Getting Started at Branksome Hall

Step 1: Accessing the Portal

The Portal is where you can find the most up-to-date information including your academic timetable, information about athletics, report cards, Parent-Teacher Interview registration for your parents, etc. You can also access your family contact sign-up and have your parents update your medical information through the Portal.

If assistance is required, please email or contact the School Office.

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.(EST)

Office: 416-920-6265, ext. 0

Email: helpdesk@branksome.on.ca

Step 2: Forms

Together with your parents/ guardians, complete all online forms and order the school laptop.

Ensure the contact information for your parents (email, phone number, mailing address) is up-to-date. Ensure Boarding staff have the contact information of the local guardian (email, phone number, mailing address) via this Google form.

Step 3: Medical Information (What to Do Over the Summer)

New Boarding families are required to visit your doctor to complete the student’s annual physical examination form and to collect immunization records (download and print forms from the Portal, to be completed by your doctor). Returning families need to declare if there are any changes or updates to a student’s physical and mental health. All Boarding families are required to complete the health-related forms provided through the Portal. 

All Boarding students will meet individually with the school nurse during the first week of school to review medical records.

Parents: Have your child visit the dentist (and orthodontist if necessary) annually to maintain good oral health.

Please send all completed documents to Ellen McDonald at emcdonald@branksome.on.ca.

Step 4: Textbooks (What to Do Over the Summer)

Order textbooks through Canadian School Book Exchange (access through the Portal) before school starts. A credit card is required to order online.

Shipping address:

Branksome Hall Boarding, 10 Elm Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 1N4

It is not required to enter the boarding house or room number (these fields are optional). For assistance, contact CSBE Customer Service at 1-905-828-7200.

Step 5: Book Travel and Packing

Unlike previous years, both new and returning students will arrive at the Boarding house on the same day: Friday, September 4, 2020.

Please see below for our packing checklists so that you don’t forget anything!

Step 6: Travelling for International Students

Branksome Hall will provide you with a formal letter to confirm that you are a full-time student and that you will be attending classes in person. You can show this letter to Canadian Immigration when you arrive at the airport. It is important that you provide us with your arrival information and the address where you plan to complete your 14-day quarantine so that we can include this information in the letter.

In the event of delayed arrivals to Branksome Hall Boarding due to study permits, visas and travel restrictions, please contact Boarding (boarding@branksome.on.ca) to update us on the status of your arrival.

Step 7: Mandatory 14- Day Quarantine For International Travellers

If travelling from outside of Canada, you are required to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine period leading up to the September 4 move-in date, starting August 19. This document outlines how to safely quarantine. If you need to find a location in Toronto, please see here for information about local hotels that may be able to accommodate you.

If you are not an Ontario resident covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), you will be registered for Branksome Hall’s insurance provider, Johnson Fu Insurance Agency and coverage will begin the day you arrive in Canada. It is important that you tell us your arrival date so that we can inform Johnson Fu when to begin your coverage for this year. The cost of this coverage is approximately $900 which is charged to your student account in the fall.  

Some important dates, including tentative dates for school closures, are listed in the handbook to help you in booking future travel plans. Please see information on Branksome Hall’s reopening web page for information about the expectations for quarantine after school breaks.