Academic Excellence and Creative Learning
At Claude Watson School for the Arts, academic excellence and artistic development are complementary priorities. Students engage in a comprehensive academic program based on the Ontario curriculum while pursuing specialized instruction in Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts.
Our academic program emphasizes strong foundations in literacy and numeracy, critical thinking, problem-solving, inquiry and effective communication. Students are encouraged to think independently, evaluate evidence, consider diverse perspectives and apply their learning to meaningful questions and challenges in local and global contexts.
Teaching and Learning
Teachers provide engaging instruction, appropriate challenge, assessment and feedback to support student achievement and growth.
Through inquiry, discussion and exploration of contemporary and historical issues, students develop an understanding of their responsibilities within their communities and the wider world.
Our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation includes opportunities for students to learn about Indigenous histories, cultures, perspectives and contemporary experiences, and to understand the significance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.
Where appropriate, connections between academic subjects and the arts enrich learning, allowing students to apply their knowledge, creativity and analytical skills across disciplines.
Academic Program Organization
All students in Grades 4–8 follow a rotary timetable for both academic subjects and specialized arts instruction.
Students learn with different teachers throughout the school day, benefiting from subject-specific instruction across the academic curriculum and all four arts disciplines.
This structure supports academic achievement, artistic development and increasing independence as students progress through the grades.
Preparing Students for the Future
Through high academic expectations, creative exploration, critical thinking and collaboration, CWSA students develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to navigate an increasingly complex world and succeed in secondary school and beyond.
Both the enriched arts program and the academic program satisfy and indeed often exceed all the requirements of the Ministry of Education Curriculum Expectations found in the curriculum documents. In the junior grades students have a core teacher who delivers instruction in most of the academic subjects and then the students enter a rotary system for the arts. At the middle level students follow a rotary system for both the academic and the arts classes. Whenever possible, teachers try to integrate the arts into their academic programs.