Roundtable Q&A Discussion About Sunnybrook School (2021)
Sunnybrook School alumni, current students, and parents shared their insights on the school’s culture, values, strengths, and weaknesses. Hear what Meghan Stevens, Keiko, Oksana Deltova had to say about the school.
Video Contents
- 1:13 - What did you appreciate most about the school during your time here? And how has your perspective on that changed now that you've had some distance from the school?
- 6:29 - What one thing would you change about the school for the better if you had to choose something?
- 9:29 - What would families find most surprising about the school?
- Show Full Video Contents
Highlights from the Q&A discussion
Meghan Stevens — current parent
Meghan’s eldest daughter, who started at Sunnybrook from Kindergarten, recently graduated from the school. Meghan, who has two other kids at Sunnybrook, says the school is remarkable for how it challenges the students, academically and personally, while it remains a nurturing environment. She saw in her eldest daughter a transformation, supported by Sunnybrook, from a shy child to a national-level debater.
- One of the things that first drew us to Sunnybrook was what a small, warm, nurturing environment it was. Our oldest daughter was going into Senior Kindergarten. On our tour, we saw Sunnybrook as a place where the teachers knew every kid, and where there was a genuine warmth between them. These kids would come out and talk about what was going on in the classroom and the look on the teacher’s face. The pride that she had in those students made me feel like there’s something good happening here.One of the things that first drew us to Sunnybrook was what a small, warm, nurturing environment it was. Our oldest daughter was going into Senior Kindergarten. On our tour, we saw Sunnybrook as a place where the teachers knew every kid, and where there was a genuine warmth between them. These kids would come out and talk about what was going on in the classroom and the look on the teacher’s face. The pride that she had in those students made me feel like there’s something good happening here.
We found that the nurturing environment really balanced off a really demanding, academically rigorous and challenging curriculum. So the IB curriculum really helped kind of inspire my kids to develop a love of learning and build their confidence about being curious, physically driven kids.
My eldest daughter started off being really quiet and really kind of shy in the classroom… (but) by the time she left Sunnybrook, she had the opportunity to really have her strengths nurtured and developed the confidence to ask the questions, to speak up. And now she's gone on to be a top ten national public speaker and debater.
If you're interested in the IB Program, they are the experts in it. They were the first in Ontario to have the IB Primary Years Program, and they train the other teachers at the big schools on it.
I don't think I would change much about the school, but I think what I would say is one of its strengths can sometimes be its weakness. It’s a small school, so it does mean your kids in the upper years will go out and do physical activities in other spaces. And I think that's kind of fun for them but if you had more space, you could do more right there.
Come in open minded and embrace it all. Try it all and really lean into that inquiry driven pursuit of curiosity that comes out through the IB program.
Keiko — current parent
Keiko has two kids at Sunnybrook School, both having been there since Junior Kindergarten. She is also an alumna herself. Keiko likes that Sunnybrook provides a coed environment, which she feels is important at this stage. She appreciates how the IB Programme teaches her kids to be reflective and gives them a whole way of thinking they can apply in their everyday life. Something else that stands out for her is the school’s annual musical, where every child is involved. To Keiko, the musical exemplifies how the school creates fun, innovative learning opportunities for kids.
- I think what people would find surprising is that even though we're a small school, there is this fullness and a richness to the programming that goes on at Sunnybrook School…The teachers make it so engaging for the children. Everything is challenging and it's enriching and it's engaging.
I think what people would find surprising is that even though we're a small school, there is this fullness and a richness to the programming that goes on at Sunnybrook School…The teachers make it so engaging for the children. Everything is challenging and it's enriching and it's engaging.
Our children have been at Sunnybrook School since they were in JK and they're conversational in French… You're not going to find a lot of schools in the city where by the end of graduation, children are able to converse in French.
The musical is the highlight of the school year. Everybody gets involved from grades 1 through 6. It fosters that sense of community in the school. There is that buzz of excitement, and also the music teacher is a professional pianist, and that speaks volumes, because he has that passion for music that he's teaching the children and passing along.
It's such a friendly environment at Sunnybrook School…Be a contributing member of the Sunnybrook Society, but take it all in, be involved…Be a risk taker. Try it and you're going to love your time at Sunnybrook School.
When we saw Sunny Brook School, it was small but we felt so good. As soon as we stepped inside the door, we felt that it was warm. We felt that it was nurturing.
The IB program at Sunnybrook is really exceptional…It's not geography, history, math, but everything is interdisciplinary.
We found that our children, as they have grown up through the IB program, look at the world through what my husband and I call the IB lens. The IB program has the IB learner profiles, which is, for example, being a risk taker, being an inquirer, being balanced, being reflective, and all of those things. The children are given profile leads and are recognized for certain profiles that they show.
The school motto is “The Will to Learn. The Courage to Act. The Confidence to Succeed.” And the school really lives by that motto.
The school really gives the children the confidence to succeed. They are recognized for their accomplishments. They're always encouraged along the way, even if there are challenges, they're always being encouraged because the school knows every single child and they know who they are and they're nurtured to become learners, to have that courage to act and have that confidence to succeed.
There are so many words to describe Sunnybrook School, but the three that I came up with are energetic, caring, and innovative or progressive.
Every child matters, and every child is cared for. They're not just a number at a school.
The school really fosters and values a strong community where the parents get along, they know each other. They feel comfortable going to the leadership team, going to the teachers. There's a strong sense of community.
Oksana Deltova — current parent
Oksana’s son is currently at Sunnybrook School. Oksana is impressed by how the school has taught him life skills, like reflection and goal-setting. She loves how safe he feels there. He’s never anxious about going to school. Oksana loves that Sunnybrook provides a caring, inclusive community where everybody—both students and families—feel they belong.
- I chose Sunny Brook because of the IB primary years program and the size. My oldest child is cautious and quite introverted so the actual size of the school was perfect for him.
I chose Sunnybrook because of the IB primary years program and the size. My oldest child is cautious and quite introverted so the size of the school was perfect for him.
(The IB program) is not separate subjects that are completely disconnected, but the whole process is connected by the unit of inquiry… So basically, there's no geography, social science, or history per se. It's actually one theme that teaches kids social science and geography and history. It isn’t separate subjects.
The biggest impact on my son is that he actually is in the process of goal setting, which is something that I know even adults sometimes struggle with…But this eleven year old kid has started reflecting, finding gaps, setting goals and achieving them ever since he was small.
Neither my son nor my daughter ever did not want to go to school. They never had anxiety about going back to school. They were never scared or they never had a tummy ache about school. So that means that they feel very safe at school.
I’ve not met a single teacher or staff at Sunnybrook that didn't care about the children and their success… Everybody is dedicated and committed to raising a child to his best potential, to developing a child to be a curious, independent learner.
Everybody will find a place in the Sunnybrook community. Whether it's a cautious, introverted child or an extroverted, flamboyant kid, it doesn't matter. Sunnybrook community does not prefer one type of personality over another. Everybody is welcome. Everybody is included.
