Sacred Heart is getting ready for our students next week...

Even the statue of Jesus gets a makeover!  We are getting ready for all our students next week and look forward to seeing everyone.  Here are just a few pictures of areas of the school waiting for you...

Even Jesus gets a makeover!

New Fence at Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart School installed a lovely new fence on the perimeter of the property bordering Spring Garden Road and Summer Street this summer.  Have a look...

Debate Camp at Sacred Heart!

Sacred Heart School is pleased to be hosting Debate Camp this week that engages top students from across Canada. This camp is under the direction of Mr. Brian Casey.

All girls learning environments gain traction in public education

As a fellow school for girls, it is with great interest that we follow research and trends in single-sex education. We are attuned to the fact that all girls learning environments are gaining ground in public education and that the benefits of an all girls learning environment are better understood by all. 

In a recent article, Professor Alison Booth writes about the benefits of a single-sex education for girls. She argues that "the evidence is gathering that women in single-geneder classes benefit, and they benefit significantly (Booth, 2014)." Alison Booth is Professor of Economics at the Australian National University, and Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), London, the IZA Bonn, and the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nürnberg and an advocate for the support of publicly funded single-sex schools for girls. Her research is intriguing and supports our practices. 

And Professor Booth is not alone in her convictions. In 2006, the US federal government allowed districts to create single‐sex schools and have single‐sex classes in publicly funded schools.  According to the National Association for Choice in Education (NACE), in 2002 there were only about a dozen US public schools offering single‐sex classes and by 2012 there were well over 500 hundred.

Elementary School Robotics Teams Visit Dalhouse Science Lab

This year's Elementary School Robotics teams had the opportunity to visit a Dalhousie Science lab to learn about robotics in medicine. The students worked in many hands-on centres that were organized just for them by Dr. Mark Walsh and a team of doctors. Each student had a chance to participate in: stitching, cauterizing and virtual operating, using an ultrasound, as well as seeing a special presentation that was made for them on how robotics is used in medicine. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Thank you for the photos, Mrs. Robinson.  What a wonderful experience!

Experiential Learning

There are lots of changes happening at Fountain Academy this coming year.  One of those changes is the introduction of our Experiential Learning Credit. 

Today’s students are looking for ways to make their educational experience more meaningful and we have been proactive to listening to their needs. Last year we developed the Experiential Learning program to give them academic credit for learning that takes place beyond the classroom in a real-world environment. This might take the form of an internship in the areas of business, academic research, or the fine and performing arts during the school year after hours, under the supervision of an adult mentor in their chosen field.

We have several students taking advantage of the program for the coming year including a student who will be working in the restaurant management field as well as several in the tech sector.  Two such students are featured in a Chronicle Herald article this week.  As well, we have been talking with our friends at Saint Mary’s University who have been very interested in partnering with us to allow our students to work side by side with some of their professors in conducting research.

If you think your son might be interested in such an opportunity, have him come and talk to me about his ideas and we can go through the details of the program.  I would love to be a part of that sort of educational experience.