REVIEW OF Carmel New Church School BY parent, Aishwarya Balan

(5) Student Experience

My son loves his school. When he wakes up Saturday morning he is so disappointed that school is not open on weekends. He loves the outdoor discovery time, and the engaging creative activities they get to do. The campus is beautiful and his class is surrounded by big windows where he can see the green lush forest surrounding the school. Learning is very hands-on here and the kids get to learn a lot using all their senses. He has become so observant of his surroundings now. He loves that it is a smaller class where he can learn so much about each of his classmates and create deep bonds. Each week they have activities to showcase their own personalities and culture which is so inclusive.

(5) School Leadership

They send out weekly communications via email keeping us informed of the activities taking place and coming up at school. This way we know what to expect. The app we use to communicate with my son's teacher is a great tool as well. We are active on there and constantly receive updates from my son's teacher and she is quick to respond to any questions we may have. The way everyone greets each kid by name as they arrive and leave school truly shows how involved and invested they are in our children.

(5) Teaching

During our parent-teacher meetings, our son's teacher provides us with a detailed record of my son's school experience. How he is doing academically, socially, emotionally, creatively...it's definitely a holistic experience. They take into account my son's greatest strengths and try to sharpen his skills even further by giving him challenges. And they take into account where he needs a little more guidance and invest time into turning those into strengths. Each child is unique and they really go by that. During these meetings, the teachers shares so many incidents that happened where my son was being so funny or creative and she goes into detail about each incident. This goes to show they really record everything and are deeply invested in my son.

(5) Academics

My son is in JK so the focus is more on getting him acquainted with the school environment and gauging where he is academically and socially. I love their system of grading which looks at the child as a whole consistently over a period of time. I am not sure how the education is in higher grades but I have heard only good things from other parents who have older children attending other grades. For such an affordable tuition they are offering above and beyond. Plus they factor in all aspects of our children. The focus is not only on academics. They want our children to excel in all aspects of their life. I truly appreciate that and see that as a huge advantage for the school.

(5) Extracurriculars

So far yes. My son is in JK so we have not been here for an entire year. But so far he has attended multiple community events at school, participated in the Terry Fox run at school, and at the Christmas special last December. He practiced so much and we were so proud watching him on stage beaming with joy and he was so confident. He looks forward to the special lunches they have every month too.

(5) Students

Each student greets us in the morning and afternoon during pick-up and drop-off times. They are very respectful and well-mannered. Greeting each student, teacher and parent. The older children often take responsibility for the younger children and ensure they are involved in the games they play in the morning as they wait to go to class. I have noticed this during school performances as well during after hours, the older children ensure the younger kids are seated before the performances and lead the way for them and guide them. They all know my son's name and involve him in their activities. I haven't seen that anywhere, definitely that wasn't the case when I was growing up. Older siblings don't usually want to hang out with their younger siblings and their classmates.

(5) School Life

When my son wakes up on Saturday morning, he is so disappointed that school is not open during the weekend. That clearly shows how much he loves his school! He talks about his classmates all the time, their siblings, the pets they have and what they all did at school. He loves the freedom he has to be creative and showcase his true personality at school. It's truly a safe space for him to be who he is and be supported by his peers, teachers and others. All the children who pass by greet by son by his name and greet us as his parents. They are extremely well-mannered and value each person. Again there is a holistic approach to everything they do.

(5) Community

As a parent, I am informed of everything taking place at the school. The principal sends out an email every week with the list of all activities and reminders so that we are looped in. Those are really helpful and we take the time to read through that and have the ability to look back at important dates. We engage in play dates for the children and get to know their parents. During special school performances at school, we get to meet and interact with other parents which is great too. Again this being a relatively smaller school, it is so nice that we get to know each person by name and foster deeper relationships. The entire community breathes the same values and that is something we feel connected to.

(5) School Location

The campus is extremely beautiful. The school has a huge playground and the classrooms are surrounded by green lush trees. The view of nature from their classrooms is breathtaking. The school is also surrounded by a lovely neighborhood. Most of the students live within walking distance or a short drive. We live within 10 minutes of the school. I have seen older children go for nature walks in and around the campus and neighborhood with their teachers.

(5) Admissions

It is a relatively smaller school so the admin process is very tailored-made to your child and specific to your application. The process was simple and seamless and there was sufficient support along the way. It wasn't stressful at all. The initial visits were very pleasant and we had ample opportunities to reach out and address all our concerns. The paperwork was very intuitive and easy to follow through and again the principal and the admin staff were always willing to answer our calls or meet us in person to discuss.