REVIEW OF Scholars’ Hall BY parent, Tatiana Mamalyga

(5) Student Experience

My son started at SJSH in Sept 2023 in Grade 2, prior to enrolling in SJSH, my son attended a public school. He is a very active boy, therefore he enjoys mostly sports and anything he can be active in. He enrolled himself in soccer 3 times a week, which starts right after school, and he attends karate which is also located in the school. He plays various sports during lunch recess and signs up for plays and after-school clubs. He loves gym, music and French, he enjoys other subjects however those are his top three. He even loves going to aftercare and playing with his friends and watching movies on Fridays. He became very responsible and knows that the first thing he needs to do when he comes home is to complete his homework. He enjoys being a part of a smaller school and having friends in different grades.

(5) School Leadership

I love that the school has a parent-only Facebook page and they update it every morning with daily reminders for parents. Things like, today is dress uniform day, $2 popcorn Wednesday, don't forget that tomorrow is floor hockey, bring your gym uniform. Those are just a couple of examples, the list is endless. Their doors are always open to parents, they know pretty much every parent. Once I pull into the parking lot to pick up my son, they see my car and radio for my son. Every time I pick him up inside the school, I can chat with any staff. They give me quick updates on my son. I love actually being able to go inside and help my son pack his bag. Every day before and after school there are staff in the parking lot directing traffic so the drop off/pick up is as smooth as possible. First week of September they hire paid duty police officers to keep everyone safe. The school also has a text messaging system, where you can just text and let them know your kid will be absent. They will also text to report if I need to get my son or if he has a mishap. I love that personal touch and feel very comfortable knowing that I can be in touch any time. My son sometimes likes to stay and play soccer, he will just inform the office and they will text me and let me know to pick him up later. I don't have any issues with how they address discipline, but I know they are tough on kids and I gave them my permission to address my son's behaviour and let me know if there are issues. I support their policies and views on everything. The school constantly organizes plays, field trips, drives etc. and my son loves being engaged.

(5) Teaching

Since day one in SJSH my son has had homework. The kids are issued agendas and every day they write what they need to do for homework that evening. The parents have to sign the agenda acknowledging the homework. My son knows that the first thing on his list when he gets home is unpacking his backpack/lunch bag and doing school work. My job is to check and sign the agenda. The workload is not difficult and does not take up too much time, however, it is absolutely necessary to make him a responsible human. If kids don't complete the homework, they go to homework club. The classes are small and teachers have the time to work with students and address their weaknesses and strengths, at home I make sure he understands the material. I also enjoy this time with him as he asks me questions and we practice spelling tests and doing projects. Parent-teacher interviews are in-depth and the school encourages parents to attend. When my son attended the public system for one year, he never had homework, I was never aware of what assignments they were doing, and there were never tests. At SJSH in Grade 3 he has spelling tests every week, they learn big words and he brings his test home for me to review. SJSH is very strong academically and I could not be more happy!

(5) Academics

It is believed that private school follows the public school curriculum, however, we attended public school and I strongly believe that SJSH is way ahead and above any public system. While my son was in public school he was also in a mixed class and kids did not know how to read, where he was way too advanced in reading and math, he would just do nothing all day but be bored and get in trouble. When he started at SJSH, he was in mixed class as well, Grade 1/2, but I could see a huge improvement in his academics, the workload was suitable for him and challenging. His teacher was also adapting to his strengths. I have friends in the public system who can compare their child's education to mine and it shocks me how many children in the class require EAs and disrupt the class and other students. How behind their kids are from where my son is today. A week ago, my son was learning about money and how to count coins and calculate change. That is a very important life skill as many kids will be working part-time in stores and need to learn how to count change. The homework he gets makes him think logically and exercises his brain.

(5) Extracurriculars

SJSH offers a soccer club right after school, which saves me time driving him to soccer. His soccer coach is also phenomenal and teaches the kids drills and how to play/pass properly. My son played soccer at another location and they just kicked the ball around the field. My son goes to soccer club 2 times a week, but also begs me to go an extra day as he loves it so much. Once a week during lunch time, the kids play floor hockey. There is also a chess club, cricket club and clubs for girls. I am sure there are more clubs that I forgot to mention since they don't apply to us. There is also Dojo karate that is done on-site, my son goes to soccer right after school and then karate. It makes it very convenient and keeps him busy pretty much the whole week.

(5) Students

The classes at SJSH have 15-16 kids in class, smaller classes give teachers the opportunity to address the children better and be able to be in control. I love that they have normal desks the kids sit at, and they have little bins that they have to keep organized. The kids also have full-size lockers, where they keep their jackets/backpacks, shoes/snow pants etc. from JK-high school. In a public school that my son attended, there were no lockers and therefore his stuff would always go missing. I attend SJSH a couple of times a week and have small interactions with different students, I notice a big difference in how polite and respectful those kids are. My son never mentioned anyone bullying him, or being mean or rude. I notice how polite my son is to his peers and teachers. The kids are taught respect and it is very noticeable in comparison to the school he previously attended. He always tells me that everyone from JK- to high schooler gets along, and helps each other and I love that he gets to learn from older kids. He tells me of their achievements and there is never anything negative. If there is ever an incident, teachers are always there to notice and address it.

(5) School Life

Aside from all the excellent academics and learning that SJSH provides. They don't forget to have fun and do lots of special events. SJSH plans lots of exciting field trips and parents get to attend as well. Last year and this year, the kids went to Stekkle farm, my son was overjoyed and he still talks about it from time to time. The kids went to a donkey sanctuary in Guelph and I was lucky enough to attend as well. There was a tea party organized for the little kids which was super adorable and kids had to dress up like little ladies and gentlemen. The spring break at SJSH is in April, which makes travel way more convenient and inexpensive. During the actual March Break, they have a Spirit week and kids do fun things all week. During Christmas, there are theme days and kids get to wear different civvies. I also love that they are a uniformed school, which makes picking clothes way easier as I also wear a uniform to work and can really appreciate it! During Valentine's Day last year, the Director was giving out roses to all the parents and it made my entire day and was very sweet and memorable. During winter months, the kids get to use their sleds at school, they also have a very big field for playing. At the end of the school year, in June, the school rents out huge bouncy castles and they have a Carnival day, which was a huge hit with my son. He loves attending SJSH and NEVER expressed not wanting to go to school. They organize dances and trips for older grades, breakfasts etc. Kids earn Student of the Month (Scholar of the Month) titles and get to wear civvies, if you get three of those in one semester, there is a trip to Mandarin paid for by the school. That's a very big incentive and my son always tries to do his best. It is not easy to be a Scholar of the Month, that title is not given out to anyone which makes it even more appealing because kids have to try really hard to earn it. SJSH opens their doors at 0700 and you can pick up your child until 1600hours, after that time the kids are escorted to the aftercare program until 17:30. I am a shift worker and start work shortly after 0700 so having the school open that early no charge is a huge benefit. Sometimes I do not make it to school for pick up, but I am never worried that my son will be left outside, I can either text the school so they tell him to go to afterschool care or he just proceeds there if I don't pick him up. It is so smooth and convenient that it makes my life that much easier and stress-free. I don't have to sign him up for certain days and not the other days, they are very flexible and accommodating to different parents' lifestyles

(5) Community

The school feels like a very tight-knit community. I know all the faculty and staff and they know me and my family. I love chatting with them every time I come by, sharing knowledge, a lot of times I feel like I am in an office at work. There is constant communication with parents and the parents are kept in the loop. I love the Facebook page and daily communication there, I also like the text messaging service. Once a month there is a newsletter outlining important dates, the school also advertises parents' businesses in case others are looking for trusted business. They involve parents in school trips, assist with plays etc. I haven't been involved much in the parent community as this is our second year, but I am familiar with a lot of parents in my son's class.

(5) School Location

My son is in Grade 3 and is too young to venture off the school property. The school is located in the industrial area and there is nowhere really to go. There is a beautiful park nearby that is a walking distance. There was a speed limit changed recently to 30 km/h to make it safer for that area. I like that the school is tucked away and that street is not very busy. During peak pick-up and drop-off times, it can get a little busy for a few minutes however the staff try to get all the cars off the road quickly. Nov-March the school is decorated with beautiful lights and I often drive by just to admire the lights.

(5) Admissions

I do not recall the admissions process being stressful. I read about the school and contacted the school for a tour. I brought my son for a tour and we were put on a wait list. The only thing that I did not like was having to re-register and provide all our information over again for the next year even though we were already attending this school. I believe that is being changed in the coming years. I think the school needs to put it on parents that if they want to withdraw their child, they need to give ample notice to the school and pay the penalty if the parents do not adhere to the school's policy. Everyone was super helpful in the beginning and it was way easier than registering in the public system. The following has nothing to do with SJSH itself, but the uniform people. I found the initial uniform fitting was very rushed and the salespeople did not advise me properly, but I guess they are running a business. I was not aware of the sizes, they did not have sizes available so it was a guessing game. Now that I know how it works and what kind of pieces of uniform I need, I will be more informed when ordering next. I highly recommend SJSH to anyone considering private school and a better education and environment for their children. In the short two years, we fell in love with this school and the staff. I will do everything possible for my son to graduate Grade 12 at SJSH.