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Go to child profileStar Academy is a small school that believes all children should love to learn. With class sizes of 10 -14 students, Star teachers know every child and therefore challenge them as individuals both inside and outside the classroom. Our Pillars of Child Development guide Star's philosophy and enrich classroom teaching, addressing the well-rounded development of the whole child. Social-emotional learning, daily Physical Education, Outdoor Education, and flexible learning environments are key components of programming.
Star Academy was founded in 1998 and was led by the founder, Belinda Bernardo, until her retirement in 2017. She was succeeded by Julie Benneyworth and Heather Rees, creating a nice continuity in leadership, as well as a substantive dedication to the values that Bernardo instilled in the school, those of respect, curiosity, collaborative learning, and active engagement. Administration has also consistently demonstrated their desire to regularly revisit best practices, adapting instruction, including adoption of 21st century learning, to meet the students where they are, and to take them where they will need to be. Families that enroll often do so in light of those values as well as the things that are unique to the school, including a more intensive commitment to physical education, an 11-month instructional year, and a low teacher-student ratio. Other draws include small class sizes, individual attention, and cross-curricular instruction.
Focus |
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Academic |
DIBELS Testing: This school periodically uses DIBELS testing to assess reading progress.
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Evolution as consensus theory | |
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories | |
Evolution is not taught |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Biology | |
Chemistry | |
Ecology | |
Geology | |
Meteorology | |
Physics | |
Physiology | |
Zoology |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Acting | |
Dance | |
Drama/Theatre | |
Graphic Design | |
Music | |
Visual Arts |
Expressive | |
Disciplined |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Computer science | |
Robotics | |
Web design |
Flexible pacing style | offered |
---|---|
Subject-streaming (tracking) | |
Multi-age classrooms as standard | |
Ability-grouping (in-class) as common | |
Frequent use of cyber-learning (at-their-own-pace) | |
Regular guided independent study opportunities | |
Differentiated assessment |
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation | |
Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties |
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Accommodations | |
Modifications | |
Extra support |
Read our guide to special needs schools and special education
Program | offered |
---|---|
Full-time gifted program (parallel to rest of school) | |
Part-time gifted program (pull-out; parallel to rest of class) |
Curriculum delivery: This information is not currently available.
Program | offered |
---|---|
Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement) | |
Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement) | |
Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others) | |
Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement) | |
Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement) |
In grade Gr. 8, Star Academy students perform an average of 1.5 hours of homework per night.
JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Star Academy | 0 mins | 0 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 45 mins | 45 mins | 60 mins | 60 mins | 90 mins | 90 mins |
Site Average | 6 mins | 7 mins | 15 mins | 17 mins | 24 mins | 30 mins | 35 mins | 41 mins | 53 mins | 57 mins |
This school frequently "flips the classroom": asks students to learn material at home and do the "homework" in-class (with teacher support).
Prose (narrative)-based feedback | JK to Gr. 8 |
Academic achievement reporting | JK to Gr. 8 |
Habits and behaviour reporting | JK to Gr. 8 |
Parent-teacher meetings | JK to Gr. 8 |
Competitive sports: 9
Recreational sports: N/A
Star Academy offers 15 clubs and extracurricular programs.
PS | JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
Day | $13,990 | $17,990 |
Discounts
Discount Type | Enrolment Type | Amount |
---|---|---|
2nd child (sibling) | all students | 10% |
3rd child (sibling) | all students | 15% |
4th child (sibling) | all students | 20% |
This information is not currently available.
Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | Preschool to Gr. 8 | Coed | Day | 60 |
Total enrolment | 60 |
Average class size | 10 to 14 |
% of international students (total enrolment) | N/A |
Number of different nationalities within student population | N/A |
PS | JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Enrollment | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
Assessment | Required | Grades |
---|---|---|
Interview | N/A | |
SSAT | ||
SSAT (out of province) | ||
Entrance Exam(s) | ||
Entrance Essay |
Day students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry:
Yes
Application fee: $100
Registration fee: N/A
Deposit:
$2,000
We invite interested parents to contact us to arrange a tour and meeting witht he Principal. Following your visit we can arrange a time for your child to visit and join their current grade class. Like all things at Star Academy, our application process is individualized. We see acceptance as a two way street and maintain that true home-school partnerships begin at the beginning!
This is the percentage of applicants typically accepted into the school. So if 50 students are admitted out of 100 applicants, the school has an overall acceptance rate of 50%.
Student Entry Points
This shows approximately how many openings there are likely to be in each grade in a typical year, as well as the estimated acceptance rate for each grade level.
Student Type | PS | JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Alumnus | Grad Year | Accomplishment |
---|---|---|
Braydon Rennie | 2011 | Accomplished runner-Represented Team Canada-World Youth Olympics-Nanjing, China; Junior PanAm Games-Edmonton, World Juniors-Poland; currently ranked second in Canada by Athletics Canada; attends University of Tulsa-full academic and athletic scholarship. |
Alumni Highlights
Learn to love to learnTM is not only our mission statement, it’s what makes us unique. It speaks to the personalized approach that Star Academy takes towards everything we do.
Creating an environment where children are happy, engaged, and excited to attend is the beginning of a successful academic career. Investigative active learning, open ended discovery, and project-based learning experiences enhance our curriculum and engage all learners.
Star Academy is an environment where children come to thrive and grow, develop and learn. We hope to share our school with you.
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