My daughter has been at Northstar since she was 2 years old and started in the Toddler Program. She is now in the final year of the Casa Program and my son has taken her place in the Toddler Room. I can’t say enough about how Northstar has gone above and beyond to ensure their success. The school takes an individual approach to each student, recognizing that each child learns in their own way and at their own pace. My daughter has excelled in this non competitive environment and is outperforming her circle of peers who are older than her in the public system. She has a love for learning and truly enjoys working with the Montessori materials. The Casa Program does a great job of ensuring that the students really understand what they are learning. The Toddler and Pre Casa Programs are both nurturing and educational and truly set the stage for learning at the higher levels. My son at just a year and a half has shown great independence as well as the ability to follow direction and play well in a group setting. The school has done a great job of balancing both the social and academic needs of the child which in my opinion is key to their success.

...Shelley

Hello Northstar,

I just wanted to drop a quick note of hello. Marek is doing very well at his new school, St. James.

He has a few complaints though. "It's too easy", "There's too much recess ... just when I sit down to do something, it's time to go back outside again", "There's no homework" (actually mom and dad are complaining about that one), and "I miss my friends at Northstar".

We really appreciated everything Marek got from Northstar. His academic level in math and French in particular are outstanding. We do really miss it, but we still are pleased benefits we are having as a family by being closer to his new school, and still it is a good school for the public system.

He was asking me if I knew if he would be getting a Year Book from last year, so that's what prompted me to drop you a note. He keeps his previous 2 year books handy and looks at them often.

Thanks again, and looking forward to crossing paths many times.

...Lorraine Cytowski, Marek's mom

Hi Mrs Figueiredo, Mrs Velasco & Mrs Linet,

Just a quick email to thank you guys so much for caring for Julius.

In the past month or so I have noticed a huge change in Julius, he is now saying over 100 words when he comes home, even though they are not clear.

I am so pleased with his progress. I always encouraged him to be independent, and You three have done such an outstanding job with him as well.

He comes home singing all of the songs you guys sing in the class, he tells me all his friends name and what he ate for lunch. He is now fully putting together sentences and it surprises me on how much he has changed since he started school. When Julius first started school in the summer the transition wasn't easy.

I was afraid he was going to cry for months! Day by day Julius took one step at a time and he is now fully adjusted, and he loves coming to school! He adjusted quicker then I ever imagined.

I just wanted to take this time to thank you three for all of your hard work with Julius. It has truly made a difference.

...Julius' Mom

My little boy George is in the toddler program with Mrs. Figueiredo, Mrs. Velasco and Mrs.Linet. They have done an excellent job to help my little George become more independent. We are really excited to see all the progress George made in only 3 months. He stopped crying and enjoyed school after month 1. He can eat by himself, put on his own shoes and tidy up the toys after month 2. I still remember the day he cleaned up all the toys on the floor and told me Mom is tired and he should help. I’m so moved and I can feel he’s learning to become a great person. And now, after 3 months, he knows so many English words/sentences and can sing his favorite Choo Choo songs all in English. Since we only speak Mandarin at home, it’s a big surprise he learned so much in such a short period. I can imagine how much hard work all the teachers have done to George and we really appreciate it. Now with George in Northstar, we all know he’s safe, happy and learning new things. Many thanks to Mrs. Figueiredo, Mrs. Velasco and Mrs. Linet, you are the best teachers ever!

...Amanda (George's mom)

From the time our son, Mayavan, started in September, he has demonstrated solid progress in his language, cognitive and social skills. He is able to communicate in sentences, articulate himself better and engage better with his classmates. He has become more independent and shows the willingness to do things on his own. We deeply appreciate the excellent instruction and care from his toddler teachers in the classroom. They nurture his curiosity and we appreciate all of the updates and feedback on his progress we get from them.

...Sanj and Varna