Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School

Apr 27th, 2023

Do not prepare you for university.
Mar 17th, 2023

Jan 21st, 2023

it was ok
Jan 15th, 2023

This school is exemplary. If you want a 'private school' experience without the price, look no further. The full title of the school is: Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School - Centre for Self-Directed Learning. The system puts the onus back on the student to achieve their academic goals making success at the school nearly entirely up to the pupil. Teachers, staff, and counsellors are available to guide and prod in the right direction, as well as give support and answer questions, but the system of self-direction develops a child's sense of responsibility towards their own education. There is no 'hand-holding'. The full four years prepares students completely for the 'seemingly free' environment of a university/college system. Traditional schools have a 'Day 1, Day 2' scheduling. This is the case at Mary Ward for the first 2 weeks of school at maximum. After this period, they have 'Day 0' every day. This means students decide what they will do all day every day for the remainder of the school year. Students are given an agenda book in which they schedule their own days and make note of due dates using their class syllabus. The teachers have floor times for their availability to answer questions, and students can schedule their own time to visit that department to see their teacher accordingly. Seminars are also scheduled throughout the year in each course by teachers as needed/required. For example, an English teacher might schedule a seminar for the readings of Shakespeare to ensure all students are understanding the material. Class work is divided into Units. There are up to 18 units per course. Each unit contains instructions for work that is to be done for the completion of that unit. The agenda contains target dates for when each unit number should be completed in all courses. The spacing is approximately 1 unit in every 2.5 to 3 weeks. This helps students remain mindful of the target dates for success. Each morning, students have home room through a T.A. (Teacher Advisor) system. This is apprx 15 mins with a small group of pupils of every grade who are something of a small family at school. You receive school annoucements and any messages from your own teachers at this time. Pupils meet several times over the course of the year with their T.A. to catch up on academic progress and set goals to be achieved before the next 1:1. These meetings help keep students accountable for the bar they set for themselves in each meeting, and help them see their own academic progress. Encouragement from their T.A. helps motivate them toward success. This school is detrimental to any pupil who might view the system as simply free; hall-walking the entire day away without achieving any work (remember, this is self-directed!) will result in failure and an absolute mess of their academic career. Hall monitors encourage students into classrooms, and there are 'no-movement' periods where switching from one class to another isn't allowed (usually period 3, and periods 4 and 5). All this to help and encourage students to focus. In truth, many students aren't disciplined enough for a self-directed system; they fail their first year and transfer to another school to start 9th grade over again. However, there are many examples of success for those with the right mindset, including several students who have graduated with honours within 3 years rather than the traditional 4. As we who have graduated say, 'You work at your own pace, just make sure it's all done by June!'
Mar 11th, 2023