Telos Academy is the right place for your child if:

• They aren’t particularly challenged or engaged at traditional school.

• Your child is struggling academically and/or experiences school anxiety in the conventional system, and they would thrive if they could work at their own pace, on projects that matter to them.

• They love to create, build and innovate.

• You want more flexibility to help school fit more seamlessly with your family life.

• You’re a homeschool family looking for a trusted community & enrichment classes to enhance your child’s education.

• Drop-off.

• We begin every day with a morning meeting to check in with students and set our goals and intentions for the day.

• Students dive into their math and literacy lessons. Students may work independently, in small groups, as a whole group, or 1-on-1 with an instructor, depending on the topic and the children’s needs.

• Outdoor movement & exploration.

• Lunch. Students who attend for the morning only go home & students who join us only for the afternoon arrive.

• Project-based learning. Students work on projects of interest that weave in various subjects and skillsets. Alternatively, some afternoons are spent on community service initiatives.

• Outdoor movement & exploration.

• Pick-up.

Students are assigned math, literacy and project-based learning goals according to their ability, so the program can meet each student exactly where they are at. They only move on to new material once content has been mastered, so progression is entirely self-paced. This style of learning allows students to work independently, in small groups, or 1-on-1 with an instructor, as needed.

We understand this type of student-centered, innovative education is an investment. We currently offer sibling discounts, a per family maximum on tuition, and several different payment plans. Email us at telosacademy.tillsonburg@gmail.com to schedule a meeting to discuss tuition and payment options.

Our mentors come from different religious and spiritual backgrounds but we share the common goal of nurturing curiosity and compassion in our students. As such, the program is not faith-based.

We believe the foundation of a child’s spiritual and moral growth begins at home. We work hard to create a community where students can feel comfortable digging deeper into their own faith and we warmly welcome children of all faiths into our learning spaces. However, no religious content will be explicitly taught in the program.

Our mentors work alongside students to track their progress in several ways.

1. We celebrate the mastery of skills and tools, and progress to new levels, by earning badges. Students set goals to work towards new badges in various subject areas.

2. Assembling portfolios. We keep samples of student work in a portfolio to demonstrate progression over time. Portfolio assessment is extremely insightful in demonstrating where students have grown and where they still need improvement because it provides a cumulative and comprehensive view of each student’s educational journey - not just an isolated performance or single test score.

3. Public exhibitions and presentations. Public exhibitions and presentations - such as entrepreneurial markets, science fairs, project showcases - give students real-world opportunities to showcase their work to our families, customers and the public.

We also meet regularly with parents and use online tools to communicate student progress.

We are not a registered private school. Operating as an independent, not-for-profit educational program allows us to provide the flexible, innovative style of education that we deeply believe in. However, while our learning model is intentionally different from the traditional education model, all of the core subjects are interwoven into our curriculum through both teacher-led instruction and experiential learning.

Our small class size, mentor-to-student ratios and adaptive learning environment allows us to deliver a program that meets the needs of many children, including some with special needs, learning differences or behavioural challenges. However, we also recognize that we may not be the best fit for everyone. We encourage you to schedule a meeting with us by emailing telosacademy.tillsonburg@gmail.com to discuss if we can meet your child’s individual needs.

We currently run our programming at a private residence in the north end of Tillsonburg, Ontario, where we have access to a greenhouse and regularly make use of the local woods and playground. We will search for a suitable location to meet our needs as the program grows.