Westboro Academy is just across the street from Carleton University. Considering I had gone to Carleton for so many years, you would think I would have noticed the school. I have driven by the building so many times, and all this time I just assumed it was part of the City of Ottawa facilities - namely part of the Brewer pool and served as a community centre of some sort. Who would have known you could fit an entire school in there. So this leads me to my personal views on Westboro.
Location: Its centrally located. As mentioned, its right by Brewer pool, the skating rink, lots of open fields and place for the kids to run around come summer time. There is a busy street (Bronson) that runs by the school, but everything seems safely fenced in. I'm not sure if noise is an issue in the school, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
School property: The school grounds itself were decent enough. Nice playground for the kids. But the ease of access to all the public facilities is amazing. Everything is literally on their doorstep. Which is a good thing, because the actual school itself is a dump. Classrooms are tiny and incredibly stuffy. The school "gym" is literally a tiny classroom, not even big enough to house more than 15 kids comfortably, and when I was visiting they were trying to teach the kids to play volleyball in there. Not the best sport to try to teach when the ceilings are no more than 9ft high and the room is oh, maybe 10' x 15'. This "gym" is used by students up until grade 4, at which point they go across the street to Carleton U and use the facilities there. Despite the crowded and stuffy location, they did make the best use out of their space as possible. If you are claustrophobic...not the school for you. It was really crammed to the limit. They literally can not accept more kids because of the physical limitation on the number of people they can house in that school.
Academics: You almost forget about the stuffiness and the smell of wet snow pants, when you talk to the staff and observe the kids at work. The academic level at this school is impressive. The teachers seemed really passionate at what they were doing, and each class was filled to the max. This school is definitely in demand. The appeal for many parents, well for me anyways, is the bilingual nature of the school. Half the day is in English and the other half is in French. The English portion is taught following the Ontario curriculum and the French portion follows the Quebec curriculum. So this not only ensures that the kids are getting their hours in French, but they are also picking up on a lot of the cultural history of Quebec as well. In certain areas where the Quebec curriculum was lacking in certain historical events, the school actually had English texts translated so that they could enrich the Quebec curriculum using that. Some of the French teachers had a rather strong accent for my liking (not a nice fluid accent either), but they really seemed to enjoy and be good what they were doing, so it definitely made up for the accent. The other thing that impressed me with the school's academics was the tutoring. They offer students tutoring, if needed, free of charge. Tutoring could be either for students who need to do a bit of catching up (including Anglophone students needing to get caught up on their French), or students who are advanced and need more of a challenge. Did I mention that it was included in the tuition...??
Staff: All the staff members I met and observed seemed truly passionate about what they did. There was a warm familial feel to the place, but you could tell that they meant business there. Education, education, education.
Tuition: Tuition is affordable in comparison to other private schools. JK and SK are $13,020; Grades 1-6 are $11,530 and Grades 7-8 are $12,810. The school is not-for-profit and it appears that parents are very involved in the school.
Technology: I thought this was worthy of mentioning. They are a very technology progressive school. Most of the classrooms are equipped with either a smart board, or a projector which makes any type of board a "smart" one. There is even a Mac lab - so all the Mac haters in the world...you may not like that one!
Uniforms: Standard basic stuff. There is a gym uniform, formal uniform (summer and winter). Changes colour when students enter grade 4.
Overall ranking: "I really liked the feel and philosophy of this school. Academics is impressive, but I really wished the facilities were better!"
In all honesty, if their facilities were nicer; I wouldn't hesitate to put my daughter in there. However, the though of her going through years of school in such a cramped and crowded space really has me struggling internally. I don't know why, but I just imagine kids needing more space than that for some reason. All my priorities are there, but yet its the physical facility that is making me stumble a little. We'll see if I can get over this hurdle.
A mother's quest to find a good school. The ups and downs, pros and cons, public vs. private, and my personal dilemma in a world of choice.
The Quest
I am the mother of one school-aged child. Education has always been a priority to me, so much so that I am willing to scrimp and save to invest in my child's education. Whether that investment is in private schools, in RESPs or in time spent with my child; I invest my heart, soul and money in my daughter's education - formal or informal. I'm just not quite sure what mix is the best for us yet. And perhaps that mix will constantly change as my child changes.
I went to both private and public schools myself, and had some incredible experiences. I look back on my journey through the education system, and there were some clear highs and lows. If anything, my own journey has taught me the importance of a good school, with good solid foundations, and a clear philosophy on education. As a mother, I want to assure that my daughter has more highs than lows. I want her to thrive in the environment she is in, and I want her experiences to shape her into a strong, confident and capable woman. I realize that nothing is perfect, no matter how much you pay for it. The trick is finding the right fit for your child, and for your family.
In my searches, I found that there were very few reviews or comments on schools in Ottawa. So if you don't know anyone with children at the school, you were rather strapped for sources of information. Throw in the fact that the Ministry of Education does not oversee the operation of private (by private I am referring to all school structures that are not public) schools beyond issuing a license to operate, parents who choose to go down this path are pretty much on their own. This is why making a educated choice is even more important. You are effectively taking your child's education in your own hands, and throwing a whole whack of money into this decision too - so do it right!
I am, in all honesty, what you would call an uptight mother. I don't like making decisions without doing my due diligence. So I'm hoping that my quest to find a good school for my daughter will lead to more parents vocalizing their views on their childrens' schools so that all Ottawa parents can make better informed decisions. So Ottawa parents, please comment and share your views!
I plan on visiting many of the Ottawa area private schools, as well as some of the public schools which I qualify to register my daughter in. I will share my impressions of the school as well as any background knowledge I have managed to obtain through other parents.
I went to both private and public schools myself, and had some incredible experiences. I look back on my journey through the education system, and there were some clear highs and lows. If anything, my own journey has taught me the importance of a good school, with good solid foundations, and a clear philosophy on education. As a mother, I want to assure that my daughter has more highs than lows. I want her to thrive in the environment she is in, and I want her experiences to shape her into a strong, confident and capable woman. I realize that nothing is perfect, no matter how much you pay for it. The trick is finding the right fit for your child, and for your family.
In my searches, I found that there were very few reviews or comments on schools in Ottawa. So if you don't know anyone with children at the school, you were rather strapped for sources of information. Throw in the fact that the Ministry of Education does not oversee the operation of private (by private I am referring to all school structures that are not public) schools beyond issuing a license to operate, parents who choose to go down this path are pretty much on their own. This is why making a educated choice is even more important. You are effectively taking your child's education in your own hands, and throwing a whole whack of money into this decision too - so do it right!
I am, in all honesty, what you would call an uptight mother. I don't like making decisions without doing my due diligence. So I'm hoping that my quest to find a good school for my daughter will lead to more parents vocalizing their views on their childrens' schools so that all Ottawa parents can make better informed decisions. So Ottawa parents, please comment and share your views!
I plan on visiting many of the Ottawa area private schools, as well as some of the public schools which I qualify to register my daughter in. I will share my impressions of the school as well as any background knowledge I have managed to obtain through other parents.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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Hi Untraditionally Traditional!
ReplyDeleteMy husband came across your blog randomly while trying to find more information about the private schools in Ottawa.... we are thrilled to read through your blog! We agree its been difficult to find information on the private schools in Ottawa so it was so nice to see this and after reading through some of your posts we feel we share the same sentiments. Our son is 19 months (we thought we would start early) and we have another on the way.
Westboro - after visiting the website and talking to the Principal we were in love with the school! However, during the open house (we attended in February) we were disappointed by the facilities. This was our first private school visit and though we felt the same "warm familial feel" I just could not get past the facilities. We went back again during the day (a few weeks ago) for a one-on-one tour to see it with the kids in action, and I still could not get over the facilities. Like you said if the facilities were nicer we would have no hesitation of picking this one!
Thank you for doing this - we will be checking regularly and hopefully we can add our comments as we visit more schools.
This is where we started our search http://www.ourkids.net/ottawa-private-schools.php
Good luck in your search!
Aliya Giga
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult for parents to find useful information about private schools. Not many parents take the time to leave comments about the school theirs kids go/went to and the new parents have to rely on what they hear from the staff. Hope our experience described below is useful for families who look for information before registering their kids. Please keep in mind that a limitation to us may be strength to your family.
ReplyDeleteOur first advice is to stop by at the drop off and pick up time, observe and talk to parents. Verify the information you have received at the school. It may help.
Here is a summary of our experience at Westboro Academy:
The school is located close to the Brewer Park, arena and swimming pool which is awesome. They use all three facilities all year round. The only issue with the location is that Bronson is always busy and you don’t have so many exit options. As you enter the school you immediately notice lack of sufficient air which probably is due to an old ventilation system and size of the classes and the school in general. Number of students in each class compared to public schools is relatively small which is good. During your visit you will be told that the 18 students you see for example in grade 5 have been there since GK. It makes you feel how great this school is that no student ever leaves the school and it is not true. Based on our experience, every year, a minimum of 2 to 5 kids left the class our child was attending and of course they register new kids. You will be told that your child will have access to free piano lessons, but no mention of the waiting list for a minimum 3 year period. Some teachers are awesome and some average. Bilingualism was the main strength of this school to make us register our child and it may be an important factor for your family as well. Do not expect your child to learn discipline in this school. The only discipline is about their uniform which was another reason we loved sending our child there in the first place, but then we realized it’s down side of it later. On registration day you are told about used uniform sale and you think well I am sending my child to a private school, why should I buy used uniform. After the first purchase of $500-1,000 which is good for only one year because you need to purchase a different set for next year depending on which grade your child is, you may reconsider buying used, which is why you see kids are wearing worn out, too small or too big uniform!
Going back to discipline, you child can almost do anything, bring their toys to school, go up a tree, doing dangerous things on the monkey bar. They have to run away from the bees and wasps as soon as the weather gets warm and nothing ever gets done about that or the backyard ground. Older kids are asked/taught to help younger kids on the swing which is great, but you have to be prepared to hear from your toddler what a teenager says or does.
Hope you find this information useful. I encourage you to stay around the school and speak with parents about the factors that are really important for your family.
Good luck!
I think that comment is offensvive
ReplyDeleteAbout the teenager thing
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to publish this information very useful! Ottawa Driving School
ReplyDelete