'Continue to decrease': School Sisters of Notre Dame sell Snake Road convent
The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) have sold the Notre Dame Convent on Snake Road to a private high school.
In a May 31 press release, the SSND announced the sale to LC Burlington Realty Corporation, which closed on the same day, and that Laureate College, a private high school, will open at the site.
The SSND are part of an international congregation of Catholic women religious, and the Waterdown site currently serves primarily as a residence for retired or semi-retired School Sisters. However, the need for such space has decreased over the years and data shows it will continue to decrease," so the SSND are divesting their properties.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE SITE?
The Notre Dame Academy opened on the site in 1927 and served as both a boarding school and day school for girls - although grade-school children were not allowed to board after 1931.
The school closed in 1983.
A cemetery at the site was blessed and opened in 1927, although nuns who had been buried on the property were reinterred in 2019 at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
WHAT DOES THE SALE MEAN FOR THE SITE?
According to the press release, there will be no new structures added to the 50-acre property, which backs onto the Bruce Trail, and no site modifications that would impact the natural features on or adjacent the property - including grading, drainage and sediment control.
The terms of the sale include retention of the existing driveway, turning circle and parking areas, and the development proposal for the property will ensure there are no adverse impacts to the features of the property that are of natural heritage value and subject to the protections of the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
Waterdown Montessori School, which is currently on the campus, will remain with no expansion from its current 68 students and 12 staff.
WHAT DOES THE SALE MEAN FOR THE NUNS?
The nuns currently living at the building will continue to reside there until 2027 on two upper floors not occupied by the school. Access to the floors will be restricted to the Sisters, caregivers and approved visitors.
There are currently 45 nuns residing at the facility, and living arrangements after 2027 have not been determined.
The school will occupy the first and second floors of the building and will include dormitory space on the second floor. There will be some shared spaces with the School Sisters - including the dining hall, chapel and gardens.
According to the press release, when the nuns vacate the building after 2027, school enrolment will increase.
WHAT IS LAUREATE COLLEGE?
A Grade 9-12 private high school for both boarders and day students, Laureate College will offer Ontario credit courses leading toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma and prepare them for admission to college and university starting in the 2022-23 school year.
Laureate College currently has some international students and was previously based from offices in Oakville and is run by director and supervising principal Beverley Ohashi.
Mark Wickens, the school's director of public relations and local recruitment - and a former administrator with the Halton District School Board - said the school has a STEAM focus: science, technology, engineering, art and math.
He said Laureate College could be a good fit for students who need a smaller classroom environment.
Wickens added the school will also be hosting Camp Laureate - eight weeks of STEAM summer camps for $325 per week, including lunch - at the Snake Road site starting in July.
HOW MUCH IS TUITION?
Tuition at the school is $16,650 for local students and $25,300 for international students, with residence and meal programs another $16,500, said Wickens.
Wickens said the cost is middle of the road" for private schools, as Hillfield Strathallan College tuition is $30,000 for high school students, while Appleby College is at least $45,000.
To learn more about Laureate College, or to register for the school's June 4 open house - by invitation only - visit laureatecollege.ca. The open house, which includes tours of the facility, will run from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.