Calgary Board of Education Mission

Great Learning Starts Here!

Vision

The Calgary Board of Education is the dynamic learning community of choice.  We provide quality learning opportunities and options. Our learners take ownership by discovering and developing their potential, passions, and gifts. They take their place as lifelong learners and make a significant contribution within a complex, changing world.

Values

Students come first.

Each student is unique and worthwhile. We acknowledge, recognize, and celebrate the diversity of our learners. Success for each student is the goal of our work.

Learning is our central purpose.

We believe that learning empowers students to achieve their potential. Attention to continuous improvement, high expectations, innovation, and relationships will enable all students to reach their potential. Student learning is at the heart of everyone's work at the Calgary Board of Education.

Public education serves the common good.

Public education is essential for a vibrant democracy. The principles of democracy drive our accountability to the public and the public's participation in our work. Our school system is owned by and accountable to Calgarians and therefore, the Calgary Board of Education is accountable to Calgary taxpayers for using resources wisely to meet students' learning needs.

School Motto

Huntington Hills School... Recognizing and Reaching Potential

Huntington Hills website:http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/huntingtonhills/Pages/default.aspx

Kindergarten Information for Parents

Program Hours

The Kindergarten program is a half-day program running in the morning.  Our program times are 8:00 -10:39 am, Monday through Friday.  If there is an afternoon program it will be from 11:43-2:36 Monday through Thursday.  Friday from 11:43-1:11.

Classes begin on August 29, 2024, and run through June 26, 2025.  A specific school year calendar will be available in September and on our school website at http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/huntingtonhills/Pages/default.aspx. 

Staggered Entry

For the 2024- 2025 school year, we WILL be doing a staggered entry. Your child will either attend school on Thursday August 29th or, Friday August 30th.  I will be outside to great students on their first day of school and to bring them in.  Please look for the kindergarten sign at the northwest entrance of the school where all the kindergarten students will gather. On your child’s first day, parents are welcome to attend the first 15 minutes (approx.) to help your child settle into our school routine. All Kindergarten students will come at 8:00 am on Tuesday September 3rd.

Attendance

When your child enters the Kindergarten program, he/she has started school. It is important that attendance is regular.  Habits of punctuality and regularity of attendance should be developed during this first year of school life.

Absence

If your child is absent for any reason at all, please contact the school (403-777-6650 extension 1 for the absence line) and explain their absence before school begins.  This notice is required for the teacher’s file and your child’s safety.

Changes

If your phone number, address or babysitter changes, please update this information in your My CBE account.

Pick-Up and Drop-Off

You can drop off and pick-up your child at the northwest entry doors before and after class.  The drop off area is on Huntercrest Road NW, not the school parking lot. CBE policy states no children are to be in the parking lot.

You are expected to wait with your child until the teacher comes to the northwest entry door to let them into the school.  At the end of Kindergarten, please be waiting outside the northwest entry doors until the teacher dismisses your child.  Please note that the teacher will not allow your child to leave until they see you or their caregiver.

Please notify the teacher if someone other than a parent will be responsible for your child’s transportation to and from school, e.g. babysitter, daycare

Before and After School Care

If you need out of school care for your Kindergarten child, Summit Kids is our provider. If you just need before school care, Summit Kids will take your child into their program beginning at 7:00 am and bring them to the morning Kindergarten class at 8:00.  If you need full day after school care, a Summit supervisor will collect them from the classroom and bring them back to the gym to await your after-school pickup. You can register with Summit Kids at www.summitkids.ca or by phone (403) 477-6006.

Clothing

Please send your child in play clothing in which your child can comfortably move around in, sit on the floor, or paint a picture in without having to worry about keeping clean.  Children prefer to fasten and unfasten their own clothing, without assistance at school.

Inside Shoes

Each child will need a pair of runners they can independently fasten to leave at school.  Please print their name inside each shoe.  These runners are to be worn in the gym and classroom beginning on the first day of school.

Labeling

All your child’s belongings should be labeled clearly.  (Label both mittens.)   This is a great time to model the correct printing of their name with upper- and lower-case letters.

Money

We will very seldom ask your child to bring money to school.  We have moved to online payments for field trips, fundraisers, or special events so that you do not have to send money or cheques to school. Parents will be able to pay for these items through their PowerSchool account.

Backpack

Your child will need to bring a regular sized backpack each day.  The children will be carrying snacks, library books, and their work back and forth to school.  This backpack also gives them a place to put outside clothing (mittens, hats, scarves) while in class.

Healthy Food Choices: Breakfast and Snack

Please ensure that your child eats a healthy breakfast or lunch before they leave for school.  The meal should include a protein of some sort (e.g. cheese, yogurt, eggs) as this helps your child to focus and have enough energy to make it through the day. Kindergarten children may bring a small nutritious snack each day, for example fruit, veggies or cheese and crackers.  Children are given an opportunity to have a snack during class.  This is not a meal and should not be treated as one.  Children are only given 10 minutes to have a snack.

Severe Allergies

Our school has a severe nut allergy alert.  Students are asked to avoid bringing any product containing nuts, especially peanuts.

Bedtimes

A five/six-year-old child, attending Kindergarten, should be getting at least ten hours of sleep a night.  This gives them the energy they need to learn while they are at school.

Names

It is very helpful if at the end of August your child can recognize his/her own name and begin to print his/her name, using a capital letter followed by lower case letters.

 e.g. Susan

Instructional Communication Plan

It is very important that a clear plan for communicating student progress is in place.  Effective communication enhances the learning possibilities for your children.  The dialogue between home and school comes in a variety of formal and informal communication strategies outlined below.  They include:

AFRS - Assessment of Foundational Reading Skills

Information from the screening tool will be shared with you at parent teacher interviews.

Calgary Board of Education Report Card

A report card will be available online through PowerSchool twice in the year.  The January and June report card will be different from one another.  Parent Teacher Conferences are held in October, February and April, and a curriculum information session will be held in September.

 Communication Strategies:

·       Email (school messenger)

·       Telephone contact

·       Individual Program Plans

·       Informal dialogue

·       Calendars

Library Books

Students begin to sign out library books in October. It is the student’s responsibility to take care of these books. If a student damages or loses a library book they will be responsible for the cost of replacement.

School Council

All parents are invited to attend School Council meetings. They are usually held the first Thursday of each school month at 6:30 pm. Exceptions are September and January, which are the second Thursday. Watch newsletters and school website for dates. Attending school council is one way to participate in organizing special events and finding out more about the school and its programs.  Teachers present at each meeting to share what is happening in their classrooms.

Volunteers

For complete Volunteer information, please see the Parent Page on the CBE website at http://www.cbe.ab.ca/parents/default.asp and select the Volunteer Information Booklet. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

There are many meaningful and enjoyable ways that you can serve in schools:

•         Become the classroom volunteer coordinator.

•         Help with certain tasks in the classroom, the library, or the office.

•         Assist with supervision on field trips.

•         Serve fun lunches to students.

•         Assist at School Council sponsored events.

•         Read with students who require extra support.

•         Organize special events for students.

Screening Process:

In the CBE, all adult volunteers require a valid security clearance. There are no exceptions. See Mr. Layden or Mrs. Kennedy this evening to start the process for the fall.

Note that guest speakers or presenters, visitors to the school, and parents assisting their own child only in the school are not considered to be volunteers, and therefore do not require a security clearance.

Security Clearances are valid for five years from date of issue. You can apply at any school, and once cleared, are able to volunteer anywhere in the CBE.

Annual Volunteer Registration:

You must complete the Huntington Hills School CBE Volunteer Registration Form when you begin volunteering and annually thereafter. By completing the form, you agree to abide by the conditions that protect the safety, confidentiality and working environment of schools. You also make a signed declaration regarding criminal charges.

Signing In

If you are coming to work or volunteer in the school, please report to the office. You will be asked to sign in and wear visible identification.

Safety and Security

If you are coming to the school for any reason, please come through the main office and sign in.  The doors to the school are locked and you will be buzzed in after you ring the doorbell. We need to know who is in the school.  If you are coming to pick up your child early the office will call your child down to meet you.

Progressive Discipline Progression

Step 1: Discussion takes place with student 1:1 in the classroom.

Step 2: Student will be removed from the large group to another quiet place in the classroom. A phone call home may be made.

Step 3: Student is sent to the office.  Phone call home will be made.  A Behaviour Plan may need to be put into place if behaviour continues.

Step 4: If a serious incident occurs outside at recess, lunch or in the classroom a student can be sent to the office, or admin can be called, and we will contact home and the behaviour will be recorded in the student’s file in PowerSchool.

City of Calgary Fair Entry Program

·       Apply to the City’s, Fair Entry Program to reduce fees to use any City of Calgary facility

·       All students go the Thornhill Pool for swimming lessons as part of our Phys. Ed. program

·       The cost of the swimming lessons is about $35. With the Fair Entry pass, the lessons are only $8. There are other discounts your family can take advantage of.

·       Drop off your application at Thornhill pool or fill it out online at the City of Calgary website.

PowerSchool Use PowerSchool to:

·  Vie​w your children’s academic information (schedule, grades, and attendance)

·  Register for transportation and noon supervision.

·  Pay fees and request fee waivers.

·  Book school conferences.

·  Sign up through the Huntington Hills School website or download the app to your phone.

SchoolMessenger

Subscribing to School Messages:Commercial

Please go to the bottom left on our school’s homepage and click the blue link: http://calgary.schoolmessenger.com/cbe_subscribe

 Use the email that you registered to receive messages with commercial content – reminders about fun lunches, PD days etc.

Translating Web Pages

If you need to translate website content to set yourself up on PowerSchool. Use Google Chrome settings to translate webpages into a specific language.

·       Open Chrome on your computer.

·       At the far top right, click the three vertical dots.

·       Click ‘Settings’ ‘Advanced’ ‘Languages’

·       Move your cursor over the top portion of the Languages panel and click.

·       Click “Add languages”.

·       Click the three vertical dots at the end of your added language.

·       Check the box for “Display Google Chrome in this language.”

·       Check the box for “Offer to translate pages in this language.”