REVIEW OF Oak Bridge Academy BY parent, Karen Maton

(5) Student Experience

We are absolutely thrilled with the progress our grandson has made in the two years he has been at Oak Bridge Academy. His language and math skills have improved dramatically. He is able to write his name legibly. His articulation of words and vocabulary is amazing. The teaching staff are wonderful and caring. They go the extra mile to ensure each child has the best possible education. The small class sizes are such a great way for the kids to make friends. The thought and creativity that the staff put into teaching the different subjects really helps keep the children focused. I think one of the most important tools our children are given is learning to understand their feelings and emotions and all the different ways to deal with stressful situations. It's a life skill that we should all learn.

(5) School Leadership

The school is great with communication. The app that is used allows parents, teachers and administrators to converse throughout the day and often get replies quickly. We usually get pictures and updates during the day. It's so nice to see this as the children aren't always able to communicate what they did during the day. I believe they have a fair and appropriate system for behavioural issues and will praise the children when they work out conflicts on their own.

(5) Teaching

I can't say enough about how wonderful all the Oak Bridge staff are. They make everyone (parents and children) feel welcome. You can ask any question and they will take the time to talk with you. If your child is struggling with a particular issue, whether it is academic or possibly social skills, the staff are there to work through the problem with your child and give tips and working materials to parents to try at home. They will even give you visuals and other tools to help out at home. The teachers will follow up with you and will try other ideas if necessary. They treat the kids like they are their own. Everything is just tailored to each child at a given time.

(5) Academics

The academic program is wonderful. They spend a lot of time customizing it to the child. Because of the small class sizes and the ratio of staff to students, they are able to meet each child's needs and adjust as required. The teachers spend a lot of time on this so they can get the full potential out of the children. I feel that the progress our grandson has made and continues to make show that he is on the right path and I have no doubt he is being prepared for the next steps appropriate to his skill sets at this time. The teachers are always finding new ways to help the children work towards their next milestone. It's such an evolving program at OBA.

(5) Extracurriculars

Due to COVID these past two years, there really isn't much in a way of extracurricular activities. I do know that they offer a girls club. This gives the girls the opportunity to spend some time together as there are so few of them in the school. I would expect in the coming years that more programs will be offered.

(5) Students

Again, due to COVID, the interaction between classes has been limited. The focus is on individual classroom interaction. With the small class sizes, my grandson's class size has 9 children, they are really able to develop friendships that I expect will only grow in the coming years. Most of the children in this particular class are in their first year at OBA so it was a new experience for them. They all seem to have adjusted well to a new school and new classmates. I have noticed friendships growing over the school year and some are even having play dates for the first time ever. The children really connect with each other even with having different exceptionalities. They simply accept each other for who they are.

(5) School Life

My grandson loves going to school each day. The staff makes each child feel so special. The school and classroom size is small so the teachers know all the children's names regardless of whether they have taught them or not. If your child has any kind of exceptionalities, Oak Bridge is a wonderful choice. I honestly feel there is no better school. Some parents and staff drive quite a distance to attend OBA. Some of the parents will do carpools which can really help out parents if their work schedules conflict with the school's hours. As well, OBA offers before and after care programs for the parents that would prefer the option. I can't say that my grandchild has ever said that he didn't want to go to school.

(5) Community

Because of COVID, there has been limited involvement with being involved within the school but things have loosened up some. I expect that next year the opportunity to be more involved will be welcomed. OBA was able to run a few fundraisers this year. One was a Rock Concert with local live bands and raffle draws, 50/50 as well as a silent auction. The turnout was incredible. The donations for the raffle items were wonderful prizes. There were lots of volunteers and teachers to help organize the event. We have a golf tournament coming up and have had many businesses within our community make donations, in one form or another, for the event. We are truly thankful to live in such a generous and caring community.

(5) School Location

The neighbourhood is wonderful. We live a few minutes away. The school is located in the Forward Church on a large piece of property. The school is just starting to go on field trips (because of COVID, everything was on hold). The children got to participate in therapeutic horseback riding and everyone loved it! What a special treat for them!