At Hayden, our School Framework is built on the following three pillars: 

Wellness

At Hayden Secondary School, all students, parents, and staff feel included, empowered, and all have developed a strong sense of belonging in the Hayden School Community.  Our staff will continue to promote wellness for our students, parents, and each other by offering activities which will promote:

Intellectual Engagement                                       Mental Health                           Sense of Belonging                        Social Justice

Confidence – through Try it Activities                Common Lunch                        Healthy choices                              Engaged learning

Research has identified 40 assets which are critical to positive child and adolescent development.  Our school goals, school portfolios, and focus on building developmental assets, drive our curricular and co-curricular offerings. For more information on Developmental Assets, please click on the poster below to visit the Search Institute website. 

School Community

Hayden is a partner with the Alton Branch of the Burlington Public Library, and the City of Burlington.   Our school community campus is the hub of this neighbourhood as residents of all ages access our campus seven days a week. 

We respond to their interests to build a strong sense of belonging especially for newcomers to Burlington.  Our school and community campus includes a 12,000 square foot library, three turf athletic fields, eight university-sized gyms, a skateboard park, theatre, and cafeteria. This translates to benefits to students as they access these services in our shared campus community daily.  

We believe this school community is the hub of the Alton neighbourhood and through our unique partnership, we develop assets in everyone.

Developmental Assets @ Hayden

Everyone can build assets. All kids need assets.  Relationships are key. Everyone has strengths.  

We need to work together.

@ Hayden, we are focusing on these top four asset building areas:

1. Building meaningful relationships

2. Student voice

3. Boundaries & expectations

4. Constructive use of time

• Assets promote academic success and increase civic engagement.

• The Developmental Assets are grounded in research on adolescent development, risk prevention and resiliency.

Developmental Assets is about:

• Positive relationships

• Being intentional

• Strengths 

• All kids

• Everyone’s job   

• Evidence and research

• Comprehensive work

• Consistency and repetition

• Partnerships and cooperation

• Ongoing work 

21st Century Learning

To help our students meet the challenges they face now and to prepare them for the future, our teaching leaders will use the most powerful asset we have - our student voice. Educating the whole child means interacting in this unpredictable world and nurturing all students accordingly while maintaining a structure to ensure accountability. Our learners will become active citizens who are healthy, safe and secure, engaged, supported, and academically challenged. In our newly-formed school community, we must develop an inclusive environment that embraces teaching-learning strategies, differentiated instruction, and technologies to reach every learner.

Our assessment practices need to frequently monitor student progress while emphasizing critical thinking within all pathways including university, college, apprenticeships, and workplace programs. Every student must be connected to meaningful learning in the classroom with caring relationships within our system and the broader community.

We welcome personal electronic devices within Alton’s our new secondary school community.  Students and staff use a wide variety of personal devices in their lives including phones, handheld devices, tablets, and laptops.  With the wireless network availability in our school community, we encourage the use of this student and staff owned technology by allowing students to BRING IT!  Our programs will use blended learning (teacher and student interaction with technology in the classroom) as well as forums beyond the school’s walls including opportunities for e-learning with some courses.  

The primary purpose of any technology is to enhance student and staff learning.  Promoting student engagement, innovative instructional practices, and positive student outcomes are supported through a learning environment that embraces technology.  

The framework outlined in the link introduces the norms for a positive environment as we embrace and encourage people to …  Bring I.T.!