Dear Parents,
In response to the questions that came
forward at our Open House at F. E. Osborne School on February 28, 2019, we have
created the following FAQs. We hope that they will provide answers to many of
the questions that you have as we integrate a new French Immersion Program into
F. E. Osborne School. If you have new questions that have not been addressed
here or further questions that arise as you read our FAQs, please do not
hesitate to contact Ruth Radetzky, our Acting Assistant Principal for French
Expansion in Area I, at reradetzky@cbe.ab.ca.
FAQs
What
are your school hours for 2019-2020?
Regular School
Hours 2019-2020
Monday-Thursday: 8:10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
Friday: 8:10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
If a student from a French Immersion school outside the
designated attendance area would prefer to come to F. E. Osborne for Grade Six,
would that be possible?
As
with all schools, providing there are space and resources, we will be open to
considering students who do not reside in the designated areas for the FEO FI
program. The principal would consider each registration request outside the
designated attendance area on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the
Area Director.
Would Grades 6 and 7 students be able to access the
Tuscany-Varsity bus to get to and from school next year?
It is
possible for you to request access to yellow school bus transportation for your
child as a conditional rider. As per the CBE Student Transportation Guide, page
3, students can apply as a conditional rider to access yellow school bus
transportation. A conditional rider is a student living within a school’s walk
zone or not attending a designated school who wishes to access CBE
transportation on the condition that there is an existing suitable bus stop and
space available on the bus. Conditional ridership:
•
is not guaranteed;
•
must be applied for every year;
•
applies to siblings of students in an alternative or complex learning needs
program where the sibling is not attending their designated school;
•
applies to siblings of students in a complex learning needs program when for
family reasons the parent wishes all siblings to use the same method of
transportation to the same school, and all siblings are designated to the
school; and
•
applies to students who prefer to walk to a bus stop, even though they are not
eligible for transportation.
In
order to ride the yellow school bus, conditional riders must:
•
be approved by CBE Transportation Services; and
•
pay the full transportation fee (i.e. not eligible for fee waivers).
Parents
must have alternate transportation arrangements in place until approval is
received and in case registration is not approved. Approval cannot always be
granted before the start of school. Transportation Services will send you an
email once space is confirmed.
You
may be interested to know that there will be a bus travelling into the community
of Tuscany to go to Varsity School for the 2019-20 school year to allow the
current grade 4s who will be grade 5s in 2019-20 to finish out their schooling
and avoid them needing to change schools twice in 2 years. However, that also
means that there will be no yellow bus service into Tuscany headed into Varsity
area commencing the 2020-21 school year.
The
CBE believes that Calgary Transit is a safe mode of transportation for
students. Many CBE students in Grade 6 to 9 have successfully made the transition
to Calgary Transit with over two dozen CBE middle schools and all CBE High
Schools currently assigned to Calgary Transit for transportation. Students
often find it easier to get to a bus stop that is closer to home than a yellow
school bus stop and enjoy a more flexible schedule because there is more than
one bus available throughout the day. This mode of transportation is also used
by students of other school boards.
What about class size and grade configurations?
What is the cut-off point for having two classes for each grade at FEO? When
will the district have an idea of how many classes of Grade 6 and Grade 7 will
run at FEO?
Determinations
about the number of classes and the class sizes will be made by the school
administration based on the projected enrolment, and may be adjusted later when
actual enrolment is known. This is the standard process that occurs in every
CBE school.
Will
there be separate schools for French and English or will they be integrated?
Instruction in French will take place in
individual classrooms at each grade level. French Immersion classrooms will be
integrated in the same area of the school by grade. In the spirit of creating a
cohesive school environment, French classrooms will be located next to their
English counterparts.
Will
there be separate assemblies, celebrations and special events?
Assemblies, celebrations and special events
will take place in English and French as we build a cohesive multilingual (French
and English) community at F. E. Osborne School. Celebrating French traditions
and events such as Carnaval will be part of the French Immersion learning
experience at FEO.
What
about school displays?
Displays around the school will be in
French and English. Learning Commons resources will be in English and French,
and with funding available for resourcing our new French Immersion program, we
will ensure that high quality French learning materials are available for all
students at F.E. Osborne School.
How
will field trips be organized?
Field trips will take place in English
and/or French depending on the academic purpose of the activities and the
availability of French speakers and resources at the chosen sites. Teachers and
students in French Immersion will speak French on these trips when and wherever
possible.
Is
the focus on art, technology and citizenship as strong in the French program?
Yes, the only difference between
programming in our community and French Immersion programs is that teaching and
learning take place in French in the French Immersion program. With the
exception of French Language Arts, the programs of study are the same for Math,
Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Physical Education, Music and
Fine Arts.
What
about classroom processes and agendas?
Classroom processes and agendas are
determined by teachers in collaboration with their colleagues and in alignment
with the expectations of the programs of study for all students, whether they
are learning in English or French.
Will Grade Six and Seven students have lockers?
Yes, Grade Six and Seven
students will share a locker with a classmate.
How
are you planning to integrate incoming students and the new French Immersion
program?
This work has already begun through our
School Orientation and Open House on February 28th where parents and students
were welcomed to our school community and offered school tours to familiarize
themselves with the school environment and offerings. This work will continue
throughout the spring with school administration visiting current schools as
well as into the new school year. Specific activities will be organized to
support students in connecting to the school community.
Will
school council be the same with two programs?
F. E. Osborne School Council will meet and
function as a cohesive group advocating for all students and programming at F.
E. Osborne School. Please join us:
School Council Dates for 2018-2019:
·
April 15, 2019 6:30
p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
·
June 3, 2019 6:30
p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where
is the qualified staff going to come from? What will the quality of French
instruction be like?
The CBE has a team of educators assigned to
teacher staffing whose role is to interview and procure teachers to meet the
demands of regular, alternative and specialized programming within the CBE. As
part of the process, recruiters travel across Canada and around the globe to
interview potential teachers who have second languages including French,
Spanish, Mandarin and German to teach in our immersion and bilingual programs.
This is an ongoing process each year to meet current and future programming
needs in the system.
The CBE is actively hiring well-qualified
K-12 French teachers and is able to meet the demand for French teachers to fill
vacant positions within the CBE. Our recruitment of graduates from across
Canada provides our system with excellent teachers who can teach in our French
Immersion/French Second Language programs. For our two new French Immersion
programs at Tuscany School and F. E. Osborne School, 50% of the staff will be
hired in the early spring of 2019 and the other 50% will be hired through the
annual staffing processes in May and June.
All teachers in the CBE access professional
learning in high-impact pedagogical strategies for teaching and learning. In
addition, our second-language teachers access professional learning in
second-language pedagogy such as Content and Language-Integrated Learning, the
Neurolinguistic Approach and Inclusion in Second-Language Contexts.
Teachers on continuous contract with the
CBE who have taught for 2 or more years in their current location have the opportunity
to apply for position vacancies each year. For these continuous contract
teachers, decisions about whether to remain at a school or apply to a new
school are individual decisions, just as some teachers can decide each year to
retire or take a leave of absence. School principals work with teacher staffing
recruiters each spring to determine teacher needs based on the enrolment
projections for the following school year. This same process occurs when new
programs are offered at a school for the first time.
Will the students get to visit the
school before September? When do the students get to come and check out this
awesome school?
Students
had the opportunity to visit F. E. Osborne School on February 28th
during our school orientation. F. E. Osborne staff will also visit students at
Varsity Acres School, Banff Trail School and King George School to learn more
about their current school context and welcome them to F. E. Osborne School.
What is the current enrolment capacity
at F. E. Osborne School?
F. E. Osborne School has a capacity of
approximately 735 students. For the 2018-2019 school year, there are 460 students
registered in our programs. Our
projected enrolment for 2019-2020 is 535 students.
Will
bussing fees apply for students in French Immersion?
Information
regarding transportation fees for the French Immersion program can be accessed
through the following link:
https://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/busing-and-transportation/Pages/transportation-for-alternative-programs.aspx
Currently alternative programs such as
French Immersion are serviced through a congregated stop model. This means that
stops may be beyond a walkable distance for students. Access and supervision to, from and at the
bus stop are a parental responsibility.
What about lunchroom and
other fees?
Noon hour
supervision is required for students in Grades 1-6. For the 2018-2019 school
year, the annual fee for this service is $265.00. This fee is consistent across
the system and is determined as part of the spring budget process. Students in Grade 7 are charged an
“incidental lunchroom fee” of $30. This
fee is used to provide equipment for students to access over the lunch hour.
Individual
fees may be charged for special events, complementary courses and field trips.
Where will Grade Six students eat lunch?
Grade Six students will
eat lunch in their classrooms at the same time as all other classes in the
school. Students will be supervised by lunchroom staff while they eat lunch and
when they are outside over the lunch hour.
Can Grade Seven students go off campus at lunch?
Yes, Grade Seven students
may go off campus at lunch. If they
choose to stay in the school over the lunch hour, they will eat in the
cafeteria.
What about Outdoor School?
We
are planning to offer Outdoor School in Grade Six at F. E. Osborne School for
the 2019-2020 school year.
What other special programs does the
school offer?
Students
in Grades 7-9 at F. E. Osborne participate in Science Fair, FEO Market,
Invention Convention, Dance, Drama and Video-game Making. Quebec, Disneyland Band
and West Coast Sailing trips are also available to our students.
What are the extracurricular
activities and clubs that are offered?
F.
E. Osborne School currently offers Foods Club, Chess Club, Intramurals and
Basketball Club and Video-Game Making. Extracurricular activities include
cross-country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, badminton as well as track and
field. Students from Grade 6 on can try
out for teams at FEO.
What
types of special events and programs does F. E. Osborne have planned for the
year?
As
discussed at our evening Open House, special events and extracurricular
activities will be planned collaboratively with all our school community
members. Specific planning will take place this spring with our School Council
and all parents are encouraged to join us in this work.
