Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Academie Providence (2021)
Academie Providence alumni, current students, and parents shared their insights on the school’s culture, values, strengths, and weaknesses. Hear what Jöelle, Maher, Andrea had to say about the school.
Video Contents
- 2:45 - What did you appreciate most about the private school during your time there? And how is your perspective on that change now?
- 5:29 - How did you feel about the class size?
- 5:58 - If your school were to be represented as a single person, what would its personality be like in only three words?
- Show Full Video Contents
Highlights from the Q&A discussion
Jöelle — current parent
Jöelle has been a part of the Académie Providence family for almost a decade and has four children that attend the school. She feels the school has taught her children to be respectful and interact with their peers with love and kindness. She appreciates that the school and the other families share similar values of excellence, diversity, and social consciousness. Jöelle has peace of mind knowing that her children are in good hands at Académie Providence and are well prepared for their future academic endeavours.
- “I describe [Académie Providence as having] all the qualities you can find in your mother. So whatever you want to learn, do, or try, you will go to your mom.”
- “[Académie Providence] is doing what we expected. We're on the same page with them [in terms of] values such as excellence, diversity, integration, and how our kids will be in the community in the future.”
- “Kids [at Académie Providence] act in a very respectful way to other kids in the community. They interact with each other with love, so they're nice to each other. This is what we would like [to see] from the next generation. … I think our kids are going to be ready for that. … I think we're all on the same page in the school.”
- “I know that I share the same values with other parents at [Académie Providence]. This gives me peace of mind and is very valuable to me.”
- “Knowing that my kids are in good hands [with Académie Providence] gives me peace of mind. The families and the school are all on the same page.”
- “We can't hide that we are in a unique phase in our life. COVID is not a small story, where we can just turn the page. I think we will have to learn how to live with it for at least the coming years. Let's be optimistic. We had a good experience with all the challenges we had with online learning, then switching from going to school to being at home completely. … I think what [Académie Providence] and the teachers [at Académie Providence] offered last year was amazing because learning online in itself is challenging. … I think we had a successful year."
Maher — current parent
Maher has one daughter who currently attends Académie Providence. He feels that the school and the other families have similar values of good education, kindness, and community. He believes the teachers at Académie Providence are knowledgeable, disciplined, and welcoming of all the students in their diverse population. He’s impressed with the breadth of extracurricular activities available as well as the focus on sustainable development. Maher appreciates that every teacher knows both him and his daughter by name and that the active parent community puts together social events, ensuring a family atmosphere.
- “[Three words that describe Académie Providence are] knowledgeable, disciplined, and welcoming.”
- “You get that sense that all the families in [Académie Providence] are looking for the same thing. Those values of good education, a sense of family, and a sense of community.”
- “The [Académie Providence] Parents Committee endeavours to put together events, outings, and other things. Not only for the students but the parents [too], to reinforce the sense of community and one big family. [Family is] a gem at the heart of [Académie Providence]. When my wife and I looked at various schools to see what they offered, we did not see that. There is some sense of community, but not in the way that [Académie Providence] encapsulates.”
- “I show up at the door [at Académie Providence], and no matter who's behind the desk, they know my name, and they know my daughter's name. To me, that's an institution that really cares about every individual, every student, and every family.”
- “I was very impressed with how [Académie Providence] was able to handle [online learning during the pandemic], how it was able to continue running, and how we were able to switch from one style of teaching to the next.”
- “There was not even one [COVID] outbreak in our school. … It showed how serious the school took ensuring the health and safety of our kids, their parents, the school, and their staff. I found that very impressive.”
- “[The extracurriculars offered at Académie Providence] was another selling point for us. The beauty of putting your kids [in school], having them do their schooling and their activities all in one place, all part of the same family and the same institution. It’s definitely a plus.”
- “It's impressive the breadth and the number of different activities that [students] can be included in [at Académie Providence].”
- “I find it interesting [how Académie Providence being a] trilingual school has encouraged diversity. … You have kids from, let's say, Lebanese origin, sometimes choosing to learn Spanish and kids from non-Lebanese origin learning Arabic.”
- “Although [Académie Providence] holds traditional values at heart, it's not stuck in tradition. … It is modern and has a strong modern outlook where it tries to teach kids things like sustainable development, interest in being clean, and respect for the environment. These types of things are important right now for many people in our day-to-day lives."
Andrea — alum
Andrea graduated from Académie Providence in 2015. She appreciated the small classes during her time there, which allowed the teachers to identify each student's learning style. She felt that Académie Providence fostered a family atmosphere, where all students showed each other kindness and worked through any issues quickly. The teachers at the school showed genuine care and interest in their lessons and taught students how to persevere and work hard to achieve their goals. Andrea feels prepared for post-secondary education and is now in her first year at the University of Ottawa, studying political science and law.
- “Most of my friends went to public schools. … When you tell someone you went to a private school with less than 100 students, everyone is [surprised]. The biggest difference [between Académie Providence and other schools] would be the attention teachers have [for each student]. Each [teacher] concentrates on [each individual’s] education and how they learn. For example, I'm a visual learner, and my teachers knew that, and would help me with colours and with examples.”
- “[Académie Providence] gave me all these tools in life to learn more, to find my own way of learning, how to be social, and ask for help.”
- “[What differentiates Académie Providence from other schools is] the bond between students and the family feeling. I would go to school, and I had this one teacher. … And I would mix up her name, and call her ‘Mama,’ because of how close she was. … Because you just feel like you have your mother there all the time. … You feel how caring [the teachers at Académie Providence] are, and how much all of your friends also care about you.”
- “Everyone [at Académie Providence] loves each other. Even though we got into silly little fights as kids, at the end of the day, we wouldn't even meet a teacher to tell us, ‘oh, go talk to your friend and make it fine.’ It was just like, ‘oh, hey, you're my brother. Hey, you're my sister, don't hold anything against me. I love you.’”
- “[Class sizes at Académie Providence were about] 15 students when I was in kindergarten, and then as we grew, there were fewer students [in each class].”
- “I would describe Académie Providence as caring, genuine, and fun. I would be excited to go to school daily.”
- “I remember in fifth and sixth Grade, we visited Embassies [with Académie Providence], and we got to learn about other cultures. I found out it very interesting. Honestly, I loved it the way [Académie Providence] was, and I wouldn't change anything.”
- “I would be so excited to go to [Académie Providence], and I wouldn't want to leave. … We would ask our parents to sign us up for [extracurriculars] just to spend more time with our friends and teachers.”
- “Everyone is super friendly [at Académie Providence] and everyone is super caring. If you feel uncomfortable, you can tell the teacher or confide in one of the students, and they'll let you meet everyone.”
- “[Académie Providence] had a big impact on my life, and it gave me all the tools to be able to go after what I want. I don't think I would be the person I am today if I hadn't gone to [Académie Providence], because they taught me perseverance. They taught me if you want something, you can get it, and you can reach it, even though there are a few mountains you'll have to climb."
