In 2016, Jennifer & David Weinstein relocated to Belleville, Ontario from Chicago, Michigan. At that time, Ben and Aaron were in Grades 4 and 6. Both children had attended private school in Chicago and were accustomed to smaller class sizes. The small student to teacher ratio at Albert confirmed David & Jennifer’s decision to enroll Ben and Aaron into Albert College’s Junior School. The Weinstein’s wanted to ensure that their children would receive individualized attention from their teachers, that they would be challenged when excelling and given extra attention in areas where they may be struggling. They wanted their children in an environment where they would truly get to know their classmates and teachers were able to tailor lessons to suit the needs of individual students. David credits small class sizes for both Ben and Aaron’s academic success. “Small class sizes have offered our children a lot of one-on-one time with their teachers. Because of the individualized attention our kids are receiving at Albert College, they’re doing really well in their academics.”
Having a close-knit family environment at school, allows for frequent communication between parents and teachers. According to Jennifer, “What is most appreciated about Albert is that you really get to know the teachers. There is very strong home-school connection. You feel like you know what is going on day-to-day.” Being in the loop eases parent anxiety and reassures parents that Albert College teachers are supporting their child's development. “When we drop our kids off in the morning, we don’t have to worry about them because we know they are safe on campus. The boys do a lot of extracurricular activities in the evening, when we pick them up from a nighttime event, even when it is dark out, we do not worry about them. There is so much going on at Albert College in the way of sports, music and activities, we don’t have to travel for these things on the weekends.”
The Weinstein’s also appreciate Albert College’s progressive remote learning program.
“The one advantage of coming to Albert College, even before COVID, is that the teachers house a lot of student resources online. So, if your child was away for the day, they could still easily catch up by reviewing Google classroom or submitting their assigned work online. Further, the students do the majority of their homework during school hours, which makes them available to do activities as a family.”
Jennifer and David are grateful for the amazing community Albert College has offered their family. “Our kids have made lots of friends at Albert College. As they’ve gotten older their friendship base has extended into multiple grades. We as parents have made friends with lots of other families too. We enjoy the annual Albert Family BBQ and all of the events at the school. It’s a great way to meet people and everyone has been really nice and welcoming. Even though we came in after other families had been enrolled for 3,4,5 years prior to our arrival, we feel as though we’ve been here since our boys were in Kindergarten.”
Jennifer and David have experienced the “Albert difference” firsthand. Both of their children have embraced the learning skills marking system, which helps the boys in staying motivated and on top of their work. Jennifer and David are excited for Ben and Aaron and enjoy watching them as they continue to achieve ongoing academic success.
