St-Laurent Academy
St-Laurent Academy is a Canadian independent daycare, primary and secondary education institution based in Ottawa, Ontario. Its main campus is located in Ottawa at 641 Sladen Avenue in the city’s Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, but faculty and students also make use of an auxiliary location at the Ottawa Athletic Club on 2525 Lancaster Road as well as Macoun Marsh (the latter in the form of an outdoor classroom) and excursions through partnerships with local communities. The academy’s main campus accommodates for every year from daycare (starting at 10 months) through high school. Additionally, St-Laurent Academy operates a daycare at the Ottawa Athletic Club for children aged 6 months to 4 years.
History
St-Laurent Academy was founded in 2005, and has ever since functioned to provide all students with a truly international educational experience. Examples of this include the implementation of core and/or extended French language curriculum. Their mission is built on the foundations of their philosophy that “a hands-on and diversified approach that strongly incorporates physical activity and experiential learning” will help enrich the lives and prospects of all students.
Bilingual Programming
St-Laurent Academy functions as an educator in both of Canada’s official languages. Beginning at 10 months, students can be accepted into bilingual programming that evolves throughout their time at the academy, with consistent and engaging education in both French and English through to high school. Core, extended and advanced French instruction programs are implemented to help students become deeply familiar and comfortable with speaking, reading and writing, which is particularly important as the Ottawa area is home to many bilingual employment opportunities such as in government and military positions. In addition, St-Laurent Academy offers academic-level French programming to students who meet the minimum 600 hours of French study prior to Grade 9, and those who choose not to learn French may opt for an equivalent language credit of their choosing.
Main Campus and Auxiliary Locations
The Main Campus of St-Laurent Academy consists of an extensively renovated multi-story complex complete with offices, upgraded classrooms and immediate access to nearby Forbes Park, which students use as a playground during recesses and lunch breaks (older students may also leave the property during lunch breaks if they have written permission). The school boasts a wide array of recently updated and modernized facilities, including but not limited to the following:
- A full-sized gym with change rooms and modern equipment
- Computer lab outfitted with Mac computers
- Science lab
- Greenhouse with butterfly conservatory
- Art studio
- Teaching Kitchen
- Music room
- Bright, large classrooms with Smart boards and TVs
Parents interested in learning more about St-Laurent Academy are encouraged to book a visit to the main campus, where they can get to know the faculty and gain a deeper insight about the benefits of enrolling their children in the academy. Classrooms and facilities are designed for students to feel at home and not overwhelmed with a large student population, represented in the campus’ smaller classroom sizes and more favourable teacher to student ratio.
Ottawa Athletic Club (OAC)
St-Laurent Academy recently added a second daycare program, which is held at the Ottawa Athletic Club and is open to children aged 6 months to 4 years. The daycare is maintained and operated according to precise standards of excellence established at the Main Campus. The same principles apply to all student and staff interactions at the OAC to ensure a consistently premium quality and stimulating learning experience in and out of the main classroom. This complex also plays host to many primary and secondary excursions and events. Here, students can improve their physical fitness and health through participation in healthy active living-geared curriculum.
Macoun Marsh
Students participate in monthly field trips, including excursions to nearby Macoun Marsh. Here, they participate in outdoor education programming and develop a deeper understanding of nature, science and the ever-changing environment of the world they live in. This learning atmosphere is also present at the Main Campus, with facilities and features such as the science lab, greenhouse, butterfly conservatory and countless visual displays featuring everything minerals to live reptiles and animal specimens to inspire students and generate more interest than in the form of textbook examples.
Daycare
St-Laurent Academy early childhood education infant, toddler and preschool daycare programs are offered bilingually and in French for children aged 10 months to 4 years. Fully licensed, these programs provide various athletic activities including swimming, skating, gymnastics, dance, yoga and other forms of sports and fitness. Enriched curriculum plans are implemented, including weekly hands-on and specialist-led music and science activities. These services are available at the Main Campus Location and Ottawa Athletic Club Daycare. The Main Campus location includes a Mac computer learning lab, spacious gymnasium with child-friendly equipment, a teaching kitchen and also an interactive greenhouse, while the OAC provides positive school-home partnerships through daily open communication with St-Laurent Academy specialists. Parents are encouraged to visit and tour both locations.
Nutrition
St-Laurent Academy’s infant, toddler and preschool programs implement a nutrition-focused selection of lunches and snacks, all of which are prepared on-site. There are six weekly menus that are rotated throughout the school year, all of which adhere to the Canada Food Guide and have been developed through careful consultation with an expert nutritionist. A strict nut-free policy has been enforced, and special dietary needs can be addressed individually. In addition, pre and post-care menus are available.
Health Policies
The academy’s primary mission is to ensure not only a stimulating and supportive learning environment, but also one that is safe and healthy. Therefore, various health and safety policies are strictly enforced to ensure the well-being of all students and faculty. Applicable to all enrolled students and on-site staff, they include requiring a student to stay home until their fever has been absent for 24 hours, as well as that parents pick up their children if they are unwell or cannot participate in studies. Medication forms can be filled out and parents are encouraged to inform staff of any allergies or medical requirements.
Baby Signs® Program
St-Laurent Academy is one of the few infant daycare programs in Ottawa that offers baby sign language programming. The Baby Signs® program, resulting from over two decades of research and refinement, provides parents and their children with a wide spectrum of benefits. A simplified form of sign language geared towards helping infants and children communicate without using words, this program covers the basic sign vocabulary and can help children communicate basic wants as a result. This helps parents and their infants to develop a stronger understanding and emotional bond to one another. In addition, the Baby Signs® program at St-Laurent Academy helps to promote advanced long-term cognitive development, reduce frustration and enhance communication efficiency.
Kindergarten and Primary School
Kindergarten and Primary grade classes consist of a maximum of 15 students per class, enabling for a deeper learning experience through a student to teacher ratio that provides students with more one-on-one time with their instructors. School-wide themes and activities allow horizontal alignment through interaction, collaboration, and teamwork among all grade levels. Communication software including Schoology and Google Drive are utilized to ensure easy correspondence between parents, administration and teachers. Parents and students can easily access school events and monthly calendars online. Our senior grades take advantage of technology in the classroom by using our environmentally-conscious paperless system. In addition, learning experiences are bolstered and made more stimulating through the incorporation of Google Expeditions technology in classrooms, providing visual learning experiences that engage younger students more than with textbooks. Annual field trips include exploration around the city of Ottawa through museums and outdoor activities. Global citizenship is emphasized through the two international trips offered each year.
High School
St- Laurent Academy’s high school program is specially designed to implement new and diversified approaches to learning. Coordinators schedule at least 10% more instructional hours than required by the Ontario Ministry of Education, with each high school course benefiting from this strategy. Multiple French streams are also available, from core to extended, to accommodate all learners. In addition, St-Laurent Academy high school students are given opportunities for intensive study in order to gain extra credit. Workshops with subject specialists and connections with Ottawa’s other post-secondary institutions also help to bolster the academy’s continually refreshed and modernized learning environment. Similarly structured to their elementary system, St-Laurent Academy’s high school curriculum is designed to equally balance outdoor and indoor studies. This is made possible through outdoor classes at Macoun Marsh, various field trips and partnerships in local communities. In addition, students are fully trained in First Aid, CPR and WHIMIS prior to graduation, enabling them to gain designations beyond their course credits or diploma. Other features include small class sizes that cap at 15 students, individualized curriculum based on education goals and personal learning styles, hands-on training, twice daily nutritional and fitness breaks and also daily physical education classes, the latter of which focus on personal fitness and outdoor education.
Grade 9-12 Credits
Students are required to attain 18 compulsory credits in order to obtain an Ontario Secondary School Diploma, which are as follows:
- 4 credits in English (1 per grade)
- 3 credits in mathematics (1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
- 2 credits in science
- 1 credit in Canadian history
- 1 credit in Canadian geography
- 1 credit in the arts
- 1 credit in health and physical education
- 1 credit in French as a second language
- 5 credits n career studies
- 5 credits in civics
Other requirements include completing 40 hours of community involvement, completing the provincial literacy requirement (OSSLT or OSSLC) and 12 optional credits. In addition, students must earn 3 credits from courses of their choice, which can include computer studies, business studies or cooperative education, among several other options.
St-Laurent Academy and Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences
St-Laurent Academy is built on the foundations of Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner, a professor of Education at Harvard, developed the theory in 1983, which focuses on the following eight basic types of intelligence:
- Linguistic (“word” smart)
- Logical and mathematical (“number and reasoning” smart)
- Spatial (“picture” smart)
- Musical (“music” smart)
- Kinesthetic (“body“ smart)
- Interpersonal (“people” smart)
- Intrapersonal (“self” smart)
The theory goes on to suggest that each student embodies varying levels of these different intelligences, therefore meaning that they individually possess a unique cognitive profile. Teachers across St-Laurent Academy’s complete range of programs present their lessons in a wide variety of ways and to equally stimulate each of these eight intelligences. This broader focus on education (outside of merely zeroing in on the logical and linguistic intelligences) means that students enrolled in the academy will have a richer, more stimulating and beneficial educational experience that supports their interests, creating a more engaging environment.
Uniform Policy
St-Laurent Academy incorporates a uniform system to encourage a safe and comfortable learning environment, which is mandatory for all students beginning in preschool and through to high school. Parents may order uniforms online or by phone (see link). Land’s End is the provider of uniforms for the academy, and they normally deliver products to parents’ homes. Primary uniform colours of St-Laurent Academy are red, blue and navy.
Cooperative Education (Co-Ed)
St-Laurent Academy incorporates a cooperative education system in order to enhance the education experience of enrolled students through encouraging a compassionate and respectful understanding of genders and proper social behaviour. A 2014 study and various other similar findings indicate that co-ed students feel more confident in expressing their viewpoints in front of peers of both genders, respect opposite-[...] peers more and also more actively participate in discussions and activities. Female students maintain the same high perception of their abilities in math and science in both co-ed and all-female environments, and co-ed students are more likely to report positive self-image. Students in these programs are exposed to a wide variety of leadership styles and encouraged to develop strong intellectual and social abilities that encourage preparation for life in the outside world. St-Laurent Academy offers co-ed elementary, junior high and high school programming, though spaces are limited and parents are encouraged to reserve as soon as possible.