REVIEW OF The Bishop Strachan School BY parent, Jeffrey B.

(4.5) Student Experience

Our daughter has truly enjoyed her time at BSS and we have seen tremendous growth in both her academic and social and emotional skills. BSS has pushed her to step outside of her comfort zone and in turn, gain confidence in herself as a learner and a leader. I think our daughter appreciates her whole school experience. She appreciates the curriculum, co-curriculars, her teachers, and of course, the amazing friendships she has made. Together, all of these things have created an incredibly supportive learning environment that will give her the skills she needs for continued success in her post-secondary education and beyond. We are really thrilled with the school and our daughter's journey so far and look forward to seeing her continued growth in her final year this Fall.

(4.5) School Leadership

BSS does a great job communicating with families. A weekly News You Can Use email goes out to parents providing an overview of news and upcoming events at the school in each division. It's all the news you want, in one email, thus making the communication effective and efficient. When our daughter was in the Junior School, we loved receiving weekly emails from her teacher with an overview of the learning that took place that week, and ideas for how we could further the conversation at home with our daughter.

(4.5) Teaching

We have been really happy with the teaching quality at BSS. Through the years, our daughter has received tremendous support from her teachers whether it be quick replies to her emails, extra help sessions before or after school, or prompt feedback on assignments and tests. Our daughter has felt really supported throughout her academic journey at BSS and has developed the skills to be proactive in her learning. One of the things we really love is that students participate in parent-teacher conferences - even in the Junior School - and that conferences often start with a question to the student asking them how they think things are going in class. We love that there are really open lines of communication between students, teachers and parents, and we have always found these conversations to be so positive and productive.

(5) Academics

BSS offers a rigorous academic program, including AP courses, and we feel confident that our daughter will be very well prepared for both her post-secondary studies and beyond. In addition to traditional course offerings like math, English and the sciences, our daughter has benefited from the wide variety of other courses BSS offers including business courses and arts courses. BSS cultivates a very supportive academic culture, working hard with students to bring out the best in each and every one of them. Students are seen as individuals, and every student is seen as capable - and this was truly the case since our daughter started in Junior School and I believe changed the way our daughter saw herself as a learner and what she could achieve.

(4.5) Extracurriculars

From our experience, I believe that there are many co-curriculars offered at BSS and have always felt that the school does a good job at encouraging students to get involved and try different clubs and teams. Throughout her Junior, Middle and Senior School years, our daughter has participated in a number of different co-curriculars and has had really positive experiences doing so.

(5) Students

BSS is a big school and a small school at the same time. Our daughter's cohort has obviously grown quite a lot since she started in Junior School, but it still has the same small school feel that we loved when we chose BSS for her so many years ago. Anytime I am in the school for a parent event or conference, I am always struck by how happy the students look in the hallways. The class size is big enough that there is a lot of choice for friends, but small enough that every student is known. It's a perfect balance. Our daughter has spirit days - both house spirit days and grade spirit days - and all of the students get dressed up in their colour.

(4.5) School Life

I think the quality of student life at The Bishop Strachan School is really great. Our daughter is going on year 7 of her journey at BSS and she still loves going to school every day. I think it's because BSS is a safe and supportive learning environment. I think she knows that she's lucky to be able to go to a school that is as committed to her success - both academic and overall well-being - as she is. I think every student is different so it's hard to say what BSS could do differently because what they do and have done has really worked well for our daughter. I think they truly care about their students and want them to both succeed and feel good/be happy and that is a great equation for a really positive outcome.

(4.5) Community

I feel that BSS has a lot of opportunities for parents to be involved and they are widely advertised in the weekly News You Can Use newsletter so everyone knows what is happening at school. My involvement has been more around attending school and grade events rather than planning anything. That being said, I know that there is a very active parents association at the school that does do a lot of work to make these events happen. I've always felt the community to be welcoming and the school does a good job facilitating relationships between parents when students start. I remember going to a grade event in the Junior School when my daughter started and meeting many parents who I still connect with at different events.

(5) School Location

BSS is located in Forest Hill and is easily accessible by bus and subway. We feel good about our daughter taking public transportation to and from school, and she is often surrounded by other students doing the same. We love that BSS is nestled in a safe community, but also has easy access to restaurants, a convenience store and coffee shops only one block away.

(5) Admissions

We had a really positive experience applying to BSS for our daughter. I remember the admissions staff being really welcoming and doing a great job answering all of our questions and making our daughter feel very comfortable through the process. We attended admissions events and toured the school with a student ambassador. I remember being so impressed by the tour led by the student ambassador. I think hearing from a student who herself had gone through the Junior School and was now in her final year of high school really highlighted what a special place BSS could be for our daughter.

(5) University placement and counselling

Our daughter has had a great relationship with her university counsellor and we appreciate just how available she has been to help our daughter make some big choices in terms of course selection. I think she has really gotten to know her and know her strengths and challenges over the course of their relationship. We met with her university counsellor this past year with our daughter as she navigated course selection for her final year of high school. My wife and I were both so impressed with not only her knowledge and understanding of our daughter but also of all of the university programs she is considering and the different pathways to get there. Next year our daughter will be applying to university and I have total faith that she will get the support she needs at BSS to go through the application process.