The first Polish-Canadian Maple Bear primary school and kindergarten, part of the world’s largest educational network, were officially opened on September 4 this year. After a 9-month renovation of the historic building at 6 Stawowa Street in Katowice, the Maple Bear campus welcomed its first students and their parents. The 2023/24 school year was inaugurated in the presence of city authorities and guests from all over the world.

The school on Stawowa welcomed children, parents and the legendary founder of the Maple Bear chain from Canada

The guests of honor were Rodney Briggs, the legendary co-founder of Maple Bear schools from Canada, and the Vice-President of Katowice, Jerzy Woźniak, and the Canadian Ambassador, Catherine Godin, participated in the ceremony virtually: guests could listen to the ambassador’s speech via online broadcast. All Maple Bear Katowice students were welcomed on stage by the international teaching staff. There were also local Silesian elements: along with wishes for success in the new school year, all children received traditional hats.

The school in Katowice is the first Polish facility of Maple Bear, the largest and fastest growing educational network in the world, which currently operates 580 schools in 39 countries around the world. Maple Bear Schools shares the best of Canadian education with the world by offering a bilingual teaching methodology and strategy that is a combination of Canadian and national curriculum. Schools operate in accordance with local education regulations, and children completing their education receive Polish and Canadian certificates.

The beginning of the year in the Katowice school and kindergarten was therefore also the inauguration of the Polish network of Maple Bear schools. Further schools are already being built in Wrocław and Poznań (planned opening in September 2024). In Warsaw, Maple Bear will build a modern school building in Żoliborz. A school will also be built in Krakow soon.

Rodney Briggs, creator of Maple Bear said:

– The curriculum at Maple Bear has been carefully designed to support and nurture the all-round development of each child, encompassing physical, intellectual, emotional and social development. Our goal is to equip children with the skills necessary to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. We are fully committed to providing exceptional quality Canadian education to the children of Katowice and expanding our school network while maintaining high educational standards in Poland. Our goal is to provide as many children as possible in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe with access to the benefits of excellent bilingual education.

Learning in the spirit of Canadian openness

Canadian education ranks among the top five best-performing countries in the world and first among English-speaking countries, which is regularly confirmed by PISA rankings, the Program for International Student Assessment of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Maple Bear is an export product of Canadian education, bringing to local markets the best practices and proven methods of Canadian teaching methodology, which it effectively combines with local curriculum requirements.

Grzegorz Esz, president of Maple Bear Schools Polska, emphasizes that:

– Polish-Canadian Maple Bear schools bring a new quality of teaching to the Polish educational market, in which children are at the center of attention, and the curriculum solidly prepares them from an early age to become responsible citizens of the world in adulthood,” and adds : ” Our students will learn critical and creative thinking from an early age, as these are skills that are now considered among the most necessary competencies of the 21st century. To enable this, we create an environment that encourages curiosity and is friendly, where making mistakes is a way to learn, and asking questions and seeking answers is highly valued.

World-class quality, Canadian methodology, Polish core curriculum

During the inauguration ceremony, Rodney Briggs presented the school with a certificate confirming full compliance with Maple Bear requirements and standards, which means not only compliance in terms of classroom equipment or the availability of Canadian educational materials, but above all, the quality of teaching.

The teaching staff at Stawowa is as international as in any Canadian school, and their highest competences are ensured by the Canadian Academic Council, composed of 200 outstanding Canadian educators. All teachers working in Maple Bear schools regularly develop their competences and gain in-depth knowledge of the teaching methodology that underlies the global success of Canadian education. In each school and kindergarten class, classes are conducted by two teachers at the same time. Thanks to this, it is possible to implement a curriculum adapted to group classes and conduct the educational process based on thematically diversified activity centers.

International atmosphere at the Campus on Stawowa

One of the milestones on which Maple Bear has built its worldwide success is bilingualism. In Polish Maple Bear schools and kindergartens, similarly to Maple Bear institutions around the world, preschool education will be conducted using an immersion approach: teachers conduct classes in English so that children have constant contact with a living language. In primary school, the program will be implemented in both languages: local curricula such as Polish literature and history will be taught in Polish.

English is also the language of school life during breaks, meals and sports activities. Thanks to this, children of different nationalities can find a common language and develop their social and linguistic competences together.

The bilingual Maple Bear primary school and kindergarten in Katowice is located in one of the most beautiful historical buildings in the very center of Katowice at ul. Stawowa 6. The renovation and ensuring full compliance with global Maple Bear standards took 9 months and cost over PLN 6 million. Today, the Maple Bear campus consists of: a historic school building restored with a huge amount of money and work, a modern and safe playground and an additional building with two gymnasiums. All this in the heart of Katowice!

As part of the tuition fee, the school provides a set of textbooks and exercise materials necessary to implement the curriculum, both in English and Polish, as well as 3 additional extra-curricular activities per week. Parents will also be able to choose additional classes and take advantage of the possibility of organized transport of children by school bus.