REVIEW OF R.I.S.E. Academy BY parent, Nathalie Keppie

(5) Student Experience

The quality of education that my children have received from RISE Academy has been the reason why we have continued their academic journey with RISE Academy. My children specifically enjoyed being in control of their learning while also understanding the requirements for their success. My children have benefited from the teachers being caring, supportive and always willing to take the extra steps to ensure that the students have a positive experience, whether it is a simple change of a scheduled meeting, to discussing a world event that caught their attention, or in-depth assessment of work on progress or completed. There were no negative experiences that my children found disappointing and would change. For them, it was an overwhelmingly positive experience from start to end.

(5) School Leadership

The school and especially Rebecca is extremely responsive and willing to answer questions about the various courses, teachers and specific curriculum. As a parent, we had many questions in order to understand if RISE would be a good fit for both of our children. For my children, the communication was always clear from the first meeting with the teacher until the final day when the grades were submitted. We did not encounter any problems and found the experience to be extremely positive.

(5) Teaching

The quality of the teachers at RISE is obvious from the first day of learning. They were always supportive and fostered a good learning environment that allowed my children to become and remain engaged through their learning experience. The teachers were willing to be flexible with their schedules which avoided any conflict with other courses from the regular school curriculum. It is obvious that the teachers care deeply for their students and are willing to help their students succeed in achieving their goals. My children often commented about their willingness to listen, and offer helpful feedback and constructive criticism. At the same time, they also felt challenged in their courses. We also felt that the teachers were well-prepared and extremely knowledgeable in the subject matter.

(5) Academics

The academic program at RISE is tailored to meet the interests of the student while fostering a positive learning experience. The best examples were encouraging our children to discover and explore interests on their own and report on them. This was a new learning style for them. They became passionate about their learning and they were generally excited and keen about their weekly meetings with their teachers. This type of atmosphere kept our kids engaged in their learning. I really don’t feel that there are any weaknesses associated with the RISE program. I feel that the academic program at RISE has set my son up well for his University courses because the program promotes independent learning and accountability which is important in post-secondary education.

(5) School Life

The best thing we can say about school life is that RISE Academy allowed our children to have some flexibility because of the unique teaching arrangement. There was a set schedule but it was flexible so our children still took it seriously and were held accountable. The teaching arrangement was based on trust and a partnership that our children had never experienced before and greatly benefited from it. As parents, we felt that RISE provided good quality education that our children thoroughly enjoyed. They both looked forward to meeting with their teachers and became invested in their studies and projects. This is a large part of the reason why they excelled in their courses and developed some interest that they didn’t know they had.

(5) Admissions

We found the application process to be simple and clear. We also found it helpful to communicate with other parents and students who had experiences with RISE Academy. Their insight helped us make our decision to pursue some academic courses through RISE Academy. It was easy to understand how our children could fit into this learning style and we would recommend RISE Academy to anyone. Overall it was a great learning experience that we would encourage other kids to pursue.

(5) University placement and counselling

We did not seek out very much University counselling however the submission of grades for the University applications was done in a timely manner and was seamless. The grades appeared immediately on the report card and were accepted by the Universities. We have however spoken to many other parents that were well guided towards post-secondary programs based on their courses from RISE Academy. They felt that the school was well-informed about the requirements for University programs and offered good suggestions and guidance. As a current University student, my son felt that RISE Academy prepared him well and helped to guide him towards some course choices. He did have some discussions with his grade 12 teacher while he was going through the University application process.