FAQ About the Program

Our Mission:

The High Performers Program is designed to support aspiring athletes, artists, and musicians as they pursue a high level of excellence in their respective activity. These supports include a modified school day, flexible assignment deadlines, and a greater focus on e-learning, inquiry, and independent learning tasks.

At Dolphin, we currently offer the Higher Performers Program to students in Grades 6, 7, and 8.

What types of High Performers are currently enrolled at Dolphin?

There is a wide variety of aspiring talent in our High Performers program at Dolphin. We currently have gymnasts, hockey players, tennis players, dancers, actors, and musicians enrolled.

High Performer Candidates:

In order to be considered for the program, candidates will have to meet the following criteria.

1. Training Commitments: Applicants will need to prove that they require a modified school day by providing a training schedule that shows the times, days, and nature of the training. An HP student typically trains in excess of 15hrs per week. It should be noted that the HP program is not designed for those who participate casually in extra curricular activities.

2. Learning Skills: Applicants will need to provide their most recent report card (not Progress Report) to verify that they have good learning skills. While all learning skills will be considered, the HP program requires students to have strong initiative, organization, and self regulation skills to keep up with the volume of homework they will be expected to complete.

3. Personal Commitment: Applicants will need to be prepared to maintain their commitment to their own education by working hard and fulfilling their responsibilities as an HP student. Students in the program who are unable to manage the expectations put upon them may not be able to continue in the program the following year.

What if my child has an IEP?

Successful candidates with IEPs (who meet the training and learning skills requirements) will receive the accommodations and supports they are entitled to in their IEP. It is our goal to help all of our HP students work to their potential academically.

Note: Before applying, parents should consider the fact that because students only attend school half day, the opportunities to receive one-on-one teacher support are significantly fewer than those of a full day student. Also, the volume of work completed at home may require more parental oversight and support.

A Typical Day in the High Performers Program:

To accommodate their intense training schedules, HP students typically come to school for a half day. Students may apply to be in the morning session or the afternoon session.

Morning Session: (8:30-11:00 AM)

The morning session starts at 8:30 and ends at 11:00. Morning students have the option of staying until 12:00 to eat lunch, or complete work in a supervised space. Students may leave anytime after 11:00.

Afternoon Session: (12:00-2:30 PM)

The afternoon session starts at 12:00 and ends at 2:30. Students have the option of arriving at school anytime after 11:00. This time can be used to eat lunch and complete work. Afternoon students also have access to a supervised space from 2:30-3:30 where they can also work on school assignments.

Commonly Asked Questions:

Does the Peel District School Board provide transportation?

No. Parents/organizations will be responsible for arranging transportation to and from Dolphin's HP program.

What will my child be learning?

Students will follow the Ontario curriculum in all subjects except PhysEd, and Dance.

How will my child be learning?

In addition to more conventional classroom instruction and classwork, HP students will engage in online learning using a variety of tools such as GSuite, Google Classroom and Brightspace. To make up for missing half a day of school, HP students will have significantly more homework than that of their full-day peers. Students will need to allot time at home to continue their learning outside of school hours.

How much homework is there?

Because HP students are only attending school for half days, there will be considerable amounts of homework. The volume of homework will vary from week to week, but students can expect to have several hours of homework per week. This homework may consist of projects, online learning modules, assignments, studying, and reading.

Will my child be properly prepared for high school?

HP students work towards meeting the same curriculum expectations as students in a mainstream program. This includes developing a strong foundation in math and literacy. For those HP students who wish to continue with the program in high school, they have the option of applying to Mississauga Secondary School's HP program.

Note: For some HP students, the self discipline and time management that they develop while attending the HP program may actually make them better equipped to handle the increased responsibilities of high school.

My child misses a significant amount of school due to their participation in their high performer activity, will this be an issue?

No. The High Performers program was designed specifically to support students who train and complete heavily. Accommodations will be made for students who are away from school for extended periods participating in their high performer activity. They will be able to keep up with the learning going on in class.

How can I find out more about the program?

Please don't hesitate to contact Dolphin Senior Public School at (905) 826-4247 to find out more.