REVIEW OF Glarea Elevated Learning BY parent, Angela Wu

(5) Student Experience

My son was very shy and introverted. Since starting at Glarea he's become a whole new little person! The small class sizes allow him to receive individualized attention from his teachers. Ms. Bunwait and Ms.Mahay are absolutely incredible with all the students. The school gives them so much opportunity to learn new things you just don't get in public schools. He comes home and is excited to teach his little sister the Mandarin and French he's learned at school. He loved his field trip to Code Ninja. He can't wait for Tues and Thurs because he looks forward to skating! I can't say enough wonderful things about this school. We have seen him flourish in the past couple of months since he joined. He went from being completely frozen and running off stage during the Halloween Monster Ball to dancing and singing to the seniors just this morning! This was the best decision for him. We are so happy and pleased with the school. I would highly recommend it.

(5) School Leadership

The school leadership and administration have been all-stars. We receive constant communication about our son's progress and we are so grateful to receive picture updates on the parent platform. They are very observant of all the students and provide feedback daily which is very much appreciated. They are also very open and approachable which makes me comfortable as a parent to talk to them. I am confident in how they handle issues and how they address and teach the students. We just recently had a parent-teacher conference and walked out of there so impressed. I am gushing about this school to everyone that has toddlers.

(5) Teaching

I am happy with the quality of instruction. The teachers are passionate and knowledgeable about their subjects. They are also up to date on the best ways to teach the students in an effective manner. My son went into Kindergarten and we had no idea the impact it would have on him. He used to always tell me he did not want to go to preschool. Now, he tells me he can't wait to go to school. He's really blossomed since he started in mid-October. I am appreciative of both teachers giving constant feedback and letting us know if there was something we needed to work on. It feels good to know that we are all working as a team to raise the children. The school you pick for your child is so important because they ultimately spend more time at school than at home. This was the best decision we have made.

(5) Academics

We love Glarea's academic approach. I feel like they do a great job blending the traditional curriculum with a modern twist. They keep up with today's needs and include coding within their curriculum. The school's strengths lie in personalized learning paths, tech integration, and emphasis on critical thinking. The school fosters an inclusive, collaborative atmosphere encouraging curiosity and innovation. They focus on real-world applications, which cultivates an environment stimulating creativity and problem-solving. The program equips students with versatile skills. In theory, this should prepare students well for diverse career paths, teaching them adaptability and resilience. Some parents might feel this is rigorous for a child but from my perspective, this is the perfect amount. My child is a sponge. I see how excited he is to learn new things and to teach us the things he's learned in school. The small class sizes at this school gives them the opportunity to learn as much as they want and can handle. I feel like this school is perfect for our family.

(5) Extracurriculars

There are lots of opportunities for extracurricular activities. The students have full control over what clubs they want where students take the lead. For example, the past six weeks, there was an arts club, soccer club, beading club and comic club. We will have to wait and see what the students come up with for the next round of activities! In addition to the clubs, there is also swimming, martial arts, gym, theatre, and skating. Not all at the same time during the year, only skating is a year-long activity. The rest are I believe 8-week programs. Don't quote me on that. I am confident this school will help shape students into well-rounded individuals.

(5) Students

This school is very intimate. My son is in kindergarten and currently, his class has just 6 kids. They don't accept more than 15 kids per class which is unheard of especially when schools are now bursting at the seams. We are really lucky to have found this school when it's pretty much just opened. It's really what stood out to us. Our child gets the attention he needs from the teachers and can be pushed as he needs it. The small class sizes allow more flexibility and the teachers can adapt to what is needed for the class. They often visit other classrooms and they've created clubs where they are socializing with the different grades. It feels very warm and cozy. Just like one big family.

(5) School Life

The kids here have a very supportive community of peers, teachers and parents. He loves attending school for the variety of activities, for his friends (yes! he's made friends, yay!!!), he loves his teachers and he loves learning Mandarin too (Ms. Tina is doing an incredible job fostering interest in the language). It's been almost exactly two months since we've been there and we still have nothing but positive things to say about this school. School drop off is 7:45 am School pickup is 3:40 pm There is an option to pick up by 5:30: you just need to let the teachers know the month before. I think this is SUCH a considerate offer. I don't know any other school that offers this perk. This allows parents that need the extra time to finish off work and pick up at a later time.

(5) Community

To be honest, I never in my wildest dreams would think I'd get along with any other moms. I'm normally considered very quiet and boring but I'm telling you all the parents I've met are phenomenal. Everyone I've met is very involved in their child's life and works with the teachers to make decisions best for their child. We as parents are encouraged to participate and be active. There is a PAC that all parents are welcome to join and they are very involved in shaping the community and have really made an effort to put on really fun events for the kids and their families. I also love their commitment to not just the Glarea community but how we can support communities outside Glarea (e,g., sponsoring families over Christmas). I am grateful the school teaches social responsibility and awareness of not just what goes on in the school but what is happening around the community/world as well.

(5) School Location

What is unique about this school is the students are immersed in their surrounding community. Just this morning they were going to walk to a senior centre to carol to seniors (due to kids being kids and cold/flu seasons, they did Zoom instead). They walk to a nearby gym to learn to be active, they partake in skating at the ice rink, this summer they will be walking to the community center for swimming lessons and many more.