REVIEW OF AVRO Academy BY parent, Dvora Goodman

(5) Student Experience

My son had an excellent experience at AVRO. We found AVRO at a time when school was a huge challenge for our son due to his anxieties. Once he started going, things turned around really quickly. I think that he knew that AVRO was a supportive and understanding environment where he would succeed and not be pressured. The teachers he had at AVRO were fantastic and related well to him. They each formed a relationship with him and came to know his personality, individual needs, and how to challenge him. He knew that they would help when needed and let him work on his own when he could. He felt comfortable in the environment and with the adults around him. We loved the structure of the school for our son - the shorter, more intense courses worked really well for him as he was able to focus on only two courses at a time. The course choices were flexible and fit all of his requirements for graduation and for getting into University. Avro set him up really well for success in university.

Why AVRO Academy?

The school our son went to in grade 9 did not work for him - it was too rigid and large. We found AVRO in the fall of his grade 10 year, and it seemed like it would be the opposite. It was a flexible school in terms of what courses he could take, fewer courses to focus on at a time, and they were truly understanding of times when he could not come to school.

Expectations vs. Reality

AVRO completely worked for our son. The flexibility and understanding were exactly what he needed in a school. Days that he wouldn't go to school became more and more infrequent because he knew that he would be supported at AVRO.

Your Advice

AVRO is a great school for students who need more individualized attention or just more understanding than a larger school. It would be important to consider the social aspects if your child is interested in this aspect of school because it is such a small school.

(5) School Leadership

Any time we had a question or an issue, the principal was incredibly responsive. She usually knew about the issue even before I reached out. While my son did not desire social outlets at school, I saw the school doing a lot to promote a positive school culture. They organized great trips each term, and there were activities for the students to get involved in. I always felt that I knew what was going on in the school overall, and that the communication coming from the principal and teachers was regular and sufficient.

(5) Teaching

My son ended up focusing on math and science in grades 11 and 12, and the instruction he received was top-notch. He was completely engaged, felt supported when doing math problems and learning new concepts, and he appreciated the teachers' experiences. One teacher in particular was incredible. She had a PhD in a science-related field and was always able to inspire my son by making connections to interesting science facts or research. The teachers were also willing to let the students explore topics that interested them within the subject they were learning, which increased the level of engagement. In order to fill the social science requirement for high school, my son ended up taking a personalized course with one teacher who was able to engage him in the subject and have conversations with him 1on1 which made the non-science subject more interesting.

(5) Academics

The academic program is individualized, which was perfect for my son, who was not interested in being in a more typical school. One of the biggest strengths of the program is that it is flexible and meets the needs of each student. When my son first joined, he was missing an English credit, and he was able to make that up even though other students had already completed the course. Because it is so individualized, I wondered if the school was preparing my son for university, as that is where he wanted to go. I wasn't sure that he could handle the course load of 5 courses a semester, as at AVRO, he took 2 at a time. I also didn't know how he would handle exams because I did not see him study for finals at Avro. However, I saw my son thrive at university and know that he was prepared in every way. I think that the individualized attention is precisely what prepared him and led him to be able to use the skills he learned in high school and apply them to a less individualized program.

(2.5) Extracurriculars

My son did not participate at all in extra-curricular activities at Avro, as this was not something he was interested in or could handle at the time. However, when we went to graduation, we learned about the different opportunities that other students enjoyed, and there seemed to be a good balance of things for students to get involved in if they were interested.

(4) Students

It is hard to answer this question as my son did not really interact with the other students at the school. This was not because of Avro, however. It was more to do with what my son needed at the time and what he could handle. I do know that the teachers encouraged students to interact. I loved the relaxed nature of the school facility in that there were several places where students could sit between classes, and it was a relaxed area for them to socialize. My son often sat in a classroom and did his own work when he didn't have class, and that enabled him to talk to the other students if he chose to do so. Overall, I felt like the relaxed and non-traditional school atmosphere helped the students feel comfortable.

(4) School Life

I will start by saying that I don't believe my son would have LOVED going to school anywhere!! That being said, I do believe that Avro was the perfect school for him. Over the three years he spent there, I saw him go from reluctantly attending when he could, to tolerating going every day, to being okay with being at school for much of the day. Avro is not a typical school, and it attracts kids who are looking for something different. What I believe is the quality of life of the students at Avro is that they know the adults around them know them, understand them, care about them, and will support them in any way they need. They know that they will be able to succeed. They know that the school is flexible, and at the same time, they need to come to school and try their best.

(3) Community

I didn't really experience the parent community at Avro, mostly because this was not something that my son wanted or needed from me, nor was it something that I needed from his school. However, I did feel like if I wanted to, I could have been more involved. I do remember on the first day, when my son was having a really hard time getting up the courage to walk into the school building, and I was incredibly stressed out, there was another parent there who had dropped off her child, and she stopped to talk and gave me encouragement. The principal came outside to meet my son, and she clearly had a good relationship with that other parent, and both of their attitudes helped me stay positive and eventually get my son to go in and try out a class. I remember this moment because I felt like I was not alone in having a child who was having a hard time going to school, and it gave me the perspective that he could get through this.

(5) School Location

The school is located in a great location for our family. It is accessible by public transportation, and has a parking lot if that was needed. Students are able to leave the school grounds for lunch, and that gives them independence. The school also organized trips to places around Toronto. I also understand that when needed, since the school doesn't have gym facilities, students travel to other locations.

(5) Admissions

I attended an open house for Avro that gave me a lot of information and allowed me to see how the school would be a good fit for my son. I believe I also then spoke to someone from the school about my son in particular and what would work for him. I don't think there was anything else that we needed to do for admissions. It was not onerous at all, and I think everyone was just looking to make sure that it would be a good fit all around.

(5) University placement and counselling

The teacher who was in charge of university counselling was great. She helped my son understand what he needed to know about the options, and checked with him regularly to see if he needed any support. He didn't apply to any programs with supplementary applications, so the process was quite simple. Avro also organized a webinar with an expert on helping neurodiverse students transition to university, which was an enormous help for us and gave us so much information about how to support him in the application, in applying for the student services prior to beginning, and then to set him up to go away to school. My son got into the undergraduate program that he wanted and has been very successful there in his first year. I was also able to talk to some of his teachers about the support that they thought he might need to be successful in his first year in his course. Everyone was incredibly supportive.