Class Trips

Field trips beyond the school property are an excellent way to enhance the boys' education and bring school subjects alive. These range from simple day trips to locations within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), to overnight stays farther afield for boys in Grades 3 and up. Senior boys are invited to participate in week-long excursions, including a wilderness adventure experience.

No matter how long or short the trip, in-class preparation and follow-up activities correlate the experience with the curriculum. Trips in the higher grades contribute towards character development by challenging the boys and testing their leadership skills under the watchful eye of Faculty, allowing boys to push themselves beyond the possibilities of the classroom setting.

The following overnight trips are currently scheduled as a regular part of our programming: 

• Grade 3: Toronto Zoo (1 night)
  The first overnight trip is a big adventure, and takes place in a fun and exciting setting appropriate for this age group.
• Grade 4: Norval Outdoor School (3 days, 2 nights)
  Activities include orienteering, bird study, challenge activities, and campfires.
• Grade 5: Norval Outdoor School (3 days, 2 nights)
  Boys learn about survival in the wild, geo-caching, and environmental awareness, while developing a stronger sense of independence.
• Grade 6: Canadian Ecology Centre, Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, Mattawa, ON. Boys experience wilderness training including GPS and Leadership Training.
• Grade 6: Ottawa-Kingston
  Boys tour historical Fort Henry and Sir John A. Macdonald's house in Kingston. In Ottawa, we solidify their study of Canadian government, the Museum of Civilization focuses on our native studies course, and the War Museum leads them into the study of Canada's involvement in World War I. The boys also learn practical aspects of travel.
• Grade 7: Dogsledding in Algonquin Park (1 week)
  Teamwork, selflessness, camaraderie, and leadership are the hallmarks of this trip. The boys feed, clean, harness, and pick up after the 90+ dogs that we take on the trail, as well as chopping wood, carrying water, and looking out for each other.
• Grade 7: Montreal - Quebec City. This end of the year trip will ensure each student experiences the many contributions that the French have had in developing this region of our country. Boys will tour churches, see remnants of the seigneuries, converse in French, and of course spend a good deal of time touring historic Quebec.
• Grade 8: Temagami Canoe Trip
  A carefully planned and guided experience in partnership with North Waters/Langskib Outdoors combines staggeringly beautiful terrain with an intense group dynamic in an outdoor adventure rite of passage that asks the boys to push through the boundaries of their mental and physical comfort zones.
• Grade 8: Washington, D.C.
  This grad trip is unusually comfortable and easy. The agenda, including Gettysburg, the monuments, and days spent in and around our neighbouring capital, leaves the boys with a strong sense of the proud American identity and its generous hospitality.

Permission forms and costs

Parents will be notified in advance of each trip, but are only asked to sign one permission form at the beginning of the school year authorizing all of that year's field trips. There is an additional cost for field trips. Parents will be informed of the costs involved, as well as any special equipment or clothing that is required, with adequate preparation time.