Our History

In May of 1996 a group of concerned parents met to discuss starting a new, private school. They were looking to create an alternative to the schooling available in Brant County, with an emphasis on shared values and beliefs. The school would provide for a true partnership between home and school.

September 1996, saw the opening of Braemar House School. There were five classrooms, covering Junior Kindergarten to Grade 7 housed in the former Cainsville Public School.

In early 1997, Braemar House School became incorporated, and obtained not-for-profit status. The first Board of Directors was elected to run the school along with an Educational Advisory Committee. By May of 1997 policies needed to be formulated, and joint parent and staff committees were established to address this.

In August 1997, Braemar House School relocated to the former Grand Woodlands Public School on Baxter St. in Brantford. This move allowed for expansion of the programming available, and facilities to accommodate them. September 1998 saw the introduction of the first Braemar House School Grade 8 classroom.

By December 1998, the need for an extensive review of polices and programs became apparent. Each teacher, staff member and parent was asked to participate. The review led to full support of the future of Braemar and in the defining of the school’s Mission Statement and Vision. One of the outcomes of this review was the creation of Student as well as Staff Handbooks.

Under the direction of the Educational Advisory Committee, expanded enrichment programs were added to the curriculum in January 1999. At the same time the need for a Parent Council was becoming apparent, and in March of 1999 this committee was established to provide further opportunities for parental involvement, marketing support and fundraising.

Proudly in June 1999, Braemar House School held its first Grade Eight Graduation ceremony.

The first Spirit of Braemar dinner and auction was held in January 2000. It was a great fundraising success and began a tradition of parental contribution specifically for enhanced and enriched programming opportunities.

In May 2000, every student and staff member, with the support of many parents and the community at large, performed in the Braemar production of The Wizard of Oz. Its wonderful success has inspired a Drama Program that culminates in a musical production each spring involving the entire school.

The Montessori Casa Program was introduced to Braemar in September 2000, welcoming into the school students from ages three to six.

After many long hours the Board of Directors produced the school’s first Business Plan, a mid-range planning document, in February 2001. Each subsequent Annual General Meeting would see a new Business Plan outline the continued improvements to programming and equipment offered by the school.

In April 2001 we proudly saw The Corporation of Braemar House School, the parent body that acts as shareholders of the school, purchase the building and property at our current location of 36 Baxter Street.

A Before and After School Care Program was introduced in September of 2001 to meet the needs of working parents in our school community. While partnerships with the YMCA and Parks and Recreation have been explored, the school’s current drop-in program run by the school’s own staff has proven extremely successful.

In May of 2002 the first of what has become an annual Parent Survey was conducted, giving a voice to the vision of our stakeholders for the future of the school.

In June of 2002 the administration model of the school moved to that of an Executive Director with full responsibility for the operations, staffing, marketing, and financial management of Braemar as a business.

September 2002 saw several programming initiatives: the introduction of the Classical Performance Guitar program for Grades 7 & 8; a significant expansion of the computer resources in the school with terminals in all classrooms and the implementation of the NETS computer-based curriculum; ongoing expansion of the Primary French programming; an eight week swimming program as part of the Physical Education curriculum for all students; capital purchases including desks, tables and overhead screens; and allocations of fiscal resources to support our BHS Drama productions.

The need for a school mascot was met in December 2003 with a school-wide vote for the Braemar Bear, and a logo was designed.

The school year 2004-2005 saw the accomplishment of the first phase in an ongoing long-term strategic plan to offer straight grades… the separation of Grade One and Two.

Over the summer of 2004 Braemar purchased a sophisticated audio sound system to enhance our annual spring musical and provide technical experiences for our students, culminating in a multimedia presentation in our production of Mary Poppins.

Early in 2005 the Braemar Board of Directors undertook the development and implementation of a Capital Expansion Campaign that hopes to meet the needs of a growing school population in a fiscally responsible and timely way.

September of 2005 saw the introduction of several more programs to compliment a newly formalized Citizenship Program; the Roots of Empathy for grade One, a Gems Club for grade Two, S.K.I.P. (Seniors and Kids Intergenerational Program) for grades Three and Four, Environmental Stewardship for Grade 5 and D.A.R.E. (a drug awareness and resistance program offered at Braemar since 2000) for grade Six. The Y.E.S. (Youth Experiencing Service) Program was designed as an outreach initiative for our grade Seven and Eight class. These programs, along with our assemblies, daily opening exercises, and disciplinary measures, are shaped and informed by the Virtues Project, a powerful whole-school moral/character building initiative.

The Fall of 2006 saw the establishment of a supportive partnership with the City of Brantford and its Parks and Recreation Department in the shared construction of a 40 spot parking lot which serves both the community and the school effectively.

Renovations in the summer of 2006 resulted in creating additional classroom space for our expanding classroom and instructional needs. We continue to make creative use of all of our space resources as our student population grows.

Our first Braemar Art Show was held February of 2007; the opportunity to showcase our students’ artistic talents was so well received that a plan for a bi-annual Art Show was established.

Our unique and innovative Prep One program was designed in the summer of 2007, taking full advantage of the hands-on inspired learning that comes with a Montessori introduction to school, culminating in the successful preparation of our students for our traditional Grade One program.

Steady increases in enrolment resulted in the carefully planned and beautifully finished addition of two classrooms to the back of the school in the summer of 2007. Grades 3 and 4 were offered as separate classes that September.

A very successful Science Fair was held in February of 2008, with judged entries displayed at the Lynden Park Mall. The Grade 8’s enjoy a new program “Career Experiences”, which allowed them an opportunity to visit 6 different workplaces as part of their career planning strategies.

Growing enrolments and attention to small class sizes continue to affect class configurations as the Grade 5 and 6 classes are separated for September 2008. And in 2009, we were successful in reaching our long term goal of offering separate classes for each of grades 1 through 8.