REVIEW OF Sacred Heart School of Halifax BY parent, Vurain Tabvuma

(5) Student Experience

The experience at Sacred Heart School of Halifax has been an excellent one for both our boys. One thing that I believe clearly speaks to this is that our boys are both eager to go to school every morning and have plenty to report at the end of each day. Our older son really appreciates the connection students can have with their teachers because of the smaller class sizes. Our younger son has a strong appreciation for Conge, a Sacred Heart tradition where, on one school day, students are surprised by faculty and the school council with a day of fun activities. We really appreciate the robustness and rigour of the academic program they offer at the school. It prepares them well for university. Importantly, Sacred Heart School of Halifax has a strong faith tradition rooted in the Catholic Church, and this helps shape the character of the students.

(5) School Leadership

The school leadership and administration are exceptional. The Head of School has many years of experience leading Sacred Heart Schools in North America, including leading high-ranking and highly revered schools in the US. The school leadership team always takes time to truly listen to parents and is very open to consulting a wide range of stakeholders when important decisions are being made. Without exception, they handle discipline issues fairly and judiciously. They communicate effectively with parents and students through regular weekly emails and newsletters. The environment they foster at the school is one of trust and care.

(5) Teaching

The teaching at Sacred Heart School of Halifax is of the highest quality. The teaching faculty are all highly trained and have experience teaching at leading private schools from across the world. The teachers are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about each of their subject areas. The standards and performance expectations they set for the students are very high. This would potentially cause some challenges for some students. However, the teachers are also deeply passionate about the students and are fully committed to providing each student with the personalized learning plan and support they need. The teachers are all trained and knowledgeable in how to teach students of varying ability. The teachers are in regular communication with parents on what they are teaching in the classroom and informing parents on how their children are performing.

(5) Academics

The academic program at Sacred Heart School of Halifax is robust and rigorous. The academic program is on par with any leading private or independent school in the world. The academic program is taught and delivered by highly trained and accomplished teachers. The strengths of the academic program are the advanced Maths and Science offerings they offer. This is evidenced by Sacred Heart School of Halifax alumni who go on to be leaders and successful in a range of Medical, Science, Mathematics, and Engineering related professions. Their Humanities and Language Arts program produces students with a deep knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the arts. The academic program is conducted in world-class classrooms and laboratories. They are also exceptional in developing strong communication and presentation skills among the students.

(5) Extracurriculars

Sacred Heart School of Halifax is committed to developing the "whole child". This means they are particularly focused on having a strong and wide-ranging extracurricular program that ensures students are developing beyond just academics. Sacred Heart School of Halifax offers a wide range of extracurricular opportunities for students. There are enough extracurricular offerings to meet the needs of a wide range of interests. They have offerings in various art, music, individual and team sports, engineering and robotics, and a host of other offerings.

(5) Students

Sacred Heart School of Halifax has a wide and diverse student body, ranging from Junior Primary (Junior Kindergarten) to Grade 12. The school is very focused on developing and inspiring its students to be the best for the world and not just the best in the world. This is a belief that is rooted in the guiding principles of faith, hope, and love. All this translates into having a student body where students deeply care for each other and are always looking to bring out the best in each other. The older students are very involved in this by being mentors to the younger students and sharing meaningful school traditions with the younger students. Further to this, the overall size of the student body makes this more thoughtful and intentional approach to creating this wonderful culture possible.

(5) School Life

First and foremost, Sacred Heart School of Halifax has five goals, like other Sacred Schools around the world. These are to have a personal and active faith in God, to have a deep respect for intellectual values, to have social awareness that impels to action, the building of community as a Christian value, and to have personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. These goals and this focus underpin Sacred Heart School of Halifax's approach to school life. This has resulted in the school having a rich and thoughtful school environment in which students feel welcome and are eager to participate. Our children love going to school at Sacred Heart School of Halifax. Their school life is one that is academically challenging but one where they are encouraged to try new things, have support in learning, and feel that they are becoming better people every day at school.

(5) Community

Sacred Heart School of Halifax has a very participative, committed, and dedicated parent community. One of the Sacred Heart goals is the building of community as a Christian value. This means that having a thriving parent community is something that is at the very core of the school. There are numerous ways for parents to be involved in the life of the school. The school has a longstanding and robust Parents' Guild Association that runs a number of events and activities each year, including a large, high-profile fundraising dinner and Christmas Fair amongst others. Each class with have a class parent who helps with communication and deliberation. Parents are encouraged to assist and/or run school clubs and societies, which has resulted in students having the opportunity to be involved in some truly incredible activities.

(5) School Location

Sacred School of Halifax is located very close to the historic downtown of the City of Halifax, widely considered one of the best cities to live in Canada. The school is across the street from the historic Halifax Spring Garden, a Victorian-era public garden that is one of the city's most popular draws. The school's location means students are within walking distance to numerous museums, theatres, the city and provincial legislature, universities, centres of excellence, and various resources. The school takes full advantage of this throughout the year, using its location to provide world-class experiential learning to its students.

(5) Admissions

I would advise someone planning on applying for admission to reach out to the school and set an appointment to meet with a representative of the school. I would also encourage them to go on a tour of the school. The school also offers prospective students to spend a part or whole day at the school. The admission officers are very easy to work with are very open and willing to answer any questions you may have. My experience with the application process was very stress-free. After I went on the school tour, I had no doubt that Sacred Heart School of Halifax was the right school for our boys. This has been proven right.