Admissions

Yes we follow the Ontario academic curriculum; however, we offer much more than strictly academics. Our school is focused on a providing a more wholistic approach to learning that includes exposure to everyday life skills, a connectedness to nature and a focus on personal development. We help each student reach their full potential, while nourishing their individual skills and interests. We are much more than a typical school, we are a conscious community.

The Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy is primarily fostered through our teachers, but also in our classroom set-up. We work hard to be adaptable to the independent needs of each child and create an environment that is inquiry-based, incorporates nature and promotes a true love of learning.

In an effort to provide a well-rounded education for our students, we teach all subjects found in the Ontario curriculum, plus additional specialty subjects that teach various life skills and personal development. Specialty subjects from the Ontario Curriculum include: French, Art, Physical Education, Health and Wellness, and Performing Arts. Other specialty subjects we teach include: horticulture, culinary arts, yoga, meditation and mindfulness, building sciences and more. We encourage parents and family members to contribute to our learning environment through engagement and our Skills Exchange Program. Regardless of who we hire to teach these subjects, whether they are from the school community (through the exchange program) or otherwise, we only hire those who are qualified to teach that specific subject. We also highly value real-world experience, especially with life skills and personal development subjects, which is part of our key criteria when selecting our teaching staff.

We strongly believe in creating a learning enviroment that operates collectively as a community, as children of all ages can learn from one another and further along their individual learning in the process. Even though we do not seperate classrooms by grade, students will of course be provided with grade/age appropriate lessons throughout the day and assigned a homeroom teacher. In maintaining a smaller student:teacher ratio, we ensure that each student receives everything they need to take their learnings to a new level. This methodology also provides students the opportunity to engage with all of their peers in inspirational, inquiry-promoting themes.

The online application is intended to let us know that you are interested in potentially enrolling, and it helps us plan for our upcoming school year. No one is guaranteed placement until a one-on-one meeting with our Administration Team is completed, and the student receives a formal Letter of Enrolment. Enrolment officially begins on March 1st of each year.

For our inaugural school year, we are offering a pay-as-you-go payment plan for every family enrolled. Families wishing to pay in full prior to the start of the school year, will receive a discount on their tuition. The only amount due upon enrolment is the deposit of $1,950, per child. For those wishing to learn more about the payment plans, please contact our Administration team - administrations@kindredspirits-school.ca

At Kindred Spirits Day School, providing a hot lunch and two snacks daily to all students is included in our tuition fee. All food is prepared and served onsite, using only organic and plant-based ingredients, and is 100% nut-free, dairy-free, and vegan. A full menu is provided at the beginning of the school year, so parents are fully aware of what their child(ren) eats, and provided with the opportunity to supplement as they feel necessary. Any additional food allergies will also be considered and addressed as requested.

Yes, we provide before and after care for an extra cost. Children are engaged in arts and crafts, reading books, doing homework and playing games during this time. Before school care hours are 8am - 8:45am and after school care hours run from 3:30pm - 5:30pm.

The tuition fee is inclusive of all materials, food and use of the onsite gardens and greenhouse. Where most private schools also charge a materials fee, we prefer to offer an all-inclusive approach. In the case that a special opportunity is presented to our school community, parents will be made aware of the opportunity and it's cost (if any), prior to the school committing to the experience.

We communicate with parents and the entire school community publically via our blog and social media pages. Parents of enrolled students also receive a monthly email newsletter with opportunities to learn about what is coming up and how they can participate in the school community. Progress reports are also provided 3 times per year to parents, and followed up with either a parent-teacher meeting and/or school-wide open house. Our school year parent-teacher meetings and open houses provide a way to visually see what your child has done and the progress they've made.

We are proudly located on a farm, that also boasts an industrial-sized greenhouse. The reason for this is because we strongly believe in the importance of children learning to grow their own food, pesticide and chemical free. Providing the opportunity to learn such an important life skill, empowers our youth and helps them become critical thinkers (and doers) when it comes to their own health. We are essentially setting the ground work for a lifetime of healthy choices. This also helps us further extend our classroom to the outdoors all year round, and fosters a deeper connection to the Earth and us as its inhabitants.

We carefully incorporate various elements from each of these teaching philosophies into our school's daily practices. We strongly believe that no one teaching style is right for every child, therefore, blending the most responsive elements from each of our favourite models enables us to create a unique philosophy focused on the needs of each of our students.