Interview with Prestige School - Richmond Hill Campus PARENT, Marina Kasyanik
Marina, a parent at Prestige School - Richmond Hill Campus, has continued to enroll her daughter at the school for six years. She appreciates the school’s balanced education that combines academic excellence with the development of social skills. She also values the inclusive, family-like environment, the school’s cultural events that foster unity among students, as well as the school’s consistent communication with parents.
Highlights from the interview
Prestige School combines high-level academic success with a socially oriented education. It's a balance. It teaches kids about social skills. That's something I appreciate about the school. Teaching kids social skills is extremely important. Without that, I don't see my child being ready for the world when she completes school.
I would recommend Prestige School to parents who want to see their kids receive enough attention, have academic success, and learn social skills. Having enough one-on-one time with teachers was important for us. Prestige School offers students enough one-on-one time with the teachers, with small classes, combined with a classical educational style, for a reasonable price. I wanted my daughter to join an intimate class, in a comfortable environment, with a small group of kids. Being in a smaller environment, the teachers can really pay attention to each and every child.
It is very important that the school has cultural events, besides their academic program, because these cultural events bring the kids together and unite them. My daughter really enjoys the cultural events at the school, like Spirit Weeks and International Café. In these events, the kids do fun things, like dressing up based on different cultures; they all interact regardless of grade, and it builds better relationships. That is really fun for the kids! I'm very grateful to the school for having these events. They are a very, very important part of education.
What attracted me to Prestige School was their balanced focus on both math and the humanities subjects. When my daughter was in Grade 3, I took her for a test and found her results were on par with Grade 4.
The school promotes no-bullying, no-discrimination in a variety of ways. There are kids from different backgrounds, all in the same classroom. It’s great that nobody feels excluded.
Having a uniform, setting clear rules and expectations for kids, and an understanding of discipline, will help kids in the long run, whether in university, college, or work.
Seeing my daughter go through the public speaking competitions, and learn through that, has been something I am really grateful for, and I am very proud of her for going through it. She got involved in the public speaking competitions in Grade 2. I was proud of her ability to understand what’s involved in public speaking and her decision to join. She has been doing that now for five years.
I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable my daughter felt, like she was part of a family, and the school has really worked on that. That really made my decision, because it meant a lot to me. I let my daughter spend a day at the class. I wanted to see how comfortable she would be in that environment. She adapted fast to the classroom setting, because the teacher who welcomed her was very kind, cheerful, and empathetic. My daughter was immediately drawn to her personality.
If there are field trips or events, especially outside the school territory, I know I can rely on the school and teachers who are supervising the kids, keeping them safe. As a parent, I need to know my child is safe and is receiving enough attention.
The school has a very tight-knit community; if one person is absent, you can definitely notice it; nobody goes unnoticed in this environment. We see each other at school events, know each other by name, and recognize and greet each other. I have good relationships with some of the parents, and we have conversations that are not limited to just the school.
Parents at Prestige School come from different cultures and traditions, joining in the community, appreciating and respecting each other. There is lots of cultural diversity among the families, same as how diverse Canada is.
Appreciating Prestige School is itself something that unites the parents. You can see how others appreciate the school, and really see their child benefiting from the school.
I was pleasantly surprised by the school’s willingness to communicate with the parents and how carefully they listen to our comments. We have had open communication with the school administration and the teachers, and as a result of that I've seen quite a few improvements. If something is not satisfactory, we have a discussion about it. With other suggestions or concerns arising throughout the school year, again they were very open and understanding.
