Charger Connects

Friday, Nov 26, 2021

Principal's Message

November is always an interesting month in schools as it is sandwiched between startup and December, where life gets pretty hectic. Some people may refer to it as the grind of the school year, while I would say it is the heart of Semester 1. We often see connections and progress made in these weeks as we head to the end of S1.

This year has seen the return of school wide activities that allow for increased school spirit. I was personally grateful for the Donut Man fundraiser this past week that saw hundreds of dollars raised for the cancer society. It is great to see our students partnering with a local business to raise funds for a good cause.

I was encouraged this week by the 30 or so conversations I was able to have with our staff about their professional growth plans. Staff are each responsible to have a growth plan for the school year that outlines areas of interest and need in their practice. While the plans are individual, some group themes emerged, as staff are continuing to put students at the forefront. It was encouraging to hear so much optimism in the conversations I had.

Thank you for the continued support of your child and our school as we head into December. The past three months have been full of change and through it you have managed to play a critical role in supporting learning at BCHS.

Have a great weekend.

Ryan Reed
Principal | Bert Church High School

Semester 1 Final Exam Schedule

As many families are aware, Provincial Achievement Tests (gr. 9) and Diploma Exams (gr. 12) will be proceeding this year. In October, Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced a reduction in the weighting of Diploma Exams to 10% from 30% to reduce the stress felt by gr. 12 students as they approached the exams.

Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange (Government of Alberta)

Last week, RVS communicated expectations relating to final exams for gr. 10/11 students and asked schools to interpret them for their context and communicate these expectations with staff, students, and families.

Given the guidelines presented by RVS, BCHS will not be offering cumulative, final exams for students in gr. 10/11 in January. Similar to last year, students will have the ability to be re-assessed in a small number of critical evaluations that could improve their grade in the final week of classes for semester 1.

Tips for Taking a Multiple Choice Exam | Homework Help Canada

The schedule for the end of S1 is below:

Monday, January 17 – Wednesday, January 19 – Students work with the teacher to be reassessed on specific major assessments that could significantly change the student mark.

Thursday, January 20 – Wednesday, January 26 – Coordinated, targeted intervention for students not passing the course, support for students with complex and social-emotional needs.

Thursday, January 27, Friday, January 28 – Transition days for mark submission and semester wrap up. Support for students with complex and social-emotional needs.

Monday, January 31st – Professional Learning Day

Tuesday, February 1st – Day 1 – Semester 2

Teachers will work together in their departments to ensure consistency across their courses for the type of re-assessment offered to students. Our goal, as with all assessment practices, is to communicate a reliable and valid grade to students at the conclusion of the semester. Staff will be meeting this coming week to discuss more details of what our exam period will look like but we wanted to communicate this to parents as soon as we could confirm it.

We were thrilled to see Bert Church High School win the Pink Wand Amazing Workplace Award at the Airdrie Life Amazing Airdrie Women Awards show on Thursday night. The majority of staff working at BCHS are women and contribute in every area, from building maintenance, administrative support, administration, classroom support, and teaching. BCHS is a great place to work everyday and we are proud of all our staff!

Upcoming Events

For everything going on at BCHS, please keep an eye on our school calendar.
For our athletics calendar, please click here.
Cafeteria Closed - Top Chef Challenge in Culinary Arts - Monday, Nov 29th Cafeteria will reopen on Tuesday, Nov 30th.

YEARBOOKS ARE NOW ON SALE!

Purchase your copy for the Early Bird price of $35. Students are only guaranteed a yearbook if they purchase it before the order deadline! Act now before it’s too late! Yearbooks can be purchased on SchoolCash https://rockyview.schoolcashonline.com/Home/SignIn

Or in the office using debit or credit.