REVIEW OF March Academy BY parent, Arina J

(5) Student Experience

My son loves going to school since moving to March Academy. He is engaged and passionate about many academic subjects (especially math and reading) and frequently shares concepts he learns with us. The school truly individualizes education and provides him with the academic enrichment he needs to stay engaged. He also loves all the physical activity he gets on a daily basis in the gym and through recess games (in which the whole school usually participates). One activity he does not love is choir practice, and yet the activity has been crucial for building his tolerance for engaging in non-preferred tasks towards a rewarding final goal (the various concerts). After the most recent holiday concert, he beamed with pride and asked if he could please go to March Academy next year as well. In other words, even things that, from our son’s perspective are not “his favourite” turn out to be very valuable for his growth. He has also been learning so much socially and developing positive peer relationships and social skills. The impressive skillset of the educators and the structure of the environment bring out the best in him. He loves his teacher, who sees his strengths and harnesses them daily, and also supports him through his areas of difficulty with so much patience and creativity. I even heard my son telling his neighbourhood friends that they should come to his school because it is so great.

(5) School Leadership

The school’s principal (who is also our son’s teacher) is an incredible person who is truly passionate about education and helping children on their unique path to growth. The culture of the school is one of acceptance, empathy and commitment to learning. Our son’s learning goals and progress are discussed with us regularly. Communication is truly excellent. Discipline approaches and motivational strategies are also discussed transparently and parents’ input is sought, valued and respected. The communication style of the principal is excellent and conducive to effective school-parent teamwork.

(5) Teaching

We could not be happier with the teaching at March Academy. This is a unique, truly special group of educators. The homeroom teachers are extremely experienced and skilled in individualizing education, and they are able to do so on a daily basis given the small class sizes. Our son’s teacher truly sees him and gets him and has led to exponential learning academically and socially. The philosophy of teaching at the school also balances compassion and empathy with authority and high expectations - a tough balance to strike, and one so conducive to learning. The kids are also exposed to various teaching styles, which offers further opportunities for growth. Aside from their homeroom teacher, they also have art, nature studies, gym, music (piano and choir), yoga and Tae Kwan Doe with specialized teachers.

(5) Academics

Academics at March Academy are extremely high quality. Our son’s learning has skyrocketed over the past two years. We can tell this not only from the interesting, engaging assignments he brings home, but also from the way he integrates advanced concepts and vocabulary into his day-to-day life. Because teaching is individualized and done in small groups, and because the teachers are so talented and experienced, our son is learning and retaining concepts above grade level. March Academy provides our son not only with academic enrichment, but also with important learning skills to ensure continued academic success in future settings - like commitment to task, organization and self-advocacy. The school promotes a growth mindset and the teachers are so skilled at instilling that mindset in the kids. Our son truly finds learning “cool”. Importantly, although academic standards are high, the teachers do not push kids towards perfectionism or competitiveness. On the contrary, they teach kids that mistakes are an important part of learning and encourage them to be kind to themselves and to their peers as they learn.

(5) Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars at March Academy are varied, integrated into the day-to-day schedule, and inclusive. All kids participate in yoga, Tae Kwon Doe, piano lessons, choir, chess club, running club (and cross-country skiing in winter). Given the small size of the school, kids of all age groups from Grades 1 to 8 participate in these positive activities together and build relationships.

(5) Students

The school is very small, as are the class sizes. The culture is one of cooperation and mutual support across age groups and the kids learn so much from each other. There are no cliques or negative social patterns that sometimes set in in large student bodies. My son regularly reports playing high-energy recess games with his peers in his class (who are closer to his age) and also playing chess or card games with patient, supportive older children that he looks up to. The culture is one of inclusion and acceptance, with close guidance and support from teachers. Teachers are very involved in supervising play times and supporting kids through conflicts (and motivating them to resolve conflicts effectively on their own as well).

(5) School Life

We cannot recommend March Academy highly enough. It is a truly special gem of a school that makes such a difference in people’s lives. Student life here provides great structure, enriching academic learning, a small calm environment, mixed-age peer interactions, diverse extracurricular activities AND a beautiful green outdoor space for play. In the spring and summer, our son always asks to stay later after school to continue playing outside. There is a beautiful creek by the school where he and his friends pretend to fish. As a testament to how attuned the teachers are to the kids’ interests, their nature studies teacher then found them an art contest seeking drawings of Ontario fish (that the kids participated in). The school also organizes fun educational field trips for the kids, like the Aviation Museum, Carp Fair and the Upper Canada Village. The walls of the school are full of beautiful artwork and the choir performances (on Remembrance Day, for winter holidays and the summer recitals) are really touching. For the grade 8 graduation ceremony (part of the summer concert), the principal publicly reads a personalized letter to every graduate, making them feel seen, understood and celebrated for their growth. It was one of the most touching things I have ever seen (and it wasn’t even my own child who was graduating!)

(5) Community

The parent community is absolutely wonderful. All families who bring their children to March Academy seem to fit with the culture of kindness and acceptance and commitment to helping their kids grow and learn. Given the regular communication and school events, parents are such a big part of the community of the school. All the families we have met through these events, through our son’s playdates and birthday parties have been wonderful. Our son’s teacher will often send email updates with interesting concepts the kids are learning, so we can integrate those concepts into discussions at home. It is a great way to involve us in the learning process, by giving us conversation prompts that encourage enthusiastic sharing by our son (much more effectively than the question “How was your day?”)

(5) School Location

The school location is a bit of a challenge for us distance-wise because of where we live, but it is a worthwhile challenge given the quality of the school and the difference it has made in our son’s life. The neighbourhood of the school is beautiful and calm, and the school is surrounded by green space. For the Terry Fox run, in which parents are encouraged to participate, we did a run around the whole beautiful residential neighbourhood.

(5) Admissions

The admissions process was informal and welcoming. It involved a video call with the principal and vice-principal (who are also teachers) in which I explained our son’s educational needs and what we were hoping to find in a private school. They were very friendly, open and responsive. The video interview was then followed by a visit to the school with our son so they could get to know him. We went through this process in the summer, but I believe that if parents seek admission during the school year, they could also have the child spend some time there during a typical school day.