Bayview Glen School

Infobox_Education_in_Canada
name= Bayview Glen School


streetaddress= 275 Duncan Mill Road
city= Toronto
province= Ontario
postalcode= M3B 3H9
areacode= 416
phone= 443-1030
fax= 443-1032
url= [http://www.bvg.on.ca/ Bayview Glen]
affiliation= None -- multicultural
schooltype= Private Elementary school and high school
grades= K-12
language= English
founded= 1962

Bayview Glen School is a private school in Toronto, Canada established in 1962. Bayview Glen bills itself as "a co-educational, multicultural, non-denominational, university preparatory day school." The school is located on Duncan Mill Road near the intersection of Don Mills Road and York Mills Road. The school was previously located next to York University's Glendon College on Bayview Avenue at Lawrence Avenue East and near Crescent School.

Bayview Glen accepts students from the age of 2 to Grade 12. The lower school, a three story complex, is for students from age 5 to Grade 5. There is a preschool campus for students between the ages of 2 and Junior Kindergarten.Clarifyme|date=May 2008 The Upper School for students in grades nine to twelve is located in a separate campus. Bayview Glen is also a member of the Round Square Program and CISAA.

Bayview Glen sports two fully equipped gymnasiums, four science labs, two libraries complemented with computer and encyclopedia resources, four computer labs, two fully staffed cafeterias. Bayview Glen upper school houses a fully functional theater designed to host events ranging from music festivals to plays. Two accessible fields allow Bayview Glen to host outdoor activities and sports matches.

The Schooling Experience

In the Spring of 2007, a survey was conducted amongst the parents of Bayview Glen students. It was commissioned to survey parents’ perceptions of the school in many areas. Questionnaires were distributed among 1093 parents. The response rate was 33% indicating a sample size of 367.

The survey found that 89% of the sampled parents were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the school. 44% of the parents thought the school's overall performance had exceeded their expectations, and a further 39% had their expectations met. Satisfaction levels were higher among new parents, and generally lower in the prep school.

The best aspects of the school were: a sense of belonging and community (20% of those surveyed), good teaching (18%), nurturing/caring/supportive (17%) and good academics (12%).

When asked why they chose Bayview Glen, given a choice of 22 reasons, 81% of the sampled parents selected the teaching staff as a strong reason, and 78% indicated it was because of the school's focus on development of the whole child. Other strong reasons selected were: the strong academic curriculum, and the friendly and nurturing environment.

The current Head of School is Eileen Daunt.

Capital Campaign

Bayview Glen in 2005/2006 launched the Footprints and Blueprints Capital Campaign to raise funds for an expansion of the school. To date $2.5 million (Canadian) have been donated to the endeavour with a goal of reaching a total of $8 Million. Construction is anticipated to proceed when half the amount has been reached. The largest single private donor, the Baker family, have donated $1 million to the fund.

Some had opined that major changes are necessary to allow Bayview Glen's facilities to be more competitive with those of other Private Schools across Ontario. The plans of expansion include:
*"The design expands the school premises northwards along the face of the existing auditorium. A new main entrance for the school located at this new intersection will improve circulation within the existing buildings and ease the connection with the new space. (From Capital Campaign Newsletter page 2)"

Other discussed additions include, expanded sports facilities sporting a new gymnasium, squash courts and a track located on the roof of the new facility. Other additions include expanded science labs, music centres, and a redesigned library. No doubt whatever additions made to the school will only work to improve the school overall prestige, general atmosphere and provide a much more enjoyable experience for the students attending for years to come.

The campaign, as of October 2007, is being reformulated. Details, once finalized, will be revealed to the Bayview Glen community.

Debate

There has been a fair share of comments about the school's campus due to its proximity with other commercial buildings. The Upper, Lower and Preschools are housed at three separate buildings, two on Moatfield drive, and the latter on Duncan Mill Road.

Some students and parents comment on the Lower school gymnasium which is located in a bubble. Students often make reference to this gym, some say unfairly, in order to discredit the school and its facilities. In all fairness, many other private schools in the GTA also have bubbles, and this gym has served its purpose quite well and continues to be an adequate sports facility for Bayview Glen. The Lower School is home to three creative playgrounds. The Upper School students enjoy a 400 seat theatre.

Bayview Glen is often home to sports events attended by multiple CISAA schools across Ontario. It offers a wide array of facilities that meet the students needs. Students at Upper school have access to a workout facility, and a gymnasium complimented by a rock climbing wall. Also available for students use is a field located in front of the Upper school building and an artificial turf field at the back of the school. These facilities have proven themselves capable at housing and training the schools' sports teams, many of which have gone on to win various CISAA championships.

External links

ources

* [http://www.bvg.on.ca Bayview Glen Website]
* [http://www.bvg.on.ca/images/up_files/up-CampaignNewsletter.pdf Capital Campaign Newsletter]