Over the past few weeks, we have been welcoming prospective families into our school during a series of Fall Open Houses. We have also enjoyed welcoming you, our current families, onto campus for Parent-Teacher Conferences, chapels, assemblies, Arts Night, and other various special events.
In all of these exchanges, we have seen just how much parents care about their children, their futures and the educational journey they seek.
Choosing the right school is about so much more than just academics, extracurriculars, or where a best friend is going. It’s about finding an environment that will help your daughter discover her strengths and venture and thrive outside her comfort zone.
We are incredibly grateful that so many families choose to give their daughters the immeasurable benefits of an SMLS education. What has stood out for us in recent weeks as we've been talking to families are the factors that set SMLS apart from so many other schools.
Here are the top three highlights that seem to set us apart.
1. Girls are leading with confidence
Families are taking notice of who holds the student leadership positions in the schools they are visiting— whether it’s the president of the school council, sports team captains, or heads of student clubs. They are asking if girls are represented equally in these roles, or do boys dominate the leadership landscape. In the classroom, they are paying attention to the extent to which girls are participating, called upon, and heard. At SMLS, it is exclusively the girls who get these opportunities.
2. How older students relate to younger ones
Families are noticing the interactions between older and younger students, whether informal in the hallways or through mentoring programs. They are looking to see if the older students are approachable and supportive. They want a sense of the mentorship and community, and they are noticing that at SMLS, the older students help the younger ones navigate their school experience and that no age group is isolated from another.
3. Guidance from middle school to university—and beyond
In addition to strong academic programs like Advanced Placement courses and global opportunities, families are impressed by the individualized university guidance we offer, from as early as grade 8 all the way to Grade 12 to ensure each girl's path is unique to her.
Rather than feeling lost among hundreds of other students, SMLS students have an advisor who knows her well enough to help shape her academic and extracurricular experiences to match her field(s) of interest. If she has a special passion, there is someone who will work with her to adjust her schedule or connect her with the right university programs. When it comes time to apply to university, SMLS students have such strong relationships with their teachers, that our recommendation letters truly reflect each girl's strengths and individuality.
Through all of our meetings with families - past, present and future - we are noticing that the true merit of a school is found in the small, everyday moments—how students interact with one another, how they’re encouraged to step up, and how they’re valued.
Ultimately, the right choice is the school that feels like a place where your daughter can step into her potential, both in the classroom and as a young person ready to take on the world with confidence. We are pleased that you have found SMLS, and in this time post progress reports and Parent-Teacher conferences, we wanted to send a short note of thanks for being a part of our SMLS community.
We thank you for entrusting SMLS with your daughter's education and development and hope that you continue to see the merits of our all-girls' environment and the personalized approach to your daughter's ongoing development.