What Makes Fish Creek School Special?

If you have arrived at this page, you have already shown an interest in finding out more about our school. Certainly feel free to read on, but if you want to learn about the school straight from the top, please feel free to pop in, email fishcreek@cbe.ab.ca or give us a call and ask to speak directly to the principal. We are always here to support our families, particularly those who are looking to purchase homes in the neighbourhood of Sundance. We know how important school selection is when you are looking to buy.

Fish Creek School is a regular program, K-6 school serving the southeast Calgary community of Sundance. We are a public school which values inclusivity and diversity and we are a place where all students have a home. The foundation of what makes our school so special is our focus on relationships and attention to student programming. While we have high standards and a history of excellent academic achievement, we know that each student must take their own path. Starting right away in kindergarten, our students are provided with the foundational skills in literacy and numeracy which will set them up for success in these grades and beyond. Our staff are also highly visible, and accessible. We work in concert with our students and families and are responsive to needs. Below are some of the specific focus areas of our school which help create a deep and meaningful learning experience for our students:

Outdoor Education

Our school is aptly names and fortunate to be nestled on a block away from the ridge of Fish Creek Provincial Park, Canada's second largest urban park. The park is our school's extended backyard and our teachers incorporate regular walking field trip visits into their plans. We know that hands-on learning in nature strengthens connections to learning and to the land. Each of our visits is purposeful, connected to curricular outcomes and begins with an Acknowledgement of the Land. According to our students, every day in the park is a great day.

Indigenous Education

“..we are calling on you to link arms with us, that all Canadians – Indigenous or not, young or old, first generation or tenth generation – that we work together to heal and secure a better future.” - Justice Murray Sinclair, Truth and Reconciliation Committee

Fish Creek School is committed to supporting the Calgary Board of Education Indigenous Education Strategy, and are aware of the important role schools have in Reconciliation. An Acknowledgement of the Land is part of our school gatherings, and our library collection has been enhanced with the addition of new, recommended Indigenous literature. Our teachers have been intentional in ensuring academic programming is inclusive of Indigenous curricular connections. 

Physical Education

The focus of Physical Education is to promote physical literacy and create an engaging environment where all students feel confident, motivated and empowered by their own unique abilities and strengths.  The program fosters physical competence, along with knowledge and understanding, so that every student will take responsibility to engage in activities for life. Through the Physical Ed program, students are encouraged to continually set personal fitness goals to help maintain their physical and mental health.

High quality, daily physical education is important at Fish Creek School.  Students engage in physical activity every day which includes skill development, fitness and cardio exercises, locomotor and non-locomotor skills, chasing and fleeing games, cooperation and teamwork.  The Phys. Ed. program has been awarded the Four Star Quality Daily Physical Education (QDPE) Award from PHE Canada for the past three years, which is the highest level of the award. 

Music

Music Education is essential to the Alberta Education School Curriculum and Fish Creek School.  The music module enables the student to become stronger in the development of individual creativity, critical thinking, and tolerant behaviour toward others.   In addition, music feeds the human spirit, as students explore and experience the emotion and passion of song through different forms of music, dance, drama, art, movement and instrumental play.

 During our music classes, students develop a myriad of skills.  For example, students learn the ability to read, sing, write and play a wide variety of songs.  As we live in a diverse culture, the students are able to develop awareness and understanding of many different kinds of cultural music through listening, moving, singing, reading, writing and the playing of instruments. 

 When learning at Fish Creek School, students will develop self-expression and become enriched and responsive toward music being played, performed or explored.  Students learn about different instruments and how to play them during class lessons.  Examples of instruments include; all percussion instruments, xylophones, recorders, autoharps, ukuleles, hand bells, spoons, boom whackers and hand chimes.  Fish Creek students learn about the lives and music of the great composers at every grade level.

 The program at Fish Creek school is a sequential program, supported by learning the concepts endorsed by Alberta Education.  Students first learn a simple musical concept and will often revisit it throughout their elementary years.  This allows all students to build upon what they already know, and then continue to explore the concept into more complex and new ideas.

 At Fish Creek school, our music program delves, explores and integrates into many other subject areas.  These connections help students strengthen their knowledge and correlate their learning into other areas such as mathematics, literacy and social studies. Did you know that research supports the position that music increases the brain development in children?  Music has the ability to strengthen human connections while maintaining positive mental wellness.

 Today, students experience more stress in their home life and school classrooms.  Music is an effective counter measure by providing more calmness and balance to an already busy day. 

 In closing, “Music is a gift.”  It is a gift that should be shared and nurtured.  Who wouldn’t want to share the love of music with others? Let the Fish Creek Music Program become your “Happy Place!”

French Language Instruction (Grades 4-6)

The goal of this course is to develop students’ communication skills in French and acquire an appreciation and understanding of Francophone cultures in Alberta, Canada and the world. Students develop their French vocabulary through repetition, conversations, games and songs.

Specific Outcomes: Grade 4

• My Classroom
• Who Am I
• My Immediate family

Specific Outcomes: Grade 5

• My Elementary School
• Our friends - the Animals
• Clothes
• My Home

Specific Outcomes: Grade 6

• My Health and Well Being
• My Neighbourhood
• Alberta - My Province
• The Environment