Thank you for choosing our school! Please contact our school as soon as possible. All registration for Kindergarten to Grade 6 is now available online. Go to https://www.gsacrd.ab.ca/parents/registration-information
To register your child, it is an Alberta Education policy that the child's birth certificate must be provided and a copy retained on their school file. Bring it in and we can copy it for you on site.
All of our classrooms are equipped with computers, a projector and an interactive whiteboard. These are used on a daily basis by our teachers to enhance learning opportunities for our students. As well, we have laptop carts and iPad tubs that are accessible to students. This widespread adoption of technology has completely changed how teachers teach and students learn. Teachers are learning how to teach with emerging technologies (tablets, iPads, Smart Boards, digital cameras, computers), while students are using advanced technology to shape how they learn. By embracing and integrating technology in the classroom, we are setting our students up for a successful life outside of school.
Our computers have a great variety of software programs to support student learning. Some of the software has been specially selected to support students with challenges in reading and writing. These technologies offer a great way for our students to access learning and show what they know and can do!
YES! At Bertha Kennedy Catholic School, one of our greatest priorities is ensuring that all our students arrive safely at school each and every day.
To enhance our existing absence check procedure, we are introducing a new, more efficient student absence reporting system called SchoolConnects SafeArrival. This new system will reduce the time it takes to verify student attendance, make it easy for you to report your child’s absence and easy for staff to respond to unexplained student absences.
With SafeArrival, you are asked to report your child’s absence (in advance or before morning bell time) using one of these 3 convenient methods:
These options are available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. Future absences can be reported at any time.
Busing - Our school buses are all equipped with GSP. Parents can download the app to see the exact location of their bus.
School - on very cold days, students arriving at school prior to the warning bell may be invited to enter the building and wait in the entrance. Students will not go out for recess when the combination of wind and temperature makes outdoor play unsafe. We expect that students wear adequate winter wear to ensure their safety and comfort. For information regarding school closures, please stay tuned to 630 CHED AM, JOE 92.5(formerly Power 92) FM, CBC COOL 880 AM, CISN 103.9, THE BEAR CFRB 100.3 FM, CRMG 104.9 FM, THE MIX 96.3 FM, K-ROCK 97.3 FM, CFCW 790 AM and on TV CFRN, A Channel and Global. Although schools often remain open during extreme weather, we respect the decisions of parents to decide if conditions are safe for their children to attend.
We believe very strongly in ongoing communication between home and school. This partnership helps us work as a team to help students achieve their potential and feel safe and secure at school. The following methods of communication are used:
We know that students benefit from good communication between home and school. We will endeavor to contact parents whenever significant concerns arise and we encourage parents to do the same.
Report cards and Parent-Teacher interviews represent formal opportunities for communication but if significant concerns arise, please do not wait for these times. As well, we ask that concerns be communicated first to the staff member most directly involved with your child and with the particular issue. If the concern is not resolved in a satisfactory manner, school administrators are willing to assist.
We view school as our place of work. Therefore, we all need to dress in a manner that supports and reflects our academic and social goals. To this end, it is imperative that students wear runners or buckled sandals at school. Slip-ons of any kind do not allow students to participate safely in daily Phys. Ed. classes, to dance in music class or to play on the outside structures. They also are very impractical to wear outside if there is a fire drill or an emergency evacuation during inclement weather.
Our clothing should also show respect for others, our school values, and most importantly, ourselves. Therefore, clothing depicting advertising or implying the use of alcohol or drugs, put downs or mature material is not to be worn to school. Likewise, clothing with spaghetti straps, very short shorts or shirts which do not cover the midriff, are better worn away from school.
At Bertha Kennedy we recognize the importance of good communication between children and parents to keep children safe and avoid worry when making arrangements for transportation and pick-up. While we encourage families to make these arrangements ahead of time, we are very accommodating with ensuring that messages with last minute changes are given to students and allow children to use the school telephone in urgent situations. Some parents opt to provide cell phones for their children. For these situations we have put the following procedures in place:
Unless a teacher invites the students to bring these items into the classroom, they should remain in the student's backpack. They should not be used at all during instructional time as they can be a distraction. If a child is feeling unwell or has forgotten an item, they need to speak with their teacher and with the office, instead of using a private cell phone. This will ensure that our staff are aware of the student's concern and can assist them. Because most are equipped with cameras, cell phones should also never been taken to washrooms or change rooms in the interests of student privacy.
If a cell phone is being used inappropriately or becomes a distraction to the learning environment, it will be taken from the student and parents will be contacted. Misuse of the cell phone can result in a student losing the privilege of bringing it to school. We also discourage the use of cell phones, DS/Gameboys, and music players during recess and lunch as these times provide great opportunities for socialization with peers and active play. We also worry about the security of these expensive electronics as student backpacks are hung in the hallway and we cannot take responsibility for the security of these items. We appreciate parents who send a cell phone with their child discussing these procedures with them as well.
It is important to contact your child's teacher well in advance to determine how best to manage the learning opportunities that will be missed during the child's absence. The teacher may suggest working ahead, taking some work with you, or taking extra time to catch up after the vacation. If parents do request work, please commit to its completion as gathering this work and organizing it for families is a time-consuming task for our teachers.
It is important for parents to be aware that 'sending work' cannot possibly duplicate the classroom learning environment. Much of the learning that takes place at school occurs during rich classroom discussions, partner/group work, hands-on activities (especially in Science or Math), and in the monitoring and on-the-spot intervention by our teachers. For this reason, please do not be surprised if students may not perform to their usual standard on a test or assessment because they have been away during a particular unit.
Bertha Kennedy Catholic School appreciates the services of all of its volunteers. In order to assist with providing a safe environment for students, all volunteers in our school need to be registered and must provide a Criminal Record Check and Intervention Record Check. A volunteer is someone who assists school and/or students either in curricular or extracurricular activities. Please obtain a registration form from our front office. Record checks must be completed yearly.
Each teacher will determine the volunteer needs for their classroom and communicate these needs at Parent Orientation. As well, there are many opportunities for parent volunteers through our School Council. This is a great way for parents to become involved if they are not available during the school day. Please see the School Council page on this website.
Please visit the Transportation website to learn more: https://www.gsacrd.ab.ca/transportation