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Hours 07.24.2023

Monday-Wednesday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Thursday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Friday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm  begins Aug 4 - Sept 8, 2024

We are open Civic Holiday 08.02.2021

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Hours 07.02.2020

GTA Tutors: Join Alpha’s Network 07.03.2018

We’ve always had strong relationships with the people we serve, including teachers, students, parents, tutors, homeschoolers, and other businesses.

For over a decade we have offered a free service that connects students with local tutors, as a way to give more to that community.

The tutoring program is an extension of our core values, which involve participating in things that matter. We believe there’s a lot more to being in the “book business” than providing people with textbooks. Our mission includes knowing what is and is not working for schools and students; it’s about being able to make recommendations, offering a new teaching or learning tool, or participating in educational initiatives.

Students can easily request to connect with a tutor using the form found in the tutoring section of our website.

Tutors are invited to request a meeting with us and have their name placed on the list. When we receive a request from a student that matches a tutor’s credentials, we connect the two parties.

All tutors must have teaching and/or tutoring experience, a degree from an accredited post-secondary institution, and be able to show a recent police report or proof that you are a practicing teacher in an organization. We may also ask that you provide references.

Registered tutors will be eligible for a store discount on their teaching materials.

For more information or to get your name on the tutors list, use this link to email your CV and a brief letter.

Planting Trees With The TRCA 05.05.2016

On Thursday, May 5, Alpha Textbooks, along with its sister company, BookSwap, planted trees in the GTA for the third straight year. Working with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Alpha and BookSwap employees went to the Claireville Conservation Area in Brampton, Ontario to participate in the TRCA’s annual spring reforestation efforts.

The Claireville Conservation area is 848 acres of natural and forested area that spans the Peel region and Toronto. It’s the largest natural setting of its kind, and it is on the threshold of four major GTA cities: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, and Vaughan. It has been part of the TRCA’s reforestation efforts for many years now.

Our team spent the day planting two types of trees: white spruces and white pines. Along with TRCA staff Luke, Michael, Ali, and Whitney, the group worked hard to get as many trees in the ground as possible.

“It was a good day for tree planting,” said Howard Cohen, company president. “The weather was nice, the geese were out, we planted a lot of trees, and we had fun.”

BookSwap has donated trees to the TRCA for their annual spring reforestation efforts for over ten years now. The trees were donated by BookSwap on behalf of the schools and school departments that purchased $250 dollars or more in books with BookSwap the previous year.

For the past few years, Alpha Textbooks and BookSwap has taken its sustainability efforts further by participating in the actual planting.

Congratulations go out to the TRCA, the employees, and the schools that had a tree planted on their behalf. Reforestation is vital to the environment and it’s good for the community. Great work everyone!

We're Hiring a Communications & Marketing Assistant 03.08.2016

We’ve opened a new position for a Communications and Marketing Assistant at Alpha Textbooks!

Are you a creative, tech-savvy and enthusiastic communications practitioner looking to start your career? This might be the right place for you!

Job Opening

Alpha Textbooks is looking for a Communications and Marketing Assistant to join our team for a full-time, temporary position, with the possibility of renewal. The communications assistant will provide support to the communications and marketing department, reporting directly to the Communications Manager.

A qualified candidate will assist with all external public relations, internal communications and marketing functions. Duties include assisting with stakeholder communications, drafting and implementing social media strategies, content writing, outreach coordination, internal relations, event coordination, and more. The assistant will also help draft copy and new promotional materials for upcoming web projects.

More on what you’ll be working on:

Integrated, promotional, social media and stakeholder communication initiatives.

Implementing company key messaging, branding and media outreach.

Coordinating mail outs, ads and related materials.

Content marketing.

Working with the communications manager, company directors and communication interns to develop campaigns or strategies.

Research and situation analysis.

PR – Community Initiatives, school sponsorships and related.

Analytics, analytics, analytics. Reading, recording and making sense of our online data.

Internal relations – company swag, keeping the lines of communication open with staff, getting staff excited about PR initiatives and projects.

Basic design using Adobe software.

Qualifications

A certificate or degree in communications, PR, marketing, or a related field.

Knowledge and practice in strategic planning.

Excellent and concise copy writing skills.

Excellent proof reading and editing skills.

Creative thinking.

Knowledge of CP style.

Ability to be well organized.

Familiarity with Google Analytics and social media analytics tools.

Expert knowledge of MS Word.

Working/intermediate knowledge of MS Excel and other MS Office applications.

Excellent time management.

Basic knowledge of Adobe creative suite an asset.

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@alphatextbooks.com.

Due to the volume of applications received, we can only contact candidates who are selected for an interview.

Additional Information

This is an entry-level, 3-month contract position, with the possibility of renewal.

Located minutes away from Downsview Station by bus; ample parking also available.

Working hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., additional time as needed.

All candidates will be expected to show a portfolio.

No phone calls, please.

ABOUT

Alpha Textbooks Inc. is a Toronto based small business that helps families and schools save on their educational materials. We’ve been in business for over 20 years. We’re known for our great customer service, and our community and environmental initiatives. Alpha Textbooks was the first full-service online bookstore for the independent school community in Ontario. As industry leaders, we pride ourselves on providing quality learning materials and expert advice to students, teachers and homeschoolers across Canada and the world.

2015-16 Short Story Contest Winners Announced 02.24.2016

We are very excited to announce the winners of the 2015-16 Alpha Textbooks Short Story Contest.

The art of writing fiction is a challenge that takes years to master, and everyone who submitted is on their way there. The team at Alpha Textbooks offers BIG congratulations to all the young writers who rose to the challenge and submitted their work. It takes a lot of courage and craftiness to write fiction. You all did a great job.

There was some stiff competition! We received story submissions from 200 students in nine school boards and 14 private schools. Entries came in from as far north as Thunder Bay, right through the province and down into southwestern Ontario, in Hamilton and the Niagara regions.

First place winner in the middle school category is Nathan Nambiar, a grade seven student in Mississauga, for his touching story about a boy who remembers his deceased father through images found on an old smart phone. Nambiar was closely followed by Katrina Lefebvre, “Futuristic Jeopardy,” and Anika Tan, “Red Button.”

First place winner in the high school category was Laura Collie, for her story, “The Wall” – a telling narrative about the complicated and fraught relationship between a mother and daughter in the face of cancer. Collie was followed closely by Kay Wu, “Innocence: A Story,” and Abby Traina, “The City’s Secret Glass.”

Visit the contest website for winner photos and bios.

First place winners will be re-working their stories for publication in the Claremont Review, they also receive four passes to the AGO or Medieval Times (depending on their category), and two ROM passes. Second place winners receive two passes to the ROM, plus two movie passes; third place winners are also going to the ROM.

We want to thank the contest’s generous sponsors including the Claremont Review, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Medieval Times, the Royal Ontario Museum, Pizza Pizza, and a private donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) for the Cineplex passes.

These great sponsors helped make the contest a success. They helped enrich the lives of young people across the province.

We want to offer another big applause to all the schools from where students submitted and/or teachers participated. You are obviously doing a great job.

Congratulations goes out to Bishop Strachan School, Blyth Academy, Brantford Collegiate Institute, Great Lakes Christian High School, Greenwood College, Hagersville Elementary, Hillfield Strathallan College, Hudson College, Lasalle Secondary School, MacLachlan College, Maitland River Elementary School, Marymount Academy, Newton’s Grove School, North Toronto Christian School, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Mercy School, Pretty River Academy, St. Charles Garnier, St. Edmund Campion, St. Elizabeth Seton School, St. Gerard Catholic Separate School, St. Gertrude, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School, St. Luke Catholic School, St. Mark, St. Mildred’s Lightbourn School, St. Patrick High School, Statford Northwestern Secondary School, Sterling Hall, The Country Day School, University of Toronto Schools, and Westmount Secondary School.

A raffle for four more AGO passes will be held next week, that will include the shortlisted students and the second runners-up.