Interview with Sunnybrook School PARENT, Nina and Mark Angelo

Our kids had finished their Montessori program, and because I work in the education space, I really value the active learning environment that Montessori was providing and wanted to find something that continued the kids on that journey. When we went to go look at Sunnybrook and attend the orientation, immediately, I think within two minutes they were using the phrase active learning, and I said, ‘We found a good match here.’ 

We started to learn a bit more about the IB curriculum, and how it's made available at Sunnybrook at an early age for the primary years, which was definitely a benefit and a curriculum that we were excited about. Then we looked at a couple of other schools in the neighborhood, but really felt a fit and a home at Sunnybrook.

Our daughter really liked the close-knit community. The community is a really strong aspect of the school. There's one class or one cohort per grade. So getting to know all the people in her class, but also the kids in the elder grades as well, was really nice. 

She really loves her friends, really loves the teachers and their nurturing personalities. They really challenge her and focus on her strengths and her passions and really encourage her to explore those. I think she responded really well. It was an environment that suited her quite well. I think she really loves the teachers. I think those are some of the things that she appreciates.

Every child is different, but Sunnybrook ended up being a really good fit for our son, too, for similar reasons. They have a house games program that he really enjoys before school. Our son also likes the camaraderie, and the variety that comes along with the specialist programs, French music, art, and PE. 

Our son loves the specialist teachers and programs, which we've also been really impressed with. They have the best music teacher I've ever seen, and the most engaging PE teacher, which you don't always see. 

The long tenure of the teachers was something that we really appreciate, and we were looking for, as we did our research. The long tenure was a good indicator of, of course, commitment to the school. But what it's also shown us is just the dedication that teachers have to what they're doing. Not only are they committed from 9:00 to 3:30, but then they're also committed in the evenings and on the weekends to all the different activities that Sunnybrook runs.

Because it's a close-knit community, you get that very personal touch in a really high-quality school environment. The teachers are always available and incredibly responsive. That carries over into the administration as well. I think it was just how responsive they were and just how open the communication is.  We just feel there is a strong partnership in the development of our children and looking out for their best interests. That was really appreciated and something that I don't think we expected to that extent.

The IB curriculum has its own learner profiles, and that’s not something that's put up on the wall and then ignored. It's celebrated. It's rewarded when students are demonstrating those profiles. So it really comes through and those become the values of the school. 

At Grade 3, they started learning how to debate, which I think is amazing at a young age to be able to think about persuasive speaking. Our daughter prepared in a group. One group takes on the ‘pro’ and one group takes on the ‘con’ position. They learned to develop their arguments. They practiced, they rehearsed. On the day of the debate, the two other students who were in her group weren't there. The administration and the judging panel encouraged her to go ahead and read their scripts on their behalf. She could do it. She was a little bit nervous, but she did it, and felt so proud of the accomplishment on behalf of her team.

Our son loves to participate in the house games, which he does basically every morning. It's really great. In the house games, they get to interact across the grades, with older and younger kids. At the end of the year, he got a medal, and he was so proud of how he could contribute to his house game points, by participating and competing in house games. 

What's really cool is that everyone takes pride in Sunnybrook School, every year, their music teacher puts on a musical. And the quality and professionalism of this musical is incredible. What happens is that every single student in the entire school participates.

What I've noticed is all the families, the parents are really invested in the growth and development of their children, and they value a close-knit community. We have a lot of the parents coming out to the events and being really involved. I think those are some of the key aspects. We've really enjoyed getting to know the parents of the families of the children in both our children's classes. That's been a really positive aspect of the whole experience as well.

Besides the academics, I think there's a real focus on community and on action. And so any student, if they observe a challenge or an opportunity, say, the playground is dirty, the children can unite and say, ‘Hey, what can we do to be able to fix this problem?’ And that's really encouraged at the local level, at the community level, and at the worldwide level. If you see a problem in society that you want to learn a little bit more about and get your classmates to be able to rally together, learn about it, and then take action on it, that's highly encouraged. And that's part of the value system, the actions that students take are celebrated and rewarded.