Hawthorne II Bilingual Alternative Junior School

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Work Hard, Work Smart, Work Together!
Be Kind, Be Gentle and Take Care of Each Other!


Hawthorne is a unique K to 6 school that offers an alternative French language program. At Hawthorne, our mission is to enable all students to reach high levels of achievement in both English and French and to acquire the knowledge, skills and values they need to become engaged members of a democratic society, and caring citizens of the world.

Our alternative French program has always been unique. We introduce French language learning to our youngest students through songs, stories, games and phrases to develop their interest in the language, increasing the amount and level of difficulty of the French content as the years progress.*

Our school is housed in the Essex Public School building and we have a very special relationship with Essex. We share many family events, school events, school teams, and teachers from both schools engage in professional learning together in order to further solidify our partnership.

It is an exciting time to join our community as our school is in the midst of a re-visioning process. We are seeking ways to increase our ability to meet the needs of all learners by:

  • exploring the potential of the arts & the environment to ground our students’ work in the entire Ontario curriculum;
  • continuing our evolving and innovative approach to French language learning; and
  • sharing what we learn from our unique pedagogical approaches with both Essex and across the board through parent engagement as well as professional learning and leadership opportunities. 

Come join us!


*As of 2024, there will no longer be an extended French option in the TDSB and after grade 6, our students will excel at the core French program.  Attendance at Hawthorne does not qualify students to join the French Immersion stream upon their transition to senior school.