An open house offers a unique look inside a school

There is a bit of a contrast when Kingsway College School holds an open house and invites prospective students and their parents to tour their senior school campus.
It is located in an award-winning architectural space on two lower floors of a condo building on Lake Shore Boulevard in Etobicoke. And while the open house gives people a chance to see the space, the school’s belief is that students should get out of the classroom and learn in the community.
“There is a dichotomy there, because we are celebrating getting out of the building, but we have a beautiful building that we are located in,” said Rick Kunc, the assistant head of the senior school who also works in school admissions.
“For us, that is one of the differentiators. When you ask what the value of an open house is, it really is ‘what does a school offer that makes it unique?’ We are all delivering Ontario curriculum — that is a common element — so how are the programs unique from one another, and does that align to what that a young person wants from a high school?”
Kunc said Kingsway College School, which also operates a junior school on Dundas Street in Etobicoke, is grounded in the idea that place is an important part of education.
“Our timetables are built with two-hour blocks for all of our classes so they can get out into the city and experience learning,” he said. That is one of the things it highlights at their open houses, with several planned throughout October at Kingsway College’s junior and senior schools.
“Open houses are a great way to get in the building and — if you are able to do it during the school day — get a real sense of culture,” said Kunc. “Even evening open houses give you a sense of what is on the walls, how are the classrooms organized, all of those important aspects of a culture of a building. I think that is a very valuable part of an open house — how do you feel in that space.”
He said one really important question for parents to ask during an open house is “how does this school community get to know my child?” At his senior school, parents will discover there is an advisor program where a student has a teacher attached to them through their four years of high school.
“The other question is around the two important transition times: How do you help bring my child into your community and how do you help my child exit your community for the next stage of their school career or post-secondary school career?” he said.
“How do they help on that pathway when a child leaves a secondary school? The same would be true for a kindergarten to Grade 8 open house. How are you bringing my child in and how will you help them exit from Grade 8?”
Emily Moir is the vice-principal of enrolment at Upper Canada College, an independent day and boarding school for boys in midtown Toronto. It has open houses planned for Oct. 15 and 16, which will include a mix of formal presentations, opportunities to hear from staff and students, tours and an expo fair, and a look at the admission process.
“We believe that parents are our partners in all that we do here,” she said. “We look for a partnership with our parents in the admission process to understand the school and what our direction is and our goals and coming to an open house gives you a little bit of a flavour for that.”
She said an open house is also an opportunity to ask questions of people who will not be accessible when you start the admission process. Both faculty members and parents of current students are traditionally at a UCC open house to help answer them for you.
“Sometimes we might have perceptions of what a school is before we come to that school,” Moir said. “Think about what those perceptions are and ask questions. Current parents are able to share really authentically what it is like to be a parent here.”
She said perspective students who attend an open house will get a chance to see how current students are learning, what are the clubs or varsity programs and what is the culture and community like at the school.
“What we seek to do is provide an authentic peak into who we are,” she said.
Kunc said that speaking to current students and their families is important, and if they are not present at an open house, the parents or perspective students should ask for an opportunity to meet with them.
“They can talk to you about why they chose the school and why they are staying at the school,” he said. “Those are the best people to share what the school has to offer.”