Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Bond Academy (2020)

What I looked for in a school was, ‘Do they have strong academics? Will they provide a high-quality education?’ Bond Academy has delivered on that value. I transitioned into the private sector, and I joined Bond Academy with my son. We joined Bond Academy when my son was in Grade 9.

Bond Academy creates and develops a well-rounded person. They create a person that is open-minded, kind, and understands that diversity. They really prepare the child for the real world, not just the academic world, not just the school life. The outcome of attending Bond Academy is a child that not only can successfully work at a university level but in the future, in the career that they will pursue, they will have foundations around a personality that has been developed, that is well-rounded. In my own job, the people that I hire have to be well-rounded people, not only skilled to do the job, but also a diverse, positive, energetic, compassionate and understanding of each other's values and culture, and that's what Bond brings.

I feel I have a partnership with the teachers, who I can reach out to for support. I know that my son has the same feeling. But as with any partnership, you as a parent also need to be engaging and reach out to the teachers, to the counsellors, to the principal. And it does make a parent feel very comfortable that the construct around Bond is one that gives you that outcome.

Now I have a happy child that enjoys coming to school. He's up at 7 in the morning, because we have to travel to come to school, always with a smile, happy to come to school. And there is no challenge of having to coerce him or coax him out of the door. He wants to come to school. I know my son is creating a strong foundation to get to his Grade 12 year next year. Whatever he wishes to do, he's going to be ready to do it.

Bond Academy states in their vision statement that they are striving towards high quality education to develop a well-rounded person. And I think as a parent, we stay at Bond Academy because we want our children to take advantage of the values there, because those values represent success in the future.

Bond Academy strives for community engagement. They look at sports as a way to be a more rounded individual and that all contributes to your child becoming a member of society that adds value.

Bond Academy provides a lot of teachings on behaviour, to ensure that the students understand what it means to bully, or what it means not to have biases, or what it means to respect each other. Students are human beings that are developing their character, their personality. I felt supported in having open, trusting discussions that involved the teachers, the principals, and the child so that we can all figure out how to support the child, to further grow, to further learn.

I could see that the kids were safe at Bond Academy, they were cared for, and for me, that meant everything. I could see not only the activities they were doing, but just the fun that they were having at the school. It's a safe place and it's familiar and comfortable.

I had my two kids come out of Montessori, where they were used to being challenged and they needed that challenge, and the teacher was able to accommodate both of them. Bond Academy can modify their program to suit not only Montessori students, but children coming from Kindergarten.

My kids have really thrived here. They love the personal attention they get from all of the teachers. Sometimes it's really hard to get my daughter out of Bond Academy. She loves all of the activities offered at Bond Academy. The academy offers sports, drama, music, there's really something for everyone.

My daughter loves that all of the teachers know who she is, and ask her how she is doing. They really take the time to get to know her, and find out what's going on. In the past, we've asked her, 'does she ever think about leaving schools?' And she will quickly answer, no. Bottom line, my daughter loves Bond Academy.

You would have to look into which program at Bond Academy you think would suit your child better. The programs are extremely different. The Kindergarten is play-based, and the Montessori is very structured. It's a very different learning environment and a parent would have to decide which environment would be better for their child. I can't remember a time where we had one child move from one to the other.

Both the Kindergarten and the Montessori have French classes. We have three courses a week for 30 minutes. Previously, we were doing a Mandarin class. We have not done that yet this year and I'm not sure if that will be available. But in previous years, we have had Mandarin also.

I’d describe Bond Academy as loyal, high-achieving, and fun, lots of fun.

Bond Academy is a very kind, caring environment. The teachers are involved with the children, whether they teach them daily or they just work with them in activities in the school. It certainly gives you a warm feeling when you're here. We actually call ourselves the ‘Bond family’, which might sound hokey to some people, but that really is the feeling in the school.

It's wonderful that children can make the transition from the elementary program to the secondary program. Or, if they’re little, they can start their lives in school here, with all of the support that they have. It makes the Academy a very special place.

Bond Academy has small classes; even on a regular normal year, our class size would be maybe 16 in high school at the most. All of Bond Academy’s teachers in the high school are here till 4:15 pm, and the students can just wander in and get extra help from their teacher in the classroom. At 4:15, they can then go into either of two rooms we have for additional academic support.

Bond Academy only has residence for students who are 16 and older. Most of the students and our residents are international students, and they mainly come from China. A lot of students who had joined our school in Grade 11 come here for Grade 11 and 12, and get their Ontario diplomas, so they could go to Canadian and American universities.

Students can get a lot of academic support, but Bond Academy also will introduce them to sports teams on a regular basis. We also have choirs and bands, theatre, and one-on-one counselling to make sure they understand academic expectations.

Bond Academy is the only school that runs a virtual university fair. We start them early, thinking about university in Grade 9, and they're aware of all the support that's available at Bond Academy.

Bond Academy does not have a lot of ESL students, but assistance is available for those who require language skill development. Bond Academy has wonderful arts programs, and specialists teach subjects like maths and science from Grade 7 and 8.

Bond Academy’s academic standards are second to none. We also have enhanced opportunities for the students, plus various activities and clubs. My granddaughter, for instance, is in a meditation group.

There are teams at Bond Academy, like cross country, basketball, volleyball, and others, promoting a healthy, active lifestyle. The head of our department really inspires students to be involved in the activities and teams.

The students are shown through example, through being involved in activities, how one should behave. We don't have issues like bullying at Bond Academy. This is due to the character development we encourage, and our students would be appalled to see such behaviour.

When new students come in, they're warmly welcomed by all the current students. Socially, it's never been an issue when we bring new students to Bond Academy.