NEWS RELEASE
OAKVILLE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
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Teachers at Oakville publicly-funded schools can now register for 2025 free in-person and online activities and programs through the Oakville Community Foundation’s Community Classroom initiative.
Created in 2018, Community Classroom provides free arts, culture, heritage and environmental programming in-class, on-site and online for publicly-funded schools. It helps address the unequal access to community programming and connects both students and teachers with local community organizations.
In-class and on-site programming is available to all teachers in Oakville elementary schools in the Halton District School Board (HDSB) and Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB), while online programming is available to all Halton teachers in HDSB and HCDSB.
After high demand in 2024, The Foundation is happy to announce that three popular programs — Steelpan Music Discussion and Performance with the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton; Urban Dancers with Arthouse; and Musician in the Classroom with the Oakville Symphony — have all been allotted additional spots for registrations this year.
Other programming includes:
- Debwewin: The Truth Project exhibition at Oakville Museum (On-site)
We are all treaty people. This exhibit will help students gain an appreciation of their role and responsibilities in renewing and maintaining treaty relationships as well as appreciate the need for allyship and reciprocity. Please note, that this program requires busing, which is not provided. - Back Home Again (Online)
An animated re-imagining of one of the largest wildfire evacuations in Canadian History. When they lost everything, a community came together and discovered the power of mental health. Inspired by the true story of the heroes of the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada, this 30-minute award-winning film includes activity worksheets. - Maples and Oaks with Oakvillegreen Conservation Association (In-class)
Maple and oak trees are a distinctive ecological and cultural feature for Oakville’s urban forest. Students will choose a maple or oak tree in their school community and will observe, investigate, and organize information about the chosen tree. Students will identify relationships between their tree and other organisms.
For most programs, teachers must register their class through the Community Classroom website. However, some options are simply click to play for the Community Classroom site. Additional details, such as appropriate grade-level and curriculum connections are also available on the website.
“We hope that teachers and students alike are able to take advantage of this opportunity to engage with local arts, culture, education and environmental programming in their classrooms,” said Wendy Rinella, CEO, Oakville Community Foundation. “We are grateful to local donors to Community Classroom who support this initiative that connects our kids with incredible community organizations for a fun educational experience.”
Community Classroom is made possible thanks to the Oakville Community Foundation, with support from Sagen and generous donors.
To keep this initiative free, consider donating to the Community Classroom Fund and ensure that students in the community continue to have access to local programming they may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. Click here to donate.
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