Join roundtable discussions over Zoom and hear from the current parents and alumni of schools you’re considering.
Panelists are answering questions and sharing their insights—about their school’s culture, strengths, and weaknesses.
I would highly recommend attending one of the special days they have (like grade 8 day) or the special parents day. The school does a good job of outlining the process, what to expect, and providing lots of take home info. The application process was clear. The school also has a specific person you can contact to come and do a personal meeting. It's a comfortable school to enter. We felt really comfortable to ask questions. We had the opportunity on the parents night to attend classes with the teachers (you had to choose a couple to attend from a list) where a presentation was given and an opportunity to ask questions. This was probably the most helpful night to help us ensure this was the right fit. There was also a special meeting once school started for parents new to this school. That was also fairly helpful. I would not change anything yet, it seemed pretty organized although I'm sure they can keep refining that process.
As part of my admissions process, I got the opportunity to be a shadow student for a day. This means that, as a grade eight student, I got to be paired up with a grade nine student for a day and go to their classes with them and see what the school was really like on a day to day basis. I remember I was paired with a student who was a lot like myself and had a similar personality to mine which really helped ease my nerves for the day. I got to meet the teacher who then taught me over the next four years and meet students who would be in the grade above mine and who I would get to connect with again over the coming years. Being a shadow student for a day at Woodland really helped to calm my anxieties about going to high school the following year.
