Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto

1. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Overview Since the establishment of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation Canada in 1992, one of our missions was to bring education to our new home. In September, 1997 we founded Tzu Chi school of Academy in Toronto. The mission of the School Academy is to cultivate the young students’ abilities in intelligence, wisdom and virtue.

2. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Objectives Following the teaching from the Venerable Master Cheng Yen, the objective of the Academy are : Emphasis on “courtesy and virtue”, focus not on quantity but on quality. To teach students self discipline, respect and love for themselves and other. To teach the students to make right choices and care for themselves. To teach the students to lead a calm and simple life

3. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Characteristics Other than the basic Chinese language teachings, there are four main characteristics in our school: 1. The teaching of Jing Si Aphorisms from the Venerable Master Cheng Yen –Based on the teaching s from Jing Si Aphorism, we create simple yet lively teaching materials according to different grade levels in order to teach our students to speak kind words and do good deeds. 2. Volunteers’ Assistance – There are over 80 Tzu Chi Volunteers to assist the teachers, take care of the students and be their friends. They follow the Tzu-Chi spirit by cooperating with the teachers and guiding the students in their development of a good conscience and virtuous behavior.

4. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Characteristics 3. Group Recognition Development – We ask all students, teachers and volunteers to wear appropriate uniforms and name tags at school. The purposes are to develop a sense of pride for belonging to the group, to be recognized as a group member and to prevent unwelcome intruders from walking into the school thus ensuring the safety of the students. 4. Provide an Encouraging Environment for Learning – Teachers and volunteers set positive examples to demonstrate the Tzu Chi humanitarian spirit in order to create an environment full of “caring and appreciation”. This is accomplished by employing the bodhisattva’s wisdom and parents’ love so that the students will grow up in a loving environment and be strong individual.

5. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Class Our school has twelve different grades as follows: Junior and Senior Kindergarten classes, Elementary Grade 1 to 6, and Advance studies Grade 1 to 4. We also have bilingual classes for students whose mother tongue is not Chinese. We advocate small classes in each grade.

6. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Teaching Material Chinese Teaching Material Junior Kindergarten students have study books suitable for their age group; teachers also prepare practice material to be used by all students. We teach in Chinese tradition form; as to phonics, we teach Chinese phonics(ㄅㄆㄇ…) for JK-G6 and we use Hanyu pinyin for G7-G10 and Bilingual Classes in order to provide the needs for non-Chinese speaking students. Jing Si Aphorisms Teaching Material Using the teaching s from Jing Si Aphorisms and material provided from the Tzu Chi Teachers Association, we have developed a set of “Jing Si Teaching Guide” which includes good words, stories, short essays, pictures and study methods as our teaching material. We designed a contact book to provide three-way communication among parents, students and teachers.

7. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Our Teachers Our teachers are university graduates who have to pass the Tzu Chi Teachers training program. They are also required to participate in “Tzu Chi Teachers Study Class” and “Education Humanities Camp” regularly. This results in teachers who are patient, caring, dedicated and experienced. We strongly believe that the success of the education system depends on the teachers. A dedicated and well-trained teacher is the key to cultivate responsible youths for our society.

8. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto School Activities During Chinese New Year Celebration, we have lion dance, and many other activities so that our students will have first hand and experience of the new year celebration. Once a month, we have a Recycling Day, and we encourage teachers, students, volunteers and parents to recycle, reuse and protect our environment. Jing Si Aphorism composition contest. Jing Si Aphorism Story telling/speech completion. Jing Si Aphorism Poster competition. We organize Parents meetings twice during the school year, on the second parents meeting is also the school opening day, parents are invited to join the class and share the teaching activities with their children. We organize biannual parent-children camp which provides a variety of fun activities to enhance the parent- children relationship. The teachers organize various activities to encourage students to participate in Tree planting on Earth Day, support Food Bank for low-income families, ale of used goods for charity, knitting scarves for homeless people.

9. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto

10. Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies in Toronto Enrolment Information If you are interested in enrolling in the Tzu Chi Academy of Humanistic Studies or want to know more about our school, please contact Tzu Chi Foundation at 905-947-1182, or visit our website at http://academy.tzuchi.ca/canada/academy/toronto/home.nsf/homeC/index for more information. You may also contact us during school hours on Sunday morning between 9:00-12:00am either by phone – 905-947-1907 or visit our school at 2300 Pharmacy Road, Scarborough Sir John A. McDonald Collegiate Institute.