In our last post, we wrote about the best place to live in Canada – Oakville!
One of the points we made centred on the remarkable choices that are available in this community on so many fronts. Choice opportunities for new Canadians, for entrepreneurs, for retirees and perhaps most notably for your child’s education.
If you ‘re at all familiar with the Oakville Independent Schools (OIS) you’ll know that we often make the point in our communications that the choice is yours. So to help you prepare for the OIS All School Open House, October 20th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., we thought you’d appreciate a few tips on how to get the most out of the day.
“The strongest principle of growth lies in the human choice.”
George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), British Novelist, 1819 – 1880
1. CHOOSE WHICH OPTION IS BEST FOR YOU
Every child has their own special nature. So when it comes to choices in education it only makes sense that we try to find the best environment for a child’s success. While the public system does offer some good choices the simple reality is that it cannot accommodate the many learning styles that our children possess.
That’s where independent schools offer greater flexibility. From smaller class sizes which deliver more individual attention to each student to unique approaches to pedagogy, OIS members are able to meet the needs of virtually any child.
There are few, if any, communities in North America with such a concentration of superb independent schooling options.
Our member schools provide a wide range of educational options for families to choose from including primary, elementary, secondary, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement (AP), AP Capstone, traditional, progressive, religious-based, boarding, single-gender and co-educational schools.
For more insight into each member school simply click this link Member Schools.
2. KNOW WHICH SCHOOLS OFFER WHICH GRADES
The first thing you’ll want to do is decide on which schools to visit and that’s most likely going to revolve around the grade levels your child is in. Here’s a quick guide to our member schools based upon grade levels.
Pre-school to Grade 8
Dearcroft Montessori/Westwind Junior High
Rotherglen School (Please note: Rotherglen will be happy to welcome you on October 20th between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.)
Grades 2 – 8
Pre-school to Grade 12
St. Mildred’s Lightbourn School
Grades 7 – 12
Grades 9 – 12
3. WRITE DOWN YOUR BASIC MUST-HAVES & COMPARE
If you’re visiting a few schools on October 20th we suggest that prior to your visits you determine what are the most important factors in your decision making. These can include location, curriculum, environment, special focus, and extracurricular activities. You’ll want to think about co-ed or gender specific and whether your child has special needs. There are specific questions you should ask at each school and it’s helpful to have a guide to remind you. Since you’ll be comparing schools a comparison checklist can also be a big assist in reviewing your options after your visit.
Helping you make an informed choice is part of our OIS mandate. That’s why, twice yearly, we have an All School Open House and the next event takes place on Saturday, October 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
RSVP now to our All School Open House and discover the difference of an independent school, just click this link.
Photo by Adam Gong on Unsplash
