201- 1085 Homer Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 1J4, Canada
515 Cougar Ridge Dr. SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3H 5G9, Canada
201- 1085 Homer Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 1J4, Canada
515 Cougar Ridge Dr. SW, Calgary, Alberta, T3H 5G9, Canada
2017
1985
80
240
K to 7
JK to 9
Coed
Coed
Day
Day
English
English
Academic
Academic
Progressive
Waldorf
9 to 11
Varies
$19,855
$6,170 to $12,130
Yes
Yes
0%
0%
K to 8
Preschool to 9
$9,000
$0
10
20
0%
0%
75%
0%
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Rolling
Not available
Not available
Not available
Yes: grades K - 6
No
No
No
information not available
information not available
Claren Academy is one of those places that, in every way, was clearly created with the the learner foremost in mind. The teaching environment is bright, clean, and inviting, with lots of colour and natural light. It’s just a very comfortable place for young people to spend their days. Instruction is student-centred, building on the skills, interests, and needs that the students bring with them into the room. The intention is to deliver the attributes and knowledge they will need in the future as they move on to secondary and post-secondary education, and life. Administration references future-focused skills, though it says something about the school that creativity, empathy and kindness make that list. The school leadership is accessible, and assessment and progress reporting is consistent and detailed. So, yes, the school looks charming, and indeed it is, in all kinds of ways. Founded in 2017, Claren Academy has quickly become an important and valued educational offering within the city.
View full reportThe program is established and proven, having been founded in 1985. Facilities are frankly excellent, having been purpose built for the CWS program in 2002, and created through consultation and cooperation with the entire school community. Spaces are ample, well appointed, and naturally lit. The aesthetic throughout is energizing. A wealth of outdoor space is a plus, to with more than four acres combining multi-use fields, play spaces, and sports fields. The proximity to the Canada Olympic Park isn’t perhaps meaningful in any substantive way, but is nice all the same. In the creation of the facility, to the day-to-day experience of the school, the school prides itself on the community that it both serves and represents, and well it should. There’s a village feel throughout, which only amplifies the academic work being done. Parents feel as much a part of the school as the students, which supports the work of the school in lots of overt and subtle ways. Staff are dedicated and experienced, and the daily routines—from drop off to aftercare—are friendly and sympathetic to the needs of parents and everything that can pop up in the course of a day.
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"Claren Academy is a future-focused independent school located in downtown Vancouver. Claren Academy has a brand new campus and a vibrant middle years program for students in grades 7, 8, and 9. With individualized learning plans, dedicated educators, strong fundamentals, and real, hands-on learning, Claren Academy gives students the tools to be creative, competent, and happy in their changing world."
"Central to Waldorf education is a deep respect for childhood. Our enriched curriculum is designed to meet children where they are in their development. Movement and time in nature is built into every student’s daily rhythm. The Waldorf learning experience is hands-on, with unwired and low-tech classrooms. The arts — music, story, drawing, painting, and drama — are interwoven through all subjects. Students also learn two world languages, French and German."
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"This whole-child approach to education is rooted in the Waldorf concepts of "feeling, thinking, willing," and "heart, head, hands." These concepts are based on Dr. Rudolf Steiner's philosophies, and adapted for a changing world. We strive to honour, nurture, and protect the childhood of our students; to guide them into healthy adolescence; and to help them mature in ways that go beyond the simply material aspects of our nature and our world."
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"Our philosophy prioritizes the integration of arts, imagination, and movement into all academic disciplines. Our curriculum fosters intellectual flexibility and creative thinking, with an eye to ethics and morality. Knowledge is important, but understanding what to do with that knowledge is critical. We believe that becoming a successful human is a function of weaving together a rich tapestry of capacities and abilities."
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"The use of electronic media, particularly television, by young children is discouraged in Waldorf schools. So too is the over-emphasis of commercialism and busy extra-curricular schedules. The importance of a balanced and strong family life is emphasized, encouraged and supported at our school."
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"Waldorf class teachers build strong relationships with their students. Our methodology is rooted in rhythm and routine, and supported by having a Class Teacher. The teacher stays with their class for several consecutive years, acting as mentor, role model, and guardian. A Class Teacher is better able to assess each individual's development needs, and fosters shared experience and a strong bond between the teacher and the students and their families."
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Waldorf
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Progressive (sometimes called "in- quiry-based") curricula attempt to place children's interests and ideas at the heart of the learning experience. Instead of lessons being driven by predetermined pathways, progressive curricula are often "emergent", with learning activities shaped by students' questions about the world. Instead of starting with academic concepts and then tying it to everyday experience, progressive methods begin with everyday experience and work back to an academic lesson. Teachers provide materials, experiences, tools and resources to help students investigate a topic or issue. Students are encouraged to explore, reflect on their findings, and discuss answers or solutions.
Waldorf schools are available from preschool to Grade 12, though they are most popular at the younger ages. Waldorf schools are unmistakably "progressive". Rudolf Steiner, their intellectual forefather, believed the educator's first task should be to help students develop an aesthetic appreciation for life and learning. Sometimes incorrectly conflated with Montessori schools, Waldorf schools focus on developing the "whole child" - emphasizing collaborative, hands-on learning, along with the arts and music, which are integrated into other areas of study.
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Claren Academy prepares students for the world of the future, with strong academic foundations and creative use of technology. We strive to develop critical thinkers who are caring, confident, lifelong learners in a diverse community. We foster creativity, joy, and passion for learning through our personal connections with each student and their family. We provide opportunities, encouragement, inspiration, and mentoring for each child. We use the B.C. curriculum to provide strong fundamentals using developmentally appropriate practices and materials, while also exposing students to forward-looking areas of study such as programming, virtual reality, robotics, and much more. Our technology-enhanced personalized learning takes place in a school environment that emphasizes creativity, independence, entrepreneurial skills, and academics. There is an equal emphasis on acceleration and enrichment. All students are immersed in a creative learning process through exploration, critical thinking, and reflection. Together the students think, work, and create in a way that demonstrates their new understanding.
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These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
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For the core foundational subjects of literacy and math we used a levelled program that fits students into their just-right group, regardless of grade. That allows students to have more support as needed, and to advance with mastery.
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Balanced reading programs are typically Whole Language programs with supplementary phonics training. This training might be incidental, or it might take the form of mini-lessons.
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For the core foundational subjects of literacy and math we used a levelled program that fits students into their just-right group, regardless of grade. That allows students to have more support as needed, and to advance with mastery.
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Programs that balance systematic and process approaches equally likely have an emphasis on giving young students ample opportunities to write, while providing supplementary class-wide instruction in grammar, parts of sentences, and various writing strategies.
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For the core foundational subjects of literacy and math we used a levelled program that fits students into their just-right group, regardless of grade. That allows students to have more support as needed, and to advance with mastery.
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Science programs that balance expository and inquiry learning equally will likely have an equal blend of tests and experiments; direct, textbook-based instruction and student-centred projects.
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No matter how much the world changes, creativity and inventiveness are skills that will always be in demand. The Oxford study The Future of Employment states, “Specialist occupations involving the development of novel ideas and artifacts, are the least susceptible to computerisation.” This includes occupations in the fields of science and engineering, but it also includes work in the fields of entertainment, helping, and the arts. We foster creativity in our students by reducing emphasis on rote memorization, and by teaching them to find answers for themselves, critically assessing the information available.
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Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
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Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Not applicable
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Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
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Not applicable
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Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
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A major effort is made to integrate the development of digital literacy throughout the curriculum and in everything students do. Digital literacy is understood to be a fundamental skill in the 21st century: it therefore follows, the idea goes, that teachers should find ways to connect every lesson back to technology. Effort is made to ensure the use of technology is meaningful and advances students’ skills beyond what they would otherwise be from using computers outside the classroom.
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Humans evolved to enjoy play because play helps us to learn about our environment and prepare for our adult lives. However, learning only feels like play when it is hands-on, self-directed, and self-motivated. Students are excited about learning when they can see how the subject at hand will be relevant to their lives. Most high school students are not excited about learning the quadratic formula because they don't see how it will ever be useful to them outside of school. At Claren Academy, we expose students to aspirational fields in a hands-on way to show that their studies will indeed help them to excel in the areas they most enjoy. Our students are introduced to: Computer programming Digital art & music Robotics & electronics Entrepreneurship Science experiments 3D printing Broadcasting & streaming Digital film making & animation Virtual reality Molecular gastronomy (cooking!) Game design and much more!
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Web design
Robotics
Computer science
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Waldorf
Play-based programs are the most common type of preschool and Kindergarten, and are founded on the belief young children learn best through play. Largely open-ended and minimally structured, play-based programs aim to develop social skills and a love of attending school. “Pre-academic” skills are taught, but in a more indirect way than at, say, an Academic program: through children playing in different “stations” set up around the classroom, which children choose on their own volition. Stations often contain an indirect lesson or developmental goal. Play-based classrooms are highly social and active.
Highly group-oriented and with a strong emphasis on creative and imaginative play, Waldorf preschool and Kindergarten programs have very little to no emphasis on academics. A Waldorf environment will often feel more like a home than a traditional classroom -- the goal being to instill comfort and and a sense of predictability in students’ day. This emphasis on comfort and predictability also manifests through a heavy use of repetition: for example, teachers might read the same story multiple days in a row. Waldorf schools ask parents to refrain from offering children TV or computers at home, and aim to develop in children a connection to the natural world. If you want to learn more about Waldorf education, check out our comprehensive guide.
We have developed a method of teaching to personalize learning for each child. Teachers prepare materials, centre play activities and projects with our students' interests and needs in mind. Our programs are inspired by the approaches used in Reggio Emilia, Montessori and Play-based programs. Humans evolved to enjoy play because play helps us to learn about our environment and prepare for our adult lives. However, learning feels like play most often when it is hands-on, self-directed, and self-motivated. Students are excited about learning when they can see how the subject at hand will be relevant to their lives.
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Standard-enriched
Broadly-speaking, the main curriculum -- like that of most schools -- paces the provincially-outlined one. This pace is steady and set by the teachers and school. The curriculum might still be enriched in various ways: covering topics more in-depth and with more vigor than the provincial one, or covering a broader selection of topics.
Broadly-speaking, the main curriculum -- like that of most schools -- paces the provincially-outlined one. This pace is steady and set by the teachers and school. The curriculum might still be enriched in various ways: covering topics more in-depth and with more vigor than the provincial one, or covering a broader selection of topics.
Our students have opportunities each day to learn across grades in a large group setting as well as smaller groups based on ability and/or on curriculum.
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A school with a “supportive” academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a “rigorous” academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
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"We intentionally avoid all forms of public distinction between students in terms of academic performance."
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Intellectual
The goal is to cultivate "academically strong, creative and critical thinkers, capable of exercising rationality, apprehending truth, and making aesthetic distinctions."
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Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
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We foster creativity in our students by reducing emphasis on rote memorization, and by teaching them to find answers for themselves. Similarly, we encourage diversity over conformity, and instead of a "one size fits all" program, our students are at liberty to explore their own areas of interest, permitted that a strong grasp of core subjects has been demonstrated.
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RecreationalRec. |
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Badminton |
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Baseball |
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Basketball |
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Canoeing/Kayaking |
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Cricket |
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Cross-country skiing |
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Cycling |
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Downhill skiing |
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Equestrian |
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Fencing |
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Field Hockey |
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Figure Skating |
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Football |
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Golf |
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Gymnastics |
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Ice Hockey |
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Ice Skating |
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Lacrosse |
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Martial Arts |
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Mountain biking |
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Racquet Ball |
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Rowing |
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Rugby |
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Running |
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Sailing |
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Skateboarding |
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Snowboarding |
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Soccer |
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Softball |
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Squash |
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Swimming |
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Tennis |
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Track & Field |
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Volleyball |
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Weightlifting |
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Wrestling |
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Archery |
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Curling |
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Ultimate |
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
K - 8
Preschool - 9
0%
0%
$9,000
$0
75%
0%
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Rolling
Not available
Not available
Not available
Yes: grades K - 6
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Admission to grades K-8 at Claren Academy is based on: - The candidate's social, emotional, and developmental readiness - The family's interview - The candidate's actions during the play-based observation - The school's assessment of references and past academic records The following may also be considered: - Availability of space in the year to which the candidate is applying - Diversity and gender balance - Siblings of students already enrolled
Please visit our admissions page to learn about our requirements and process.
Claren Academy is accepting applications for kindergarten to grade 8, adding a grade each year up to grade 12. Children born from 2010 to 2018 are eligible to apply for 2023.
Application steps:
Interviews and play evaluations take place on a rolling basis. Placement decisions will be announced within two weeks of your interview and observation. Successful applicants will then be asked for a deposit to secure enrolment.
Please visit our admissions page to learn about our requirements and process.
