REVIEW OF Sacred Heart School of Halifax BY parent, Mary Shakespeare

(5) Student Experience

My son’s experience at Sacred Heart was very positive, and I think the biggest influencing factor was the size of the school. Joining the school in grade 9 could have been quite a difficult transition for him, but this tight-knit community embraced him immediately. The friendships he gained during his time there would probably be considered the most positive part of his overall experience. However, I also believe that the size of the school was a great benefit to him, from an academic point of view as well. Because the teachers are focused on a limited number of students, each of those students gets an enormous amount of attention. This attention really helped my son to work to his full potential and achieve results far beyond those he was getting when he first arrived.

(4.5) School Leadership

The leadership and administration at Sacred Heart were very strong. The structure within the school was very evident, and it was clear how to deal with any problems through that chain of command. In all cases, there was a sense that every concern was being considered and that a solution was being worked toward. I believe that fostering a positive school environment was probably the most important aspect of Sacred Heart, and you get a sense of this the minute you walk through the front door.

(5) Teaching

I cannot say enough about the positive experience my son had with the teachers at Sacred Heart School of Halifax. The passion and knowledge of their subjects were outstanding. Their involvement in my child’s learning was significant. My son was always a good student, but it wasn’t until he came to Sacred Heart that he excelled. He was so inspired by the people who were teaching him and by the encouragement they gave him to work to his full potential that he achieved things that we would have never imagined. They changed his whole way of thinking about his education and his future, and they set him on a path to success. We are forever grateful for the experience he had with his teachers, and I will never miss an opportunity to praise them for the incredible work they do.

(4) Academics

The variety in academic offerings at Sacred Heart is one of the least positive aspects of the school. I understand it is difficult for a small school to offer a wide scope of courses. However, I believe that they have the solution to this problem within their academic structure, and it just is not being utilised enough. 1. Access to Sophie Connect has enormous value and solves this problem. Unfortunately, I don’t think that this option is promoted nearly enough within the school. 2. The option to do a special studies course (I cannot remember what it is called) is another way of addressing the special interests of students. Together, these two facilities negate any disadvantage of having fewer varieties of courses on offer. However, they need to be more utilized within the curriculum for the senior students.

(4.5) Extracurriculars

The extracurricular opportunities at Sacred Heart School Halifax provided quite a variety of experiences, involvement, and engagement. The children were encouraged to participate in many different types of extracurricular activities, clubs, and sports, and these activities were valuable in helping them to integrate, not just into the Sacred Heart community, but in many cases into the greater community as well.

(3.5) Students

Overall, the atmosphere within the student body is one of support and great school spirit. It is a small student body, so it is quite intimate, and that can be seen as a positive or, in some cases, a negative. Each year is different, and depending on who the strong personalities are in any given year, that can drive the atmosphere amongst the students for that particular year. As well, the experience can differ from the girls' school to the boys' school. It seems that the boys' school is much less likely to be influenced by cliques and bullying. Academically, this is a positive. It is very hard for a child to slip through the cracks here. Socially, not as positive. It might be harder to find your people when there are not as many people.

(4.5) School Life

The overall quality of student life at Sacred Heart was exceptional. It has a very good balance of both academic and social experiences. The day-to-day activities are well-managed, and in addition to that, there were some exceptional activities throughout the year for the students to participate in. Particularly, the annual school trips and the festival days (Oktoberfest, Winter Carnival, Conge, etc) really provide a lot of focus through each semester for the students to look forward to. These activities, in particular the trips, offer the students a great opportunity to grow and mature in a social setting together, while participating in essentially academic experiences. In all cases, those events and experiences contribute greatly to the quality of student life at Sacred Heart School Halifax.

(5) Community

We had an exceptional experience joining the Sacred Heart community. When we arrived, we were partnered up with a host family who really took us under their wing and made sure that we got a good understanding of the school and the community. It was that support, right out of the gate, that made us feel very welcome and instantly a part of a very genuine and loving parent group and school. Immediately, we became involved in the parent community by assisting with fairs, festival days, activities, dinners, fundraisers, etc. It was through these volunteer positions that we really got to embrace, and were embraced by, the overall community in an incredibly positive way. For everyone in our family, this was where Sacred Heart really shone.

(5) School Location

The location of Sacred Heart is very much at the core of the city, which provides access to the many opportunities that surround it. It is ideally situated for easy access to downtown Halifax, but also to the Halifax Public Gardens and the Halifax Commons, which are great for extracurricular activities and sports training. It is amazing to have the Public Gardens on the doorstep of the school. In many ways, it is somewhat of an extension to the school grounds as it features quite prominently in the festivities surrounding the end-of-year events, such as convocation/graduation and prom.

(5) Admissions

The admissions process was a very easy and positive experience. The staff are very helpful, efficient, and kind. The admissions officer always followed up in a very timely manner and was extremely helpful and getting us through the process and ensuring we had all our documentation in order for that day.

(4) University placement and counselling

I think the application process was well managed at the school however, I think the guidance counselling in the earlier part of high school should have been a little bit more robust. Improvements needed to be made to ensure that children had all the courses they were going to need for the programs they were interested in eventually applying for, and also that they were not taking courses that did not benefit them. It is a bit difficult to evaluate the university placement and counselling department, as I understand that since our children attended Sacred Heart a couple of years ago, there have been improvements made to that department, and additional staff have been added. I think is a very positive move by the administration.