Interview with Junior Academy PARENT, Alison Simpson

In terms of my son’s learning, being in an environment he's comfortable in and feels supported is most important. So this is one of the things we love so much about Junior Academy, just that climate for him was perfect. And he really is fantastic about being given a challenge and then wanting to rise to the challenge. He has an autism diagnosis and ADHD.

They are so creative and they truly know every single kid and all of their idiosyncrasies. They really go the distance to bring out the best in the kid. So, again, I said he joined in Grade 3. At the end of that year, he ended up winning an award, like a student growth award or something like that, because he really did come out of his shell in a big way. He loved going to school, made some great friends, and it just really worked well for him and helped him achieve his potential.

Building his confidence is a top priority, so we wanted an environment and a set of staff that can build up his belief that he could do anything. So he didn't see the barriers, but saw the possibilities. As well, he's very hesitant to take risks. An environment that could gently challenge him and support him in taking risks, whether it's a small risk, such as speaking up in class or bigger risks, like joining a sports team or anything like that.

We looked at many, many schools. When we walked into Junior Academy, it just all seemed to fit and come into place for the right school for Aiden. So Aiden, being our second child, he started in the neighborhood school that my older son went to. And it became clear through Grade 1 and grade two that that environment wasn't going to be the best environment for him. So we were looking for a smaller school and smaller classrooms as our first priority. And then secondly, an environment that really embraced the principle of an individualized education, individualized plans, where they knew each kid and what made them tick and could help build programs around the uniqueness of each child.

The application process was mostly focused on face-to-face discussion and walking around the school, talking to teachers, talking to the principal. The most important part was them meeting Aiden, because the last thing you want to do as a parent is have a school take your kid just to fill up their quota and have it be the wrong fit. So they spent a fair bit of time making sure they understood Aiden, and he could test out the environment and we could all go, ‘Okay, this feels like it's going to be the right fit.’

They gave him some leadership opportunities that were like low-risk leadership opportunities that tapped into this idea that he likes to take care of others and be a positive helper. He's a really caring kid and values his friendships deeply.

They also gave him some speaking opportunities, which is a big potential area of stress for him, getting up in front of a group. Over the years, he became more comfortable with it. He was a kid that would barely put up his hand in class in the early years of primary. All those things changed quite a lot over the years he was there.

He always talked about the teachers. He developed strong bonds with them. They're really small classes, so they get to know them really well. The teachers really became very positive influences on him. He still stayed connected to so many of them.

They are really great at keeping the parent community together and maintaining a strong back-and-forth dialogue about what's going on in the class and how your child is doing. I appreciated their creativity and their persistence in helping Aiden grow in all areas of life in school, not just academically. They never gave up on the big goals, even though taking risks was tough for him.

We were worried that you go to a smaller school and there's not as much stuff going on, but they have tons of teams and clubs. There is a lot of encouragement for kids to get involved in whatever way they want to. One of the big things in his last couple of years, he was the leader of the lunch milk program, and he took great pride in that. They created that opportunity for him, which was the right-sized opportunity for someone who wouldn't have probably signed up to lead a club or be the captain of any sports team.

They have a very active parent committee and run lots of events. As a small school, you wouldn't think they would have the ability to run all the concerts and fun fairs, but they do. They are always looking for parents to be involved, and being a small school, you can stay really close to the staff there.

Customization in learning, academic side, clubs, sports teams, and leadership roles at school really come through. They walked a good balance of understanding that some kids have exceptionalities and disabilities, and they knew how to push them without pushing them too far.

The school draws from a broader geographic spread than our neighborhood school, but the parents connect very quickly. Aiden has been in high school now, but he still has his core set of friends from Junior Academy, and the parents as well.

The core classroom and the ability to support children with either learning disabilities or giftedness were great. There was occupational therapy in the school. Everything we needed was on site. We loved the whole duration of Aiden's elementary school time at Junior Academy.

If I had to choose three words to describe Junior Academy, I’d say: caring, empathetic, and supportive. They want to know the kid, listen to the variety of needs, and support kids' challenges. Aiden felt it was his safe place and a solid home base.

I would advise other families to get in there, talk to as many members of the staff as you can, and get them interacting with your child. They will know if it's a good fit or not. I really liked the process. It was focused on the needs of the child as the first priority.