Welcome to Keewatin Public School

Keewatin Public School is a Kindergarten to Grade 6 School located in the community of Keewatin, within walking distance of Keewatin Beach, Mink Bay Trail, Darlington Bay, Lake of the Woods and the hamlet of Keewatin.

At Keewatin Public School, our staff is extremely proud of our innovative programming! We are focused on delivering high-quality outdoor and environmental education for Kindergarten to Grade 6 based on Forest School ethos and pedagogy. Forest School is an educational approach that started in Scandinavia and has been around for over 50 years. Children foster their curiosity and develop great ideas in an outdoor setting by learning and playing in nature. Key school staff, certified as Forest School Practitioners (Child and Nature Alliance of Canada) deliver outdoor experiences for children based on Ontario curriculum expectations using the outdoors as the classroom. Children play, create, explore, learn and solve problems with their peers in a natural environment through regular and repeated access to the same natural space over the course of the school year. Keewatin Public School is the perfect location for KINDERGARTEN FOREST SCHOOL! Bussing is available to and from Keewatin Public School that picks up students from home (or a bus stop close by) who want to register but don’t live within the Keewatin attendance boundary.

Our newly built outdoor learning environment based on the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire includes an amphitheatre with natural seating and a view of Darlington Bay, a working sundial, water play area, wind chimes and whale drums for children to play and explore. Our gardening and composting program is unique and provides an opportunity for learning how to grow and harvest vegetables.

We are excited to announce the opening of our dedicated Firefly Child Care space and new Kindergarten space in the spring of 2021. After-school care programs will be available in the 2023-2024 school year.

Swimming lessons are provided to all children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 at a reduced rate thanks to fundraising efforts on behalf of the School Council. We also hold monthly Seven Grandfather Teaching assemblies to promote physical activity, creativity, self-expression and build our strong sense of community. Our playground is absolutely huge with lots of space to run and play including a soccer field, basketball court, Big Foot Slide, climbing structures and a dedicated Kindergarten playground.

Parents and families are a VERY important part of Keewatin Public School’s equation for success. They are made to feel welcome in the school, encouraged to participate and volunteer in the classrooms as their schedules permit, and are involved in decision making at an individual level and at the broader school level. Our active School Council hosts several events during the school year including Trunk ‘r Treat, Turkey Feast, Family Movie Nights, Friday Family Fun Nights, and Community Family Fun Day to name a few. New members are always welcome! The EarlyOn Best Start Hub, geared for families with pre-school children, operates out of Keewatin Public School once per week.

We have plenty to offer families in Keewatin and the surrounding area and are a very proud community school. Please contact us for a tour any time!

Our Awesome Programs!

A girl covered in mud poses in her rainsuit

Forest School

Forest School is an educational approach that started in Scandinavia and has been around for 50 + years. Children foster their curiosity and develop great ideas in an outdoor setting by learning and playing in nature. Students follow the Ontario curriculum and as often as possible the outdoor environment serves as the classroom.

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Full-Day Kindergarten

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Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons at Keewatin Public School are provided free of charge for families through fundraising by School Council.

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Curling

Child Care

For a complete list of current child care offerings and rates at our school, please visit the Child Care Programs page on kpdsb.ca

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Volleyball

Basketball

Baseball

Junior Soccer Academy

Learn to Skate

This program is open to any students from K-6 at Keewatin who have little to no experience skating, for a nominal fee. Experienced volunteers from our School Council and staff take our Learn to Skate group to the Keewatin Arena bi-weekly through the winter months and teach them how to skate—it’s an amazing, fun experience!

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Students gather in the outdoor ampitheatre in their upright hammocks

Outdoor Learning

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OPHEA Healthy Schools

This program recognizes and celebrates school communities for promoting and enhancing the health and well-being of students, school staff, and the broader community through a variety of activities and initiatives. We are very proud to be the first school board in Ontario to register all of our schools for OPHEA’s Healthy Schools Certification.

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A girl has lights in her hair to look like a christmas tree during spirit week

School Spirit Days

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A student works on his painting during art club

Arts Club

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French as a Second Language

A group of Summer Program learners gathers near the shore.

Summer Learning Program

With a focus on outdoor learning in a fun and active environment, our Summer Learning Program continues to be popular with families. Students in the program will build on their existing literacy and numeracy skills, as well as other important learning skills, while playing fun games and participating in different activities during the three week program. The programs are free to families (healthy snacks and lunches are provided each day) and run by qualified teachers. The Summer Learning Programs offer a great opportunity for students to maintain, or even improve, their literacy and numeracy achievement, and the best part is that the children are having so much fun, they often don’t even realize they are learning!

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Indigenous Second Language

A pile of vermicompost on the table in front of a student

Vermicomposting

Our school garden allows our students to take their learning outside. Working as a team, students learn about growing their own fruits and vegetables, harvesting what they have grown, and even preserving the produce!

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Track and Field

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Sliding

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Eye See... Eye Learn

This is a not-for-profit program designed to detect, diagnose and treat children with vision problems when they begin Junior Kindergarten (Year 1), so that every child can see and learn to the best of his/her ability. Local Doctors of Optometry provide OHIP-insured eye exams, and if prescribed, the child receives a free pair of eyeglasses donated by the program’s eyewear partners.

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Games Club

Building Club

A Makerspace is a collaborative work space for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools. Students are able to explore their creativity through a wide variety of mediums, either in groups or individually.

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Recycling Club

Eco clubs in schools empower students to participate and take up meaningful environmental activities and projects. Our Eco Club provides our students the opportunity to influence and engage their families and neighbourhood communities in a variety of different activities throughout the year.

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Let’s get your child signed up for Kindergarten at KP today!

Looking for More Information?

Here’s some more information about Keewatin Public School and the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board. Click on a topic to learn more!

Parent Council

Events

Staff

School Website

We’d love to hear from you!

Christina Fisher, Principal

(807) 547-2292 Facebook keewatin.kpdsb.ca