Independent Schools

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017

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INDEPENDENT

Schools PHOTO CANSTOCK

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Private school profiles – perspectives from students, parents and teachers Building a strong parentteacher relationship

A SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017 SPONSORED CONTENT

Mulgrave School SHAHZMA AND MALIK T.

LUKE S.

STUDENT

Q

What do you like best about attending your school?

A

At Mulgrave, I have the opportunity to accomplish anything I set my mind to. I genuinely enjoy coming to school to learn, alongside friends, from teachers who give me the resources and practical skills to pursue the university and career of my dreams.

Classes are designed to encourage students to pursue projects that are personally engaging. For example, last year, for a school project, I embarked on a solo overnight canoe trip where I built my own paddle and shelter. Beyond academics, I’m also supported in my creative and athletic pursuits. I’ve had the great privilege of acting in the school play, playing on the rugby team, and running crosscountry. Not to mention that the school’s location at the base of Cypress Mountain means I can be snowboarding within minutes of class letting out.

Whatever it is that I want to achieve, Mulgrave has been a catalyst towards my success.

JACK M.

TEACHER

PARENTS

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your children in attending their school?

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

A

We first arrived at Mulgrave seeking many of the things families look for in a private school: a world-class education, small class sizes, strong academics, and ample resources. What we quickly learned and have experienced for the past nine years, is that the true value of Mulgrave is its supportive, nurturing, and inquiry-based environment. It is in the school’s ethos to ensure each child has the chance to maximize his or her potential. These values shape the inclusive and warm culture that characterizes Mulgrave. We are so pleased to see our children extend themselves, especially in academics, service, the arts, and athletics. We love to see them and their peers excel and support each other as they learn how to be leaders in their areas of interest. Through opportunities that extend beyond the classroom, our children find great satisfaction in their success.

A

‘Follow your passion’ is a phrase we hear often. As an Outdoor Education and Humanities teacher at Mulgrave, as well as a soccer coach, I have the privilege of being able follow my own passions by helping young students discover and develop theirs. I was drawn away from my career as a lawyer in Scotland to BC by its natural beauty and the active lifestyle it offered. Now as a teacher, I am able to help my students explore both their unique individuality and the incredible area in which they live. Every day, I am challenged, engaged, and inspired by my students. Whether discussing the interpretive nature of knowledge in a Theory of Knowledge class, demonstrating how to pitch a tent in the backcountry, or watching a soccer team celebrate a last-minute goal, the reward of my job lies in seeing students grow and develop into passionate learners, ready to positively influence their world.

mulgrave.com

MULGRAVE SCHOOL Mulgrave is a co-ed Pre-K to G12 IB World School that encourages students to become everything they can and desire to be.

The world is waiting for their ideas, their perspective and their contributions.

THIS IS NOT A BOX.

UNPACK YOUR

IMAGINATION HERE.

2330 Cypress Bowl Lane West Vancouver, V7S 3H9

604.922.3223

MULGRAVE.COM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017

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Alcuin College

Brockton School

Q

What do you like best about attending your school?

A

The teachers really care. They know all the students and go to extraordinary lengths to support us.

One teacher came to baseball games to cheer me on. Another teacher arranged time with an expert in a topic I love. Walking into Alcuin, it feels like a community, not just a school.

OWEN C.

GRADE 6 STUDENT

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your child in attending her school?

A

The personalised approach. Alcuin teachers take great care to understand our son’s interests and needs. Creativity and independent thought are encouraged and his education is not only rich and diverse, it is wonderfully unique to him. In his words, “You get to make your own choices, have your own ideas”

KATE A.

ART TEACHER

MARISSA B.

GRADE 1 PARENT

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

A

That I have made a career out of love of creating is very rewarding! At Alcuin, I work with amazing children, aged five to seventeen, and together we muck about with clay, papier mâché, paper, paints and drawing materials. Can you imagine the fun we have? See what we create!

alcuin.ca

ALCUIN COLLEGE K-12

SPONSORED CONTENT

Q

What do you like best about attending your school?

A

Our school has an amazing academic program and community, the small and loving community that allows everyone to break out of their shell. My favourite thing about Brockton is the World Music Program. It presents me with unique opportunities to express myself musically, which has been instrumental in my growth as an individual.

PASCAL F.

STUDENT

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your children in attending their school?

A

My children are thriving in a dynamic and caring community, receiving a rigorous, progressive IB Education in an authentic, inclusive environment with personalized learning and small class sizes. A variety of extra-curricular programs (leadership, social action, athletics, technology, the arts...) allow my children to develop and contribute beyond the walls of the classroom.

NATALIE S.

NANCY Z. PARENT

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

A

Seeing the curiosity, wonder, and joy on my students’ faces as they dive into new learning experience. I also love watching students learn, grow, and change in such a short amount of time. Their love for learning and excitement is contagious. I learn something from them every day!

TEACHER

brocktonschool.com

RE-IMAGINE EDUCATION What did your child do in school today?

Believe... Strive... Excel!

The Brockton Difference: Small school, inclusive community, authentic environment, where every student is respected and valued for their unique gifts.

Preschoolers love learning through play and nature

• Exceptional IB programme and enriched curriculum • Outstanding IB and BC certified faculty

• Junior Kindergarten (4 years old by Dec. 31) • Graduating students accepted to impressive post-secondary schools or institutions

• Specialist teachers (from JK - Gr. 12) • Small class sizes with personalized attention

• Newly constructed Senior School building • Financial aid available

• Before and after school as well as activities available on-site

• New: entrance scholarships for 2017/ 2018 DP Authorization

Join us for outdoor learning Monday, February 27th 10:45am-12pm Parents and their 4 or 5-year old children are welcome.

Pre-registration is required as spaces are limited.

www.alcuin.ca

200-1046 St. Georges Avenue North Vancouver

604-360-8656

A small school making a big difference in North Vancouver and beyond!

A non-denominational, co-ed, Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 school brocktonschool.com • 604-929-9201 3467 Duval Road, North Vancouver

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Brentwood College School

Island Pacific School

What do you like best about attending your school?

Q

What do you like best about attending your school?

A

Not only is the oceanfront campus so unique, but the family that lives on that campus is what truly makes it special. I attended Brentwood without any sisters and now I’m leaving with 70. Nothing is more special than all the friends that I have made during my time here. I can’t imagine my life without them.

A

IPS feels more like a home than a school. It’s a place where everyone, students and teachers, are treated as equals. The teachers are involved with us and genuinely care; we can both joke around and engage in serious conversations with our teachers who in turn encourage us to pursue interests and offer continuous support.

SARAH F.

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your child in attending his school?

A

I sat listening to the teachers speak about my son, with tears in my eyes. I am so proud of the man he is becoming and how much Brentwood has positively impacted him. I never feel like he is growing up without his family in a boarding school. I feel like his family has grown.

TEACHER

SPONSORED CONTENT

Q STUDENT

DAVID M.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017

QUINN C. STUDENT

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your children in attending their school?

A

My children have greatly benefited from the attention IPS places on encouraging them to challenge themselves, and to develop a strong sense of who they are. What’s best is my kids gained this confidence within a learning environment at IPS that is welcoming, engaging and fun.

JENNIFER M. PARENT

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

A

The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the students on Graduation Day. Seeing a student who struggled to find their feet initially graduate as a confident, young person equipped and excited for the next phase of their lives.

CHARLOTTE P. TEACHER

brentwood.bc.ca

Vancouver Information Session Join Admissions Manager, Crystal Lenarcic

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

HOLLYBURN COUNTRY CLUB 6.30 pm | 950 Cross Creek Road, West Vancouver RSVP crystal.lenarcic@brentwood.bc.ca; 250 743.5521

www.brentwood.bc.ca Co-ed | Boarding | Grades 9 -12 | Vancouver Island | Canada

ELIZABETH W.

PARENT

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

A

I joined the IPS community last year and immediately fell in love with the culture of the school: IPS has enthusiastic students, supportive parents and passionate educators.

I love that students have a variety of opportunities to explore their interests leading to learning that is truly authentic and meaningful and the small-by-design classes allow for student-centered learning.

islandpacific.org

Bowen

Off-Island

Girls

Boys

60%

40%

48%

52%

38 Students

25 Students

30 Students

33 Students

MIDDLE SCHOOL MATTERS

For 20 years, Island Pacific School on Bowen Island has focused exclusively on meeting the educational needs of adolescents in Grades 6-9. Small by design, we are a community of 63 students exploring distinctly different programming, and 12 staff providing engineered experiences that help set kids up for the rest of their lives.

Book a tour and get to know us: 604 947 9311

islandpacific.org/events

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SPONSORED CONTENT

SPONSORED CONTENT

Cousteau –

The French International School of Vancouver

North Star Montessori

Q

What do you like best about attending your school?

Q

What do you like best about attending your school?

A

I like that it is a small school and that you know most of the students. Cousteau is the perfect school to learn French and English with fun projects, nice teachers and very interesting subjects. And is full of exciting and challenging events.

A

I like that you can plan your day and I like the way the lessons are taught. I enjoy doing follow-up work from my lessons and choosing what to move on to next. I like the awesome teachers in our school. I also love the field trips and activities we have for P.E.

ALIX F.

STUDENT

SASHA

STUDENT

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your child in attending her school?

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your child in attending her school?

A

The biggest benefit for my child in attending Cousteau school is the opportunity of having the best of two cultures : French as her second language, making friends from all over the world and English language from experiencing Canadian way of living.

A

The most important thing my daughter is learning, is that one can learn anything. That curiosity, eagerness to know things, and ability to independently seek and find the information she is interested in, is the most important skill the Montessori environment nurtures in her every day.

THOMAS R. TEACHER

YVONNE D.

PARENT

ARTHUR PARENT

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

A

It’s very rewarding to see the students improve and learn in French through the projects and lessons I build for them, even if French is not their mother tongue. The fact that Cousteau offers a bilingual program allows me to provide the best of the two educational systems.

A

What I enjoy most about working at North Star Montessori is the school’s relationship with the wider community through small going outs, class trips and physical education in the local area. The students are given the opportunity to learn outside of the school setting and encounter real life experiences.

cousteauschool.org

KATY

TEACHER

northstarmontessori.ca

Providing an education as unique as your child.

Now accepting applications to all programs for September 2017.

Infancy toto Grade today: Preschool Grade6 7| Call | Call today:604 604980 9801205 1205 1325 East East Keith Keith Road, Road, North North Vancouver Vancouver BC BC (Southern 1325 (Southern annex annex of the North Shore Winter Club)

northstarmontessori.ca

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017

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Building a strong parent-teacher relationship

Developing a strong relationship with a child’s teacher can help parents ensure their kids are doing their best in the classroom. Once a school year begins, many students spend more time in the classroom with their teachers than they do at home with their parents.

Therefore, it’s important for parents to work toward building a strong parent-teacher relationship. Such a relationship fosters communication, which can help a young student do his or her best in and out of the classroom, something that’s a goal for parents and teachers alike. Parents interested in developing a strong relationship with their kids’ teachers can take several steps to make that happen.

Meet your child’s teacher at the beginning of the year.

Introduce yourself at the onset of the school year, and let the teacher know you’re available for discussion any time during the school year and that you look forward to the coming school year and working with the teacher as the year progresses.

Attend “Back to School Night” or other such events.

School events like an open house or a “Back to School Night” are a great way to help kids grow acclimated to their school. But such events also make great opportunities for parents to learn more about their kids’ teachers than they might have learned during their introductory meeting.

Prioritize parent-teacher conferences.

Parent-teacher conferences are a great opportunity for parents to speak to their children’s teacher one-on-one. Teachers may

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Vancouver Waldorf School

provide insight into how a child is performing and behaving in the classroom, offering advice as to how to improve that performance or suggestions as to how to encourage kids to keep up the good work.

Keep the channels of communication open.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve spoken to your child’s teacher, don’t be afraid to e-mail the teacher to check in or see if you can lend a helping hand. In addition, if your child really enjoys a teacher’s class, don’t be hesitant to share that with the teacher. Teachers appreciate compliments just like other professionals, and parents should express their gratitude to those teachers who are working hard to make learning fun for their youngsters.

METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Q

What do you like best about attending your school?

A

I like how each individual student is treated. Our small class sizes allow us the support and care needed to express ourselves as individuals, and the teachers have helped me discover what I am truly capable of, inspiring me and giving me hope for my future.

TAYME S. STUDENT

Q

What is the biggest benefit to your child in attending her school?

A

The care and attention that the teachers give to the children as unique individuals. The curriculum allows kids the time and space to develop emotionally, physically and socially as well as intellectually. It prioritizes human freedom above all else and helps students bring purpose and direction to their lives.

ANDREA M. TEACHER

SIMON B. PARENT

Q

What is the most rewarding part of your job/workplace?

A

The most rewarding part of teaching is when I see a student’s eyes light up because they grasp a concept or their understanding reaches a deeper level. It is gratifying when sparks of enthusiasm are flying off the ends of fingertips of wildly waving hands hoping to share an answer to a question. I love it.

vws.ca

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Free Introductory Term for students entering grade 9 in September 2017*

*restrictions apply

Vancouver Waldorf School Early Childhood | Grade School | High School vws.ca | GS 604-985-7435 | HS 604-986-2922