REVIEW OF Wildwood Academy BY parent, Michelle

(5) Student Experience

Public school was always difficult for my son. Diagnosed with severe anxiety and learning disabilities, and after years of trying, it was clear that public school could not provide him with the support he needed to function on a daily basis. We pulled him out of public school early in the 6th grade when he was at an all-time low academically, emotionally and even physically. Within 3 days of being at Wildwood, he stopped crying and resisting going to school every morning. He actually began learning and progressing academically. He made friends, joined clubs and gained confidence. He became happy again. As parents, we were shocked at the changes in our son. After 8 years of struggling in public school to the point of negatively affecting his mental health, our son was now happily going to school. He was learning. He began doing things he had never done in school before - like participating in class discussions, asking questions, and going on field trips.

(5) School Leadership

The school administration and staff have been amazing. The principal and vice principal have gone above and beyond to help our son feel welcome and succeed. The teachers are very understanding and caring. The staff understand that learning cannot occur until a child feels safe in his/her environment. From the principal to the office manager, all staff do whatever it takes to ensure the kids feel welcome, accepted and safe. For kids who have often had bad experiences in previous schools, this is important in helping them regain the trust of educators and schools in general. The Wildwood staff literally welcomed us with open arms. They frequently communicate with parents and are quick to respond to questions or concerns which is a welcome change from the public system.

(5) Teaching

What I like about Wildwood is that they assess what level the child is in each core subject. The child is then placed in a class for the level they are at. For example, if they are in Grade 6 but reading at a grade 3 level, they will be placed in a reading class with other children (of various ages) who are working at the same level). When he first started at Wildwood, my son had huge gaps in his learning. Although in Grade 6, he was working several grade levels behind in math and reading. Wildwood worked with him to fill the gaps in his learning. They started him at a level that would increase his independence and self-confidence. The teachers work closely with students and can offer this support due to the small class sizes. After 2 years, my son has caught up academically and is now working at grade level for the majority of subjects. If the school notices any given class is too difficult or too easy for a student, they can switch into a higher/lower level immediately. The school provides agendas for each student, which serves as an additional communication tool between home and school, which is also helpful.

(5) Academics

One aspect that stood out about Wildwood Academy was the focus the school has on ensuring a child feels safe, welcome and included. The child's emotional wellbeing is prioritized over academics. At his previous school, my son was always hugely anxious and as a result, his learning suffered drastically. The teachers and staff at Wildwood Academy understand this and try to ensure the children are emotionally ok before expecting them to engage in any significant learning. This made all the difference for my son. WIldwood meets the child where they are at academically. For core subjects like spelling, writing, reading and math, students are placed in classes at the level they are at, regardless of age. I found these extremely helpful in helping my son catch up academically, from the huge gaps he had in his learning from public school. Once a student masters a certain skill, they can move onto the next skill and/or class at any time during the year.

(5) Extracurriculars

There are frequent educational field trips that the kids go on (about 1 time per month). The school has various clubs a few days a week, ranging from board game clubs, art, lego, sports, photography, student council and more. Each student is required to choose a couple of clubs per term. The clubs occur during school hours and are great as it encourages the children to participate in different activities and socialize with other students.

(5) Students

The majority of students at Wildwood Academy have one thing in common which is that their previous school experience was very difficult. There is a sense of understanding amongst them. I know this from getting to know the families and students over the past few years. From what I see, the students are generally very accepting of one another's differences and abilities and are eager to help one another when needed. Overall, the atmosphere at Wildwood has always been very positive, caring and understanding. Wildwood's small student population (capped at 65 students) allows the students to get to know one another, regardless of age or grade. I believe this creates a comfortable atmosphere where everyone gets to know each other welll. Everyone seems to know everyone else by name. If conflicts between students do arise, staff are quick to resolve any squabbles or disagreements when they do arise, in an empathetic manner. From what I've seen, bullying is not tolerated.

(5) School Life

Wildwood has not only improved the quality of life for my son....it did so for our entire family. Gone was the stress of fighting for support in public school. The school's resistance and refusal - after 8 YEARS - was no longer an issue. It may sound dramatic, but Wildwood changed the trajectory of my son's life. Whereas previously he was going downhill academically, mentally, emotionally and physically, he was now learning, happier, less anxious and more confident. He began eating lunch at school again. His constant stomach-related issues greatly diminished. And in turn, the stress on our family diminished as well. My son will be graduating grade 8 this year and is sad to be leaving Wildwood as he often refers to it as "his 2nd family".

(5) Community

The other families and parents are often very understanding, as most have also had negative experiences with their child's previous school(s). The parents generally are very supportive of one other and each child and tend to be very non-judgmental compared to the mainstream school parents. There are parent social nights that the school holds as well as online groups in which parents/families provide information/ideas/support to one another. Having a child who is neurodivergent on some level (whether it be ADHD, ASD, anxiety, sensory issues, learning disabliies, tourettes, etc) can be isolating. I find that at Wildwood, there is a general sense of understanding and empathy amongst both the parents and children. The parents are very eager to help one another whether it be recommendations to outside professionals (i.e. OT, speech therapist, psychologist) and even help one other with tax and OAP related issued and questions.

(4.5) School Location

The school location is convenient as it is close to highways and major roads. Families come from Oakville, Peel, Burlington and even further. Some have relocated just to be close to the school. The children do not venture off school grounds. The school does have a beautiful large area where the kids play at recess with lots of greenery, trees and a hill in the back which the kids sled on in the winter. There are also flower beds which the kids have used for different gardening projects. The traffic to enter or leave the school parking lot can be busy due to the street layout and another private school next door. However, the other private school has tried to alleviate this with additional staff directing traffic during busy peaks.

(5) Admissions

What I appreciated about Wildwood is that they allowed my son a few "trial" days - days where he is paired with a current student at basically attends the classes for a half or full day to ensure the school is the right fit. When deciding whether to register or not - the school was very understanding and very accommodating. They met with us as many times as we asked to either tour or review any questions or concerns we had. I did not feel pressured at any time to make a decision, which was nice.