How we see Cambridge International Academy
Cambridge International Academy offers a safe, nurturing, and cooperative learning environment designed to help kids thrive from Grade one. Following an enriched Ontario curriculum that’s supplemented with resources that help kids excel, the caring staff at Cambridge International Academy prepare students for success in a rapidly transforming, competitive, and global society. Small classes and a tight-knit community allow school staff to develop close relationships with every child, guiding their moral and emotional growth. A varied range of extracurriculars—robotics, math club, sports, debate, drama, poetry, and many more— are seen as essential to student success and character development. High schoolers participate in leadership opportunities such as the Model UN and DECA, as well as after-school clubs and volunteer opportunities within the local community. Cambridge International helps kids succeed in their chosen areas of interest through customized educational pathways, and its graduates are frequently offered admission to Canada’s top universities.
How Cambridge International Academy sees itself
"Cambridge International Academy is a ministry inspected co-ed private school in Ajax, which customizes and enriches the Ontario curriculum for students from grades 1 to 12. Using customized planning which caters to the aptitudes and interests of the student, we help students achieve their potential. With strong parent partnerships, our Elementary Programs help students transition to high school. For high school, we design the curriculum to ensure students are able to achieve their post-secondary goals."
"Every student receives an Individual Student Plan so that their learning experience is personalized and customized to their individual needs, interests, talents, and skill level. The Student Plan is comprised of customized academic programs such as Blended Learning, Reach Ahead, & AP, volunteer initiatives, interesting co-curriculars, as well as academic and non-academic outside competitions. Lastly, we offer cross-curricular coding to increase the technology proficiency of students."
"Families join Cambridge International Academy because of our personalized approach to education. Our customized programs (Blended Learning, Reach Ahead, & AP classes) challenge our students so that they thrive academically, socially, and personally. Our small class sizes provide students individual attention to successfully complete the curriculum and ready them for the next higher grade level. Our parents appreciate the frequent updates about their child's academic progress."
"Families are surprised by the frequent communication and the variety of co-curriculars at school. Our teachers frequently communicate with parents to offer the 'next steps' to keep their children engaged and challenged in their learning. In addition, our teachers coach students to perform their best in a wide range of co-curricular activities. This year, students in our Math Club won University of Waterloo's 2021 Zone Champion Award for the Canadian Intermediate Mathematics & Computing Contest."
"The kitchen & dining area are sometimes overlooked by prospective parents. Initially, parents don’t realize the significant academic & social learning that takes place in these gathering areas. Students not only learn about healthy eating habits, kitchen safety, and food preparation but they also gain a deeper understanding, respect, and appreciation for diversity while they prepare and taste each other’s cultural traditional foods. Transferable skills acquired through cooking are beneficial."
"1. Personalized & Customized Educational Pathways to receive the greatest opportunity to learn
2. Academic focus in tandem with a wide range of co-curricular initiatives to enhance the school experience
3. Diverse student body that brings value to students’ learning
4. Parents and the community as essential partners in Character Education
5. Professional and caring educators improve the quality of education and outcomes for each student
6. 100% acceptances to renowned universities"
High Power Basketball between classes
Working collaboratively on an assignment.
How people from the school’s community see Cambridge International Academy
Top-down influence on the school’s direction and tone
Sandra Arff, Principal
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Cambridge International Academy. Our primary objective is to assure your child experiences a positive, productive, and safe school environment in which he/she will self-actualize and grow academically, emotionally, and morally. The staff at Cambridge International Academy creates an atmosphere of cooperative learning, and encourages each student to develop critical judgment and to become an independent thinker, able to work effectively with others, and be inspired with a life-long curiosity and love of learning. We believe achieving success is beyond the walls of a school classroom or an acceptance from a prestigious University; it is the inner motivation, solid work ethic, personal responsibility, drive, and an active way of life that helps students to thrive beyond post-secondary education.
Recognizing that parents are the prime educators, Cambridge International Academy is committed to working with parents and host families to develop and promote a common philosophy. Together, we share the critically important enterprise of preparing our children for active and positive living.
In addition to offering reach 'ahead credits' to grades 7 & 8, and promoting social responsibility, our small class sizes develop nurturing and positive working relationships with students. We support a learning environment that encompasses personal development, community involvement, academic achievement and leadership to be part of their Cambridge experience. Our teaching staff is dedicated to meeting the ever-changing needs of our students.
On behalf of the entire staff at Cambridge International Academy, we look forward to inspire and challenge your child to excel in all facets of his/her learning and to attain his/her potential. Visit Cambridge International Academy and experience a difference in education and innovation. This may be one of the best decisions you will make in your life. We invite you to look at our information package and discover an enriching way of education.
If you’re considering a small school for your extroverted child, make sure it offers plenty of social opportunities, including the ability to seek out and interact with different peer groups. Since smaller schools have smaller and less diverse student populations than big schools, it can sometimes be more challenging for your child to find a like-minded group of friends—friends with similar interests, values, etc.
“It’s important to look at the social makeup of the school,” says Ruth Rumack of Ruth Rumack's Learning Space. "Is there enough variety that your child will have a group that they feel connected with? Because you want to have friends that are like-minded and you want to be in a social situation where you feel honoured and respected. Variety can also be found in extracurriculars, leadership programs, and sports activities, which tend to have kids with a wide range of personalities.”
Also, make sure a school’s teaching and learning approach is suitable for your social child. “For instance, a school focusing on individual learning instead of group learning may not play into your child’s strengths,” say Ann and Karen Wolff, Toronto-based education consultants at Wolff Educational Services. “You want to make sure the social, emotional, and academic realities of the classroom are a match for your child’s personality.”
Smaller schools often have small classrooms and tight-knit communities, which can make it easier for your introverted child to come out of their shell, make friends, and feel like they belong. Since they’re less socially overwhelming, your child should find it easier to navigate their social environment. And since they’re conducive to group work, small classes often have plenty of interaction, which can help your child develop critical interpersonal skills.
Of course, small schools normally have a less diverse student population than big schools, which can sometimes make it more challenging to find a group of like-minded peers—peers with similar personalities, interests, values, etc. This makes it especially important to ask a school about its extracurricular programs, which can help your introverted child establish an intimate social circle.
THE OUR KIDS REPORT: Cambridge International Academy
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