The Booker School

The Booker School is simply exceptional! The experience our children had at this school was very enriching and has helped them grow as individuals. We are so glad they had an opportunity to be a part of the Booker community for three years.

The children are encouraged to explore and receive unwavering support throughout their individual learning paths. The teachers and parents create a warm and positive environment for children. It truly feels like a close-knit family. I hope that every child has the chance to learn, flourish, and realize their potential in such a positive setting.

Our son started attending The Booker School at the beginning of his grade 4 year. Not even one semester in and his attitude towards school has done a complete 180! He is happy and engaged and shares what he is learning with us. Small classes provide opportunity for the teachers to get to know the children and provide individualised instruction as well as ample communication with families. There is a focus on personal development (both academically and socially), lots of outdoor time, art and drama, french, a realization of community responsibility, a global perspective...We can't say enough good things about Booker!

We have been delighted with our child's experience at The Booker School thus far. As we draw near to the end of his first year, we are extremely impressed with the 'above-and-beyond' support provided to him not only by his teachers, but by everyone at the school. It truly is a 'community' as much as it is a school.

We sent our daughter to The Booker School because we wanted her to have a learning experience that focused on critical thinking and exploring the natural world. We've been overwhelmed with the growth, confidence and creativity we've seen in our daughter. Its much more than a school, its a community and its amazing to be a part of it.

We are building a collaborative relationship between The Booker school and the L'Arche community. This relationship has been evolving over many years, and it is exciting to watch the deep connection and level of respect that both sides share. We have been fortunate to watch the students weekly, as they carve out a range of wonderful activities- that take into account so many individual needs. This type of real world, hands-on experience is what makes the Booker School and its students shine.

What an amazing little school. The children who attend Booker are some of the luckiest kids in the world. This is not an institution but a family, where each student's individual needs are met and everyone is encouraged and enabled to pursue their interests. If every school were like Booker, the world would be a much better place.

I am very glad to have had the opportunity to work with students and teachers at the Booker School. Their youth outreach programs contribute an enormous amount to our community. I hope that one day it will be possible for every school in Nova Scotia to provide the standards of excellence in education that the Booker aspires to every day. Kudos to all the teachers and staff who are making a difference in the lives of their students.

"Release the spark; Honour the quirk; Cultivate the joy; Commit to the risk; Invite the doubt; Encourage the love; Inspire the quest; Find the beauty; Become the solution" ... These are words on the stairs at The Booker School and when I first read them I knew I had enrolled my son in the absolute best school for him. They are not just words on stairs, they actually come to life everyday on this school’s campus through skilled teachers who encourage, support, and celebrate inquiring minds. Their integrated, inquiry based curriculum makes learning tangible and tied to real world. It’s a place that truly transforms its learners ❤ I see this everyday in my son and I am confident that long after he has graduated from Booker this transformation will continue, grow, and evolve ... Love this school & its faculty!

My son began his first year at Booker School this fall. He was struggling before in both his classes and at home with confidence and academically. For the few months he has been attending the school myself and family friends have noticed a huge difference in him. He is more outgoing and has more of an interest in learning and everything around him. I am so thankful for the opportunity and can not wait to see where he goes from here.

We have one child at Booker. She has been transformed from a painfully shy 4 year old into a 6 year old willing to do a presentation in front of the entire school upon returning this fall. With any young institution there are hiccups and turnover, but I am thoroughly impressed with the organization and programming under the new Head of School this year. Would recommend Booker to anyone!

I love the fact that each time I visit this school, there is always something new happening on campus and something exciting to discover. The students are enthusiastic; they’re big thinkers. The staff are passionate; their energy inexhaustible. It’s impossible not to be pulled into the learning!

I have two grandsons that go to Avonport School but they have totally loved all of the special events and camps that they have attended at The booker School. The wonderfully creative ways of instilling a love for learning in this school make it a tremendous asset to our community. I wish The Booker School all the success it so richly deserves.

My review is based on my perspective as a long term volunteer at the school, and as a university student of the 21st century.

It is in my opinion that the learning methodology of The Booker School (TBS) will (and should) eventually become the status quo for all stages of learning. Furthermore, this process can not unfold fast enough! At TBS, students' comprehensive approach to problem solving suggests that they will be prepared to succeed in any field of study. An increasingly complex world warrants increasingly integrative approaches to how we come to understand it. Personally, it seems that science, as an academic domain, is failing to produce thinkers who are anything other than rigid problem solvers. We need more contemplative thinkers who consider the philosophy of science and its implications as much as the empirical work. TBS' holistic style of learning produces attentive and collaborative thinkers who are destined to become leaders in any field they pursue. THIS is an education system adequately preparing youth to achieve success in tomorrow's world!

As a relatively new community member, I am so appreciative of the optimism, enthusiasm and professionalism shown by teachers here at the school. They truly care for their students, and place student learning and wellbeing above all else.

It is a small school, a young school, and as such has experienced many changes over the past couple of years as it finds its place within the community. This year's team includes a combination of new and returning staff, with new leadership, who together are passionate about bringing the International Baccalaureate programmes to the East Coast and offering an alternative educational approach to families in Nova Scotia.

As a previous reviewer said, if you are interested then come and visit the school with your eyes and mind open, and make your own choices based on the connections you make with the community.

As the Recreation Director for the Village of Port Williams, it has been a pleasure working with The Booker School on community events and initiatives, and I look forward to more collaboration in the future!

It’s terrific that we have this option in our community. There have been many positive developments at the school this year and we will be sending our children there when the time comes.

We are profoundly disappointed in the Booker School and have withdrawn our child. After three years of watching this school struggle and pouring tons of support in, we give up. I agree completely with the previous review from Mr/Mrs G L. The school has amazing potential and has had great teachers but there are some current factors that doom it to failure. I wish all the great teachers there lots of success in their future jobs. If you decide to go to Booker, keep your eyes wide open, ask lots of questions, and ask past families about their experiences if at all possible. I really hope this school pulls it together since it could be a great place under the right circumstances.

Where to begin... this school has so many issues. This is definitely our last year at this school. The fact they have massive staff turnover several years in a row, several board resignations in the 2016-17 school year, and a large number of families leaving this year and last should give you a hint to it's troubles. Also, watch out for the whole IB spiel... they have no affiliation with IB and are a very long ways away from ever being IB accredited, if they ever manage to attain it at all. Behavioural issues also seem to be out of control. I don't know if they will manage to pull it together but at this point it's looking highly doubtful. The past and present teachers were/are absolutely wonderful but they don't stay very long and I can hardly blame them. It's a badly needed resource for the valley that should be insanely successful but the leadership seems to have no idea what they are doing.