Elementary School / Retreats and Trips
"I never let schooling get in the way of my education." Mark Twain
Schools may not fully agree with the quote by Mark Twain, but in many ways he did capsulate the very essence of learning. That is to say that education must go beyond the four walls of a school classroom. Students need to be learning and experiencing a host of concepts in different environments and then be able to apply them to real life challenges. Getting students out of the classroom in a variety of settings will cause them to learn in different ways, which gives them foundations to build on for further learning.
Class trips are an essential part of the learning process and at QCC we endeavour to see students out of the classroom and taking trips that are relative to the course of study that is presented in the classroom.
Retreats are an integral part of the Queensway learning process. They are a time to get to know one another outside of the classroom and really are a special time for building the Queensway community. There are lots of outdoor activities all with a real-life lesson to be learned. Whether it’s mapping skills, canoeing or learning to trust their friends by working through a ropes course, they all come back enriched. In the evening, time is set aside to develop the spiritual aspect with campfires under the stars where you can truly enjoy God’s creation and one another. Retreats are part of the Grade 5-8 curriculum.
Every second year the Grade 7-8 students venture to Quebec City for a winter trip and a chance to see another aspect of our early Canadian History. Along with the educational aspect, students have plenty of opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities and interact socially in a variety of different situations. In addition, annual trips occur at various grade levels including the Toronto Zoo, Medieval Times, Stratford, Casa Loma, ROM, Toronto Symphony, Cheltenham Badlands etc.
Younger students experience a variety of day trips within the GTA area. Trips have included the Royal Winter Fair, Science Centre, the Bradley House, Fire Halls, Famous Players Theatre, Pet store, Chudleigh’s Farm etc.