School for French Immersion and for English, Lisgar High School for the gifted program, Colonel By for the International Baccalaureate Program and Canterbury High School for the Performing Arts.
Our School
Castor Valley is a French Immersion Centre that opened on December 1, 1986. This immersion centre was made possible through former school trustee Norman Fenn, who donated the thirteen acres of land on Regional Road 6 of the former Osgoode Township.
Embodied in the Castor Valley mission statement are the values of community and family. With the best interests of our children as our primary focus, teachers and parents work together in all aspects of school life. We are dedicated to making our school a place where students achieve in an atmosphere that is comfortable, focuses on the development of their character and offers lots of opportunity for developing all aspects of each student as a person.
Our school is a vibrant place that offers much for every student, each and every day.
Mission Statement
"Success for every student in a caring, sharing and partnering community."
Registration
Interested in registering your child at our school? Contact us or visit the OCDSB Registration page.
Castor Valley is a French Immersion School in a rural setting. This wooden building, reminiscent of a barn, is designed to fit well into the farming community. The inside is filled with natural light from wide windows strategically placed in roofs and walls.
Included in our school are specialized rooms for music, computers, sciences, a double gymnasium and a beautiful library. We are proud to use SMART boards, ELMO projectors, and mobile devices to deliver our lessons in an engaging way.
Academic Programs
- Early French Immersion: kindergarten to grade 8
- Kindergarten: delivered in English 50% ; French 50%
- Grades 1 – 80% French instruction
- Grades 2 to 6 - 60 % French and 40% English
- Grade 7 and 8 - 50% both official languages.
It is important to emphasize that the French Immersion Program is designed for children who speak English at home. It is not necessary for parents to speak French themselves.
Special Education and ESL Programs
Our Learning Support Teacher (LST) and our Learning Resource Teacher (LRT) collaborate with administrators, teachers, parents and students to ensure that all learning needs are identified and met. Student programs currently in place to support our students include; the Early Literacy Program for our kinder students, a volunteer-led booster support for our hesitant primary readers, daily Intermediate extra help sessions, an OCDSB Student Success Initiative, Intermediate Guidance Initiative, an Early Intervention Social Skills program (grade 8), and Counsellor from the Rideauwood Addiction and Substance Abuse Centre.
A strong commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility is embedded throughout the OCDSB 2023-2027 Strategic Plan and captured within each area of focus: learning, well-being, and social responsibility. We strive to ensure that our school is a welcoming and safe place for students of all identities to feel valued and respected as they engage, learn, grow, explore, and discover. For more information, please visit the OCDSB's Equity and Diversity website.