Northstar Montessori Private School THE OUR KIDS REVIEW

As one of the few Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA)-accredited Montessori schools in the region that nurtures students from their toddler years all the way to Grade 8, Northstar Montessori Private School is a destination for Peel-region families who value self-directed learning.

Operating from a two-storey building on Tomken Road near Eglinton Ave. W., the school attracts families from several Peel- region communities, including Mississauga, Milton, Brampton, and Etobicoke. About 300 students currently attend each year.

The goal of self-direction is so important to the school that it helped define the school’s name, says Rick Ramirez, who helps run Northstar alongside Virginia Ramirez, the school’s founder and principal. “When I came up with the name,” says Rick, “I asked my wife what the difference is with Montessori versus traditional and she said that the directress guides the student within the class based on their own natural interests. So ‘guiding the child’ stuck to my head and I started thinking about the North Star used by explorers to navigate the seas with no clear sight of where they are headed, just by trusting in the North Star, it was more than enough. So naturally, I saw the same with the teachers as guides and the students forging their own path without any certainty but with complete reliance on the teachers. The teachers represent the North Star. In addition, the work materials the students work with are foreign to them from the start, but they figure a way to use and learn from it.”

The emphasis on self-directed learning at Northstar also reflects a rigorous approach to the Montessori educational method, says Ramirez. According to the method founded in the early 20th century by Italian physician Maria Montessori, students can choose which activities interest them in the classroom.

Especially in the early years, these tasks are rooted in practical experience, which allows students to develop a sense of self-sufficiency, confidence, and curiosity in their everyday lives. Graduates from Northstar report that their learning experiences at the school helped them develop an independent path in their education.

Northstar is a coed, non-denominational Montessori school in Mississauga, Ontario. It offers an accredited Montessori program from ages 18 months to Grade 8. Rick and Virginia Ramirez established Northstar in 1996 with family members as initial investors to get it up and running.

The school initially started with only two classrooms for Casa-aged students and quickly expanded over the years to include a Toddler, Pre-Casa, and Elementary program. Northstar remained close to its original location on Whittle Rd. but in 2007 made the last move to Tomken Rd. to house all the students under one roof.

The original building housed more than a dozen light-filled classes, a large-sized gym with climbing wall, and a large play space. In 2015, they expanded another 10,000 square feet to include an additional Pre-Casa classroom, a full-service kitchen, a multi-purpose studio, an art studio, a computer lab, a music room, and since 2017, an indoor saltwater pool. Since then, they made enhancements to their play area to include a play structure for the elementary students and artificial turf for their soccer field and a small mini-putt. Rick says he always sets a goal to add something special for the school each year.

The school remains a family-run operation today, with Virginia Ramirez acting as principal and Rick Ramirez as business manager. Close to 300 students attend each year under the guidance of a faculty of more than 30 teachers, or directresses, as the Montessori system calls them. The size makes Northstar one of the larger Montessori schools in the GTA.

One feature of the school that parents speak highly of is the aquatics program. After building an indoor pool and housing it in a light-filled enclosure in 2017, the school offered swimming as part of its physical education program for Casa and Elementary students. Northstar Aquatics is a member of the Life-Saving Society. All students that are in the swim program know, at a minimum, the basics of how to swim. After-school private lessons are also available for students who want to progress their swim strokes further or work on improving their physical health. Those who reach the maximum swim level can also get their first aid, Bronze Cross, and National lifeguard once they are of age. Naturally, Northstar also offers the students a job to teach younger students. The idea, according to Rick, is to have a complete circle, where the student is now a teacher and giving back.

Northstar clearly focuses on developing character as much as it does academic proficiency. It does not ascribe to any particular faith, but it offers ample opportunities for character-building through both in-class and extracurricular activities.

Northstar is accredited by the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators. This is the body that ensures Montessori schools in Canada remain authentic to Maria Montessori’s teaching philosophy.

Accredited schools are required, for example, to offer a full range of Montessori materials, group children in multi-age classrooms, and employ teachers who are adequately trained in the Montessori method. The CCMA visits schools every five years and ensures that schools stay consistent over time.

You can learn more about Montessori education in Canada by reading our overview article: Montessori Education in Canada.

It’s evident from the first moment I step into a Northstar classroom that the school takes the Montessori method seriously. As is typical in Montessori classrooms, trademark “materials” line the walls, some of which may look mystifying to adults at first glance, but the students know exactly how to use them.

In a classroom for 3- to 6-year-olds everything rests neatly on low shelving around the perimeter, easily reached by small hands. There are no students in this classroom at the moment—the students are outside playing. But they’ve been here recently. And yet, there is still a calm feeling. Everything has its place.

“Here’s a little dish station,” says Rick, moving through the room. “Over here are sweeping materials. Over here, the children can water plants. There’s also a bead cabinet, which is used for learning to count and a geometry cabinet to help kids learn shapes.” Each station is another opportunity for experiences that allow children to be guided by their own inner North Star.

More opportunities for exploration are available in the school’s elementary wing, where students work in small groups to take on more advanced academic and practical challenges.

Specialty classes like music and physical education begin in the early years, and as children transition to Casa (JK/SK), French and art are introduced and soon after computer classes are offered to elementary students.

Former student Danielle Lim feels the Montessori approach to learning equipped her academically for success in high school. She’s about to enter Grade 10 and knows exactly where she wants to focus her course selections. “Definitely science is one of my favourite subjects,” said Lim in an interview. “I really enjoy the concepts of science, and Northstar helped me find that.”

Lim notes that the hands-on approach to learning science and math at Northstar really worked for her. When faced with a math problem at school, she sometimes thinks back on the Montessori materials used to help children learn math concepts by touching and feeling. Lim’s appreciation is a testament to Northstar’s commitment to the Montessori method.

Beyond its firm commitment to Montessori principles and materials, the school’s uniqueness lies in its safe, inclusive, and supportive culture, says Vice-Principal Sherry Gosal, who has been with Northstar since its founding in 1996. Gosal, a Casa directress at the time, welcomed the school’s first class for very young children.

“There was a very intentional effort made,” she remembers of the school’s early days. “We knew that there was a culture we wanted to have here. We wanted students to feel safe, welcomed. We’ve grown a lot since then, but I think we’ve been able to maintain that culture, even at the size of having almost 300 students. That, I think, is really awesome.”

Students and teachers at Northstar engage in school-wide conversation about a virtue each week. The virtue of the week is defined and discussed at the beginning of the week in school-wide announcements by a few upper elementary students. Classroom teachers make it a point to do group discussions about the weekly virtue and how to administer it in their personal life at school and at home.

The virtues discussion manifests in a physical form in one of the school’s hallways. Just outside of the main office is a “Virtue Tree,” from whose branches hang most of the virtues that are introduced during the school year. Students, upon entering the school each day, will be reminded about these virtues that make up their personality and character

And Northstar’s whole-child approach comes across in parent interviews as well. When Agnes Smialek describes her 18-year-old son’s development at the school, it goes deeper than his academic successes. She describes how being at the school helped her son mature as a person. His Northstar years left him with an appreciation for learning as an enriching experience.

“His attitude towards education is more that it can help you in your life, not to advance, but to make life more meaningful....I think it’s because of the school that he is more calm when dealing with life challenges and more open-minded than he was as a younger child.”

The school helped both of Smialek’s children find balance, and that meant something different for the two boys. Her older son needed to open up, while her younger son needed help focusing his energy. Northstar teachers responded to each child’s character to help them develop the qualities of a well-rounded person.

Principal Ramirez earned her education at Sheridan College, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Toronto Montessori Institute (TMI). Northstar reflects her dedication to the Montessori method, and an obvious commitment to developing an environment where Montessori teachers can thrive.

Teachers at Northstar all have proper training in the Montessori method. And once they find Northstar, they often stay for a long time. The school is known for its consistent staff.

For example, the school’s Vice-Principal Sherry Gosal, has been at Northstar since the school first opened its doors almost 27 years ago. Balvinder Delill, head of the elementary program, has been at Northstar for almost 20 years. Directress Cora Rueda has been at the school for 15 years.

Virginia’s husband Rick joined the school in 2004 and dedicates most of his time as the school’s business manager to handle daily operations and upkeep of the building. With his background in graphic arts management from Toronto Metropolitan University, he also has a place in the classroom as a specialist He introduces students to many experiences, including voiceovers, broadcasting, video-editing, computer art, digital photography, 3D design, coding, and Microsoft Office programs. He also earned his Adolescent Montessori Certificate back in 2015 to get a deeper understanding of the Montessori philosophy, particularly in the adolescent ages. He has taught Junior High students in the microeconomy program and spearheaded a successful milk program at school run by the students. He has also participated in their Odyssey trips at the beginning of each year.

An outgoing presence in the school’s hallways, Rick clearly has strong relationships with students. Students from all levels will greet him as he strolls through the hallways throughout the day. He sometimes joins their recess to engage in activities.

So there’s a consistent core in the faculty, but long-time teachers also go the extra mile to help newer faculty members integrate. According to Delill, the community remains vital because existing faculty keenly welcome newcomers.

Teachers must adhere to Montessori principles in the classroom, but beyond meeting certain expectations that come with being certified by the CCMA, teachers are free to express themselves in their classrooms, says Rick.

Teacher Shirley Sahni, who works with elementary-aged children, notes that the faculty environment is open and collaborative. “Northstar is a great employer. They want us to know we can talk to them, and they’re very present in the school. And because they have a relaxed attitude, they’re easy to talk to.”

It’s a good environment for teachers who are committed to the Montessori method, notes Teacher Cora Rueda. “Northstar is very committed to genuine (Montessori) materials, and the standards are really high,” she says.

From parent Smialek’s perspective, the commitment of the teachers at Northstar makes a huge difference in her children’s lives—and in her life too. “Communication between parent and teacher is always the number one thing,” says Smialek. “There hasn’t been one teacher who wasn’t amazing. I can always see the effort they’re putting in, and I can see they want the best for my child.”

The staff community at Northstar includes about 35 teachers. Everyone collaborates with parents, says Delil. “One of the things that makes us unique is a strong community,” she says. “Parents and teachers really work together for the interests of the children. If we need support from the parents, we can ask for it. There’s a lot of appreciation shown for what we do.”

Cora Rueda has been at Northstar for nearly 15 years. She appreciates that Northstar takes the Montessori method seriously. “We’re very committed to the genuine materials,” she says. “The standards are very high here. So it’s about motivating children to do follow up work based on their own interest, their own pace. You can maximize every single soul.”

The leadership of the school is responsive, according to Shirley Sahni, a lower elementary directress. After almost 10 years at Northstar, she credits the school’s leadership with creating a healthy environment for teachers. She actually left for a year to work at a school that was closer to her home, but ended up back at Northstar because she loved it so much.

She also credits Northstar families for creating a culture that values teachers and children. “We have a really great community of parents. And they almost always have positive comments. That really keeps us going.”

The concept of starting a school occurred when Virginia’s father approached her with the idea. At the time, she was teaching as an early childhood education teacher, a day care supervisor, and Montessori Directress. The desire to start a business was daunting, as she was still finding her niche in the Montessori community. With encouragement from her father, who had a business background, support from her husband, and the backing of family members, she agreed.

In 1996, Northstar Montessori became a reality. Originally located on Whittle Rd., the two-classroom building housed fewer than 20 students and four staff members. There weren’t many Montessori schools in Peel region at the time, but her strong belief in the Montessori system was her calling.

Sherry Gosal was there at the founding as well. She initially started as a Casa directress and once the school size and enrolment increased, she eventually became the vice-principal.

By slowly adding more grades, Northstar has been able to grow into a thriving community that supports the infrastructure of a fully equipped school at their current location on Tomken Rd. The result is an impressive but compact facility that is easily accessible by car or school bus in central Mississauga.

Northstar seems to have many of the benefits of a small-sized student body, and many of the benefits of a bigger one. A hot lunch is available to all students, and it’s made in a fully equipped kitchen on site. Children learn to swim during school hours. There’s a dance studio. A full gym with a climbing wall. What more could a school want?

Gosal and Virginia Ramirez came together because of a shared devotion to the Montessori educational system. It has so much to offer children, according to Gosal. “There’s a deep understanding of what a child’s readiness is, what they’re ready for.

“And also, you’re encouraging them to think outside the box. So with Montessori, yes, there’s a curriculum, but the curriculum is such that children are out and exploring things on their own.”

From the very beginning, it was important to create a safe and home-like environment where children could be comfortable, recalls Gosal. Though the conversation about diversity and inclusion in schools has become a common theme in education the past several years, Gosal recounts how Northstar prioritized diversity from the day it first opened its doors nearly three decades ago.

“I can say that it was on our agenda to make sure that this was a school that was inclusive and diverse and not just diverse in the student body.” They sought to hire teachers that would represent the student body.

“When we opened the school, Virginia was Filipino. I was Indian and the other teacher was Irish. And our French teacher was Greek. So it just organically happened. But it was really important to us that students see representation in the school, because that adds to the feeling of safety.

“If they see themselves reflected, it really does feel like an extension of home. We wanted students to be able to celebrate each other, and celebrate their differences, along with the things they have in common.”

Their ongoing efforts to create a multicultural school that reflects the multicultural city in which it is located are evident. The school puts a lot of focus on International Day and preparing for it all year. All the parents and students we spoke to mentioned it as a social highlight of the year for the whole community.

Offering a wide variety of learning experiences has also been important to Northstar over the years. A climbing wall in the gym and a custom-built pool on site are visible examples of how the school’s culture encourages kids to challenge themselves.

Having many options academically has been important to Shraiya Narula, who was about to complete Grade 8 when we interviewed her. “I like that we have variety here,” she says. “We have computers and the arts. We have lots of freedom, and you can express yourself.”

Independence and self-direction are inherent parts of the Northstar culture. Children are encouraged to decide for themselves what they will study. Practical learning is an important aspect of student life at this school. A wide array of extracurriculars are available, and many have a non-competitive, social focus.

Gosal says Northstar values collaboration, communication, and respect. Parents are invited to participate, and they often do. Students start at Northstar at a very young age, so parents are naturally very involved at first.

Even the youngest Northstar students participate in a virtues program that examines a different virtue each week. “It’s part of the conversations in the classroom for each teacher. They’re exploring the virtue in their own way within their classroom.”

When thinking back on her years at Northstar (2000-2010), former student Aleeyah Samuels reflects on how the virtues program impacted her.

Samuels notes that conversations in the classroom about the virtues led her to aspire to exhibit virtues such as integrity and patience. And when she was asked to be valedictorian in Grade 6, she recalls how she felt proud that she had exhibited specific virtues to earn the honour. Being valedictorian wasn’t just a popularity contest. Having her character traits recognized by her peers and teachers was gratifying to her.

Even the youngest students take the school pledge. “There’s a real sense of community from the very beginning,” says Gosal. She explains that the early introduction of a social contract is a key part of the school’s thriving culture. “We have these concrete things, the virtues and the student pledge, that we use as references when we are talking to students and helping them get an understanding of what is expected of them as a citizen of our school. And that starts right from toddlers. They hear the pledge right from the beginning.”

“The kids really grow with you,” Gosal continues, “and if there are issues that we see at a very young age, we can iron it out as they grow. Our parents are a big part of this. It’s a cycle. The parents know us really well and trust us. That really helps a child as they grow and go through different things. It really helps the students that the expectations are consistent. They’re not wondering.”

Creating and maintaining an inclusive and welcoming culture is part of the school’s identity. When the subject of school culture comes up, students, staff and administrators talk enthusiastically about International Day. Studying different cultures helps the children adopt a multicultural world view.

Responding to the interests of the children, classes choose a country. The country they choose may be related to the background of a student or teacher in the class, or perhaps it’s a place someone has visited recently. Throughout the year, students look deeply at their chosen country, examining it from all angles, including its geography, food, clothing, music, culture, and people.

Classes work toward a culminating springtime event called International Day, which invites parents into the school to celebrate an array of international cultures. “The families visit all the different classrooms,” says Gosal. “They can have the food and learn all about each country. It’s always a fun event. We say: “You can travel the world with us.”

Even the youngest children participate in International Day. On the door of one classroom, where children are younger than 3 years old, they’d been learning about South Africa. The door of the classroom was still decorated with student work to indicate the South Africa theme inside.

Most families drive their children to school, but a school shuttle operates to pick up and drop off children who need transportation. The same shuttle and 18-seat bus drives children to extracurricular events, field trips, the Junior High Odyssey trip, and school-related opportunities in the community.

Parents are welcome to either drop off their children outside in the drive through or park and come into the school. For the youngest Northstar students, who are only 18 months, parents typically enter the building during drop off and pick up times, and this practice gradually changes as the student matures.

Parent Agnes Smialek reports that traffic flows smoothly and the school’s ample parking made car access relatively easy during busy periods at drop off and pick up.

Students are required to wear a uniform that may include a choice of short and long-sleeve polos, vests, sweaters, skirts, dress pants, dress socks, and causal shoes. For gym, the students must wear a Northstar T-shirt, a track suit, navy blue shorts, and indoor-only gym shoes.

Rick Ramirez notes that the school’s attitude to uniforms is relaxed. The school chooses one day a week on which the blazer is worn and doesn’t mandate wearing a blazer or tie daily.

Prior to entering the elementary program, students spend a few years learning cursive in Casa, and they are taught to read in both cursive and print. From there they get introduced to the computer and begin the new skill of keyboarding. They learn to memorize the keyboard and eventually build their typing speed over the course of their schooling. Additional programs are gradually introduced and eventually, once they reach Junior High, they will have experienced an array of experiences related to computer science, arts, and media.

As he shows me through the school, Ramirez draws attention to computer projects the kids have recently completed. He’s obviously proud. In one hallway between classrooms, he shows a bulletin board displaying brightly coloured travel posters for exotic locales. The children have made travel posters to extol the virtues of the countries they’ve been studying in advance of International Day.

Each poster is a little different, but all of them are eye-catching. And each one reveals the advanced computer and design skills needed to create compelling visual media. One child pops out of a classroom to talk about his poster. He’s clearly thrilled with it.

The student also seems thrilled to joke around with his teacher. They banter about how the poster could have been even better, and the student goes back to his classroom with a big smile on his face.

In another area of the school, Ramirez points to a TV monitor that plays short videos his students have made about environmental issues they care passionately about. He calls himself an environmentalist, too, and admits that many of the media assignments he gives them relate to this shared passion.

“These kids have to know what’s going on. They need to know how it is out there. As citizens, we need to expand our way of thinking.”

About 300 students attend Northstar, ranging in age from 18 months to Grade 8.

Children come from across Peel to attend Northstar. Most come from Mississauga, but Milton, Brampton, and Etobicoke are also represented in the student body. Like the region in which it is located, the student body is multicultural.

Most students who come to Northstar enter the Montessori system in their early years. For example, Danielle Lim started when she was three years old and continued at Northstar until she graduated from Grade 8 in 2021.

But some students, like Andjelija Miletic, join later in their academic lives. Miletic started at Northstar in Grade 3 and went on to graduate in 2023. Despite the differences between the Montessori system and the public-school classroom she was used to, she found the transition relatively smooth. “Everyone was very welcoming,” she remembers.

Before new students join the school, particularly students coming from a non-Montessori setting, they are asked to complete an assessment assignment that helps teachers understand their skills and strengths. The assessment requires no preparation and is intended to help teachers adapt their programming to the student’s needs and help them develop the learning skills that are expected in a Montessori classroom.

Class sizes vary from year to year. In 2023, class sizes ranged from 12 students per teacher to 19 students per teacher.

Class sizes are based on the age group a child is in. Toddlers, who are from 18 months to 24 months, are in a class with a 5 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio. Pre-Casa includes kids from 2 to 3-1/2 years of age and are in class with an 8 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio. Casa has a 13 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio and elementary has a 20 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio.

Students at Northstar meet or exceed the curriculum requirements of Ontario’s Ministry of Education, but the school follows a Montessori curriculum for all age groups. Beyond the usual Montessori focus on practical living and the basics of language and math, Northstar offers balanced programming in physical education, music, art, French, and computers.

Northstar’s academic culture is balanced and supportive, and students learn at their own pace. That means that some are encouraged to follow accelerated learning paths. They may study above their grade level according to provincial curriculum expectations. Other children develop more slowly.

Teachers are trained to present challenging work no matter where the child is on the learning spectrum. “Some children need a bit of extra help,” says Shirley Sahni, who teaches a lower elementary class and has been at Northstar since 2013. Students in her class range in age, as is typical in Montessori classrooms. Her students are 6, 7, and 8 years old.

Having a range of ages in each classroom allows children to learn from each other as much as they learn from the teacher, Sahni explains. “We teach the children: ‘Ask three, then me.’ That means they ask other students first. If they still can’t find an answer, then they come to me.”

This creates opportunity for mentorship in the classroom, and it’s a model for how real life works. Ideally, a multi-age classroom can also create a more academically challenging environment for children who need it. Sahni explains: “If I’m doing a lesson with the Grade 2s, the Grade 1s are overhearing it. Some children may see what the Grade 2s are doing and become interested.”

Smialek noticed that multi-age classrooms meant that her children experienced new social dynamics each year. When the oldest children in the group move to the next age grouping and a new group of younger children joins in their place, a novel social cohort is created. “I think they did have a lot of social options,” says Smialek. “Every year there was someone new, and yet there were familiar faces, too.”

Sahni can’t stop smiling when she describes her classroom. “My kids are really wonderful,” she says. “I call them my kids; I can’t help it. They’re so impressionable at this age. They really listen.”

In Cora Rueda’s lower elementary classroom, 2023 was a year of returning to a “normal” school year after a few years of coping with pandemic health restrictions that saw students learning from home.

“It was really challenging in the beginning” of the pandemic, Rueda recalls. Since the Montessori style of learning has so much to do with concrete materials, it was difficult to adapt for remote learning. The priority was student mental health.

“This was the first year that things really felt back to normal,” she says. “We were reconciling normal to the past, before the pandemic.” She’s clearly happy to be back in the building with her students, working with the Montessori materials.

Most graduates of Northstar go on to attend public and private high schools that are not in the Montessori system. Several that spoke to me reported they had no trouble integrating into a public-school academic system.

For Danielle Lim, learning at Northstar helped identify her academic passions. At high school, she feels confident studying the sciences. “I enjoy the concepts of science,” she said in a recent phone interview. “Northstar helped me find that. My teacher … was kind, and he would make scenarios, show perspectives on science that helped me understand. It was hands on, and that works for me.”

Starting in Grade 3, students complete a standardized test, the Canadian Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), in the second term of every year. This test helps teachers confirm the development of each student. Students require no preparation to take the test and parents receive the results.

Progress reports are shared twice a year with families. In the early years, these reports consist mainly of comments and checkboxes to confirm that children are meeting overall classroom expectations. In the middle school years, numbered marks are provided.

Part of Maria Montessori’s educational vision for adolescent students was her expectation that the students could operate small businesses, known in the Montessori system as microeconomy projects. The idea was to give young people a way to participate in a local economy and gain experiences providing a product or service of value to their communities.

At Northstar, a successful micro-economy project was launched after 2010 which involved the students in the Middle School program. Students rotate into roles that require them to work with a partner to take orders from the school’s student body, source the right amount of milk from a vendor, and deliver it daily to students who ordered it.

The program is a big focus in middle school. “It’s not hard, exactly, but it can be a bit stressful,” say students Shraiya Narula and Andjelija Miletic. “Like, if we don’t order enough milk, or if we run out, it can be stressful. But mostly, it’s fun.”

The milk program sparked an interest in business for former Northstar student Victor Bains. “I found it pretty interesting, developing business skills,” he says. “We were more or less doing it ourselves. So that could mean making phone calls to manage orders, a whole bunch of different stuff, and you have to decide who does what. It helps create teamwork skills because you have to communicate with your classmates and your peers.”

Other microeconomy projects have included making creative projects such as felt dolls, candlemaking, chocolate lollipops, jewellery, and mosaic art and selling them to the school community.

Middle school students take turns cooking for their class every Friday. “They plan it too,” says Rick. “Weekly, on Thursdays, they go shopping. They make a list and the shuttle driver takes them to No Frills to buy what they need.”

Going to the grocery store may sound like an errand, but there’s a lot of learning going on, too. It’s a good example of how Northstar seeks to involve its students in the real world.

Students have many opportunities to leave the campus for real-world experiences. For example, Northstar students go on a middle school trip the first two weeks of school for seven to nine days.

The trip usually includes a few days of camping and afterwards they head to their final location of Ottawa or Manitoulin Island. Students learn to be independent. Teachers act as chaperones of course, but students take an active role in the planning and execution of the middle school trip. They help budget, navigate, and decide what to eat and where to go for themselves.

Students with learning differences can fit in at Northstar. Upper elementary teacher Balvinder Delill notes that the school tries to meet students where they are. “We collaborate to help those students and keep the standards high. We try to be flexible to the students who show up in the classroom.”

Northstar does not employ special education professionals, but private specialists such as speech language therapists or occupational therapists are welcomed into the school to consult with teachers and provide services on site.

With an all-season saltwater pool located in a light-filled solarium on campus, it’s understandable that swimming is a focus for Northstar students. They take group lessons during school hours so that by the time they graduate Grade 8, all are fairly competent swimmers. Private lessons are also open to students in the after-school hours and some pursue advanced ability.

But there’s much more than swimming happening during after-school hours at this busy school. Club options are announced at the beginning of each year and vary from one year to the next, depending on student preferences. Students are encouraged to participate, and many of the options have a distinctly non-competitive flavour.

Athletic options have included badminton, basketball, and soccer. Academically oriented clubs have included Mandarin, Spanish, engineering, robotics, and chess. Students interested in the arts can join story writing or choir. Offbeat offerings have included baking, scrapbooking, and a board games club. The offering changes slightly each year.

Having access to swimming lessons—and many other extracurriculars—at school has made life easier for Smialek. Northstar’s broad after-school offering of clubs and activities was extremely supportive for her as a working parent. She didn’t have to arrange evening or weekend music or swimming or robotics. The kids had access to all of that after school.

“I couldn’t do what I do without Northstar. Honestly being a mom is a tough job, but having Northstar helped me focus at work. I’m so grateful for that.”

Danielle Lim embraced the opportunities to get involved in after-school clubs. She was in choir, literature explorers, and more. “I did so many clubs, it’s hard to remember them all,” she laughs. “They were all extremely fun, and it made the end of the day really fun. It also helped me find my passions.”

The extracurricular options made life easy for Smialek, whose younger child is still enrolled at the school. Especially when both her children were young enough to be enrolled there, she didn’t have to worry about signing them up for extra activities such as swimming and music, and she didn’t have to worry about driving them there during the evening or weekends.

“My children did all the clubs and that made my life easier,” she recalls. “My son even took piano lessons from the music teacher there, and that was one less thing I had to worry about.”

High involvement rates in extracurricular activities mean that the culture of the school revolves around those extra activities. When asked to reflect on a highlight of his time at Northstar, Victor Bains recalled the time he sang a solo at the Winter Concert. He’s really proud of the practice and courage it took to sing Midnight Train to Georgia for the whole school community.

Indeed, the Winter Concert sticks out as a social highlight for Smialek. It’s a time when the whole school gets together, and the parents have a chance to get to know their children’s community at school. Each year has a different theme, and students and teachers prepare for the Winter Concert by learning a dance related to the theme. They work up to a performance for parents on the big night.

The teachers really embrace the dancing, says Smialek. “They have a good sense of humour about it, and the kids perceive that they’re human, not something to be afraid of. Coming together like this makes you have a more human connection with your teacher.”

The Winter Concert is a really big event. There’s a large stage with lighting, seats wall-to-wall, and decorations to indicate the theme. Rick Ramirez is the DJ and MC for the concert. It’s always well-received by parents. There were even years where parents joined on stage. It was a memorable time for all.

When asked to describe what is special about Northstar, students and teachers invariably mention the school’s annual Odyssey trip for students in their middle school years. This annual fall camping trip sends the Junior High class on a trip to Manitoulin Island or Ottawa and starts off the year with a bonding experience for everyone.

The JH teacher books the destinations and places to go and figures out the cost required to go on the trip. While the trip is optional for students, they participate in the planning, raise funds to go on the trip, and make decisions about how much money to bring, what purchases to make, what food to eat, and what places to visit. Of course, they have adult chaperones, but the adults create space for the adolescents to make decisions.

It’s an opportunity to learn, explains Rick Ramirez. “We challenge them. They have to make decisions, like: What should we eat for dinner? Who is cooking dinner tonight? Can we stay up all night?

“The Odyssey trip was a great experience,” reports Bains. He recalls how students explored Algonquin Park and then went to Ottawa for a visit to the Parliament Buildings. It was definitely a highlight of his time at Northstar.

The trip was fun, but it wasn’t exactly an entertainment type of fun, remembers Bains. The outing was also followed by hands-on projects in the classroom that allowed the students to process what they’d learned. Bains’ project involved making a model of a museum he’d visited in Ottawa. The trip showed him how to take inspiration for learning from the real world.

Choosing a high school is a major milestone in the life of a Grade 8 student. But none of the Northstar students we spoke to expressed any anxiety about the process. Some Northstar students go to publicly funded schools and others continue their education in independent schools. Either way, they find themselves at an academic advantage.

“They do tend to go to the IB Programmes, the Advanced Placement programs, or just the regular stream,” says Gosal. The feedback that we get is that academically, they continue to succeed, often ahead of their peers.

Socially and culturally, Northstar students may require a bit of adjustment, Gosal adds. “We’re very big on etiquette, grace, and courtesy. So it’s a bit of a culture shock when they go into another environment.... The feedback that the students give us when they move away from here is that it’s really different. They say, ‘The teachers just don’t really talk to us like you talk to us.’”

By the time former student Aleeyah Samuels graduated from Northstar and began attending a public school, she could read cursive, a skill she considers important now that she’s out there in the working world. As well, she found that she was able to juggle the multiple deadlines of a non-semestered system.

For graduate Victor Bains, the adjustment to high school was a breeze, despite the fact that he graduated during the pandemic. He attended Northstar from the age of 2 and graduated in 2021. He was in Grade 10 when we interviewed him.

“I found the transition to high school fairly easy,” said Bains, noting that he had the learning skills needed to adapt to bigger classes. “It helped that I’m used to getting projects done on time, and I’m used to planning my time. I can manage my time well so I can put more quality into the work.”

Smialek said her older son, who is now 18, also found the transition from the Montessori system into public school at Grade 9 smooth. “I have to admit that going from Northstar to public school, the academic standard of Northstar surprised me. When he went to high school, he felt he was more advanced than kids that came from public school,” she recalls.

But it was more than academic, she said. It went deeper than that. Being at Northstar had helped her child open up and become more mature, ready to take on new challenges. “He had a work ethic, and that helped him. I know that Northstar puts a lot of importance on scheduling and taking care of homework and being organized. This helped him.”

Families have the option of enrolling their children in before- or after-school, which runs on school days from 7 a.m. until school begins and from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Optional summer camps are available, including a regular camp and an aquatics-focused camp.

With its emphasis on the Montessori system, Northstar looks for families that are interested in a self-directed learning experience for their children.

Some spots open up to new families in the older grades due to attrition. Returning families are asked to state their intention to return in the first week of February. After that deadline has passed, available spots are made available to new families.

Potential families are invited to attend one of three Open House events offered in November, January, and February. Families also have an opportunity to meet with Vice-Principal Sherry Gosal or Principal Virginia Ramirez.

New families are invited to apply for open spots in February, with siblings of current students given priority and the remaining spots filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Most spots have been filled by March.

When a student has been accepted for admission into Northstar in an older grade, they may be asked to do an academic assessment that focuses mainly on language and math skills. This allows teachers to guide the student to appropriate learning activities once they enter the classroom.

Northstar is competitively priced with other Montessori schools in the Greater Toronto Area.

There is no fee for application. A non-refundable fee of $150 is due on enrolment.

Tuition ranges between $14,400 and $16,350, with yearly increases, and with a five percent discount offered when more than one family member is enrolled.

Tuition does not include the mandatory school uniform (obtained through InSchoolwear) or gym uniform. Nor does it include major trips.

Except for during the Pre-Casa and Casa years, when lunch and snacks are included in tuition, the school’s optional lunch is also an added expense. Hot lunch may be pre-ordered online at the beginning of the month.

Parents may also opt for daily or occasional after-school care.

No merit-based or needs based financial aid is available.

Parents report that the fees are clear and well presented, and that there are no surprises after the fact or throughout the school year.

Parent involvement is welcomed, according to Gosal. The community helps and offers constant feedback about what is needed. The relationships between the parent community and the teachers and administrators are at the heart of the school, says Delill. “One of the things that makes us unique is the strong community,” she says. “Parents and teachers work together for the best interests of the students. And the parent community really likes to do things for the teachers. There’s a lot of appreciation being shown.”

Smialek confirms that the school welcomes parent input and communicates frequently and openly about what’s happening at school.

The family community comes together for social events such as the family picnic each spring and an annual costume ball each fall. These are inclusive events on the weekend that bring together students and their parents and siblings.

The administration consults families on their interests for extracurriculars that interest them and tries to respond to requests. For example, when parents asked for robotics programming after school, the school invited an outside provider of robotics experiences to provide experiences for kids.

People at Northstar are connected to each other. Relationships are the foundation of learning, and the community at Northstar seems to genuinely encourage children to discover their unique selves and their internal motivation at school.

Everyone we talked to mentioned the strength and importance of the relationships formed inside and outside of the classroom at Northstar.

“We really know our students,” says Gosal. “Many of them start with us at 18 months and then they stay with us, so we really know each other.”

That means that teachers can quickly identify if someone is struggling or needs help,” she says. “If someone’s looking off, or doesn’t sound like they typically sound, it’s easy to identify, because we’ve spent so much time with them.”

Smialek confirms that teachers at Northstar form strong bonds with the children. “They almost knew more about my children than I knew! They were very involved in a good way. If they saw anything concerning they were always open to having a conversation.”

But strong teacher-student bonds go much deeper than noticing problems. When students are connected, communications between home and school can also encourage excellence and help the child develop character.

When I spoke with alumni Aleeyah Samuels, she recalled her Northstar years with fond enthusiasm and credited her education there as a contributing factor in her success in higher education. Her strong performance at university led to a string of satisfying work opportunities in her chosen field.

After graduating from Northstar in Grade 6—she was valedictorian—about 15 years ago, Samuels went on to complete high school at Holy Name of Mary College School, where she maintained an honour roll standing. Then she earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Guelph and is now pursuing a career in criminal justice.

“My references speak highly about my work ethic,” says Samuels. “I really believe that it stems from Northstar. That’s something that is instilled in a person when they’re very young.”