Discussions

We are interested in enrolling our daughter at this school for next year. Just curious if there’s any parents on here whose kids go there or have in the past and could offer some insight or info. Is it worth the money? Not looking for negative comments, and if you feel more comfortable private messaging me, please do. I would love to know a bit more before making a decision. in the end it will obviously come down to what we feel in our hearts is right for her and our family. Thanks so much. mostly looking for feedback from parents who have/had their kids there and actually have feedback.

We had looked into it for our daughter. I just couldn’t justify paying that kind of money. We sent our daughter to St. Augustine’s instead. Amazing school. We also joined the church there.  
 
Only extra fee is $55 a year for their agenda book as it’s catholic themed.

I've not had kids in their but I did have a relative and a close friend that worked there, as well as I have a coworker that sends his son their. I also did volunteering with the younger kids [once upon a time].  
 
I don't have any ill will against the school. It is a smaller setting, so in my personal opinion that is always better that a larger, unconnected school. I think there are a lot of horror stories (maybe? I haven't heard any , but I'm assuming they are out there). If you can afford it, I'd say go for it!!... or, save the money, quit your job and homeschool! (I had to throw that in there, sorry!) it's a decent school, more connection to teachers and students, in my opinion.

As a former CHS student, I would not recommend it. There we definitely pros and cons to the school:  
 
The education was amazing. they did testing exams in grade 7 and 8 to prepare us for high school, which was very helpful. But the social ramifications of going to that school have affected myself and my classmates since. You are immersing your child in a bubble, and there are no Christian high schools in Brandon to continue that bubble. Going to any high school after Christian heritage, you are socially isolated and ostracized because you're no longer in a completely Christian environment. it can be really hard, and talking to my fellow former classmates none of us recommend that school. I'm not saying there aren't so amazing teacher that are there that are trying to do the best that they can, but having such small classes (there were eight people in my grade from k-8) I found to be more of a hindrance. we used to play a silly schoolyard game that was called ghost in the graveyard, and we had to change the name of it to Fox and the Hound because we couldn't talk about ghosts. imagine a place where you are in a little protective bubble and then going to crocus high school after. I'm not saying there's not great things about that's school, but you have to think of the long-term ramifications for your child. Plus the cost is a lot. There is no gym on site, you have to walk to Richmond park church. And for shop and home ec you have to travel to different schools, if you're paying that much just to have some Christianity in your child's life then show that in your household, and allow them to prepare themselves for the real world. Because that school does nothing to prepare you for that reality.

would your child like to go? Where are her friends going?  
Is this not about your daughters start in the education system, if so then pick the school with the most facilities and broadest range of education. If she needs religion at some time then she can do that for herself, when she better understands the principles of Christianity and other religions from an educated viewpoint.  
 
Edited by vegimite, 2020-05-18 14:51:29

I think that Westmangirl42's answer is quite interesting and would be the one most worth considering, especially since it is your child's education/future you are talking about. Regardless, this is my perspective as someone who has been in middle school in somewhat recent memory  
 
I did not go to Christian Heritage personally, I went to St. A, and while I may be biased if I were to have a child in Brandon I would send them to St. Augustine's over Christian Heritage. There is still Christian (Catholic) education, but there are more students of all sorts of backgrounds and more time spent with students from other schools, which I found to be advantageous when it came to moving on to Crocus Plains. (This is somewhat tangential, but kids are pretty mean sometimes too, and I remember kids at my school and the other schools having a less favourable perspective on Christian Heritage kids). As well, like Westmangirl said, high school is a much much much much different environment than a small private school, and having met students who went to CH I could see some difficulty in adjusting to a completely new school life. St. A is still a small quiet school, and I enjoyed my time there. I was there from Kindergarten to Grade 8 and I don't regret having gone for a single one of those years.  
 
There are Catechisms/Sunday Schools across the city in different churches that your child could attend as well. Again, like Westmangirl said, you will be more successful teaching religion to a child by emulating it for them in the home. But there is also the possibility that they may also simply decide that it is not for them. For those reasons I don't know if I could justify the cost.

Our 2 oldest went to CH for 2 years and while it was a great school, they were not happy there. For a lot of reasons westman girl mentioned above. They switched to George Fitton while we waited for them to get into St Augustines. They flourished and we never regretted our decision to pull them out of CH.

I don't have any experience with CH, but wanted to add my voice to the chorus of how excellent a school St. Augustine is. We have a child in Riverheights, and we had previously homeschooled most of our other children, and this was their first year at St. A. I can't say enough good things about it - it truly is the best of both worlds (public & private schools).  
 
I'm just not sure how admissions would work - priority is given to Catholics and they were pretty much full this past year. How that will look going forward I'm not sure, as we're probably looking at smaller class sizes in the fall with COVID.

Hey! I thought I would chime in on this discussion as I currently have 2 kids at chs and another enrolled for kindergarten this fall. We LOVE the school. Is it perfect - no but is any school perfect?  
In the past 10 years the school has really changed and the perspective of the parents has changed from “bubble mentality” parenting to a more healthy approach of building a healthy foundation for our children to grow from.  
The school offers French from grade 1, amazing music program (my kids favourite), small classroom sizes, excellent reputation of academics and a community atmosphere.  
 
My reason for choosing chs for my children is that it will help give them a world view and a firm foundation of faith & values. I love that if my child is hurt or struggling that the teachers and staff have the same set of values that I have and that my children get to learn about faith & God from more than just me.  
They have chapel in the mornings singing praise & worship, bible classes and prayer journals (those are amazing to read at the end of the year to see your child’s heart as they pray for the things close to their heart)  
 
As my children get older I will seek out ways for them to have larger peer groups outside of chs, youth groups/sports groups that will offer them a larger “pool” of friends and prepare them for entering into high school in grade 9 as chs only goes until grade 8.  
 
The kindergarten teacher at CHS is absolutely amazing and my third child entering school is very exciting to go. CHS offers a part time (1/2 day) for kindergarten which I love but also has a full day option if that is what you are looking for.  
 
The fees- yes there are fees and they can take a sacrifice to pay. The school offers tuition assistance for families needing that plus generous discount for families in ministry (pastor’s kids).  
 
I know the school is open right now from 10:30-2:30pm (for dropping off and picking up school work etc) if you drop by and meet the principal, Bryan Schroeder I’m sure he would be able to tell you more about the school. He’s very friendly and easy to talk to.  
 
As with any school there are people who love it and people who perhaps didn’t enjoy it. I just wanted to chime in with my opinion and my experience at the school.  
 
I would highly recommend CHS even with paying tuition. The education & care my children receive is above & beyond.

We currently have 3 kids enrolled at CHS (grades 2, 5 and 7) and we have been nothing but thrilled with the school since our oldest started in 2012. The standard of education at CHS is very high and the classroom sizes are smaller than in BSD so it makes for a great learning atmosphere. Many of my friends that have kids that have moved on to grade 9 say their kids have been better prepared than most for high school academics. All of the teachers are fantastic and very committed to not only their students’ educations but also to their well being.  
 
Some of our favourite things about the school:  
- family-like atmosphere  
- French classes starting in grade 1  
- chapel, Bible, worship time  
- older kids paired up with younger for different school activities (buddy reading, art classes)  
- before and after school programs  
- half day kindergarten (with full day option)  
- whole school events like Family Fun Night, Year End Celebration and the annual Christmas Concert  
 
The principal Mr Schroeder is very welcoming and easy to talk to, I encourage you to give him a call

We have 2 kids who go to CHS and a 3rd who will be going when he is old enough. It is a fantastic school with fantastic staff. They also offer tuition assistance if the tuition amounts are an issue and are offering free tuition for new families from September to December for the 2020 school year so that families can give it a try and see for themselves what a great school and school community it is. I’ve also heard a gym is in the works for the school. Call the school for more info or to set up a tour.