Admission Policy
Gaglardi Academy has established the following admissions policy to maintain the Christian distinctiveness of the school.
A. Basic Considerations
- Gaglardi Academy is committed to offering an excellent academic education from a Christian worldview with a strong emphasis in music and the performing and visual arts. Gaglardi Academy is a place where all aspects of life – spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual – are nurtured, developed and celebrated.
- To be eligible for admission, parents/guardians and students in grades 8-12 must not only affirm the vision of the school but understand, support and adhere to Gaglardi Academy's Code of Conduct. Furthermore, parents, guardians and students must understand and support that Gaglardi Academy teaches through the lens of a Christian worldview and that the Christian Bible – old and new testaments – is the inspired word of God. All students must attend weekly Bible classes and chapel services as a condition of enrollment.
- It is the prerogative of Gaglardi Academy School Director and educators to determine if the school is equipped to meet the needs of students whose parents seek enrollment for their children. The Director/Principal will make the final decision in placing a student at a suitable grade level or in a suitable program.
- It is the prerogative of Gaglardi Academy to limit classroom size.
- Students are admitted by "priority categories" on a first come, first served basis.
- As part of the registration process, all new families and students over the age of 13 years will be interviewed for admission by the Director of Gaglardi Academy.
- Parents must be willing to meet the yearly outlined Parent Tuition schedule unless the Gaglardi School Board approves other arrangements.
- Parents must be willing to meet the yearly required 25 hours of volunteer service to the school community or pay the volunteer opt-out fee of $250.00 per year.
B. Kindergarten and Grade One entrance
A child entering Kindergarten must be five years of age by December 31 of the year entered. For Grade one children, a child must be six years of age by December 31 of the year entered.
C. International students
International students are welcome at Gaglardi Academy. However, independent schools do not receive government funding grants for students who are not permanent residents of BC or are not Canadian citizens, landed immigrants or unlawfully admitted into Canada. Therefore, international tuition is set by the School Board at the beginning of every school year.
D. Admission Priority Categories
Category One
• Students presently enrolled.
Category Two
• Children of Gaglardi Academy staff, Northgate Foursquare Church staff, local church pastors and missionaries.
• Students on the waitlist who have siblings presently enrolled at Gaglardi Academy.
• New students of siblings of students currently enrolled.
Category Three
• Students on a waitlist whose parents attend a local Christian church and can provide a pastoral reference.
• New students whose parents attend a local Christian church and can provide a pastoral reference.
Category Four
• Students on a waitlist who wish to attend Gaglardi Academy but do not attend a local Christian church AND have a signed Code of Conduct from a parent AND themselves if 13 years or older.
• New students who wish to attend Gaglardi Academy but do not attend a local Christian church.
E. Admission Process
- Parents complete and submit the Admissions Package with a non-refundable $50 administration fee. An admissions package can be downloaded from the Gaglardi Academy website or picked up at the Gaglardi Academy office during regular business hours.
- Once the completed admissions package is received, an interview with the School Director is arranged with the new family. The interview will better acquaint the parents and students with the aims and vision of the school and will give the Director an opportunity to discuss specific learning needs of the children. Parents and students are encouraged to seek answers to their questions at this time.
- At the conclusion of the interview, the admission file is reviewed by the learning support teacher.
- Families will receive a phone call from the school secretary on the status of their application. The process usually takes two (2) weeks to complete.
F. Tuition & School Fees Payments
Tuition Fees
There are two options for tuition payments:
1. Lump Sum payment
• A 2% discount on full tuition payments received on or before August 1 for the upcoming school year.
• Payments options include cheque, bank draft, e-transfer or credit card. Credit Cards have an additional 2.75% processing fee.
2. Monthly Payment Plans:
A family has two payment plans options and the choice for payment processing on either the 1st or 15th of each month.
• 12 Month Payment Plan
• Payments commence from July to June.
• Payments can be set up as automatic withdrawals or post-dated cheques. Other payment options are not accepted (i.e. credit cards).
• 10 Month Payment Plan
• Payments commence from August to May.
• Payments can be set up as automatic withdrawals or post-dated cheques. Other payment options are not accepted (i.e. credit cards).
School Fees
Fees consist of, but not limited to, the following:
• Student activity fees
• School supplies
• PhysEd uniform
• Locker Fee
• Earthquake Kits
• Graduation
• Yearbook
• Sports Fees
• Lost library book fees
• Unmet volunteer hours
Yearly fees and tuition payments are either paid by a lump sum before the beginning of the school year or a monthly payment plan throughout the school year.
Outstanding Tuition & Fees
General Understanding: Gaglardi Academy is a community and values the education of the children who attend. However, if families do not honour the negotiated payment plan, the school commitments to staff and educational programs cannot be met. Repeated difficulty collecting monies owing from families will result in the withdrawal of the family from the school.
All outstanding tuition and fees at the end of any school year must be paid before the beginning of the next school year. There are two options available.
• Immediate payment. The last date for payment for prior years’ tuition and fees is July 31st. After July 31, interest will apply at 2% per month or 24% per year.
• At the discretion of the school's Comptroller, an alternative payment plan must be in place.
a) Yearly Lump Sum Payors – Regular lump sum payors with outstanding tuition and fees owing as of August 31st for the upcoming school year are required to pay within 48 hours of the non-payment notification. If payment remains outstanding after a 48 hour period, the tuition worksheet amounts will convert to either a 10 or 12-month payment plan. The family will be responsible for all associated bank fees and a $25.00 NSF charge will be added to any dishonoured payments. Should dishonoured payments continue, Gaglardi Academy reserves the right to limit monthly payment options in the future.
b) Monthly Payment Payors – Should any outstanding tuition or school fees remain at the end of the current school year, Gaglardi Academy, using the banking information on file, is authorized to collect unpaid tuition and fees. During the re-registration or enrollment process, families agree to extraordinary payment processing. Families are notified via email of amounts outstanding before payments are automatically processed through either credit card or auto-debit. The family will be responsible for all associated bank fees and a $25.00 NSF charge will be added to any dishonoured payments. Should dishonoured payments continue, Gaglardi Academy reserves the right to limit monthly payment options in the future.
G. Tuition Reimbursement
Due to the nature of education, the majority of planning for any upcoming school year is done annually. Significant financial commitments are made before the school year begins including; hiring teaching staff, purchasing desks, chairs and textbooks. Enrolment numbers are the basis for many of these financial commitments.
Therefore, when a family withdraws from the school for any reason before the end of the school year, they are asked to give a minimum of one full calendar month notice to the school. Tuition for the current month, plus the notice month are payable as a penalty for early withdrawal. For example, if a family withdraws on April 5th, tuition for the entire month of April plus the month of May is due and payable.
Moreover, a family who enrols in the spring expecting to attend in September must provide notice on or before August 1 to avoid an early withdrawal penalty.
For example, a family who re-enrols in the spring and voluntarily withdraws between August 1st and September 1st, tuition payments for both September and October would be due and payable.
When a student is suspended or expelled, tuition for the balance of the year remains due to Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Academy.
The Student Records Requirements Policy is supplemental to this policy.
Updated, June 17, 2015
Updated, July 12, 2018
Updated, April 22, 2020
