Our Curriculum

International Curriculum

Challenging and inspiring students worldwide

Lighthouse begins with the Canadian curriculum. Canada ranks near the top in the world for education quality year after year. Our school goes even further and partners with a Canadian private school to evaluate our students. This ensures that our students are always at, or above international standards.

Students will receive a Canadian High School Diploma from the government of Alberta, allowing them to be accepted to universities around the world. Students can also choose to do a dual-diploma, or tri-diploma and complete their IGCSE and A-levels and/or their GED and SAT.

We also value the IB (International Baccalaureate) style of learning. Visit an IB school and watch the students at play. You’ll see children who delight in being allowed to live in the moment, who are free to explore nature and to go where their wide-eyed sense of wonder and imagination takes them. In our frenetic world, where pushing children to “hurry up or fall behind” has become the norm, IB Education takes the point of view that childhood is something to be savored. By being free to develop according to their own natural rhythms, Waldorf-educated children enjoy full and rich childhoods, gaining the experiences they need to become healthy, self-actualized individuals.

Our IB-inspired program begins with the foundations of allowing children to gravitate toward the subjects and projects that they most enjoy. When children are given three, or four good choices it allows teachers and parents to better understand the children when they make their choice. Projects often incorporate science, math, English, geography, history, engineering and technology. The children are able to decide how much of each discipline they will incorporate into their project. Some children may choose to draw or create projects from materials, others may be drawn to PowerPoint, or other online presentation methods, some will choose to write an essay, or story, while others may want to build something, or do an experiment. Giving students these structured choices allows them to feel empowered in their education and helps to keep their love of learning to grow. We are all born with a love of learning, sometimes school can impede that love, instead, we seek to nurture that love and see it bloom in all it’s fullness.

Lighthouse uses the Canadian curriculum to ensure our students meet international standards. This ensures students are not only healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but also academically. The Canadian international curriculum sets a global standard for education and is recognized by universities and employers worldwide. Our curriculum is flexible, challenging, and inspiring. It is also culturally sensitive yet international in approach. Canadian students develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. They also gain the essential skills they need for success at university and in their future careers.

What is the Canadian Curriculum?

• The curriculum is international in philosophy and approach but can be tailored to local contexts
• Canadian students study for Canadian international qualifications which are accepted and recognized around the world
• Schools can also combine the Canadian International curriculum with national curricula
• Canadian students moving between Canadian schools can continue their studies following the same curriculum

The Canadian Pathway – from primary through to pre-university

Canadian Pathway students have the chance to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to achieve at school, university, and beyond.

The four stages lead seamlessly from primary to secondary and pre-university years. Each stage builds on the learners’ development from the previous one, but can also be offered separately. Similarly, each syllabus adopts a ‘spiral’ approach, building on previous learning to help advance students’ study. Our curriculum reflects the latest thinking in each subject area, drawn from expert international research and consultation with schools.

There are annual program fees for the Canadian Primary and Canadian Secondary & Advanced programs.

Knowledge, understanding, and higher order thinking skills

Canadian programs combine an emphasis on mastering subjects in depth with the development of skills for study and work in the future. We value deep subject knowledge as well as the conceptual understanding that helps students make links between different aspects of a subject. We also encourage students to develop higher-order thinking skills – problem-solving, critical thinking, independent research, collaboration, and presenting arguments. These are transferable skills that will last a lifetime, preparing students for their future lives. They also make learning enjoyable and rewarding.

Canadian Global Perspectives

CPS is a unique, transformational program that helps students at every stage of school education develop outstanding transferable skills, including critical thinking, research, and collaboration. The program is for students aged 5 to 19 years, leading seamlessly from Canadian Primary through to Canadian Advanced.