​Richland’s extraordinary culture of caring is part of what sets us apart. Working together, our students, parents, faculty and staff have created a nurturing school community that offers every child a sense of belonging and fosters a sense of social and environmental responsibility.

In academic, artistic, athletic and public service activities alike, our students often collaborate across classrooms. Older students may mentor younger ones, and school-wide efforts involve everyone working towards a common goal.

Our focus on community life not only enriches your child’s learning experience, it also creates a foundation where deep,
long-lasting friendships are formed between children of different ages and diverse backgrounds.
“While there are many individual components we think that make Richland great, we believe that what you have created is a true example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.  The Reggio method, your staff, small class size, beautiful facility, extraordinary communication with your families blend together in a way that is truly special.”  – Grade 1 Parent 

​With support from Richland’s faculty, staff and parents, our Student Ambassadors are leaders in our community and champion the school’s participation in a range of creative and valuable volunteer activities. Richland students are invited to be Ambassadors from Grades 3 and up, and are selected following a written application and personal interview.  Richland Ambassadors are distinguished within the school community by their custom red and blue ties.  We are proud of the work our Ambassadors do, and the example they set for others. They are global leaders in the making.

From a Valentine’s Day Dance-a-thon that raised money for our adopted village in Haiti, to our annual food drive to support the Richmond Hill Food Bank, the Richland community is busy throughout the school year helping others in need, both locally and globally.

Richland was one of three schools invited to appear with Free the Children founder Craig Kielburger at his press conference to announce the results of “We Create Change,” Canada’s largest youth-led penny drive. Our Student Ambassadors represented Richland at this exciting event, and even had the opportunity to meet Craig.

Our Mission:

The Richland House System is one which promotes a culture of love, kindness, a commitment to the environment, the championing of important causes and supporting others, in keeping with the namesakes of our houses.  Each of Richland’s students and faculty belong to one of 3 houses, voted on by the student body.  They are:

• Suzuki House: Green    Fox House: Purple     ​Keilburger House: Orange

Points

While there will be some competitive events, the focus is on creating a culture of habitual kindness.  There is substantial research around the benefits of teaching kindness.  Patty O’Grady, PhD, an expert in neuroscience, emotional learning, and positive psychology, specializes in education. She reports:

Kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it.

As part of our holistic approach to teaching and learning, it is fundamental that we continue to instill in our students, the importance of thoughtful and meaningful citizenship.  The competitive aspects of our house system must serve to bolster the benefits and rewards of kindness, as an important element of success.

Points are tallied at the end of the year, and the house with the most points will be awarded The Oliveira Cup, engraved with their house name and year!  We are proud of our enduring program, one built on creating a culture of kindness and respect for all people.

Richland students are encouraged to care for their community, and for others. Regular charitable and public service events and environmental initiatives are an integral part of school life. These activities help students learn to give back to their local and global communities.

For a small school, we have a big heart! We are very proud to be the only school in Ontario to be recognized as a Rights Respecting School in association with UNICEF Canada. Drawing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, this initiative uses an engaging and hands-on program to enrich school culture as a place that is inclusive, participatory and respectful for children and adults.

For more examples of Richland’s amazing community spirit in action, visit our Inquiring Minds blog and click on “Community of Care” in the Categories list on that page.

​Richland’s regular school hours are 8:45 am to 3:30 pm. We offer extended care programs before and after school for all students, providing flexible drop-off and pick-up times and reasonable monthly fees.

• Before school: Supervision is available for all students from 7:30 to 8:30 am for Early Years.
• Before school: Supervision is available for all students from 7:30 to 8:30 am for Grades JK to 8.

• After school: Available to all students from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

These programs are overseen by our qualified and caring school staff.

Richland Academy Food Service for students in JK to Grade 8.

We are excited to offer food service to our Globe Café for the 2015-2016 academic year.  We have partnered with Kid’s Kitchen,a family owned and operated business that serves nutritious meals to elementary school children throughout York Region. In fact, Kid’s Kitchen is the #1school lunch program for the region.

Food service at Richland is available as a convenient and healthy option for families, but is not mandatory for the 2014-2015 academic year.

To order lunches, visit www.kidskitchen.ca

Their convenient and secure on-line ordering is the easiest way to manage your hot lunch orders. Payment is accepted by major credit card.

With on-line ordering, you can:

• Create, modify or cancel orders up to 10 a.m. the previous business day.
• Update account information
• Update payment information
• View payment history

The guiding principles of Kid’s Kitchen are to keep it simple, tasty, healthy, reliable and convenient.  If there is something you do not find on their website, please contact them. They are there to help!

Discovering Inner Talents

Richland Academy is committed to developing well-rounded children who not only have a solid academic foundation, but also cognitive, social and moral skills which are further developed through outside interests and co-curricular activities.

We help make learning “real” with ongoing enriched and co-curricular activities, such as arts, music studies, French, dance, yoga, martial arts, robotics,  skating, chess, technology, volunteering and other activities that allow students to discover their inner talents and passions.

Richland’s Athletic Program

Parents as Valued Partners

Parents play a vital role in the school community at Richland.  We value the insight and expertise parents have to share regarding their children. Together, we all work to inspire a love of learning in every child. And we are deeply grateful for the energy and support our families put into contributing to a healthy parent-school relationship.

Volunteer Opportunities

Our parent community has an active body of volunteers who, in partnership with faculty, host and support a variety of special events and community activities at Richland. We welcome parent volunteers in many experiences and roles such as:

• Field studies
• Special events
• Charitable initiatives
• Fundraising for the school
• Guest speakers to enrich learning
• Library volunteers