Why It Matters (Testimonials)

We chose JKCS for our children because we believed it would provide an environment in which they could thrive.

On our first visit to the school, we saw one of our favorite scriptures on the wall : Micah 6:8…To do justly , love mercy , and walk humbly with our God.  This scripture has largely guided our children in their John Knox experience. 

After our kids resumed at John Knox, we were quite thankful to discover that a bursary award was available for families who needed it. Most importantly, the award came from the contributions of other parents. It showed us that members of the community were interested in ensuring that financial barriers were lowered for other parents.  The bursary award helped us to balance the cost of education with that of other competing demands.  

Three things have stood out for our children in their stay in John Knox:  Community, Connection and Commitment

Community

Our kids have had access to a community of students of diverse origins. Their exposure to other children who come from different parts of the world has greatly enriched their learning experience.

Connection

As parents , we have been able to make connections with other parents. This has helped us to learn from others and share our knowledge with them. There is a great feeling that comes from seeing John Knox parents and teachers in school as well as in church

Commitment 

The commitment of the staff to the progress of the students can not be overemphasized. In our experience, we have seen John Knox staff go the extra mile for our kids. We are freely able to share any concerns with the teachers because we know they are dedicated to their progress.

We are thankful to be a part of this community. Most of all, we are thankful to be able to see the newest items in Mr. Petrusma’s funny hat collection. This has been made possible by your generous support

Thank You for all you do.

After years of having my children in public school and watching them "get by," it was on my heart that I needed more for them. I had casually floated the idea of Christian school to my husband in the past and he (gently) shut down the topic with "we turned out fine" and "we can't afford that". Well, after a tough year for our oldest daughter who was slipping through the cracks with her IEP, bullying, and feeling negatively about school, I was losing sleep at night. I found myself thinking about how they could have a different school experience. A really beautiful school experience.

So I prayed. And God told me to bring up Christian school to my husband one more time.

So I sat him down and expected the usual, but knew that God had nudged me to this point for a reason.

To my surprise, when I brought it up again, he just bluntly said "Ok. We'll figure it out."

I was so shocked I started weeping. Then we discussed finances and realized we couldn't do it without a little help, at least for the first year.

We are so grateful for the bursary we received last year. And we are grateful that this year, we will be able to pay all of our tuition without any assistance. Some families just need a little help, some need more, and some people's finances fluctuate. 

I thank God for the generous donors who contributed to this fund, and made it possible for my children to flourish at school. We have seen a difference in their attitude about school, their grades, and their overall wellbeing. My husband is now a firm believer in Christian school, and we will forever support them, especially JKCS.

While I can’t say for sure where our family would be without JKCS,  I can tell you where we are because of this school.  

My husband and I work for Christian non profits, great jobs that we love. Great jobs. Not so great paycheques. We do not make enough money to send our kids to John Knox. While we are blessed beyond measure, without help, we could not send our kids to a Christian school.

The past several years have been a rocky road for our family. I don’t think that anyone can fully understand addiction and mental illness, but we are walking alongside a close family member who is battling both. We love this person deeply, and I know many of you do too. By the grace of God, our family member has celebrated more than one year of being clean and sober  

While we are thankful beyond words, this has also impacted us financially. The cost of the rehab program and our visits (gas, accommodations, food, etc.) have taken up a share of our money. 

So why not pull our kids and send them to a free public school?  

Here is why:

Getting to day one of our loved one's sobriety was extremely painful. It didn’t take very long before we realized that we couldn’t do this alone. Through the past years --with all the police visits, and with every arrest, melt down, hospital visit, and CAS visit  -- we were able to partner with the team at John Knox.  

Initially, our kids identified a teacher who they wanted to be their “go to” person. Someone with whom we could share our situation and someone our children could talk to when things were going so terribly wrong at home. Over the years, this circle of supporters has grown. The team at JKCS have walked alongside our kids. They still do today. They have taken time from their recesses, lunches, evenings, and weekends to support our children. To love them, and to show them Christ-like love. There were times over the past years when all I could do was email our kids' teacher and say “it’s been a tough day.” I would get the reply, “I’m on it, I’ll watch out for your kid.” They pray for us, and pray with and for our kids. They rejoice with all of us at the miracle of healing and new beginnings. How awesome is that? 

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I’m thankful to have this community of faith with us.

So, thank you to each person who contributed to the JKCS bursary program. Thank you to all those who will contribute. 

Please know that your donation is about so much more than money. You are helping kids like mine to learn. Not only the fundamentals of reading, writing and arts. They are learning so much more than that. They are seeing, in real time, how to live life and love in a Christ-like way.  Community is a beautiful thing.

We felt led to give to the JKCS Bursary because we feel strongly that Christian education should be available to all who are called to it.  It is one of the Lord’s ways of providing for His body, the church, through His body, the church. We have experienced first-hand, over and over again in God’s economy, that the giver is immensely blessed, just as the receiver is, in this process.  Acts 20:35