REVIEW OF Howlett Academy BY parent, Joanna Akkawi

(5) Student Experience

Howlett is an amazing school, with a strong emphasis on academics. My three children attended, starting in grades 1, 4, and 6, and I only wish we had discovered it when they were in Junior Kindergarten. In an era where students so often don't receive enough attention at school, Howlett delivers a personalized, highly structured, very hands-on learning environment. Children are challenged, and they learn. The students get used to writing tests early on, and feedback is prompt and meaningful, helping them stay engaged and improve. It's a small school, but not too small, meaning that the kids develop strong connections with their peers and their teachers. My children all formed very close friendships at Howlett - and my daughter, the eldest and now in grade 10, remains close to those friends today.

(5) School Leadership

The administration is very streamlined—the school is run by the principal, Court Howlett-Ben. Court keeps his finger on the pulse of the school and is actively involved in its day-to-day operations. It is fair to say that he is more invested in the school than most principals. He knows each student well and cares about their development and success. For example, when students apply to other private schools (for example, for grade 7 or grade 9 admission), he helps each one individually prepare for the interviews. He values good behaviour and adherence to rules. Parents will find Court responsive and easy to reach. General admin communication with the parents is clear and predictable.

(5) Teaching

The Howlett teachers are enthusiastic, engaged, and extremely caring. The curriculum content seems to drive what happens in the classroom—as a result, there is a lot of continuity in teaching style from year to year. For example, in the middle school, every class has a spelling test on Mondays, and math is taught in the same way from year to year. The teacher-to-student ratio is high (generally two full teachers for a class of 16 or so students), meaning that the students get an enormous amount of attention and the relationship between the teachers and the students is quite personal. Work is marked promptly and returned to the students, and students are expected to review their corrected work and to redo questions or problems where they make mistakes. Teachers respond quickly to any concerns from parents, and if your child applies to another private school (for example, for grade 7 and grade 9 admission), teachers will go above and beyond to complete recommendation letters and other assessment forms.

(5) Academics

Howlett is academic. Information is conveyed in a very structured and predictable way, and there is a strong emphasis on mastery through repetition, with particular stress on the fundamentals—reading, writing, and arithmetic. In middle school, students start writing tests. In the older grades, students also write exams in January and in May/June, preparing them for high school. We have found the math program to be particularly strong. Work is reviewed and corrected on a daily basis so that each student has the opportunity to learn and improve. Students are assigned homework each day. In the younger grades, this homework is completed at the end of the day at school, but as the children get older, they can have quite a bit of work to do at home.

(5) Extracurriculars

The school provides weekly after-school extracurricular clubs (for example: coding club, gardening club, chess club, debate club, art club), as well as some sports teams. There are a surprising number of leadership opportunities for a small school—including a leadership club, volunteer opportunities in the community, and a house system, in which older students are allowed to organize initiatives for the younger students.

(5) Students

Howlett is a small school. The student body is small and cohesive. The students from different grades get to know each other, particularly at recess, and friendships often form between children of different ages. Also, as there are many split grades, students become close friends with older and younger children alike. There are several opportunities for the younger students to interact with older students, including the "reading buddy" program, where the grade 7 and 8 students volunteer with the younger grades. The school attracts families that value education and continuous development. As a result, students tend to be motivated, and they want to advance. There is a healthy level of competition among the students, particularly in the older grades, which can be both motivating and, at times, challenging.

(5) School Life

My children have loved Howlett. They have met wonderful friends and have been well cared for. Howlett offers a close-knit community, which helps the kids feel valued and supported. The smaller class size allows the students to feel connected to each other and to their teachers, which makes school a place where they can confidently take on challenges. Your children will not feel disregarded or "lost in the shuffle" at Howlett. By the time they get to the end of grade 8, the students are generally ready to move on to a larger school with a larger group of peers and more independence. At the same time, when they do move to larger schools, they miss that sense of really being known that they had at Howlett.

(5) Community

There are a few opportunities for parents to be involved in school life. As a small school, it makes sense that Howlett doesn't have the space for parents to participate in events. Parents are invited to act as judges (provided their child is not participating) for various competitions. Parents are invited (as audience members) to the winter concert in November/December. In the older grades, parents are also invited to the speech competition and the science fair. There is an Art Walk in the spring, where parents are invited into the school to see the students' artwork. The school and some parents organize an end-of-year picnic in a nearby park, which is well attended and a lovely way to end the school year. Parents are generally not welcome to enter the school day to day. Having said that, parents do congregate outside the school at the end of the day for drop-off and pick-up, and many parent friendships form there.

(5) School Location

Howlett is located on Madison Avenue, near Bloor and Spadina, on the edge of the U of T campus. As the school doesn't have a gym or auditorium, it uses nearby facilities, including local parks, for gym classes in better weather. In grades 7 and 8, the kids are allowed to go out for lunch on Fridays, and it's a great neighbourhood for them to explore. If you drive, parking is possible but can sometimes be stressful. It is easily accessible on the subway line.

(5) Admissions

The admissions process is fairly simple. It involves an informal tour, and then Court meets with the prospective students. This is very refreshing, especially when compared with the typical private school application process. We found Court to be quite transparent about where we stood during the process. As our children joined after JK, we had to wait for a spot to become available. There seems to be little attrition, especially during the younger years, meaning that openings can be sporadic.