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Go to child profileThe school you’re looking for does exist. An established school where children, teachers and parents work together to create something unique. The Mabin School is a home away from home, where children love to learn because they feel known, respected and capable. Mabin is an educational leader that develops confident and independent learners, who thrive upon graduation, through a rich, hands-on program centred around our belief in Integration, Inquiry & Reflection. Learn about our progressive approach at mabin.com.
What learning looks like now: The Mabin School has resumed in-person learning for all students, every day, spread over 2 buildings. Our plan provides for the continuous learning and wellbeing of our students, staff, and families. At the heart of our plan are our core values: inquiry, integration, reflection, and community. We see this extraordinary moment as an opportunity to practice the Habits of Mind, with special emphasis on: listening with empathy, persisting through challenge, taking responsible risks, and managing impulsivity. Wherever we are learning, we are committed to creating the next generation of original thinkers, adaptive leaders, and caring citizens. We are also committed to creating a clean and safe space for our children and our staff, and to minimize the risk of infection as much as possible. We will continuously evaluate risks, while supporting our children’s emotional needs for social interaction and connection, and follow the guidance of Toronto Public Health and other authorities. We know that prevention involves layers of mitigation of risk so our plan includes: daily screening of all students and staff; masks for staff and students in Grades 4-6; masks strongly encouraged JK-Grade 3; small cohorts indoors; designated zones for outdoor play; hand washing; keeping hands away from faces; physical distancing; air quality and learning outdoors when possible.
Curriculum delivery for 2020/21:
Grades | Living Arrangement | Delivery Model | Frequency |
---|---|---|---|
Day | JK - Gr. 6 | In-person | Full-time |
Additional notes: Contact our main office for contact information for private bus companies some of our parents have used to arrange pickup/drop off for their children.
When Geraldine Mabin founded the Mabin School in 1980 it was considered strikingly experimental. Children were taught in open environments, followed their curiosity, and learned more through guided experience than direct instruction. A teacher at the school once commented that "Our pattern is to have no pattern." Today, despite the changing educational landscape in Canada during the intervening decades, the school remains at the vanguard of alternative education. While Mabin left the school in the 1998, it still reflects the ideals on which it was based, and she remains involved with the school today. "Time in the classroom for actual learning as opposed to teaching is shrinking," Mabin said in 2011. "There's a very high expectation on academics and testing. A lot of time is spent on drumming in lessons and worrying about kids who haven't made it. Children should be given time to learn things, to not be pushed." The instruction is strong, and supported through extensive cross-curricular programming. Parental involvement in the life of the school is encouraged. The ideal student is one who will thrive within a rich, vibrant, and varied learning environment.
Focus |
---|
Academic |
DIBELS Testing: This school does not use DIBELS testing to assess reading progress.
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Evolution as consensus theory | |
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories | |
Evolution is not taught |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Biology | |
Chemistry | |
Ecology | |
Geology | |
Meteorology | |
Physics | |
Physiology | |
Zoology |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Acting | |
Dance | |
Drama/Theatre | |
Graphic Design | |
Music | |
Visual Arts |
Expressive | |
Disciplined |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Computer science | |
Robotics | |
Web design |
Flexible pacing style | offered |
---|---|
Subject-streaming (tracking) | |
Multi-age classrooms as standard | |
Ability-grouping (in-class) as common | |
Frequent use of cyber-learning (at-their-own-pace) | |
Regular guided independent study opportunities | |
Differentiated assessment |
Students remain in a regular classroom for the whole day, and periodically receive break-out support (individually or in small groups) within the classroom from a qualified special education teacher.
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation | |
Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties |
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Accommodations | |
Modifications | |
Extra support |
Read our guide to special needs schools and special education
Program | offered |
---|---|
Full-time gifted program (parallel to rest of school) | |
Part-time gifted program (pull-out; parallel to rest of class) |
Curriculum delivery: Enrichment (The main focus is on enrichment. This means that while students may work at a marginally quicker pace than public school peers, the primary aim is to study subject in broader and deeper ways.)
Program | offered |
---|---|
Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement) | |
Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement) | |
Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others) | |
Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement) | |
Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement) |
In grade Gr. 6, The Mabin School students perform an average of 1 hour of homework per night.
JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Mabin School | 0 mins | 0 mins | 0 mins | 0 mins | 0 mins | 30 mins | 45 mins | 60 mins |
Site Average | 6 mins | 7 mins | 15 mins | 17 mins | 24 mins | 30 mins | 35 mins | 41 mins |
Lettered or numbered grades | Gr. 1 to Gr. 6 |
Prose (narrative)-based feedback | JK to Gr. 6 |
Academic achievement reporting | JK to Gr. 6 |
Habits and behaviour reporting | JK to Gr. 6 |
Parent-teacher meetings | JK to Gr. 6 |
Competitive sports: 3
Recreational sports: 3
The Mabin School offers 16 clubs and extracurricular programs.
JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
Day | $28,450 |
Grade range that need-based aid is offered: | JK to 6 |
Percentage of grade-eligible students receiving financial aid | 5% |
Average aid package size | $5,000 |
Percentage of total enrolment on financial aid | 5% |
Total aid available | $0 |
This school works with Apple Financial Inc. for processing financial applications
We use a third party to assess need.
Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | JK to Gr. 6 | Coed | Day | 150 |
Total enrolment | 150 |
Average class size | 20 |
% of international students (total enrolment) | 5% |
Number of different nationalities within student population | 5 |
Assessment | Required | Grades |
---|---|---|
Interview | JK - 6 | |
SSAT | ||
SSAT (out of province) | ||
Entrance Exam(s) | ||
Entrance Essay |
Day students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry:
Yes
Application fee: $150
Registration fee: $5,000
Deposit:
N/A
1. Get to know us! Submit an online inquiry form here or call us at 647-342-6246 x247.
2. Learn more about Mabin through a virtual tour or Open House event this fall.
3. Submit an online application form.
4. Attend a virtual interview. For the upcoming school year (2021-2022), interviews will begin in December 2020/January 2021.
5. When an offer of acceptance is made, the family has 1 week to complete an enrollment form and submit a non-refundable deposit of $5000 to hold the spot.
This is the percentage of applicants typically accepted into the school. So if 50 students are admitted out of 100 applicants, the school has an overall acceptance rate of 50%.
Student Entry Points
This shows approximately how many openings there are likely to be in each grade in a typical year, as well as the estimated acceptance rate for each grade level.
Student Type | JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
I fell in love with Mabin over 20 years ago when I first came to visit as a young teacher; the school’s magic was evident, and the emphasis on student-centred learning along with the strong commitment to integrating the arts immediately appealed to me. The Mabin School seemed like an incubator of creativity, a warm community where the joy of learning and curiosity were actively nurtured. To me, it has always represented an educational oasis where children are permitted, even encouraged, to learn through play and experience the joy of exploring, imagining, and wondering. I have always hoped for an opportunity to join the Mabin community, and can see endless possibilities in terms of its potential as a centre of excellence for inquiry-based learning and holistic education. Mabin has much to contribute in a world that requires schools that teach children “how to think, not what to think.”
I have been a school leader for 18 years, both in the public and independent systems. For the past 10 years, I have been a principal in inner-city schools in the Toronto District School Board, and have just completed a two year secondment to the Ministry of Education where I worked with principals and teachers across the province to improve student achievement.
Previous to that, I spent 12 years in independent schools, first as a teacher at Branksome Hall, then as Academic Coordinator/Junior School Head at Royal St. George’s College, and finally as Assistant Principal (Academics) at Montcrest School. As a school leader, my focus has been on working collaboratively to provide rigorous and responsive programs for students, while at the same time establishing systems within the schools to support high quality learning for students, staff, and community members.
As you can see, I have worked in a variety of settings – public, private, all girls, all boys, co-educational, K-5, K-8, K-12 – with a plethora of excellent educators who have taught me so much. I must admit, though, that coming to The Mabin School feels like coming home. I knew from the beginning of my career that Mabin was a place I wanted to be, and I am glad to have finally arrived.
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