Every year/community formation has it’s own unique flow and our schedule reflects that. There may be a slight shift in times here or there based on these variables but, for the most part, this could be considered an average day at ALPHA:

8:45 a.m. Teachers arrive, to prepare for the day.

9:00 a.m. Students arrive, meet and greet.

9:15 a.m. Programming begins: Individual or group math and/or language; individual and group projects, crafting, science, art, music, games. Both self-directed and adult-generated, structured and supervised by teachers and volunteer coordinator.

10:15 a.m. Break (ALPHA’s term for recess). Outside except in extreme weather: rain, dangerous winds, below -20. A small downstairs gym is used on such occasions. (Snack is made and served by a committee of volunteer parents. It is vegan and responsive to the allergy profiles of ALPHA students. Served at Break.)

10:45 a.m.
Monday: Assembly
Wednesday: Floor Meetings
Thursday: All-school Meeting

11:00 a.m. Morning Program continues

11:35 a.m. Tidy Up! All present participate: students, teachers and parents. Throughout the day, all are also asked to tidy after any activity they take part in.

11:45 a.m.  Quiet Lunch

11:45 a.m. Students always bring lunch from home except on Mondays from Thanksgiving to June, when they can choose to spend $2 to $3 on the parent-operated Soup Program.

1:00 p.m. Silent Reading. Wednesday: Swim

1:30 p.m.  Afternoon Program begins. Tuesday: Gym

3 p.m. Tidy Up!

3:10 p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. School-day ends.

Mornings have an academic focus. ALPHA employs techniques for all learning styles. Perhaps you’ll see children taught in some pretty straightforward, old-fashioned ways: math books, abacus, alphabets… Sometimes that works! But you will certainly see much emergent, arts-based and holistic activity and, among the younger students, play.

Afternoons are more flexible, and you may see both students and teachers moving to different floors for programming in art, music, science. French is taught by a half-time teacher in the afternoons. Two afternoons a week, students walk to Scadding Court Community Centre to participate in Gym and Swim.