Interview with Sunnybrook School PARENT, Kathleen Grandy

I really liked the small school feel. I called them up, went and had a walkthrough. I remember we had a student guide who walked us around, and I met with the principal and probably a couple of other people that I can't remember now.

She actually said to me the other day, "Mom, sometimes I say I don't like school, but I like going to school." I think she's really thrived there.

What I love in particular is that something that was really important to me, something I really wished for her, was to have confidence and self-confidence. I think a lot of the things they do at the school, whether it's the musical, the presentations they do, or just all sorts of different activities, have helped her gain confidence and grow into herself in lots of different dimensions.

Whether it's clubs, being part of the musical, or other activities, there are opportunities for different types of kids to really shine in whatever way they do.

In particular, what I like about it is that I've always felt I had access to the teachers and the administration… When kids are moving up a grade, the grade 5 teacher will meet with the grade 4 teacher, and the grade 4 teacher will pass along information about each of the students to help the next teacher be effective with each of the kids.

I think the very personalized approach to how the students are going to best thrive in their environment is really, again, something that I very much appreciate as a parent.

When people say, "Oh, there's a musical," I wasn't expecting that kind of quality of show, but also the whole experience around it and how much they rely on the whole community to make it come together.

The values, I think, are really rooted in the IB learner profile. What I really like about the school is how much focus there is on the kids engaging in the learning process, not just receiving information and memorizing it.

I think that is really a value of the school: helping teach kids not just information, but how to learn and how to be curious about the world.

It's actually been a very good experience for me. Getting even more integrated with some of the parents outside of just my daughter's grade has been a lot of fun. I think it's a great group of people.

One of the things they do is they have what are called learner profile pins… Sometimes I think the teachers give them out to kids based on what they see, but other times the kids will aim to get a particular pin. When they think they have done what they need to do to achieve that pin, they will go and speak at the assembly as to why they should get the pin.

I think each and every child is treated like an individual, and there are opportunities for each child to really shine, grow, and learn, maybe sometimes in different ways than others.

I really like the IB program and how it's run at Sunnybrook… Helping kids develop their own critical thinking skills, question things, think for themselves, and not just be told a particular perspective is really going to help them as they grow up, go through their teenage years, and into adulthood. I think that's a really important foundation for kids today.

Sunnybrook has been great for us. I know it's been great for a lot of other families. It aligns with my personal philosophy, and the small environment is something that I really like and that my daughter really likes.