Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Kendellhurst Academy (2020)
Kendellhurst Academy alumni, current students, and parents shared their insights on the school’s culture, values, strengths, and weaknesses. Hear what Kelly, Anita, YuHong had to say about the school.
Highlights from the Q&A discussion
Kelly — current parent
Kelly has two kids that go to Kendellhurst Academy. She credits Kendellhurst Academy with boosting her kids' confidence, giving them support, and helping them become caring members of the community. She also enjoyed that the learning program was customized for each child.
- “We chose Kendellhurst Academy for numerous reasons. The curriculum and the approach to learning really aligned with what we wanted our kids educated about, and exposed to. They started French at a young age, and the interactive use of technology. We loved their reading program, the teacher-student ratios, and that a lot of the learning seemed to be customized to the individual needs of the student.”
- “What I expected, and what we think we got from Kendellhurst Academy, was that it was a school and a community, so everybody knows each other there. So my kids are getting snuggles from everybody in the school ... . So inclusive. They're happy when I drop them off every morning, which is what we really wanted. What I wasn't expecting, and what I think is really great for my kids is that they have this awesome global exposure that I wouldn't have thought about.”
- “I have a son and he's just started Junior Kindergarten and my daughter is in Grade 1 now. My son's a very easy going kid. To be honest, I think for him the biggest thing is just that there's just so much physical interaction at the school. [My son is] very affectionate, so he feels like he's really close to his teachers. So he's happy to go [to Kendellhurst Academy], and he's happy to learn from them, and engage in it.”
- “For my daughter. I think the biggest impact [Kendellhurst Academy] has had on her, is helping her with her self-confidence. … She sometimes would be faced with people thinking she was stubborn or had an attitude, and they didn't really understand. … She didn't have the confidence to do it. At Kendellhurst Academy that went away. It took time ... but she's at a point now where she doesn't resist trying new things anymore. … Just getting to a point where she would try new things and she wouldn't resist everything that came to her, and she could just be and be happy, and be okay if it didn't work out.”
- “My kids love Kendellhurst [Academy] ... and that's what they tell people, that they love their teachers. It's so cute. After school, in the bookstore or something, people will always see their uniforms and ask them where they go to school, and then when they're gone, they're off. They're talking about their school, and their teachers, and how much they love it, and what they're doing.”
- “They’ll talk about their teachers and what they did [in school]. ... I can just tell from when [my kids] talk about what they do at [Kendellhurst Academy], all of the hands-on aspects of the learning at the school, both my kids love science and love doing science experiments. And then my son in Junior Kindergarten; they just started at school and I think they're on their third experiment.”
- “[My daughter] loves all the science things, and the science project she's working on right now. ... I think for us it's just whenever [my kids] talk about [Kendellhurst Academy], they're just happy and they always sound so optimistic about what they've done and what's probably coming down the road, and it's just really nice.”
- “I think concurrent with [my kids] learning at school, having those weekly virtues that I know everyone's encouraged to identify in others, and then demonstrate themselves. There's this sense of ownership and pride in the work that they do, and in anything that they accomplish [at Kendellhurst Academy]. ... And they know that mistakes aren't just okay, but that they're valuable and an opportunity.”
- “I would much rather my kids try and fail, and then try something else. I hate for them to not try because they were afraid. [My kids] undertake projects [at Kendellhurst Academy] that take weeks to complete. It's wonderful if there's no instant gratification—they really persevere through to the end. Then they're so proud of themselves that they took the time and really had to invest in what they were doing.”
- “Kendellhurst Academy gives students the opportunity to take on responsibilities. My kids love being given responsibilities. [My kids] love to be responsible for things which I think was a huge factor in developing my daughter's confidence as well, because she was trusted to take on all those tasks, which meant so much to her. I think she's willing to do it because the community and the environment that has been fostered at Kendellhurst Academy is that they all just feel safe.”
Anita — current parent
Anita has a son that goes to Kendellhurst Academy. The school stood out to her above the other schools, because of the warm nurturing feeling, and their emphasis on virtues. She appreciated the attention that her son got at Kendellhurst Academy, as well as the high level of academic rigour that is expected from him.
- “The one thing that made Kendellhurst [Academy] stand out was their emphasis on virtues, which was really important to me and the fact that they took a holistic approach to education, and to educating the child as a whole. I loved that French came early. I loved that music was introduced very early, because music and math tend to go hand in hand. [I loved] the fact that my son can learn an instrument at school, without me having to spend one or two evenings a week outside getting private lessons.”
- “My son's very affectionate, so a big part of his day is starting with hugs and that's what he gets and that's what he needs to kind of start his day off on the right foot.”
- “The school has really delivered on all of my expectations and more. The teachers are absolutely incredible. I'm hard pressed to pick a favourite, because they're all so great, and you develop a relationship with them that is fantastic. Having the ability to reach them during school hours, during pick up, or drop off, or by email is of the utmost importance to me. So you always feel like you're connected.”
- “This was my first entrance into private school, and I guess maybe in the back of my head, I thought, ‘well, what if it's elitist?’, but it was not. The school's very down to earth. Everybody's very friendly. The parents are exactly the same. The other thing that surprised me was the report cards. ... I thought they would be general in a one-pager, like what I was used to seeing from public schools. They exceeded my expectations. The report cards [from Kendellhurst Academy] are so incredibly detailed. It is just wonderful. Obviously, the teachers have taken a lot of time to address your child's weaknesses and strengths and everything's laid out. If you have any questions, it's all there, and it's the basis for a parent-teacher interview. ”
- “Academically, [my son] is leaps and bounds above anyone comparable to his age or his grade. There are other children in the neighbourhood that are two grades ahead of him in a public school that are reading the same books. ... It's made him eager to learn more, he's very engaged. He's never bored at school. ... He's a very touchy, affectionate kind of kid, so he gets that from the teachers, he forms really deep relationships with them and I think that's really important to him.”
- “[My son] loves the class sizes. It's helping his confidence, he lacks a little bit in the confidence department, but he just loves [Kendellhurst Academy]. When [my son] started Junior Kindergarten [at Kendellhurst Academy], there was a time that he would make his father go there on the weekend just to see if it was open, that's how much he loves it.”
- “Kendellhurst [Academy] is a home away from home for [my son]. And pick up always takes a long time.”
- “[My son] would say [Kendellhurst Academy] is the best school in the world. 10 out of 10 ... . He thinks every kid should go there. Every opportunity he has, he tells people all about Kendellhurst .”
- “The values of the school and the pedagogy is really what got me in the door. The commitment Kendellhurst [Academy] has to teaching children virtues and values, which was really of the utmost importance to me. And it's what made Kendellhurst [Academy] stand out above the crowd, and what makes Kendellhurst [Academy] different, because … any private school can offer an advanced curriculum, but how many of them are trying to enrich the child? In a whole sense, in a holistic way?”
- “We all want our kids to grow up to be kind people who give more than they take. Careers have become so incredibly competitive now, that a university degree is not enough anymore to launch a career. It's all about those other little things that you do that get noticed. One of the things I love about Kendellhurst [Academy] is the fact that they're already teaching children to be altruistic. There are charities that the school supports. I love that they're teaching children about the world, and their place in it, and the footprint that they leave.”
- “[The students are] working nature into that as well. … Some of the field trips are absolutely awesome. They learn about other cultures and religions along the way, too. My son knows more about different religious holidays outside our faith than I know, which is incredible. It will help to make him a better person. I think the families that go to Kendellhurst [Academy], I think, hold the same virtues, and that's why they're there. They want their children to be educated in a holistic way, to make them better all round people, not just bright, but forward thinking.”
YuHong — current parent
Yuhong has two children that currently attend Kendellhurst Academy. She appreciates the care her children receive every day, and believes that the school is helping her children learn how to work well in groups. Kendellhurst Academy has met her expectations, academically and otherwise.
- “We never wanted to leave [Kendellhurst Academy], because of the care the kids received, and all the manners, along with everything they learned academically. Especially after they moved to the grade school, I have to say, it met my expectation, and my expectation is really high.”
- “Kendellhurst [Academy] has always gone above and beyond my expectation, by providing kids with challenging work that is tailored to their level. Especially from Grade 1 to Grade 4. That is very important to develop them to the best of their ability in every aspect, from math, to reading, to writing, and they get individual attention and also encouragement and engagement.”
- “So for kids who are shy like my second child, it is so important to be learning in groups and individual settings.[Kendellhurst Academy] is also building an environment for manners, friendship, and creativity.”
- “My kids want to stay in school all the time. I remember, I was not like that when I was a kid. My parents are teachers and there was no break. You know, [my kids] love [Kendellhurst Academy], just like they love to go home, or even more.”
- “I think my kids have [work ethic] already at this age. Even early on when they were in Grade 1 or 2 or 3, they knew they needed to get their schoolwork done. They usually get it done at school. … They always get their work done, and then they can play hard.”
- “[My kids] are talking about the trends and the patterns and bar charts ... . I was so amazed that they were doing this already, because I didn't get that education from my elementary school educators. I am not from Canada, so I don't know. I don't think I was ever exposed to that level of math when I was in my elementary school. I think this is very advanced [at Kendellhurst Academy], and there was no problem.”
- “There are many other impacts [of Kendellhurst Academy] I want to mention also. I would say there was a huge impact on my son. He is a more independent kid who likes to work on his own to solve problems. So the group work could be a challenge for him. Over the years, every teacher would tell me how they helped [him] to work in the group, and to build his leadership skills, which is a very important thing to me, because this is something I want to work on with him. The teachers [at Kendellhurst Academy] have been working with [my son] over the years and now [my son] has no problem working in a group setting, and he has a patience for his friends.”
- “I know how difficult it is for me to speak in public, so I totally understand why [my daughter] feels, she hesitates to speak when she has to. But I don't see it as a problem after Grade 2. [My daughter] has no problem performing in public or speaking to your friends, strangers.”
- “It’s tailored mentoring and teaching that is applied to individual kids at [Kendellhurst Academy].”
- “I asked my son [about Kendellhurst Academy] and he said, ‘Kendellhurst has excellent teachers. It is the next level of learning, a nice peer group with friendly classmates and schoolmates. There is also anti-bullying, although there's no bullying.’ What my daughter said is ‘Kendellhurst is very friendly with friendly teachers, and it is easy to make friends. There is healthy and organic food … a big field and playground in the front, and a dedicated playground for younger groups.”
- “I think that there is a trust between parents and at the school. I can trust Kendellhurst [Academy] to take my kids, to teach them, and to improve them as they go.”
- “[My son] has been at [Kendellhurst Academy] the last 10 years. There's a reason we keep going, because we know [he benefits] not only academically but also in everything else.”
- “[Kendellhurst Academy] even has a healthy food system. [My son] would ask me, ‘Mom, where is the protein tonight? Can I cook an egg for you?’ This is like something I know he gets from school, because when I cook, I cook whatever we have.”
- “[My son] could write so well after Grade 5. I'm using him to proofread my stuff this year. I'm not kidding. Emails and stuff. He started to proofread my writing since he was in Grade 5 or 6.”
- “I realized [my son] can write so well. I didn't teach him how to write, so I know where he got this, from [Kendellhurst Academy]. The innovation and also the teaching system, all the books, and everything behind it. I see the energy that goes into it. It's a lot. The teachers have learned how to do this, to be so great, and to be an expert to teach the kids.”
