Great Oak Academy · Junior & Senior Kindergarten
A joyful beginning. A purposeful community.Hands-on learning, time in nature, and meaningful responsibility. We are growing young leaders, powerful contributors, and true stewards of their community, starting with JK and SK.
Nature photograph: Anna Blake / Unsplash
You see it in the questions they ask, the things they make, and the pride they feel when they discover, “We can do this.”
At Great Oak Academy, childhood has room for wonder, play, friendship, and real work. Kneading dough, planting seeds, making something useful, and helping a friend are opportunities to learn and contribute.
We are beginning with Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten only, with very limited spaces. Our first families will help establish a community grounded in kindness, responsibility, effort, and care.
A strong foundation brings early academics, practical skills, outdoor discovery, and character together through experiences young children can understand.
Stories, conversation, early reading and writing, counting, patterns, and measurement become part of meaningful daily activities.
Children design, build, experiment, and try again. Age-appropriate tools and close guidance help them turn their questions into discoveries.
Students help care for shared spaces, support one another, and contribute to the life of the school.
We notice effort, celebrate growing independence, and help children reflect on what they have learned and what they want to try next.
Our core values
Four animals. Four values. Through stories we return to as a community, children learn to take ownership, find their direction, support others, and lead through their actions.
The beaver
Build a strong foundation. The beaver reminds us to take initiative, establish healthy boundaries, and care for what is ours to look after.
What can I take responsibility for?
The starfish
Find your North Star. The starfish reminds us to stay curious, discover what matters to us, and build the skills to move towards it.
What is my next step towards growth?
The goose
Help your whole flock thrive. The goose reminds us to encourage one another, build positive friendships, and support our team.
Who could use my encouragement today?
The turtle
Let your actions inspire. The turtle reminds us that our attitude, behaviour, and everyday choices can set a positive example for others.
What example am I setting?
Joyful, purposeful experiences connect learning to life. Activities are adapted for JK and SK, with age-appropriate tools, materials, and guidance.
Measure, mix, prepare, and share. Cooking brings early mathematics, language, practical care, and the joy of contributing to a group together.
Threading, simple stitching, and making useful things develop patience, coordination, concentration, and pride in careful work.
Photo: Elio Santos / Unsplash
Explore science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics through playful questions, simple structures, creative experiments, and guided making.
Plant seeds, care for living things, compost, and discover how healthy soil supports life. Stewardship begins with something small enough to hold.
Photo: Jonathan Kemper / Unsplash
Notice the changing seasons, move outdoors, collect observations, and ask good questions. The natural world gives curiosity room to grow.
Photo: Anna Blake / Unsplash
Tend a shared space, prepare materials, help a friend, and care for what we use. Everyday contributions show children that their actions matter.
Activity photographs from founding partner Evergreen Leadership Academy, alongside illustrative nature and craft photography.
Our origin story
Great Oak Academy begins with a partnership between Kind Vibes and Evergreen Leadership Academy. The founders of these two businesses are coming together to launch a new school with a shared commitment to children, families, and community.
That partnership is becoming a place where joyful learning and meaningful responsibility belong together, where children can discover their strengths and learn to use them in service of others.
Connected through CEA
Great Oak Academy will be part of the Collaborative Education Alliance (CEA), joining a wider community committed to purposeful learning and strong relationships.
Our school will have its own identity and founding community, with the benefit of connection and collaboration beyond our doors.
Explore the Collaborative Education Alliance →Why JK & SK only?
A strong school culture begins with the habits, relationships, and expectations shared by its very first families.
Starting with Junior and Senior Kindergarten allows us to establish those foundations intentionally. From their earliest school experiences, children will practise contributing, taking responsibility, caring for others, and looking after their community.
We will begin with very limited spaces so the founding community can be built with care.
Families seeking Grades 1 and above should know that our launch is focused on JK and SK only. Any future expansion will be guided by readiness and the strength of the community we are building.
The standard comes first. Growth follows strong foundations.
Very limited spaces · A thorough application process
Joining Great Oak is a commitment to a shared way of learning and living together. Our application process will be thoughtful and thorough, giving families and the school time to understand one another and establish whether the partnership is a strong fit.
Learn about our vision, the JK/SK launch, and the commitments that shape our community.
A considered application helps us understand your child, your hopes, and your expectations of school.
Thoughtful family conversations make space for questions, clarity, and an honest discussion of shared values.
Places will be offered with care, taking account of fit, available spaces, and the needs of our founding community.
We ask families to support the values we practise at school, communicate openly, and participate in the work of raising capable, caring young people. The adults in this community lead by example, too.
A thoughtful beginning
Junior Kindergarten (JK) and Senior Kindergarten (SK) only. We are not opening Grades 1 and above at launch.
We want to build the community intentionally from the ground up. Beginning with our youngest learners gives families and educators the opportunity to establish shared habits, expectations, and a culture of contribution from the very beginning.
Spaces in our founding JK and SK community will be very limited. The founding team can discuss availability and the application process with interested families.
A shared commitment to kindness, responsibility, effort, respect, and stewardship, along with a willingness to work closely with the school. The process will help us understand your child, your expectations, and how we can support a strong partnership.
It starts with everyday actions: putting materials away, keeping a small commitment, listening, helping someone, asking for help, and caring for living things. We support these habits through clear expectations, practice, and patient guidance.
Great Oak Academy is a separate new school, created through the partnership between the founders of Kind Vibes and Evergreen Leadership Academy. It will also be part of the Collaborative Education Alliance (CEA).
Please contact the founding team for confirmed launch details, tuition information, and next steps. Great Oak enquiries can currently be directed through Evergreen Leadership Academy; please mention Great Oak Academy when you get in touch.
Help shape the founding community
If this vision feels right for your family, we would welcome a conversation about Great Oak Academy’s founding JK and SK community.
Great Oak enquiries are currently handled through founding partner Evergreen Leadership Academy. Please mention Great Oak Academy. An enquiry does not reserve a place.
