studying in Toronto - Canada

chungmingbaby

Hi dear all parents,

We have spent two weeks in last August to do some research in primary and secondary schools for my F.4 daughter and P. 5 son.  I have brought back a book called 2006 Ontario School Yearbook (2006/5/30 Canada明報附送).  The schools are ranked by the EQAQ results (like our BCA in HK) for P. 6, P. 9 on English and Maths.  It has some other information on private schools too.  I can copy some of the pages for you should you wish.

For all the information that I gathered, we will send our daughter to a public school because for high school education – public school offers better resources (of course, there are plenty of good private schools which will offer the same but we have to pay).  So if she can get into one of the good public schools (such as Unionville High, Richmond Hill High), that will be fine.  Most friends suggest the best year to go back is Grade 10.  Then the children can have one year to get used to the new environment and then Grade 11/12 are the two years which prepare them to enter into universities.  

For my son, he will be in Grade 6 next year.  I will put him into a private school because I guess he will need more attention from teachers for his first year in Toronto and by the time he finishes Grade 8, he might go back to the public school stream.

Dear Uki,

I understand that for public schools, we need to reside in the neighborhood.  Will they allow you to 跨區 if the school has seat available?  For example, my brother lives in Richmond Hill and I want to enroll into Unionville High, otherwise I might need to go back early to rent a house in Unionville.  Can you give me some advice please?

Thanks.
Chungmingbaby

chungmingbaby

Dear Lycheema,

Because we have decided to put my daughter into public schools, so I did not do too much research on private schools.  But I have some four pages of schools info that I can fax you.  Please pm your fax no. if you want to have.  Also, I heard from my friends that for girls, Havergal College, Holy Trinity, St. Clements are good and for boys, of course it is UCC Canada.

Dear Wymom,

Yes, our family will move back together.  Initially we had two options – one is to put my daughter into a boarding school and we stay in HK.  But since my husband and me agree that children will have a better education in Canada, so we decided to take our younger son back there as well.  It has been a nightmare for me and my son when we have to revise the homework everyday in HK.

As far as I know, there are no interview or test given by the individual public schools but children need to go to the Education Board to do an assessment to decide if they require to take the ESL class.  I am not sure if those schools are easy to get in.  I have emailed these two schools last month and both said please contact them once we reside into the region !  I guess Richmond Hill High would be easier than Unionville High.

Dear Uki,

You are right, UH has 95% Chinese so I am still 15/16.  But the Art Yorks Program at UH will suit my daughter because she has practiced ballet for 10 years and I want her to go on with it if she wants to.  Happy for you that your daughter settles well in her school.   I hope my children will be the same too.

chungmingbaby

Hi Uki,

請問你喺幾月帶個女過去架？

如你所說，要做 assessment 先報学校，我咪要早d 返去囉！原打算明年七月等他們完成一個学期先走，但七月的 d 學校放暑假，係咪要等九月開學才可報學校？

chungmingbaby

Hi Uki,

Thank you for your info. 真係好有用呀！ 我最驚就係在Unionville租咗屋又入唔到UH，咁咪兩頭唔到岸！
又要等去到先至知收唔收，唔通要早d走？

我地已經回流HK 十三年了，都想了很久才下這決定，孩子大了就會飛走，很想珍惜他們還在我身边的日子！

uki 寫道:
chungmingbaby,

所以我好羡慕你地可以成家人一齊返過去

chungmingbaby

Hi Uki,

We might have seen each other at Fairview Mall, or at Chinese Restaurant 等位飲茶！

Thanks for your info.

[quote]
uki 寫道:
chungmingbaby,

我地會唔會見過面呢, hehe
因為我地回流咗14年...

[quote]

chungmingbaby

Hi, 3 kids 媽咪，

嘻嘻!  我們也可能見過面??    我88 – 93 年在多侖多，當時d 香港人多數住 Scarborough, North York, Missisauga, Markham, Unionville 我走的時候，去到北面的 Highway 7 已经是好北了。但喺而家d 香港人越搬越北，去到 16th 街 or Major MacKenzie..(即 Richmond Hill area)。

論学校North York 仍然有很多好學校，只是這幾次回去都喺住在 Richmond Hill, 覺得開陽d, 新d, 舒服d, 所从不打算住舊區了！至於學校，我公司今年的summer intern 是 UT Year 2 學生，high school 在多侖多讀，所以她替我做了個 school list, 八月時我們一家人去了多侖多兩個星期，d 小朋友去 summer camp時, 我和老公就揸車去望下 d 學校 (外面咋，因為放暑假) 和 neighbourhood.  所以最後 shortlist 咗 Richmond Hill High and Unionville High。

我好佩服你呀！ 一個人帶3個kids -  當然住 apartment 啦！我想起產雪就驚！ 仲喺今時唔同往日，條腰骨頂唔順啦！除非d 細路肯做啦！  

[quote]
3kids媽咪 寫道

chungmingbaby,

.....我打算租住apartment先,是否你們所說richmand hill ,unionville之類的地區好些呢?其實我係應該鎖定咗想入邊間學校先.多chinese都沒辦法,多倫多區區都多chinese啦!
邊間學校好,我們d香港人/回流人士又點會錯過呢?

chungmingbaby

awah112,

其實真喺要計劃架！
中三 = Grade 9 = High School 笫一年
中五 = Grade 11 = 預科第一年
選修科目是不同的..
如讀文科應早d 過，早d 打好英文基楚

至於會否變鬼仔？
如果去多倫多，一定不會。人仲多個鬼！
就算如我侄仔，他是CBC (Canadian Born Chinese)
也只會群 CBC 。
除非你搬去 d 埠仔啦！或Halifax, Saskatchewan …
所以不用坦心！

現在連鬼老都學中文
讀多幾年中文都好嫁！

awah112 寫道:
中3或者中5至返加拿大算唔算遲？因為我怕佢變咗番鬼仔...

chungmingbaby

Hi 3kid媽咪，

恕我多口問句，点解你唔去 Montreal 呀？話哂有你屋企人嘛！人多d 照應好d ！

Scarborough 真係距離 Richmond Hill/Unionville 幾遠呀！冬天下大雪点返學！ :cry:

入了A學校後，如果搬到 B 區，可以唔轉校，但加拿大，得個大字，一條街都鬼咁遠，就要坐school bus 或公車或自己車。所以學校和住所不宜太遠。就从我為例，兒子如讀Richmond Hill 的私小，女兒讀 UH，我都要車個細仔返學，但如果女兒讀 RHH, 就會在同一區內，方便d，所从都末決定。

至於學額，我都有d 担心，UH 比較 popular, 成績好好，加上同區有間好好的公小，但我曾經 email 比佢，佢又無話無位，叫我到埗後contact 他們。唯有見步行步！

唔好客氣啦！之前我都常常問Uki 嘛！ 關於其他學校d 資料，請 check PM 。