515 Cougar Ridge Dr. SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3H 5G9, Canada
200 Karolie Rd, Riverview, New Brunswick, E1B 1R1, Canada
1985
2020
240
33
JK to 9
K to 8
Coed
Coed
Day
Day
English
English, French
Academic
Academic
Waldorf
Progressive, International Baccalaureate
Varies
Varies
$6,170 to $12,130
$15,900
Yes
Yes
0%
0%
Preschool to 9
6 to 8
$0
$0
20
4
0%
0%
0%
0%
Not available
Rolling
Not available
Not available
No
Yes: grades 2 - 8
No
No
information not available
information not available
The program is established and proven, having been founded in 1985. Facilities are frankly excellent, having been purpose built for the CWS program in 2002, and created through consultation and cooperation with the entire school community. Spaces are ample, well appointed, and naturally lit. The aesthetic throughout is energizing. A wealth of outdoor space is a plus, to with more than four acres combining multi-use fields, play spaces, and sports fields. The proximity to the Canada Olympic Park isn’t perhaps meaningful in any substantive way, but is nice all the same. In the creation of the facility, to the day-to-day experience of the school, the school prides itself on the community that it both serves and represents, and well it should. There’s a village feel throughout, which only amplifies the academic work being done. Parents feel as much a part of the school as the students, which supports the work of the school in lots of overt and subtle ways. Staff are dedicated and experienced, and the daily routines—from drop off to aftercare—are friendly and sympathetic to the needs of parents and everything that can pop up in the course of a day.
View full reportEastgate Academy is the first Moncton school to offer the International Baccalaureate Programme to students from Kindergarten to Grade 7. Students graduate with an internationally recognized diploma that’s highly regarded by universities in Canada and across the world.
Eastgate Academy structures the curriculum around themes to help students make sense of the world around them and to provide them with opportunities to build skills and understanding that can be transferred to various situations. The school tailors the learning experience to every student, allowing students the freedom to pursue their interests, while balancing academic and intellectual growth with physical and mental well-being.
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"Central to Waldorf education is a deep respect for childhood. Our enriched curriculum is designed to meet children where they are in their development. Movement and time in nature is built into every student’s daily rhythm. The Waldorf learning experience is hands-on, with unwired and low-tech classrooms. The arts — music, story, drawing, painting, and drama — are interwoven through all subjects. Students also learn two world languages, French and German."
"Focusing on balancing academic and intellectual growth with physical and mental well-being, we offer a tailored learning experience to every student. Eastgate Academy is a Candidate School for the Primary Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education that Eastgate Academy believes is important for our students."
"This whole-child approach to education is rooted in the Waldorf concepts of "feeling, thinking, willing," and "heart, head, hands." These concepts are based on Dr. Rudolf Steiner's philosophies, and adapted for a changing world. We strive to honour, nurture, and protect the childhood of our students; to guide them into healthy adolescence; and to help them mature in ways that go beyond the simply material aspects of our nature and our world."
"A central feature of our program is wellness. Our community believes in the importance of providing students with opportunities to learn more about personal and collective wellness. We frequently connect with local experts, practitioners, and community members, and our teachers intentionally build strong relationships with students. We provide our students with various experiences to explore tools and strategies to support their physical, social, and emotional wellness."
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"Our philosophy prioritizes the integration of arts, imagination, and movement into all academic disciplines. Our curriculum fosters intellectual flexibility and creative thinking, with an eye to ethics and morality. Knowledge is important, but understanding what to do with that knowledge is critical. We believe that becoming a successful human is a function of weaving together a rich tapestry of capacities and abilities."
"Eastgate Academy offers learners opportunities to grow in a safe, collaborative environment. Students are put at the center of learning and given voice, choice, and ownership in their learning journey. The educational experience at Eastgate is student-centred, inquiry-based, and focuses on developing the whole child. This allows students to develop attributes and skills to independently and collaboratively solve problems and create change in their local and global communities."
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"The use of electronic media, particularly television, by young children is discouraged in Waldorf schools. So too is the over-emphasis of commercialism and busy extra-curricular schedules. The importance of a balanced and strong family life is emphasized, encouraged and supported at our school."
"Our Eastgate Explorers program allows our students to arrive at school an hour before our day begins or stay up to two hours after the school day ends. During these times, our learners can engage in explorations that connect with their interests or try something new. These explorations rotate throughout the year and support our learners in becoming balanced, open-minded, and collaborative. Explorations range from active (soccer, pickleball) to creative (stop motion, drama, yearbook)."
"Waldorf class teachers build strong relationships with their students. Our methodology is rooted in rhythm and routine, and supported by having a Class Teacher. The teacher stays with their class for several consecutive years, acting as mentor, role model, and guardian. A Class Teacher is better able to assess each individual's development needs, and fosters shared experience and a strong bond between the teacher and the students and their families."
"While students' learning journeys are the top priority, educating our families on our programme offering and how best to support learning at home is essential. Of course, we see our families as partners and consistently communicate. However, we also offer parent workshops in the evening and provide childcare. These hands-on workshops give families a glimpse into how their child(ren) learns while exploring the central features of our program."
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Welcome To Eastgate Academy
We are, first and foremost, a community of students, educators and families committed to nurturing young people as they find their purpose and grow into their potential.
Our goal is to create a stimulating and supportive environment where our learners can grow through an iterative inquiry, action and reflection process. A culture of courage and curiosity encourages our learners to push the boundaries of their social, intellectual and physical comfort zones, while a culture of collaboration and community creates a system of support from which our learners draw the confidence to learn from successes and setbacks.
I am filled with gratitude to be part of such a special community. I feel fortunate to work alongside incredibly talented educators and staff and look forward to supporting Eastgate Academy’s continued growth as principal.
Progressive
International Baccalaureate
Waldorf schools are available from preschool to Grade 12, though they are most popular at the younger ages. Waldorf schools are unmistakably "progressive". Rudolf Steiner, their intellectual forefather, believed the educator's first task should be to help students develop an aesthetic appreciation for life and learning. Sometimes incorrectly conflated with Montessori schools, Waldorf schools focus on developing the "whole child" - emphasizing collaborative, hands-on learning, along with the arts and music, which are integrated into other areas of study.
Progressive (sometimes called "in- quiry-based") curricula attempt to place children's interests and ideas at the heart of the learning experience. Instead of lessons being driven by predetermined pathways, progressive curricula are often "emergent", with learning activities shaped by students' questions about the world. Instead of starting with academic concepts and then tying it to everyday experience, progressive methods begin with everyday experience and work back to an academic lesson. Teachers provide materials, experiences, tools and resources to help students investigate a topic or issue. Students are encouraged to explore, reflect on their findings, and discuss answers or solutions.
Some private schools offer International Baccalaureate (IB) programming. The "Diploma Programme" is offered to students in the final two years of high school, while the "Primary Years Programme" (ages 3 to 12) and "Middle Years Programme" (ages 11 to 16) serve as preparation for the diploma program.
Eastgate Academy's programme offering takes an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching. As such, students are active participants in their learning and frequently collaborate with their peers and teacher to construct their understanding. Using the British Columbia curriculum and the International Baccalaureate framework, students develop attributes and skills, allowing them to become internationally minded.
Equal Balance
These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
Through inquiry, students independently and collaboratively construct their understanding of mathematical concepts. There is a balance between exploring mathematical concepts and processes and problem-solving. Students engage in investigations and are given opportunities to apply their mathematical understanding in real-life contexts.
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Learners build conceptual understanding and numeracy fluency in the Primary Years (K-5) and early Middle Years. Calculators will not come until later grades unless decided by the teacher for a specific learning engagement/purpose.
Balanced Literacy
Balanced reading programs are typically Whole Language programs with supplementary phonics training. This training might be incidental, or it might take the form of mini-lessons.
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Equal balance
Programs that balance systematic and process approaches equally likely have an emphasis on giving young students ample opportunities to write, while providing supplementary class-wide instruction in grammar, parts of sentences, and various writing strategies.
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Inquiry
Inquiry-based science emphasizes teaching science as a way of thinking or practice, and therefore tries to get students “doing” science as much as possible -- and not just “learning” it. Students still learn foundational scientific ideas and content (and build on this knowledge progressively); however, relative to expository science instruction, inquiry-based programs have students spend more time developing and executing their own experiments (empirical and theoretical). Students are frequently challenged to develop critical and scientific-thinking skills by developing their own well-reasoned hypothesis and finding ways to test those hypotheses. Projects and experiments are emphasized over textbook learning. Skills are emphasized over breadth of knowledge.
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Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Zoology
Equal Balance
These literature programs draw in equal measure from “Traditional” and “Social Justice” programs.
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Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Thematic
The Thematic approach organizes the curriculum around certain themes or cultural universals. Students might spend time focused on food. Then they might focus on transportation or government, and so on.
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Equal Balance
These programs represent an equal balance between the perennialist and pragmatic approach to teaching the humanities and social sciences.
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Communicative
The communicative method of language acquisition emphasizes the use of the target language in authentic contexts. The approach commonly features interactive group work, games, authentic texts, and opportunities to learn about the cultural background of the language. Drills and quizzes may still be used, but less frequently than with the audio-lingual method.
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Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
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Equal Balance
These programs have an equal emphasis on receptive and creative learning.
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Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Medium integration
Effort is made to integrate the development of digital literacy through the curriculum. However, this is not a dominant focus.
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Web design
Robotics
Computer science
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Play-based
Highly group-oriented and with a strong emphasis on creative and imaginative play, Waldorf preschool and Kindergarten programs have very little to no emphasis on academics. A Waldorf environment will often feel more like a home than a traditional classroom -- the goal being to instill comfort and and a sense of predictability in students’ day. This emphasis on comfort and predictability also manifests through a heavy use of repetition: for example, teachers might read the same story multiple days in a row. Waldorf schools ask parents to refrain from offering children TV or computers at home, and aim to develop in children a connection to the natural world. If you want to learn more about Waldorf education, check out our comprehensive guide.
Play-based programs are the most common type of preschool and Kindergarten, and are founded on the belief young children learn best through play. Largely open-ended and minimally structured, play-based programs aim to develop social skills and a love of attending school. “Pre-academic” skills are taught, but in a more indirect way than at, say, an Academic program: through children playing in different “stations” set up around the classroom, which children choose on their own volition. Stations often contain an indirect lesson or developmental goal. Play-based classrooms are highly social and active.
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Standard-enriched
Broadly-speaking, the main curriculum -- like that of most schools -- paces the provincially-outlined one. This pace is steady and set by the teachers and school. The curriculum might still be enriched in various ways: covering topics more in-depth and with more vigor than the provincial one, or covering a broader selection of topics.
Broadly-speaking, the main curriculum -- like that of most schools -- paces the provincially-outlined one. This pace is steady and set by the teachers and school. The curriculum might still be enriched in various ways: covering topics more in-depth and with more vigor than the provincial one, or covering a broader selection of topics.
Currently, at Eastgate Academy, three grades are combined into one homeroom class: K-2, 3-5, 6-8.
Supportive
A school with a “supportive” academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a “rigorous” academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
The academic culture at Eastgate is both rigorous and supportive. There are high expectations and a challenging curriculum as students progress through the grades. However, at the heart of the culture is support to support student wellness, inspire curiosity, and cultivate a love of the pursuit of learning. Students are heavily involved in creating norms and expectations that guide the academic culture, and educators are seen as facilitators that create learning engagements that meet students where they are and challenge them.
"We intentionally avoid all forms of public distinction between students in terms of academic performance."
Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
Emotional
The goal is to cultivate "emotionally intelligent and confident individuals, capable of leading both themselves and others."
Eastgate Academy focuses on balancing academic and intellectual growth with physical and mental wellbeing to offer a tailored learning experience to every student.
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RecreationalRec. |
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RecreationalRec. |
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Badminton |
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Baseball |
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Basketball |
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Canoeing/Kayaking |
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Cricket |
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Cross-country skiing |
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Cycling |
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Downhill skiing |
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Equestrian |
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Fencing |
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Field Hockey |
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Figure Skating |
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Football |
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Golf |
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Gymnastics |
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Ice Hockey |
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Ice Skating |
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Lacrosse |
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Martial Arts |
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Mountain biking |
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Racquet Ball |
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Rowing |
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Rugby |
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Running |
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Sailing |
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Skateboarding |
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Snowboarding |
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Soccer |
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Softball |
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Squash |
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Swimming |
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Tennis |
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Track & Field |
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Volleyball |
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Weightlifting |
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Wrestling |
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Archery |
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Curling |
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Ultimate |
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
Preschool - 9
6 - 8
0%
0%
$0
$0
0%
0%
Not available
Rolling
Not available
Not available
No
Yes: grades 2 - 8
No
No
No
No
No
Yes: grades K - 8
No
No
No
No
Application fee:
$100 per student (non-refundable), paid at the time of online application submission. This covers the cost of the admissions assessment.
Registration deposit:
$1000 per student, due upon enrollment to secure a place at the school. This amount is non-refundable but will be applied towards tuition.
Bond:
$10,000 per family, paid upon enrollment. The bond is an investment in the growth and development of the school. It is reimbursed to the family at the end of the school year in which the last child leaves the school.
515 Cougar Ridge Dr. SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3H 5G9, Canada
200 Karolie Rd, Riverview, New Brunswick, E1B 1R1, Canada
