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An Overview of Maryvale Academy |
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Introduction
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Maryvale Academy was founded in 2005 after
years of research into various independent school models. It is
incorporated as a non-profit corporation that also holds a charitable registration status. The school consists
of a board of directors, faculty, various committee's, and two
levels of membership; Corporate and General.
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Mission & Objectives
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The Academy supports the mission of both the Church and the home by creating
a learning environment which carries the beliefs and values of both of its
partners. The infusion of Gospel values throughout this whole experience,
the creation of a Catholic learning atmosphere and the daily witness of the
parents, educators and Religious all combine to sustain, uphold and support
the values, beliefs and lifestyle to truly live out the Catholic faith.
The mission of the Academy is to
assist Catholic families in their vocation to educate and develop the minds and
hearts of their children in harmony with authentic Catholic values and ideals.
Through a rigorous and rewarding classical academic experience, the Academy pursues the
development of every student’s gifts so that all students may reach their
highest individual potential as a child of God. The Academy seeks to develop in
the student a virtuous character, a sense of social responsibility, and a
profound knowledge and personal love of God through sound spiritual formation.
The Academy provides an enriched
school environment in which students experience the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an
authentic Catholic setting. Recognizing the Lord as the source of all truth, our
spiritual program seeks to foster the child’s relationship with God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Since Maryvale believes that an
education is not merely about imparting knowledge or preparing a student for the
work force, the Academy takes a much broader approach to education than many
contemporary public or private schools.
The Academy is committed to
developing the entire person in light of Jesus’ love for us. This includes the
formation of the spiritual, moral, intellectual, social, aesthetic, and physical
dimensions of the child’s entire persona. We accomplish this through
the classical method of education which involves studying the great
books and ideas of western civilization from the perspective of Catholic
tradition, while emphasizing the long-term learning capacities of the child
according to the natural stages of development (grammar, logic and rhetoric).
Through an enriched and
challenging academic and spiritual foundation, the Academy seeks to stimulate,
encourage, and advance the basic principles of Catholic learning. It is our aim
to ensure that students not only master basic skills but also embark on a
life-long journey of learning and living out their Faith. With God’s grace, the
Academy will develop students to be leaders of the next generation, and equip
them with the necessary academic and spiritual means to transform our society
into a culture of life and a civilization of love.
The objectives of the Academy are
to:
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Provide an affordable and
accessible Catholic education in which students encounter God and discover
their unconditional worth as children of God. |
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Provide a quality education
through rigorous academic standards so that students will have the means for
life-long learning and personal spiritual growth. |
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Foster a deep love and
knowledge of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Faith. |
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Model the Christian concept
of unity through community interaction - involving the family, the parish
and the larger community in the educational process. |
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Birth a new generation of
Catholic leaders and visionaries to renew, evangelize, and open our society
to the truth of the Catholic Faith.
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Grades Levels
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Maryvale Academy currently offers elementary grade level education from the
1st through to 8th grades.
The Academy employs a school principal
and qualified teachers to instruct eight grades. In the near future, the
Academy hopes to offer high school education, beginning with the ninth and
tenth grades, and then eventually growing to accommodate the
remaining high school grades. The Academy seeks to keep the class sizes to
a student-teacher ratio of 16:1 to 20:1, with the assistance of
volunteer teacher's aids to enhance the quality of education in the
classroom. Currently, our target student population is 80 students.
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Languages
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In the spirit of Classical Education, Maryvale is proud to encourage students to develop proficiency in English,
French and Latin. Classical Education is language-based. Its proponents advocate that learning through languages
helps cognitive capacity by stimulating the mind whereby the brain is forced to transfer words and expressions
into a concept without the assistance of pictures, videos, television, etc. This is supported by research findings
that conclude that learning a second or third language improves brain development, listening skills and abstract thinking.
Presently the school provides an excellent grounding in English language acquisition as well as some French Second
Language and Latin instruction for students to excel within this approach.
New for 2009-2010:
In light of the above-noted information, Maryvale Academy is pleased to
introduce a Bilingual English and French pilot program in the grades 1 and 2 classes for the upcoming school year. The
students will be receiving instruction in English for 50% of the time and in French for the other 50%. Students will
develop literacy in English and French through direct language instruction and through the study of different subjects.
Language Arts will be taught in both languages and the other subjects will be divided between the English
and French portions of the program.
It is our hope that this endeavor will be successful and that eventually Maryvale Academy graduates, functionally
bilingual in French, will avail themselves of a broader spectrum of choices as they continue on their educational
journey through High School and University.
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Parental Rights &
Responsibilities
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civilization can only realize its full potential when its citizens recognize
the dignity of every human person. This recognition necessitates that all
citizens clearly understand and appreciate not only their rights but also
their responsibilities. Because Maryvale represents, in a sense, a
"civilization within a civilization", it too recognizes the rights and
responsibilities each parent.
Maryvale Academy recognizes that
parents have an inalienable right to receive a Catholic education. To this end,
the Academy proposes to strive to meet these rights by:
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offering an affordable and accessible Catholic education |
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providing a safe and respectful Christian learning
environment |
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providing an excellent academic formation in the classical
tradition |
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fostering a deep and authentic Catholic spiritual life in
each student |
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developing a strong and virtuous moral character |
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nurturing each student’s unique personality |
In any authentic partnership,
both parties must be able to sacrifice in achieving their goals. On the one
hand, parents have the right to expect certain standards from the Academy. On
the other hand, parents must recognize and act on their responsibilities to the
School and their child’s academic and spiritual formation. The Academy therefore
expects that parents will commit themselves to:
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fulfill their Sunday obligation as a family |
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develop and foster a daily, domestic spiritual life |
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seek a full sacramental life, especially frequent
participation in the Holy Eucharist |
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provide an authentic Catholic witness to students, other
members, the parish community, and the culture at large |
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meet their tuition commitments |
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participate in school fundraising and fellowship events |
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recognize their responsibilities of their membership and
committee duties
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Financing
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Tuition fees are the main source of income for any private school.
Therefore, it is imperative that parents understand their responsibility to
meet their financial commitments to the School. Because the Academy’s
mission is to keep tuition fees affordable to Catholic families and not
discourage families on the basis of financial need, the Academy will do
everything within its power and mandate to seek other forms of financing to
help lessen the burden on families. Other forms of financing include
donation, benefactor and fundraising income. Nevertheless, sacrifice is
still required on the part of parents and children to ensure that the school
remains solvent, and therefore tuition will always be a necessary means of
offsetting costs.
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Organization
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Maryvale Academy of Ottawa is a registered charity, and is comprised of a
Board of Directors, a number of School Committees, and two types of
membership who have varying degrees of responsibilities and powers.
 The Board of Directors is
responsible for managing the vision and direction of the Academy as well as
ensuring the financial viability of the school. The mandate of the Board of
Directors is to work within the vision, mission, philosophy, objectives,
practices, policies and guidelines established and endorsed by the Corporate
Membership and to guide the development and growth of the Academy. The Board of
Directors also oversees the operational, financial and other aspects of
operating the school in consultation with the various school committees, school
director, and teaching staff.
The purpose of the School
Committees is to assist the Board of Directors in achieving its mission to
educate the students of the Academy. Therefore, the School Committees are
responsible for the day-to-day operations of the School, fostering a healthy
school community and fellowship, and assisting the Board in planning for the
Academy’s long term success.
The Corporate members are
responsible for electing the Board of Directors and guiding the school’s
educational, financial, communication, and capital operations. The General
membership is comprised of parents and other supporters of the Academy.
Corporate Members constitute the primary members of the Academy. Their
collective sacrifice is responsible for the launch and continued success of the
school. While the Academy seeks to be responsive to all members (corporate and
general alike), the corporate members are considered "stewards of the vision" as
well as representatives of the General Members. They along with the Board are
ultimately responsible for the direction and survival of the Academy.
Consequently, only Corporate members are permitted to vote on critical issues
facing the Academy which the Board of Directors deems necessary for discussion
(i.e. approval of annual budget, admission of new Corporate members, expansion
of school, annual election of the Board of Directors, articles and/or
resolutions presented at the Annual General Meeting, etc.)
All parents of enrolled children
of the Academy who are not corporate members are automatically general members.
Like corporate members of the Academy, general members are also required to
participate in the ongoing support and growth of the Academy. This is
principally accomplished through participation in one or more of the school
committees. General members do not have voting rights in selecting the board
of directors or deciding critical issues for the Academy.
All members are required to
support the school through the mandate of their respective memberships. Each member family can expect to serve a minimum of 50 hours per school
year.
In many cases, the
responsibilities of both memberships overlap. Some of the primary
responsibilities of all members include:
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remitting their tuition fees on schedule |
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providing other financial support as needed by contributing
to school fundraisers according to their financial
circumstances |
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chairing or participating in at least one of the school
committees |
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organizing and participating in school functions |
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attending annual or emergency general meetings |
General Members may be admitted
into Corporate Membership provided that certain criteria have been met.
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