REVIEW OF Vianney Academy BY parent, Janice Chan

(4.5) Student Experience

Thomas really appreciates the small class sizes as well as the teachers and staff who really care about his progress and learning. The school always provides therapies that help him with his concentration, memory, and focus. It fully caters to each individual student and their needs and there is a lot of one-on-one help for each student. One thing Thomas found difficult was that the curriculum uses computers a lot and he is a bit sensitive to screen time. But this is more an issue with the Ontario curriculum than the school itself. Thomas also enjoys the field trips that Vianney organizes, which often involve teaching them how to use public transportation. This is an invaluable life skill. He also enjoys the family feel of the school as it is not very big, so you are never just a number.

(5) School Leadership

Vianney is a very small school so leadership is not really a priority at this school. It deals with each individual child's needs, as the school caters to the special needs population. There is a family feel to the school and the staff are very quick to respond to any problems. It certainly fosters a positive school environment because it really feels like a family environment. It is very easy to communicate with the staff as they respond to emails and phone calls promptly.

(5) Teaching

I cannot say enough positive things about Vianney Academy and their staff. The staff genuinely care about each child and really go above and beyond the call of duty to help each child and their families. They provide a lot of one-on-one help for the students and even provide extra care at the end of the day to assist them with their homework, and to teach them life skills. Thomas really improved in his academics, executive functioning skills, and communication. The school always has connections with speech and educational therapists which helped a lot with improving in these areas. If we ever had any issues with anything I was able to contact the staff and they were very happy to work with me to rectify the issue.

(4.5) Academics

The academic program that Vianney uses is the Ontario curriculum. The staff at Vianney were very good though at supplementing the curriculum with other courses that the Ontario curriculum didn't offer to suit each student's needs and interests. We would have meetings before the academic year where we would discuss what and how many courses per semester would be the best for Thomas. The school would also integrate educational therapies (some of the staff are qualified to execute those therapies) into their day program so that the students would get the most out of their academics at Vianney. I found it to be a very comprehensive approach that met the needs of each individual student. One thing as well is that the staff there are very dedicated and loyal to the school. The teacher turnover rate is very low and Thomas has had the same teachers for many years. This is because the staff genuinely care and have a calling to help children with special needs.

(5) Extracurriculars

Vianney Academy is a small school, but because of that, they are able to offer extracurricular activities that are more geared towards learning life skills such as cooking and learning to take public transportation. They also do fun activities as well, such as 3D printing. The school focuses on personal and academic development so participating in competitions is not high on the priority list. Personally, I feel the school's extracurricular opportunities are adequate for the students.

(5) Students

The school is very small and there are only a handful of students in Thomas' class. The elementary school is in a separate location from the high school. However, because of the small setting, Thomas has made long-lasting friendships with all their classmates there. They all get along and there are never really any personal disputes. Again because the school's population consists of students with special needs they often work independently on their own personal curriculum. Occasionally there are organized discussion exercises between the students to promote dialogue and conversation. If there are any behavioural issues with any of the students, the staff are very good at rectifying the situation. It is a family environment though so everyone gets along very well and there have been no problems.

(5) School Life

The quality of student life at Vianney Academy is very good, especially because it has that family feel to it. Thomas enjoys going every day to learn and be with his friends. He gets a lot of personal attention which has really helped him with his academics and life skills. For Thomas, because of his autism, he is on a slower track with fulfilling his high school credits and that works very well for him because if he were to follow the regular 8 credits per year system in the regular schools he would struggle a lot. So there is a lot of flexibility with the pace at which each student obtains their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Vianney Academy often puts social events together, either in the form of fundraisers, or fun social activities for the families to get together and these really enhance the connections between all the families that send their children there.

(5) Community

Vianney Academy being a small school, means that there isn't a lot of need for parents to come in and assist during the actual school day. However, Vianney Academy often organizes fundraiser events which get all the families together. This creates a close-knit community for the school. Parents are always welcome though to assist in the fundraiser events if they would like to. Parents are also invited to attend board meetings and to express any ideas and opinions at these events. Parents are also welcome to assist or attend the field trips that the students go on. There is adequate opportunity for communication between Vianney and the parents and one can easily set up a phone call or meeting to discuss any questions or concerns parents may have.

(4) School Location

The school is renting a space in a church building which is located in a residential neighbourhood. The space is quite large and that is where their tables are all set up. It also has a kitchen, which allows the students to learn some basic cooking skills, and another large hall for them to do some basic gym and therapy exercises. Students typically do not venture out because that would involve supervision, and they are also very busy with their studies.

(4.5) Admissions

The admissions process is relatively simple, but the only problem is that space is very limited in terms of the number of students they can take in. This is because the actual rooms can only accommodate a certain number of staff and students. Thomas had an easy time getting in as he was one of the initial students. I am not really sure about now as to how easy or difficult it is to get in now though. However, one can inquire very easily by just calling Vianney Academy.

(4.5) University placement and counselling

When it comes to post-secondary education, Vianney Academy always has the student's best interests at heart and provides guidance to what the student should pursue after high school. Vianney Academy is there to assist the student in deciding whether they should pursue a job, college, or university. As to the actual application process, that is really up to the parents to do the leg work. If the student has the aptitude for the trades for example, Vianney will make course recommendations and can provide experiences to help the student decide if that is really what they want to do. There is good communication between Vianney and the parents when selecting courses so that the student will be guided towards the right path for their future. Vianney also provides job and training resources for the students to look into on their own.