Thousands of students in our city miss out on field trips due to circumstances beyond their control, and EducationMatters is committed to ensuring that field trips are accessible to all students regardless of family situation, ability level, or financial need.

When you donate to this field trip campaign you are giving students the gift of belonging and knowledge! For the majority of these students, field trips are their only chance to visit a local attraction, try a new sport, or experience an arts event; you can help them to have a richer educational experience and provide opportunities to open new paths towards their road to success.

Field trips are so much more than a day out of the classroom - they provide students with an opportunity to put theory into practice, strengthen their understanding of the curriculum, and really cement their learning in a way that only experiencing the subject matter first hand can do. Real-life experience can also be a catalyst for inspiring lifelong hobbies or future career plans and can be instrumental in keeping students engaged with the learning process.

Every year, EducationMatters receives many more requests for support than we have available funds; in the 2018/19 school year we received over $80,000 in requests from schools with families in financial need. We were able to fully fund or subsidize 15 different field trips from our off-campus learning fund, but this only scratched the surface of needs across our city.

Please make a gift today! Our young people are our greatest natural resource, and your investment into them will be one that returns dividends for generations to come. Help us to help them learn, grow, and be ready to take their place as our future leaders.

EducationMatters donors support educational enhancements for more than 123,000 students attending CBE schools across the city.

The post Donate to CBE School Field Trips appeared first on EducationMatters.

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With the rise of technology our world is becoming increasingly smaller; today’s students are truly global citizens, and having an understanding and appreciation of different cultures is enormously beneficial. Bilingual programming is one way to help prepare students for a wealth of opportunities post-graduation, and Calgary Board of Education (CBE) schools have an ever-increasing range of additional language options.

Midnapore School’s Mandarin Bilingual Program is one of the CBE programs providing students with the opportunity to master an additional language during their time in full time education. Instruction is given in both English and Mandarin to help students develop fluency through their daily classes and routines.

To support the program, Midnapore School received an EducationMatters grant to purchase 50 new books to supplement their school library. The books specialize in encouraging language learning through guided reading and have been shown to improve word recognition, fluency and comprehension throughout a range of grade levels. As the students grasp of the language increases, the complexity of the books do too. It allows students to advance at their pace and be appropriately challenged at each stage of fluency.

Some books purchased were ‘Meimei the Panda’ series and ‘It’s My Book series.’ Books were chosen with Midnapore’s students in mind and include stories relevant to their daily lives to help provide the greatest range of useful vocabulary for the more than 200 students working to learn Mandarin.

“I read my book with my little brother all the time. He’s in grade one right now, but he’s learning so much from me,” says a Grade 4 student from Midnapore School.

As with all additional languages, learning Mandarin provides a lot of benefits for students. They develop their self-esteem by having a usable skill they worked so hard to improve, increase future employment prospects, and develop an understanding of another culture.

“More books for my son to choose from will only deepen his love of reading and now in both languages. Thank you so much for adding this to our program,” says Susan Lam, a parent of a student from the school.

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The Jason and Jane Louie Memorial Fund was established to honour and celebrate the memory two former Sir John A. MacDonald students; today, their memory remains alive throughout the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) community as a reminder of the importance of kindness and friendship.

The Jason and Jane Louie Memorial Fund at EducationMatters provided a grant to Sir John A. Macdonald School to revitalize their outdoor courtyard. With the funds provided, the space was transformed from a blank slate into a vibrant environment for the whole school to enjoy.

“It’s great talking with friends in this awesome environment,” says Alex, a student from the school.

The grant enabled staff at Sir John A. McDonald to supplement the bare picnic benches in the courtyard with four umbrellas, twelve chairs, four planters, and a memorial bench for Jason and Jane, all in bright, vibrant colours to make the courtyard an inviting, joyful space to learn, play, and relax.

It has become a popular lunch spot for students, and is frequently used as an outdoor classroom space throughout the rest of the day. In the morning, it serves as the setting for Indigenous smudging ceremonies for students who are interested in beginning their day with a traditional spiritual cleanse or blessing and deepening their connections to Indigenous culture. The rest of the day sees a variety of different activities happening, with all students benefiting from this newly refurbished space.

“I hope students take advantage of the courtyard with its extra seating and umbrellas at lunch as the Learning Commons and hallways are very crowded at lunch,” says Patti MacPhee, a teacher at the school.

The loss of Jason and Jane was a devastating blow for their family and community, but their memory lives on in their old school and continues to foster the values of kindness and friendship that they both embodied during their time at Sir John A. MacDonald.

The post A Colourful Courtyard at John A. MacDonald appeared first on EducationMatters.

You may be wondering what a robotics program is, or how is it significant to student learning. Robotics is an interdisciplinary brand of science that involves engineering the conception, design and operations of mechanical robots. Sounds like a mouthful, right? Well it is – and students are able to transfer their knowledge in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to create robots that compete in robotic competitions.

Through robotics, students learn to collaborate in a team environment, enhance their social skills and utilize skills in creative thinking, problem solving and computer programming. These collaborative skills are essential for student success, no matter what subject they choose to pursue in the future.

Introducing STEM programs to children is important in this technology-driven world, but for educators it is also about how to make Calgary more sustainable. A program like this will allow students to develop skills that will prepare them for success in their future careers, whether in a STEM field or not.

The thought of taking a “traditional” STEM class might seem difficult or mundane to some students but the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) have been encouraging students to take part in robotics as a way to get them excited in STEM.

The response towards robotics have been great based on student participation, however the program is in fact a non-core related activity and is considered extracurricular. Without extra funding from organizations such as EducationMatters, many students cannot take part in robotics.

This program is an investment in our future community leaders – please join us in providing an enriched education and brighter futures for our Calgary students!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKnGgNPP7Io

More stories on Robotics Programs in CBE Schools:
• Big Robots, Big Competition, Big Opportunities
• Building Community by Building Robots
• Ernest Manning High School Community Robotics
• CBE Robotics Teams Heading to World Championships in Houston, Texas
• Nelson Mandela High School Robotics Club

The post How Robotics Can Develop Skills for the Future appeared first on EducationMatters.

Photo Credit: CBC News

Indigenous culture is a cornerstone of Canada’s identity. In Alberta, all students learn about the history and legacy of the Indigenous peoples to honour the commitment made to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to understand an important part of our country’s past.

Traditionally, the teachings of the Indigenous peoples are passed on through oral traditions from generation to generation. It comes in different forms. Performances such as dance and music use sounds and motions to express the depth of the stories they tell.

At Catherine Nichols Gunn School, the Indigenous stories are told through art. The elementary school brought in the Blackfoot artist, Ryan Willert, to work with the students in exploring Indigenous culture and traditional art. With the support of EducationMatters, Catherine Nichols Gunn was able to have Ryan as the artist-in-residence for the school over the course of the year.

The artist-in-residence program combines creativity and education as one. Students can express their artistic side as Ryan guides them through a visual path of understanding Indigenous culture.

The entire school worked together on piecing a new mural for display while also learning about Indigenous culture and traditions from Ryan. Every student was able to work alongside Ryan to add in their own contribution, a painted buffalo.

The buffalo is an important symbol in the Indigenous culture that the students learned about. It represents strength and bravery. The buffalo exemplifies the commitment to facing challenges head on, in school, in the community, and throughout our lives. The story of the buffalo portrays that. It is the only animal that does not run away from the storm but rather runs into the wind, rain, and snow embracing the challenges, searching for the sun on the other side.

“They run through the storm to the other side where it’s sunny,” says Kaitlyn, a student from the school.

The time with Ryan had been a great learning opportunity for the students. They learned important messages about life through the symbolism of the buffalo and the stories that were told. The students were immersed in understanding Indigenous culture and they deepened their appreciation for learning about their way of life.

“My daughter really liked it. She was learning. They got to sit in the circle with Ryan and learn about what happened and why. She still draws the buffalo. She got to know the story behind the buffalo,” says Jana, a parent of a student from the school.

The project left its mark on Catherine Nichols Gunn School. They have adopted a new logo depicting the buffalo from the mural and have changed their motto to “Be Kind, Be Strong, Be Brave” to reflect the teachings of the buffalo. The mural still stands today serving as the centerpiece of the school’s learning commons.

The next Indigenous project that EducationMatters look forward to supporting is Outdoor Play for Niitsitapi’s Preschoolers. With your support, we can provide safe and nurturing play areas for young Indigenous students at the Niitsatapi Learning Centre!

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“For the first time in many years I was excited to pick up a book. I always felt nervous to read in front of others before, but this time it was ok. It was better than ok. I felt good to talk about the book and share it in front of my friends.”

Grade 6 student, Sir John Franklin School.Educators at Sir John Franklin in Mayland Heights were faced with a challenge. As the north campus for the Calgary Board of Education’s Arts-Centered Learning program, the school accepts students in grades five to nine, from across the northwest and northeast quadrants of Calgary. After careful examination, school administration identified two primary gaps in their resources: the student reading levels and the reading materials available for them. With the support of EducationMatters, they were able to address these gaps.

In order to understand each child’s reading ability and develop plans to help each student, administration at the school needed a benchmark assessment tool to consistently and accurately determine reading comprehension levels. Funds through EducationMatters’ donors allowed them to purchase the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, and provided the answers they were seeking.

The second gap which the school also sought to address was their lack of fiction and non-fiction books which they needed to represent the diverse perspectives and the history of Aboriginal communities in Canada. Staff used a portion of the overall grant to enhance and improve the school’s text based resources.

The project resulted in an increased interest in literacy throughout the school. Many students and staff commented on an improved love of reading, and an improved sense of literacy.

One Grade 7 teacher stated, “I love how this initiative has given my students a sense of confidence in reading.”

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This grant was made possible by generous donors who supported the Family Literacy Program Flow Thru Fund, the Mawer Investment Management Literacy Flow Thru Fund, and the Public Education Enhancement Flow Thru Fund.

The post Literacy in North Calgary – Sir John Franklin School appeared first on EducationMatters.

When a child has mild to severe autism, their environment can have a very strong effect on their ability to learn and thrive. Located in the southeast, Keeler elementary school hosts a Communication, Sensory, and Social Interaction (CSSI) program that provides learning environments for students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis.

With the support of a grant from EducationMatters, Keeler was able to purchase additional equipment for their Sensory Room; a specifically designed space which promotes self-regulation. Within the room, there is multi-sensory equipment, which is proving to be vital and effective in treatment for children and adults who experience sensory disorders.

Through CSSI, the students of Keeler School will learn how to regulate their senses and interact with others. The goal at Keeler is for the students to be able to eventually do this without the direction of an adult. This will result in reductions of disruptive behavior. The lack of interruptions helps the students with their relationships in the classroom, with the staff and in the community as well.

After modelling the sensory room on programs in two other Calgary Board of Education Schools (University School and Emily Follensbee School), Keeler School is planning for the long-term success of the CSSI program.

The Keeler CSSI program, with enhancements through EducationMatters, will help the students reach their true academic and social potential.

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This grant was made possible by generous donors who supported the Creagh Family Fund, the Public Education Enhancement Flow Thru Fund, the Schools Helping Schools Fund, and the Enhancing Education for Students with Special Needs Fund.

The post Creating Special Spaces for Keeler’s CSSI Students appeared first on EducationMatters.

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Running a successful retail operation is not easy, but once staff and students took their retail project on, additional career building opportunities resulted for several A.E. Cross Junior High School students.

The Opportunities in Business program was launched at the school in 2015. The aim was to provide students in the Business 9 class with a chance to take part in entrepreneurial activities. By giving them the chance to run a store at the school, students would be able to learn: fundamentals of cash management and customer service; marketing and inventory management.  Alongside these tasks, they would develop their knowledge of career possibilities and learn career-applicable skills.

Funds from EducationMatters were used to cover a number of costs for the store including the purchase of start-up inventory, shelving and storage equipment, and various consumables. Open from October 2015 until the end of the school year in 2016, the program was a success.

Students had a lot of good things to say, including how they learned the importance of budgeting and the need for good presentation and customer service skills. One student was surprised by additional benefits of the course, “By being in this business class, I benefited by learning how to make my resume, which I plan to use when applying for a job this summer. Before taking this course, I had no idea how to apply for, or maintain, a job, and now after taking this class, I am confident in both.”

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This grant was made possible by generous donors who supported the Public Education Enhancement Flow Thru Fund, the Southland Transportation Career Pathways Endowment Fund, and the Career Pathways Field of Interest Endowment Fund.

The post Building the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs at A.E. Cross School appeared first on EducationMatters.

West View School is a high impact program for the most complex youth in our high school education system; young offenders housed in a maximum security facility (The Calgary Young Offenders’ Centre – CYOC). CYOC operates under the administration of the Correctional Services Division (Alberta Justice) and can accommodate approximately 155 youth ranging in age from 12 to 18.

West View allows academic continuity to be maintained for junior high and high school students while in custody. Our goal is to engage these students with a view to keeping them in school and to provide them with the resources necessary to support their success after their release from CYOC. It is possible for students to complete Alberta graduation requirements for a high school diploma with a wide range of academic and career technology studies courses being offered.

Residents come from various locations in the province and have been remanded or sentenced to secure custody by order of the Provincial Youth Court. This school operates on a year-round calendar. For security reasons, students at West View School do not have access to the internet. In order for students to be successful after release from the CYOC, we know that knowledge and technological ability are essential. The Maker Movement incorporates tools and technology as essential elements for solving complex problems.

Generous support from the TELUS Calgary Community Board will allow students will have access to the school Maker space to develop their technological skills and expand their critical thinking capabilities. There are currently no other areas within West View School where students have any access to computer technology. Maker education allows students to work either independently or collaboratively to develop solutions to a variety of problems using available technology, including complex design programs and 3D printers. Maker projects encourage students to adopt a different mindset to problem solving, and in fact, inspires students to develop the question then form the solution to a problem. Cross curricular high school credits are achieved through the project work completed by the students, thereby contributing to successful completion of the student’s high school diploma.

Credits can be earned in multiple disciplines such as science, math, arts, English, at the same time depending on the specific project, which can be custom designed to the interest and academic needs of the student. The Maker station at Westview School will also impact more than the students who are able to access the program. It becomes an incentive for all students who are able to attend the program only if their behavior warrants it.

The post TELUS Supports Maker Space at West View School appeared first on EducationMatters.

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess on September 2, 2016. Dr. Hess passed away peacefully at the age of 100.

Dr. Hess was awarded the Calgary Board of Educations Distinguished Alumni award in 2007, and leaves an incredible legacy of supporting various causes through her philanthropic, advocacy and volunteer work.

Dr. Hess’ record of community service covers a wide range of organizations, including EducationMatters, the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, the Calgary Red Cross, the United Way, the Calgary Zoological Society, the Rotary Club of Calgary, the RCMP Committee for Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, the Calgary Regional Arts Foundation and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

A passionate Calgarian, one of Dr. Hess’ favourite sayings echoed how she lived her life:

Life is a long ride and when we come to the end of it, if we look back and can truthfully say - thank God I rode straight, with my hands and heels down, and my head and heart up - it matters not how tough the going or how stiff the jump, you will come out on top and realize you are a horsewoman of the highest standards."

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