Issue link: https://publications.tfs.ca/i/1528092
GOING WHERE NO SCHOOL HAD GONE BEFORE TFS' HISTORY They started the Toronto French School with six pupils in the basement of their home, taught first by Anna and then by a French teacher from Lebanon. And that's how this little school became the pioneer of French immersion education in Canada. The school grew at an astounding rate as like-minded parents clamoured for their children to join. By the early 1970s, the school's population had grown to 600 students, taught in rented spaces like synagogue and church basements, empty offices and even locker rooms in local arenas. Over time the school consolidated in Toronto at Bayview Avenue and Lawrence Avenue East on the former estate of Sir Clifford Sifton, with its West Campus taking over a former community centre in Mississauga. ey couldn't find the right school, so they started their own. When parents Harry and Anna Giles were searching for a school for their three children, none in the early 1960s met their needs, because none offered a bilingual education. French and English were, aer all, the two founding languages and cultures of our country. WHERE OUR INNOVATIVE SPIRIT BEGAN Harry Giles' searches for teachers would take him on recruitment trips to francophone countries worldwide, seeking out the best. Equally, he sought out the most innovative academic programs. In addition to the curricula of France and Ontario, he implemented Scottish A levels, then the British O and A level system. However, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program soon replaced both as it offered a more progressive academically advanced approach. In 2009, the school started implementing the Primary Years and Middle Years programs of the IB. Today TFS is the only bilingual (French/English) full-continuum IB World School in Canada. 2 TFS