Back to School – a busy and eventful year ahead
Back to School – Frequently Asked Questions: /resources/backtoschool/faq.aspx
Tips for Parents: /parents/role/tips.aspx
Find useful tips to such topics as: Preparing for School • Things to Consider Before the First Day of School • Going to a New School • Homework • Reading with Your Child • Safe Internet Use • Avoiding Conflict • Helping Your Child Prepare for High School • Helping Your Child Plan for the Future
Engagement opportunities
Parents, students, educators, stakeholders, and members of the community are welcomed to engage with Alberta education as we continue our journey of transforming ECS-12 education in Alberta. We hope that Albertans will take us up on this offer to engage by commenting on blogs, posting ideas, following us on Twitter and Facebook and participating in new initiatives as they are launched.We look forward to engaging with you at www.engage.education.alberta.ca/
Parents looking for other ways to engage in their school community are encouraged to visit the Alberta School Councils’ Association for more information.
Bullying Prevention
Alberta Education has developed several resources to help parents and students cope with bullying. Our Bullying Prevention webpage has information on caring, respectful and safe learning environments and we invite you to explore Bullying Prevention to see what Alberta’s Prevention of Bullying Strategy is all about and how you can be part of the solution.
Digital Citizenship
The rapidly increasing use of the Internet as an educational resource has raised many concerns among administrators, teachers, and parents about its safe and effective use, particularly in the areas of exploitation and cyberbullying. The ability to use the Internet and other technologies in a safe and ethical way is becoming an essential skill in today’s society. As such, digital citizenship skills are becoming increasingly important in the learning environment. Visit /admin/technology/tools-and-resources/passport.aspx for more information.
New curriculum resources for parents
Parents seeking information about what their children will be learning at school this fall can consult the Curriculum Handbooks for Parents series available at www.education.alberta.ca/parents/resources/handbook.aspx.
2011/2012 Guide to Education Now Available
The Guide to Education: ECS to Grade 12 for the 2011/2012 school year is now available, in both English and French, at www.education.alberta.ca/admin/resources/guidetoed.aspx . A summary of key changes contained in the document is posted at the same location. The Guide to Education is an important policy and planning document for the programming and delivery of quality Early Childhood Services to Grade 12 education in Alberta.
Revised Grade 11 mathematics program start this fall
The new Grade 11 mathematics courses are now being taught in English and French in schools across the province starting this September. Full implementation of the revised mathematics programs will be complete as of the fall of 2012 with the introduction of Grade 12 courses. Learn more about the revised mathematics program at www.education.alberta.ca/math.
Critical Information for Students in Applied and Pure Mathematics 30
Applied and Pure Mathematics 30 will no longer be offered as of the 2012-2013 school year. We have developed a fact sheet for students, parents and teachers, to help them understand the options should students not be successful in either course by the end of the 2011-2012 school year. The fact sheet is available on our webpage at /media/6571950/math30_critical.pdf
Healthy School Initiatives
Results from the Raising healthy Eating and Active Living (REAL) Kids survey completed in 2008 indicated that only 27% of students are consuming enough fruits and vegetables and only 26% of students report being sufficiently physically active.
Using a comprehensive school health approach, healthy school initiatives have been adopted in more than 600 Alberta schools to enhance the health and wellness of school-aged children and youth. This has impacted more than 200,000 Kindergarten to Grade12 students across the province, equating to over one-third of all Alberta students. For more information and great ideas to make school a healthy environment for students, please visit http://www.healthyalberta.com/AboutHealthyU/543.htm and click on “Sharing the Success for Wellness Fund Projects!”
MyHealth.Alberta.ca—Alberta’s new online health resource
Alberta has launched a new online resource with helpful information on how to keep children healthy and well as they embark on a new school year. MyHealth.Alberta.ca offers valuable information on over 8,700 health topics as well as tools that can help parents make important decisions about their family’s health.
In addition to general health information, parents can learn more about key health concerns such as:
Asthma: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, risk factors, prevention, medications, and where to go for help.
Severe allergies: insect stings, foods, drugs, avoiding indoor and outdoor triggers, and administering Epinephrine shots.
Immunizations: recommended childhood immunization schedule, why each vaccine is used, effectiveness, and key considerations.
Visit MyHealth.Alberta.ca to explore health information and tools, provide feedback and discover how this resource can help your family.
Response training benefits Alberta students with severe allergies
Parents of students with severe allergies are encouraged to contact their school board trustee or their school’s principal to ensure their child’s teacher is trained to recognize and respond to an allergic attack in the classroom. Knowing what to do and how to do it can mean the difference between life and death for an allergic student.
The Government of Alberta and Anaphylaxis Canada partnered to develop the Canadian Anaphylaxis Readiness Education (C.A.R.E.) web-based training program for schools across the province. The program – which incorporates graphics, audio and text – is designed to prepare educators for an anaphylactic reaction in their school by providing teachers and administrators important and easy-to-understand tips for keeping allergic students safe.
This important learning resource complements the Allergy and Anaphylaxis Informational Response (AAIR) resource kits introduced in all public, separate, charter, private and francophone schools in Alberta in 2008. The kits contain information about anaphylaxis and asthma, including educational CDs and training devices for the EpiPen® and Twinject® brands of epinephrine auto-injectors available in Canada.
A variety of resources – including the Alberta School Boards Association anaphylaxis policy advisory, detailed research, promising practices, implementation procedures and external resources – can be viewed on Alberta Education’s website at www.education.alberta.ca/aair.
Eye See…Eye Learn® is an early childhood program of the Alberta Association of Optometrists designed to ensure vision problems are not a factor in preventing children from reaching their full learning potential. Kindergarten aged children are able to get their eyes examined by an optometrist, and if required, the student may also receive a free pair of glasses. Funded by Alberta Education, the success of the program relies on the involvement of both parents and teachers. More than 50,000 parent packages are sent home with Kindergarten students each fall. Visit www.optometrists.ab.ca for more information.
Action on Inclusion – Change Agents and Capacity Builders
Budget 2011 provided funding to support school authorities to make decisions that encourage attitudinal shifts and empower individuals with the confidence to work in a more inclusive manner. This aligns with Action on Inclusion and the concepts of building an inclusive education system. Funds have been allocated to support 12 change agents in the 2011/2012 school year. Change agents are early adopters of changes that align with the vision of an inclusive education system, who will provide leadership to the education system to inform provincial implementation. An allocation has also been made available to school authorities who want to focus on gaining understanding and building capacity in inclusive ways. More information on Action on Inclusion is found at www.education.alberta.ca/inclusion .
Implementation Schedule for Curriculum and Related Activities (2011-2012)
The Implementation Schedule for Curriculum and Related Activities (2011-2012) and the Quick Reference Chart for the Implementation Schedule for Curriculum and Related Activities (2011–2012) are available on the Alberta Education website, in English and French, at
www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program.aspx (English),
www.education.alberta.ca/francais/admin/franco.aspx (Francophone) and
www.education.alberta.ca/francais/admin/immersion.aspx (French Immersion).
In alignment with Inspiring Education and Inspiring Action, the schedule reflects a focus on Action on Curriculum: Curriculum Standards and Process Redesign Project. Information on Action on Curriculum is included to communicate the department’s goal of revising standards and guidelines for future curriculum (programs of study, assessment tools and learning and teaching resources) and revising processes for curriculum development, reflecting the province's commitment to continually improve its work in providing a world-class, student-centred curriculum.
Withdrawal of course codes is no longer included in the schedule and active provincial course codes are no longer included in the Guide to Education. Instead, the two are combined in the newly offered Provincially Authorized Senior High School Courses and Course Codes document, which is available on the Education website at /media/6542327/courses_coursecodes.pdf .
Community-Based (FNMI) Teacher Education Program (CBTEP): Two Years of Success
Continued funding for the CBTEP program will enable over 30 First Nations, Métis and Inuit education paraprofessionals to continue pursuing their long-time dreams of becoming teachers. This program takes the teacher preparation program to the student teachers, and enables the participants to continue working and living in their communities. Participating school authorities nominate individuals who are passionate educators to pursue the completion of their Bachelor of Education. This is a cost sharing initiative split 30/70 between the school authority and Alberta Education and includes the costs of salary, tuition, books and other student fees for the program participants.
Northern Student Teacher Bursary (NSTB) Continued
The Northern Alberta Development Council is looking for 20 more students to join the successful Alberta Education funded NSTB program. The initiative is designed to attract students in a post-secondary teacher-preparation program to northern Alberta communities by providing scholarships of $16,000 ($8,000 in each of the last two years of their studies.) Successful applicants must live and work in the north for three years after graduating. Practicum funding is also available to a maximum of $2,000 ($1,000 per year). The Northern Student Teacher Bursary is funded by Alberta Education and administered by the Northern Alberta Development Council (NADC). For more information, visit the Be North website .
