I've only ever been to Armbrae for one reason - to play sports in their gymnasium. From having…read moreplayed sports in almost every school gym in the Halifax area, I can honestly say that Armbrae is one of my favorites. Its newly built gymnasium/ multi-purpose centre is phenomenal! It nice and large - about twice the size of an average gym, with exceptionally high ceilings, quality equipment and modern design. The gym is always very clean and well taken care of. The only problem we sometimes experience is when one of our balls land on the 2nd level, as we don't have access to the staircase, but somehow always manage to get them down.

We are professional working parents, with a kid entering primary grade. We visited Armbrae Academy,…read moreand another private school (Halifax Grammar School), in January 2017. Pros and Cons: Armbrae junior school has a relatively small class size (18 kids), and plan to recruit teacher assistants (8 AM-12 noon) for younger grades starting Sept 2017. They have an afterschool program until 5 30 PM, which is included within the tuition fees. The director of the junior school was enthusiastic and kind but seemed somewhat inexperienced. Both the junior school director and the primary grade teacher have their kids at school, and appeared to have vested interest in making positive changes to the school. They have a large gym but unfortunately both the gym and music room are detached from the main building (need to dress us in winter clothes to walk over there from main building). The senior school does not have and IB program and kids don't do as well in national math competition compared with HGS. Admission Process: The director of the junior school took the time to answer our questions and accompany us on a school tour, but the school did not seem very well prepared for parent visits (e.g. met in hallway on two separate occasions with no private place to talk). Unfortunately, the admission process itself at Armbrae went horribly wrong. We were given false information regarding the admission process / wait list by the junior school director and the headmaster admin assistant. We were told there is a guaranteed spot for our kid if we elect to enroll pending satisfactory evaluation. We were made to go through the whole process of application / kid interview, to be sent a letter by mail later offering us a spot on the wait list as there are actually no spots available. The director of the junior school honestly took responsibility for his own wrong doing in this matter (providing false information, withholding relevant updates, and lack of courtesy to parents), while the headmaster dishonestly tried to fully deflect the blame on more junior members.

Excellent school, my daughter has been there for several years and is excelling in ways we never…read morethought!! Truly a gift for kids who may have difficulty learning in the public system

If I could give a 0, thats what I'd give...horrible school, horrible principal. DO NOT send your…read morekids there unless you want their self esteem tore to shreds. The staff are not qualified to help children with learning disabilities of any kind and treat the students as if they are personal pets, harass them if they tell us. As a parent I highly recommend you would reconsider sending your child to this school.

A gentle transition into a school environment. Creativeclassroom with a rich curriculum. The staff…read moretruely care about each child.

I heard about 4Cats opening on facebook but wasn't sure what to expect. At first I thought it was a…read moredrop in creative space for kids. I've been down ever since J'taime Eco Art space suddenly disappeared from the Hydrostone last Spring and was hoping 4Cats would be something similar. I attended the open house and was surprised to learn that they host art-themed workshops for kids and adults. Some workshops are one offs and others are over several sessions. The workshops are based around a different artist or subject and they teach a variety of art mediums. They even do camps for kids. And you can host art-themed birthday parties there. My daughter had a blast at the grand opening. The highlight was the Jackson Pollock room where kids get to throw paint on a canvas. Old t-shirt included. How often do you get to tell a kid "Make as much mess as you like. In fact the messier the better." That alone was worth it. My daughter also went to a clay sculpting workshop and was invited to tea where she got to go back and show off her artwork; in full princess costume of course! Having just opened, the owner and staff are still getting their business legs under them and sometimes things can be a little disorganized. However they are nice and great with kids. They really seem to be having a blast at it and that really shows in how positive they are with customers. I am really glad to see a different type of business open; especially one that promotes creativity in kids. I wish them all the success.

Fun place for kids, but they really need to do a better job keeping the place clean between…read moreparties/groups. Perhaps cleaning surfaces or even the bathroom (which looked vile, and had no paper towels) would make it more enjoyable to visit.