Interview with The Bishop Strachan School PARENT, SONA SHAH

The school has been very warm and welcoming from the beginning. We were able to come in for kindergarten. This was pre-COVID, so we were able to come in and tour the school. My daughter was able to have a half test day, spending half a day with her peers to get a sense of the school. We met with the principal and vice-principal and got a good feel for the school through the tour.

My eldest daughter, who’s now in Grade 6 and has been there since SK, has really blossomed. When she joined SK, she was super shy, didn’t make eye contact with anyone, and was very nervous. The school provides such a warm and comfortable place for the little ones, while also stretching and challenging them.

My daughter has thrived. She’s almost like a different child now. She’s very chatty, very confident, and has her areas of expertise that she’s really building on. She has come a long way over the last nine years. I think right now they appreciate just being at school as opposed to being on a screen.

They get opportunities throughout junior school to take on more leadership roles. My youngest, who is in Grade 2, has a leadership role within the class where everyone has a job, whether it’s being the teacher’s helper or taking care of the fish for the week. Every week it changes, but they have that responsibility, which has been fantastic.

What they really like about the school is, again, the warm, nurturing environment. As you progress through junior school, you also get numerous leadership opportunities. I have my youngest daughter in Grade 2 now, and my eldest in Grade 6. In Grade 6, they get to do various activities with the younger girls. They mentor, buddy, teach, and really take on a range of leadership roles for the junior school. My eldest has even spoken to potential new parents about her experience, which could be quite nerve-wracking for an 11-year-old, but it’s been a great journey for her.

Everybody knows everybody. Because of its special size—it’s not too small, with about 200 girls—everyone knows each other. The principal and vice-principal are out every day and know every single girl’s name. They even know most of the parents' names. The older girls also know the younger ones, feel protective of them, and play with them at recess, so everyone knows each other’s name.

It’s a wonderful balance between being a big enough school to provide plenty of opportunities and challenges for the girls, while also being small enough to be welcoming and nurturing. One thing I loved about it is that they start the girls in swimming classes in kindergarten, which is different from some of the other girls' schools. It’s challenging and difficult, but it’s amazing that teachers are in the pool once a week, taking these little four- and five-year-olds swimming. It also meant I didn’t have to take them swimming separately, which is a wonderful addition.

Senior school girls help with after-care, come to read books to the younger girls, or teach them something. It’s been wonderful for the younger ones to see how the older girls progress throughout their time at the school, and to learn from them. Again, it creates that lovely sense of community.

Boarding starts a bit later in middle school, but the girls have had many opportunities to interact with the boarders, see where they live, and even ask: “Can I do this when I’m older?” It’s a 24-hour community, which has been amazing.

One of the school’s values is grit and determination, and that is embodied in everything the girls do every day. The teachers in junior school are a wonderful mix of being warm while also not letting them get away with anything. They make sure the girls are independent and doing things themselves. For example, my youngest daughter had issues tying her shoelaces. The easiest thing would be to ask, “Can you tie my shoelace?” But that isn’t allowed; they have to learn to tie their own shoelaces. There are wonderful examples like that every day, teaching our youngest independence within a warm, loving environment.

I think about the families I’ve met over the years, and actually, there’s no such thing as a typical family, which is one of the best things about the school. There’s so much diversity—many international families, people from everywhere. Some families drive an hour and a half to get to the school, while others live right next door. There’s no typical family, and that’s one of the things I love about the school because it brings so much diversity. I’ve learned so much from all the families because everyone is so different. It’s been fantastic.

Last year, when my eldest daughter was in Grade 5, she made a clay model of the brain. I learned so much about the brain through this process. It was amazing. It took her about three months to put it together and then present it to her peers. That was definitely a highlight. She’s also the lead in a play, which has been great for her confidence. It’s been a tremendous opportunity for her. Every day, they have smaller leadership opportunities, whether organizing a marketplace or helping younger students, like I mentioned earlier.

They also have a duty called “greeter duty,” where they get to school very early to open car doors for the younger ones and help them out of their cars. It’s the only time I see her really wanting to drag herself out of bed and make sure she’s there on time. It builds responsibility and time management skills as well.