REVIEW OF Agora Prep Academy BY parent, Sara Prince

(5) Student Experience

My daughter has never attended school as she was starting JK and had a hard time being understood. She quickly excelled and we could begin to see the speech improving (after zoom speech therapy which wasn’t working) having the teacher correct her properly and have her slow down to pronounce words, was a very quick improvement and transition. She loves going to school, her Coaches (not teachers) guide her on her learning path and she’s excited about learning new things and loves to come home and give us a full presentation of what she has learned. She has quickly excelled and by the end of her JK year was already starting to work on the grade 1 curriculum, which is not at all the opportunity she would have had in public school. She is excited to be going back in September.

(5) School Leadership

Sylvia & Suzanne run the school. There are monthly news letter, lots of emails to communicate and even social media to let us know about the potential for snow days. As parents, we are always kept up to date with the school events, special days. Sylvia & Suzanne are rockstars. They are always there to greet the parents at pick-up and answer any questions that come up! I love Sylvia’s outgoing personality and you can tell she is passionate about this school, as she started this school for her 3 children who are enrolled as well.

(5) Teaching

The teachers at the school are called Coaches. The coaches are beyond amazing. Instead of waiting to speak with a teacher once every few months, I get daily updates at pick-up time, I get feedback on what my daughter learned, what kind of day she had, what she needs to work on or improve, etc. It’s amazing to have that 2-minute conversation at the end of each day, so I can see daily progress. I couldn’t imagine waiting months to find out how my daughter is doing. My daughter's coaches are amazing, they do one-on-one so she can learn more advanced concepts for her age and she’s learning material from the curriculum 2 grades ahead of hers and they have such patience to help her learn. The small class sizes are perfect for the children to thrive with the patient, nurturing coaches. I couldn’t imagine having it any other way.

(5) Academics

There is no set learning strategy. The kids can figure out how they learn best and the coaches work with that to teach them the materials. Whether it be in a group setting or working on individual learning, the kids are taught how they learn best. It’s very rare to have a teacher at a blackboard. They are taught new ideas and concepts but learn on their own, learning subjects they want to learn. My daughter in JK has numerous topics she had to research and remember and present to her class. This is an amazing way to grow confidence in public speaking and also to learn how to learn with the guidance she needs. There is always some available to help her and she has definitely excelled.

(5) Extracurriculars

For a JK student outdoor time is very important. They have Coach Steve for PE. They do fun activities and learn different sports. They also get outdoor time to play and run and get fresh air, which is very important in a learning environment. With the classroom setting bringing a different atmosphere than just desks and a teacher at a blackboard, there is time for the kids to explore what interests them. This is not your typical school.

(5) Students

Wow! All I can say is I was blown away at the year-end presentation with JK students to grade 3. Young students develop products and show them how they worked and how they were going to sell them. Students at a young age create websites and far more advanced technology than most people know, my little JK student teaching us all about the starfish, it’s incredible with small class sizes and coaches who have time to focus on these kids and what they can do. I was extremely impressed by how well they all sat and waited for their turn, were respectful of others' presentations and you could tell there were some close bonds between the students. I would say that there will be some lifelong friendships created from these years.

(5) School Life

Yes, my daughter loves this school. After some hiccups this year, I had to contemplate putting my daughter in public school. I started talking to other parents of students the same age as my daughter and I found that even though I had no choice, she was not going to be happy going, she was going to lack the great care, one-on-one attention, and the accelerated program. By some miracle, truly a miracle, my daughter can go back to the school, and she is very excited to be entering SK this fall. She has developed close relationships with the Coaches, the admin, and the other students and she truly doesn’t want to go to any other school. There really is not much that the kids don’t have. They have a sensory room, they have amazing toys and activities that keep them learning. That you wouldn’t find in just any regular school.

(5) Community

The parents all see each other at pick-up time and drop-off. I have created friendships and been to birthday parties and outing with the other moms. This has created a sense of community, rather than just a school. The school does receive feedback from parents and does take this into account. They will be starting a parent committee this year for parents to be way more involved. There is so much communication from the school, no one is left in the dark about any aspect of the school that affects your child. There are also parent volunteers for those who truly want to be involved in the day-to-day. There is no shortage of communication with parents, this is something that the school and coaches excel in, is transparency.

(5) School Location

The school is located in Aurora, right next to a great outdoor area, a quick walk to a park and is in a strip mall. The school is located in a very safe, family-friendly area with other schools very close by. The location is perfect for the school now, but I am sure in time, they will be growing out of it and ready for a larger space as word gets out about this incredible school.