St. Hilda's is an outstanding school, with incredible teachers, a warm atmosphere, and a deeply…read morethoughtful approach to learning, community, education, and the whole child. Both of our children have loved coming to school at St. Hilda's each day. Beginners offers a beautiful introduction to school, with a warmth and groundedness in early childhood development--each day, there are new activities to try and things to learn, whether building towers and train tracks, growing plants in the greenhouse, cooking season treats, making water creatures and marble paintings, learning yoga poses, singing songs, and so much more. The introduction to school in Beginners is a wonderful one--the teachers are warm and kind, and foster a love of learning. With each grade, the school expands, and Nursery, JK, SK, and 1st grade, are met with science, art, language classes, the greenhouse, PE, and the playdeck. The curriculum is really integrated - students practice letters and numbers across social studies and foreign language classes as well as in their homeroom work time; when they study world cultures in their classrooms they simultaneously learn games played around the world in PE; their science classes connect with concepts in math worktime; and their art projects often coincide with world cultures and school celebrations. Our boys have loved learning each year about the solar system and outer space, the brain and the body, and the foundations of science, and the nearly 30 countries where French is spoken. It's impressive and thoughtful, and indicative of how St. Hilda's approaches so much of the school--with careful consideration, expertise, and a wonderful implementation.
The faculty at St. Hilda's are truly remarkable. Teachers come to school with enthusiasm and joy, and it shows in their creativity in the classroom. Our children have learned so much from each teacher, from art to science to PE, because of the excitement and attentiveness of their teachers. It is an extraordinarily warm environment with an incredibly rigorous intellectual process undergirding how the school approaches each age of development and academic unit. The school is, from top-to-bottom, incredibly thoughtful about the education and experience of the children and their families.
One more thing that we wouldn't have recognized until we were in it - St. Hilda's is a school for children, and also a school that values families. Events typically start in the evenings so parents with a range of responsibilities can, by and large, attend. One of the first things the Head of School often says is a thank you to the parents for taking time out of their days and family life to be there. It's small, but we've noticed how deep it runs. The school values the families as people, and families matter here. Activities and other events are similar, and the communication is aimed at making life easier for busy parents. It's perhaps a small thing, but indicative of the approach of the school, and it's created another part of a wonderful experience.
In short, St. Hilda's is a truly special place. It has academic excellence combined with a warm and loving atmosphere. It has world-class teachers with deep expertise who have a true love of learning and the children they teach. And it has a wonderful community of people who value kindness, dedication, and the joy of learning.