What We Teach




Curriculum
Touchstone’s curriculum is comprehensive and challenging. All students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5 have daily classes in literacy, mathematics, science, geography/history, French and phys ed, and weekly dance, yoga, outdoor pursuits, makerspace, and fine arts.





Touchstone's Expanded Curriculum
All students, from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 5, engage in a series of project-based and inquiry-driven learning modules throughout the year. These projects offer students opportunities to acquire deeper knowledge through the exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Weeks of learning culminate in public presentations of their work.
Frequent presentations to classmates and the school community help students overcome their fear of public speaking and demonstrate that they can tackle challenges. At Touchstone, we observe how this confidence positively impacts other areas of their learning.
The three annual learning modules are International Night, the Curiosity Fair, and the GeoBee.
International Night
International Night is a wonderful showcase of deeper learning with a global focus. JK to Grade 2s learn about a global topic as a class, such as The New Seven Wonders of the World, children’s daily lives around the world, or space exploration. Grades 3 through 5 learn about a world topic they have individually chosen. Students conduct research, build 3D models, and prepare and deliver presentations to their classmates, school community, and families.

GeoBee
For the annual GeoBee, students in grades 2-5 study Canadian and World Geography and a series of alternating themes such as the Geography of Ancient Civilizations and Mythology Geography. To prepare for the GeoBee, students study both at school and at home for several weeks. Students learn about the world while practicing important lifelong skills. On the day of the event, families are invited to watch the GeoBee.



This inquisitive student investigates the effectiveness of wind turbine locations
Curiosity Fair
Held each spring, the Curiosity Fair is a supercharged science fair that includes innovations, experiments, and studies. In the younger years, the class works together on a topic. Past topics have included biomimicry, erosion, sustainability, butterfly and plant life cycles, the underground kingdom of ants, and deep ocean exploration. In the older grades, students choose their own topic to research using the scientific method. After weeks of research and preparation, students present their projects and models to 4 judges from the greater community. Families are invited to attend. Trophies are awarded based on the judges’ recommendations in areas such as depth of research, use of scientific vocabulary and concepts, model or experiment design, and clarity of presentation.
I can’t believe these students are only in elementary school. The learning, especially in the oldest class, is far beyond elementary.
Dr. Chantal Samson, 2024 Curiosity Fair Judge
French
All students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5 have French class every day. Through conversations, games, songs, reading, writing, and other activities, our students develop a strong French language foundation that prepares them well for future studies. Touchstone students entering middle school are very well prepared for the French programs.



Wellness
We prioritize the well-being and emotional growth of our students. Our monthly class visits from a school psychologist provide a proactive approach to fostering important life skills. These sessions help students build resilience, develop social-emotional skills, address challenges in a safe space, and equip them with tools to navigate school life with confidence and empathy.






Thanks to having a French class every day from junior kindergarten to grade 5, our children were more than ready for the late French Immersion program in middle school. The solid language foundation they built at Touchstone gave them the confidence to excel and embrace the challenge with ease.
Andrew, Parent
Arts & Performance
We value and embrace the arts. In addition to the art explored and created in the classroom with their teacher, our students learn from accomplished artists in the local community who are experts in their field. Our Fine Arts program is divided into three components—visual arts, music, and theater arts. Our students also have a dance class each week with Marcia Dysart, owner of First City School of Dance.




Musical/Play
All students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5 participate in bringing a production to the stage, each year. Students audition for parts, design and create sets, practice songs, help choreograph dances, and rehearse for many weeks before the stage performance.
Makerspace
All students from Junior Kindergarten to grade 5 attend Makerspace, which is a collaborative learning space where kids and adults can explore, ideate, engineer, invent and create. By creating, students connect the different pieces of knowledge they already have and apply their learning in an interdisciplinary way. Kids looooove Makerspace because they have creative freedom and they get to practice problem solving, often with immediate tangible results, in a relaxed atmosphere.
Makerspace fosters an open-ended approach to learning. Instead of “We are going to make fidget spinners today,” in Makerspace, students may be given the question, “What can you create to help children focus?” Students then have the opportunity to design, create, and test their own solutions. Deeper learning occurs because the students are personally invested and are completely absorbed in their work. Cheers can often be heard emanating from Makerspace.
Makerspace alternates between free makerspace and challenges. During challenge weeks, students are given a STEM challenge or a problem to solve. They are given specific materials and must work through the engineering process to solve the challenge. They plan, design, test, make adjustments/modifications, and test again. They work collaboratively to solve problems and present their designs. Makerspace provides kids with a safe space to experiment and fail. This mindset helps build resilience and teaches the students that failure is often part of the learning process.




Physical Literacy
Physical literacy plays a vital role in our comprehensive curriculum at Touchstone Academy. Every day, students engage in structured physical education designed to cultivate age-appropriate movement skills. Collaborations with local organizations provide students with opportunities to explore various sports under the guidance of skilled professionals.




• Yoga • Mythology • Camping • Dance • Flag Rugby • Astronomy • Musicals • Green Energy • Public Speaking • Ancient Egypt • Electricity • Molecular Structures • Ecosystems • Meteorology • Robotics • Hands-on Math • Theatre • Chemistry • Poetry


