Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is John Knox?
A. John Knox is a Christian Elementary school serving students from Christian homes in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 since 1959. Currently we have almost 300 students and 23 certified teachers.
John Knox was founded because committed parents understood the importance of providing a Christian learning environment for their children. Children are at school for a large portion of each day, and we believe the core beliefs expressed and taught at school should work in harmony with those taught at home and church, as our young students grow and develop their walk with Jesus.
John Knox has done this for 50 years! Providing a safe, solid learning environment, infused with Christian beliefs and values in all subjects every day, and in every school activity. As our Mission statement says “We are committed to Christ-centred learning and strive to teach discernment, nurturing and equipping students for a life of responsive discipleship.” The students are not sheltered from “the world” at John Knox. Rather, we engage culture, and equip our students to interact in a Christ-like fashion with the world they live in, fully acknowledging that God is in control.
Q. Are there any Open Houses coming up?
A. We have several Open Houses planned for each school year, beginning in January. Check back for exact dates!
If you wish to arrange for a personal tour, contact Christine Soultanidis at 905 451-3236 ext 23 or e-mail at csoul@bramptonjkcs.org.
Q. Does your school follow the Ontario Ministry of Education Guidelines?
A. Yes, we are at or above Ontario standards. We also implement curriculum written by the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools and Christian School International, which is Ontario curriculum re-written from a Christian perspective.
Q. Does John Knox conduct standardized testing?
A. Yes, we do. The following standard tests are administered in grades 3-8: the Canadian Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) in October for grades 4, 6 and 8, and the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT) in May for grades 3, 5 and 7. Our students consistently score higher than average on both of these tests.
At John Knox we are blessed with a committed and caring parental community, have smaller class sizes than many schools and also have very few English as a Second Language (ESL) students in our mix – we recognize that all of these factors can positively impact the testing results.
Q. Is John Knox a “Dutch School”?
A. John Knox was founded in 1959 by the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), which was largely made up of Dutch immigrants. Due to their vision, strength and faithfulness, John Knox has been privileged to serve the Christian community in Brampton for 50 years! The current population of our school comprises 45% Christian Reformed families, with 55% of families from other denominations such as Baptist, Anglican, United, Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Marthoma, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, and more!
In the last three years, just over 20% of our new families have come from the CRC, and almost 80% from other church denominations.
Q. How much does it cost to send my child to John Knox?
A. The tuition fee is a family rate of $10800.00 for the 10/11 school year. This is the total amount families with students in Grade 1 - 8 will pay from September to June, for all students enrolled. For example, if you have children in Grades 1 and 3, you will pay $10800.00.
Families with children enrolled only in either our SK or JK programs pay $8640.00 and $6480.00 respectively.
Families with (for example) a child in grade 1 and a child in JK or SK will pay $10800.00.
Families with children in both JK and SK would pay the family rate of $10800.00.
Payments may be made monthly with post dated cheques or automatic monthly withdrawals. For families paying Christian High School tuition, we do offer a reduction.
Q. Is there Tuition Assistance available?
A. John Knox has a tuition assistance program which offers financial help to families who have been at John Knox for one year or more. In addition, a portion of your tuition can be claimed as a charitable donation. This can mean a substantial tax savings - especially for single child families. For example, in the most recent tax year, a family paying a full tuition with just one child at JKCS could receive a tax refund of over $3,400.00.
Q. Is transportation included?
A. Yes, it is. Presently, John Knox Christian School owns and operates five buses which provide transportation to and from school throughout the Brampton - Bramalea - Heart Lake area as well as some parts of Meadowvale. The general area boundaries are Steeles Avenue, Torbram Road, Mayfield Road and Winston Churchill Boulevard. We also service the area south of Steeles Avenue to Derry Road, between Hurontario and Winston Churchill Boulevard.
Families that live beyond these boundaries either choose to drive their children to the closest bus stop, or to the school. There is no rebate if you do not use the bus service.
Q. Can I transfer my child during the school year?
A. Yes, we do accept new students after the school year has begun, provided there is room available in the necessary grade, and the admissions requirements are fulfilled.
Q. Do you have a Before and After School Program?
A. Yes, it began in September '06. The hours are from 7:30-8:30am before school, and after school from 3:15-5:45pm. Cost information can be found on the website, under the “PARENTS” tab, just click on “Additional Programs”.
Q. Do you have a Junior or Senior Kindergarten program?
A. We have both JK and SK at John Knox. Our JK classes meet for three full days per week, either Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, or Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Our SK program will run 4 full days per week – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Q. Do you have a program for the days JK and SK students are not at school?
A. We do not have a program at the school, but we can provide you names of local, in-home Christian daycares as an option for the alternate days. Many of our current parents use this alternative.
Q. What other programs does your school offer?
A. Some additional programs are: Students in grades 1-4 participate in a swimming program provided for us by the Cobra Swim Club, at the McMurchy Pool. The program for each grade runs approximately 10 weeks. Students in grades 5 - 8 participate in a band program. Students at John Knox who have special needs and abilities are referred to our Resource / Enrichment Program. Students in Grade 8 are expected to complete service hours and all students are given opportunities to get involved in Community building activities (cleaning Brampton parks, visiting the elderly, food drives, etc.)
Q. What Co- Curricular activities would my student have the opportunity to participate in?
A. Some of them include: Students in grades 6 - 8 may participate in sports activities sponsored by the Toronto area Christian schools. The sports offered include: soccer, badminton, basketball, volleyball, cross country and track and field. JKCS is also part of the Dufferin Peel District Separate School Board League and participates in their tournaments.
We run an intra-mural sports program for grades 3-8, which includes flag football, indoor soccer and mat ball.
Students with high levels of reading retention and comprehension may be chosen to participate in the Battle of the Books competition. Bi-annually, JKCS conducts a Science Fair for sudents in Grades 6-8.
Each year the Grade 8 students participate in a “School in the Mall” program at Shoppers World in Brampton.
Enrichment clubs are held bi-annually at John Knox – the students sign up to learn skills such as sewing, scrapbooking, wood working, skiing, curling, to name a few. Also, private piano and/or vocal lessons are available at the school at the initiative of the parents - the cost for these lessons is not included in the tuition fee.
Q. What is your Teacher/Student ratio?
A. We use the following guidelines to determine class size: JK & SK - 14-18 students; Grade 1-3 - 22 students; Grade 4-5 - 24 students; Grade 6-8 - 28 students
Q. Do you accept International Students?
A. Yes, we have an International Student Program in place at John Knox, and have enjoyed students from Korea and Japan among our student population. Please contact Christine Soultanidis or Ed Boelens for more information. (905) 451-3236.
Q. Parental Involvement
A. John Knox Christian School is maintained by the John Knox Christian School Society. This society is made up of members who "own and operate" the school. Parents are invited to participate in school activities and are also expected to volunteer their time throughout the year to help run functions and activities in and out of school.
Q. Do the students at John Knox wear uniforms?
A. No, our community has decided not to implement uniforms in the school. However, we do hold our students accountable to an appropriate school dress code as outlined in our school handbook.
Q. Admissions Procedures
A. Please contact us to request a hard copy of the JKCS information package, or check out the rest of the website to find out more information! If you have further questions, or feel ready to arrange a tour or attend an Open House (see dates above) please call or email Christine Soultanidis at (905) 451-3236 ext 23 or csoul@bramptonjkcs.org to schedule an appointment. If you decide to enrol your child(ren), please click here for details and to download the necessary forms.
