In The News
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to do?
What if my child is not able to catch up with the study program because of a language weakness?
If the students are studying in my country in Grade 11 or Grade 12, can they transfer to Praxis and continue their high school education?
Some believe private schools are not as reliable as public schools. How about your school, especially since Praxis is a comparatively new and a small-sized school?
I am not familiar with the place where your school is located. Is it cold and remote?
Do I need to bring warm clothes?
You talk about other activities. Can you tell me a little more about what types of other activities are available to me?
What is there to do?
Praxis International Institute is situated on over 20 acres of land in a predominately rural setting in central Canada. Additionally, for both curricular and extra-curricular activities we take advantage of other nearby recreational facilities the local community has to offer. This includes a beautiful grass-green golf course, an ice skating and curling rink, and a regional park with a lake that’s over 20 km long. The lake can be used for fishing, swimming, and water-skiing etc. in the summer, and cross-country skiing, skating, and wind boarding in the winter.
What if my child is not able to catch up with the study program because of a language weakness?
While we have been pleasantly surprised at the interest shown from local parents, Praxis International Institute spends most of its recruiting energies recruiting international students from countries where English may not be their first language. Because we specialize in international students from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and countries, we are well aware of issues and struggles faced by these students. As such, we make an extra effort when studying the English language, and when studying WITH the English language in other classes. Teachers make the commitment to guarantee that lessons are understood by all students.
Also, one of the things that make us special and unique even by Canadian standards is our hands-on, "learning-by-doing" practical approach and our commitment to adapt our teaching style to match the learning style of the individual student. Parents can be comforted knowing that we really do make that extra effort with all our students.
If the students are studying in my country in Grade 11 or Grade 12, can they transfer to Praxis and continue their high school education?
The short answer is yes… with a provision.
When dealing with different educational systems, we have several options available depending on the requirements of the student. One is simply giving a placement exam to determine what Canadian class the student should be in. The second is a more customized approach.
We recognize the fact that not all countries’ curriculums are the same and one of the tools we have at our disposal is to compare the curriculum from your country with our own and come up with an "equivalent." As an example, some countries’ math programs are actually more advanced than Canada’s and as long as the student can prove they understand the work here, we give credit for that section and move on to more challenging topics. In subjects where the Canadian curriculum is the more advanced, we either do extra work with that student, or offer a credit in a lower grade such as grade 10 or 11.
This is actually quite common in Canada. In order to be granted the Saskatchewan Grade 12 diploma a student requires a minimum of 24 credits from grade 10, 11, and 12 in various configurations of 10, 20 or 30 level courses. Students often take classes in several levels in any given year of their high school career.
Some believe private schools are not as reliable as public schools. How about your school, especially since Praxis is a comparatively new and a small-sized school?
We understand this is a concern, particularly in light of some private school closures a few years ago in both Toronto and Vancouver. Although Praxis International Institute is a relatively new and small sized school, its parent company, Global Infobrokers Inc. has actually been in operation since 1990. Over the years they have risen to become one of Canada’s premier educational institutes specializing in business and entrepreneurial training. Their programs have extremely high success rates largely because their curriculum is based on practical applications and information and concentrates on adjusting the teaching to match the learning style of the individual student, not making the student adjust to fit the teaching style of the school.
Global Infobrokers has worked very hard to make its programs and teaching style available to younger and younger students. In 1995, Monica Kreuger, the VP of Praxis International Institute began offering a program through the University of Saskatchewan and did so with tremendous success over 10 years. They then partnered with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to provide access to financing and mentorship, winning the national award for their work in 2008. In 2005 they began laying the groundwork to establish "Praxis International Institute" so they could offer their successful programs through a high school setting.
Also, in addition to our years of private educational institute history, in Saskatchewan, the Government closely monitors all private schools that offer a Saskatchewan grade 12 diploma. Since our high school offers the Saskatchewan curriculum and a grade 12 diploma, our school is also closely monitored. We have been approved by the government to operate as a high school as well so we are externally accountable for our delivery.
Hopefully, this information will go a long way to appease the fears of parents dealing with Saskatchewan’s private education in general, and Praxis International Institute in specific.
I am not familiar with the place where your school is located. Is it cold and remote?
These are very common questions, but the answer to both is no.
Praxis International Institute is located about midpoint between the province’s two major cities, each with a population of approximately 240,000. This may seem small by some countries’ standards, but both cities have world class facilities and have international reputations with easy access to many national and international destinations.
As far as the cold is considered, Praxis International Institute is actually about the same degree north latitude as London and Warsaw and much further south then Moscow. But being in the middle of a large land mass, we don’t have the ocean currents to moderate our weather. Consequently, we have what is called a continental temperate climate. This means that we have a fairly large difference between average daily summer temperatures (22 degrees Celsius) and average daily winter temperatures (-22 degrees Celsius). But it also means that it’s much drier here so the hot doesn’t feel as hot, and the cold doesn’t feel as cold. As long as you dress for the weather, it is very comfortable. Indeed, many people who live in warmer and damper cities, like Toronto or New York often feel much chillier in the winter then they do in Saskatchewan. And remember, in our climate, our housing is designed for all four seasons as is our transportation. With central heating and cooling, our houses heat up when it is cold and cool down when it is hot.
We also like to say that we have four distinct seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) and we enjoy them all. And while most people find it easy to list enjoyable spring and summer activities, we also enjoy hockey, curling, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, skating and wind-boarding (a cross between wind surfing and snowboarding) as popular winter activities. And we wouldn’t be doing that if it was cold, now would we?
Do I need to bring warm clothes?
Packing long pants, sweaters and a spring jacket etc. is a good idea but it is sometimes very difficult for many students to bring appropriate outside winter clothes. If you are coming from a tropical or temperate climate, there may not be suitable warm clothes available for purchase where you are. Also, we recognize that sometimes airlines have strict regulations regarding the amount of luggage you may travel with. Because of this we recommend that you don't worry about packing winter jackets and ski-pants etc. We will organize shopping trips here where students can purchase suitable clothing with the aid and advice of school staff.
You talk about other activities. Can you tell me a little more about what types of other activities are available to me?
Praxis International Institute incorporates many activities into it core curriculum. But because we treat things more wholistically, sometimes the boundary between curricular and extra-curricular seems to blur. As an example among other things our Physical Education program includes such items as golf, cross country skiing and dance. Because we don't believe that learning only takes place during school hours, some of the activities you will be required to participate in may be evening activities.
We also have belief in a strong multicultural education. Therefore; blending these philosophies into real practices means that activities such as drama, martial arts and/or, cultural dance are all part of the package. In addition to the more traditional dance forms such as jazz, tap and ballet, there are a number of other dance forms available. For example, Egyptian, Ukrainian, and Chinese dance, are but a few of the choices that are taught locally, usually by instructors from those cultures.