Calgary Waldorf School

Our journey at the Calgary Waldorf School began with the Parent & Tot class 15 years ago and though our youngest of two is graduating from grade 9 in a couple of weeks, our relationship with the school will not end. That's because through all of these years, our kids have been blessed with wonderful teachers who at their core are conscientious, diligent and loving, know their students like the back of their hands, have expertise in creating a community for not just the students to learn and flourish in but for the parents to enjoy as well from class 1 on. No organization I've been involved with has as much heart, faithfulness to their longstanding guiding philosophy, and is as well run as the Calgary Waldorf School. No organization is perfect but this school learns from and responds to its trials ethically and responsibly. My kids particularly benefited from the junior high sports program which welcomes any student interested to participate in all of the sports, or as many as they want, throughout the school year. I've been involved as a coach and assistant coach on some of these teams and to see not only the growth over three years in the competence of the team but the strengthening of the student relationships through sport has been such a privilege to behold.

We moved to the area to put our children in the Calgary Waldorf School because we were very enthusiastic about the curriculum and how the Steiner philosophies of child development are applied throughout. We have been at the school through nearly seven years and we are constantly amazed at how groundbreaking and beneficial the atmosphere is for our children. Exposure to multiple languages has always been important to us (they take French and German), as well as early exposure to music via singing and instruments. Not to mention class participation in plays, drawing, painting, sculpting, woodwork, etc. They are thriving and enjoying their experience fully, and we couldn't be happier!!

I attended the Calgary Waldorf School starting in kindergarten and continued through to grade nine. I’m currently in university and still cherish all the valuable knowledge, memories and life experience I have as a result of my Calgary Waldorf education. I can’t think of anything that I would change about my time here as I always felt supported and understood. It was a perfect learning environment for me and the classmates who I’m still in touch with say it was for them too. After graduating from grade nine I was more than prepared for high school. Thanks to Calgary Waldorf I now have creative, innovative, academic, and interpersonal skills that are helping me in all aspects of life.

I am a Calgary Waldorf alumni and I cannot put into words the positive impact that receiving a Waldorf education has had on my life.The Calgary Waldorf school provided me with a nurturing and positive learning environment, unique skills and a creative outlook, and countless memories that will last a lifetime.The Calgary Waldorf school prepared me for high school extremely well. I had absolutely no issues with regards to adapting to a public school setting because Waldorf helped me to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for my transition to the public school system.Further, my Waldorf education has enabled me to excel in a post-secondary educational setting because I grew up immersed in a learning environment that fostered creativity and innovative thinking; encouraged inclusivity; and allowed me to develop meaningful interpersonal relationships.The teachers at the Calgary Waldorf School truly care about their students, this cannot be refuted. Some people may think it is unusual that I had the same teacher for nine years, but it was a very special experience to have an educator who knew me on such a personal level and was therefore able to cater my entire education to my personal skills and learning needs. I am still in contact with my Waldorf teacher, as are many of the students who were in my class.Overall, I would highly recommend Waldorf education (if I have children in the future I definitely plan on putting them in a Waldorf school) and I have nothing negative to say about the Calgary Waldorf School, as I had an extremely positive educational experience that I would not trade for the world.

We absolutely love the Calgary Waldorf School! As a parent who was not familiar with Waldorf education at all, I am so happy to have found such a beautiful + nurturing space for my children. We were initially recommended to this school by an occupational therapist with the Children's Hospital. The Kindergarten was instrumental in our child's physical development and confidence. I credit the school's focus on sensory experiences, like outdoor play and handwork activities. Calgary Waldorf offers a lovely community for parents to connect with each other and stay involved in their children's education.I would highly recommend touring the school and talking to the parents that actually have children here if you are interested. I have yet to meet anyone here who has not been satisfied with the education their children have received. We are so lucky to have local school that recognizes play as a foundation for healthy development.

I was hired as a lead teacher in the kindergarten at Calgary Waldorf School four years ago. Someone I worked with made malicious complaints about my professional conduct, solely for the purpose of causing me harm. I found it extremely difficult to weather the storm that was brought down on me.I felt humiliated by rumors in the parent community, and lost the confidence to face other teachers because I underwent an investigation due to the complaints. All this happened in the first month of my employment! Unfortunately, irreparable harm had been done, such that months later I would be confronted by an intimidating parent who wanted to start a physical altercation with me. He noted that I habitually came to school before anyone else arrived, and he waited for me. He cornered me in an empty building and was about to assault me, until he noticed my five year old daughter was with me. Thankfully, he did not perpetrate any physical harm to my body. Luckily for me, the principal was there and called the police immediately. Looking back, I can't understand how I had the strength to go through so much and still focus on my work of caring for the wellbeing of the children in my classroom.I feel grateful to have had a few class parents, colleagues, and an administrator who were still able to see the good in me and in my work with the children. They helped me through what became an uncomfortable year of struggling to recover my confidence. I don't know how else I could have survived a year in which my dignity was taken away so callously. Because of a few decent people, I would have even stayed to teach another year at the school, but I had to move away as soon as summer break started.Before leaving Calgary Waldorf School, the principal would write me a recommendation letter to say that I continue to work collaboratively with [my] colleagues to provide a warm

I have had both my kids attend Waldorf to grade 9, and have coached and reffed for Waldorf and the school I work at (Calgary Academy) in games for and against Waldorf. As parents we were delighted by the structure of the school and the logical approach to education. To start we enjoyed the play based early school that uses child development to indicate when to move children forward. I believe the current trend to push learning (like reading) up earlier and earlier is flawed as many children aren’t ready for it. This is one reason we see so many students struggling - one must learn to walk before they are ready to run. Our children had lots of opportunity within Waldorf and they both excelled. Now my experience in athletics made me realize that the approach of the Waldorf school was developing strong polite youngsters. The teams may not always be the best, but the kids are always having fun, and are very polite, can look you in the eye, and are great sports to the point of cheering for the opposite team. So, I’m my experience - 5 stars.

This school has provided me the ability to live a well rounded successful life. The Calgary Waldorf School has been such a positive part in my life and still is to this day. The loving, caring, and supportive community I was apart of while attending the school is still extremely relative and impactful to this day, after being graduated for 7 years. I can honestly say I would not be able to reach the level of success I have today without the Waldorf school.

Going to Waldorf for the last 2 years of Junior High was possibly the most important 2 years of my life. Even having spent such a short time there, I can honestly say that the education I received, the experiences I had, and the friends I made there match no other time in my life.Looking back, I remember how engaged and inspired I was by the curriculum, as it was delivered in a way which brought my imagination to life. I feel that public schools frequently neglect a very important part of the child's brain: the imagination. Being one of the students who went directly from public school to Waldorf, I can say that Waldorf was an infinitely better learning environment.Waldorf gave me my closest friends and some of my best experiences. It prepared me for life in ways that public school couldn't, and the people I met there still remain my closest friends.I would highly recommend CWS to anyone considering.

My two children attend the school and have for two years. We are thrilled to be a part of such a strong community and a different style of education. The methods used to engage children in the learning process work extremely well as both of my children really enjoy attending school each day, and need very little decompression at the end of the day, very different from our experience with them attending public school. The sense of community is very strong and the support vase from other parents and teachers is a wonderful benefit. My children enjoy learning and have found it easy to make friends and fit in with their class, and any minor conflicts have been well handled. Having experienced other schools prior to coming to Waldorf, and observing the children who attend, there does seem to be a difference in the teaching and educational style in shaping kids to be kinder, more empathetic, eager to learn, and keen to be kids, without the pressure to grow up too quickly.