William Berczy Public School is named after William Moll Berczy, the founder of Markham. He was born in Wallerstein, Germany in 1744, and died in 1813. In the late 1700's, William Berczy used his architectural skills to design roads. He designed Yonge Street, built the first bridge over the Don River, as well as a saw mill and a grist mill for his band of settlers. Berczy remained in the Markham-Toronto area until about 1798. He moved to Quebec and later Montreal. In 1802, Berczy return to York. He painted the portrait of Joseph Brant that now hangs in the National Gallery in Ottawa. Today, there are parks and a street named after him, plaques commemorating his contributions, a house at the Tender Care Living Centre in Scarborough, and of course William Berczy Public School!
William Berczy is an established elementary school located in the village of Unionville. The school is within walking distance of Toogood Pond and its surrounding parkland, as well as the quaint historic homes, shops and restaurants located on Main Street.

Our school currently has a population of approximately 600 students, approximately 180 of whom are in our partially self-contained gifted program.  Students graduating from William Berczy Public School usually attend Unionville High School, Markville Secondary School or Markham District High School.

Our school motto is: "Berczy is a school where children want to learn, teachers want to teach, and parents want to be involved." We regularly celebrate "It Costs Nothing to be Kind".

Our school mascot is Wilber the bear, and our school colours are blue and gold.

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1. Classrooms: For regular academic instruction.
2. Library: A resource center for reading, research, and learning materials.
3. Gymnasium: For physical education classes and indoor sports activities.
4. Cafeteria: For meals and socializing.
5. Playground: Outdoor space for physical activities and recreation.
6. Computer Labs: Equipped with computers for technology-based learning.
7. Science Labs: For conducting experiments and practical science education.
8. Art Rooms: Spaces for creative activities like painting, drawing, and crafting.
9. Music Rooms: Equipped for musical education and practice.
10. Auditorium: For school assemblies, performances, and events.
11. Outdoor Sports Facilities: Fields, courts, and tracks for sports activities.
12. Special Education Rooms: For tailored instruction and support for students with special needs.
13. Administrative Offices: For school staff, administration, and record-keeping.
14. Health Office: To provide basic medical care and attend to students' health needs.
15. Technology Integration: Smartboards, projectors, and other tech tools in classrooms.
16. Security Measures: Ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff.

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Grades 1 to 3 curriculum emphasizes foundational knowledge and skills for language development.

• Focus areas include oral language, prior knowledge, concepts about print, phonemic awareness, letter-sound relationships, vocabulary, thinking skills, and metacognition.
• Language learning heavily relies on listening, speaking, reading, and interacting with media texts.
• Culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds of students inform instructional differentiation.
• Students learn appropriate listening, speaking behaviors, and strategies for comprehension and communication.
• Oral language bridges to reading, writing, viewing, and representing skills.
• Strands (oral communication, reading, writing, media literacy) are taught explicitly, modeling skills relevant to each.
• Teaching progresses from shared practice to independent demonstration of skills.
• Texts that scaffold learning are pivotal, should be engaging, relevant, and anti-discriminatory.

Grades 4 to 6 curriculum focuses on utilizing language skills for critical analysis and effective communication in a diverse multimedia environment.

• Building upon primary school foundational knowledge, junior students engage with varied texts.
• Differentiation accommodates varying knowledge, skills, and experiences.
• Students interpret texts beyond literal meaning, analyzing author's intent and exploring perspectives.
• Emphasis on fairness, equity, social justice, and multi-perspective understanding.
• Analyzing structure of different text forms, creating diverse oral, print, and media texts.
• Skills from one strand are used to support learning in others, promoting cross-curricular transfer.
• Real, purposeful talk integrates language skills throughout the curriculum.
• Explicit teaching, modeling, shared, guided, and independent practice.
• Instructional texts match individual language development levels.
• Junior students explore complex topics and genres through culturally diverse texts.
• Text challenge varies based on individual experiences.
• Modelled, shared, guided experiences enhance complex communication skills.
• Wide range of text forms inform language use for different purposes and audiences.

Grades 7-8 curriculum consolidates language knowledge for independent communication and learning.

• Prior primary and junior skills support complex tasks in varied subjects.
• Differentiated instruction accommodates varying skills and needs.
• Curriculum engages students with meaningful tasks and diverse texts.
• Focus on personal identity, community issues, critical analysis, and media influence.
• Emphasis on using language for cross-curricular learning and societal participation.
• Real talk integrated throughout curriculum, explicit teaching, and modeling.
• Goal is to enhance independence in language use and proficiency.
• Varied texts essential for skill development across all strands.
• Reading materials should be diverse and relevant to personal experiences.
• Texts vary in complexity, requiring different strategies for comprehension.
• Access to texts reflecting personal experiences and addressing societal issues.
• Wide range of relevant texts, oral, print, and media, provided for exploration.
• Intermediate students use language skills to explore ideas, express opinions, and take positions.
• Knowledge of text forms applied across different learning contexts.
• Modelled, shared, guided experiences continue, focusing on independent use of forms, structures, and conventions.
• Students apply skills to communicate effectively for diverse purposes and audiences.

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Please refer to this link to see support programs by YRDSB

https://www2.yrdsb.ca/community/community-supports

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