Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Sunnybrook School (2020)
Sunnybrook School alumni, current students, and parents shared their insights on the school’s culture, values, strengths, and weaknesses. Hear what Laurie Levitt, Linda Ezergailis, Heather Morrison had to say about the school.
Highlights from the Q&A discussion
Laurie Levitt — current parent
Laurie Levitt is the parent of two Sunnybrook School alumni. Her son and her daughter both attended the school from Kindergarten through to Grade 6. Even though her kids are very different, she loved how the school was a good fit for both of them. She says there are three factors that make Sunnybrook School stand out. It’s a small, tight-knit school. It’s coed. And it’s an IB school.
There are three things that, when combined, really differentiate Sunnybrook: It’s a very small, tight-knit school, it’s coed, and it’s an IB school. I don’t know of another school that has all three of those things.
I love the fact that my little SK child could walk down the hall, and an older child would know his name. That in itself is huge. At a larger school, that just doesn’t happen. But at Sunnybrook, the big kids and little kids spend time together, they work together closely for things like the school musical. It’s part of what makes it a small, caring environment.
I love the fact that the school could cater to both my kids, even though they’re very different types of children. Both my kids went to Sunnybrook. My daughter, she’s very quiet, very shy, and we knew she would be fine there. The school really helped bring her out of her shell. But, whereas she was shy, our son is anything but. He’s loud, he’s boisterous. He walks in the room and everybody knows he’s there. He plays baseball, rugby, and football. At first we weren't sure whether the small school would have what he needs, with his big personality. But they absolutely did.
The three words I would use to describe Sunnybrook are ‘open-minded,’ ‘vibrant,’ and ‘caring.’ I always felt like there was an energy or a buzz going on in the school. And I really felt that the teachers cared about the individual student. Not only that, but the kids themselves are caring.
It was much easier to manage our budgeting while we were at Sunnybrook, and I took that for granted until now. At Sunnybrook, you pay what you pay, and you get what you pay for. There might be the occasional overnight trip, a school T-shirt that needs replacing, but otherwise there aren’t all these ‘little extras,’ whereas at my kids’ new schools, I’ve noticed that we get billed monthly for all those little extras. And the extras shockingly add up.
Having those lunches at Sunnybrook was a huge help. My kids were somewhat picky eaters, but we just went with the flow, and they learned to try new things. They had their favourites and they’re not-favourites, but that’s normal.
I found the school to be very open to suggestions, both from children and from parents. They like having a lot of feedback, and they’re constantly growing.
We knew Sunnybrook was the right school. It wasn’t ‘on paper’—it was the feeling we got when we went into the school.
Linda Ezergailis — current parent
Linda has had two daughters go to Sunnybrook School. One has already graduated, and the other is in Grade 6. Linda says she was most impressed by the IB Programme, and its focus on different ‘learner profiles.’ She appreciates Sunnybrook’s focus on the whole child and how it fosters resilience. As a busy working parent, Linda says she likes that she always feels welcome, without the pressure to always be around.
I’ve especially come to appreciate the IB ‘learner profiles. The IB Programme allows for differentiated learning based on your child’s interests and abilities. Students get rewarded for demonstrating these attributes—whether it be ‘inquirer,’ ‘being knowledgeable,' ‘thinker,’ ‘communicator,’ ‘being principled,’ ‘open-minded,’ ‘caring,’ and so on. The students are strong in some areas, and they’re encouraged to develop in areas that don’t come quite as naturally for them. The curriculum prepares them for whatever they’ll face in life, and fosters resilience.
I was surprised about how well all the teachers got to know my children and adjusted their approach to developing each child. Even though I walked in knowing the school’s reputation for strong academics, after we joined, I ended up having a much greater appreciation for how well they develop the whole child in a number of ways. The school is well-known for its strong academics, but there was also a very big emphasis on social integration and understanding the children’s different personalities and learning styles.
I’m a very busy working mom, so I don’t have the opportunity to spend a lot of time on campus, or spend a lot of time volunteering, but when I do get the chance to go, I’m surprised at how welcome I feel, and how I feel like I fit into the community. One thing that surprised me is how well I’ve gotten to know some of the families, and not just the parents of my children’s close friends, but also the ones that we’ve met over the years at school events.
To do the IB Programme in a small, caring environment, where the teachers all know the students, and the kids all know the kids, as well, really worked for us in the younger grades. You know, it was just the fact that my little one could walk down the hall and an older child would know his name.
I have seen a lot of growth in the school, and I think that is because they are very open minded, always looking to try new things, taking suggestions and feedback. I appreciate that about the school. I think the small size makes it possible to do that.
The only ‘weakness’ I could come up with, really, is that I really wish that the school had gone longer. I felt that especially for my daughter, she could have used an extra couple of years in that small environment.
Heather Morrison — current parent
Heather has a son in Grade 1 at Sunnybrook School. She is the president of the Sunnybrook Parents Association. She says Sunnybrook’s IB curriculum is a good fit for her son because of his curiosity. He is a ‘why kid’—always asking ‘why.’ At Sunnybrook, that inquisitiveness is encouraged. Heather often finds herself surprised by the breadth of new subjects her son learns there.
What drew me to Sunnybrook was their small class sizes. In my son's first year, there were only 15 kids in his class.
I also liked that there is only one class per grade. So you’ve got that one class, you’ve got that teacher, and that is your core. Those are your friends. That is your everything, which is wonderful.
The IB Programme is a big part of what drew me to Sunnybrook, because I have a ‘why’ kid. Every five seconds, he’s asking ‘Why, why, why?’ So I love the fact that he can explore and ask the ‘big questions’ at school. For example, he loves natural disasters, like volcanoes and tsunamis, and one day he asked me about Pompeii. I’m like, ‘How in the world do you know about that?’ And it was because of Sunnybrook. It was because he gets to ask those inquisitive questions.
You’ve got the ‘big school’ feel in a nice small package. You’ve got sports, you’ve got art, you’ve got music, and they start French in Kindergarten. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer all of the things a bigger school would offer.
I think one of the best parts is the deep friendships that our children have developed. Children, even in Grade 1, start to develop very deep friendships. I also think about how well I’ve gotten to know some of the families, not just parents of my children’s close friends, but also with those I’ve been socializing with at school events over the years.
