Interview with Hillfield Strathallan College PARENT, Sarah Coulson

My daughter finds the method of learning very engaging in the class, the tangible learning experiences not only in the classroom but outside and during field trips. She is very excited to go to school each day, and she's sad if there's a reason why she's unable to attend, and she knows that she'll miss out on a new learning experience.

On the academic side, I appreciate the small class sizes and the personalized learning plans. My daughter has responded quite well to the personalized learning programs, and she appreciates the one-on-one attention that she receives from her teachers.

In terms of well-rounded education, I appreciate the extracurricular programs, along with the vast green space as the school is situated on more than 50 acres. With the larger student population, it creates opportunities for additional specialized classes as well as extracurriculars. As HSC is an independent school, my daughter had the opportunity this year with a choir to sing at Roy Thomson Hall as part of the Independent School Music Festival.

The mission statement of the school is ‘Learn with joy, live with purpose,’ and I see those values every day. The philosophy is to develop the whole child, both in the classroom and outside. The experiences I had at the school were foundational for me, and I'm excited for my daughter to have those experiences herself.

My daughter also enjoys the sense of community where the high school students will help the younger students, whether it be with reading or art projects.

I find that the teachers generally care about the students and their well-being, and this shows in the extras that they do. It shows during remote learning and hand-delivering extra materials during the school year or at the end of the school year to say goodbye, as well as being available outside of the typical evaluation period to discuss any concerns or just to have a conversation about the child.

With respect to administration, they've always been very friendly and helpful whenever I've had questions. When searching for a school for your child to attend, I recommend looking for a school where both you and your child feel comfortable being part of that community. In addition, a school that values an education philosophy aligned with your own. And to do that, I recommend talking to other families, taking a tour of the school, and talking to teachers.

I was very happy with the school's response to the pandemic and how flexible they were with the learning. At the time during the pandemic, I was looking for a school with a strong remote program. I reached out to a former classmate of mine, whose son was currently enrolled, about the remote program. She was very impressed with it and encouraged me to contact admissions to see if there was space available.