Our School

Chinese (Mandarin) Bilingual Program

The CBE first started the Mandarin Bilingual Program in 1998 at King Edward School. The Mandarin Bilingual program initially began with one grade four class and through the years steadily progressed into a full elementary program.  Since then, the elementary program has moved to King George School, and this year to Highwood School where for the first time since its conception, the Mandarin Bilingual program has its very own school.

The Mandarin Bilingual program is based on the principle of learning both the English and Mandarin languages simultaneously.  For half of the day, students in grades 1 through 6 are instructed by native English speaking teachers in English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Health.  For the other half of the school day, students are instructed by native Mandarin speaking teachers in Mandarin Language Arts, Math, and Science.  Students are instructed in Physical Education for 30 minutes each day, and Art is integrated into all subject areas.  At Highwood School, students will receive regular classes with a Music Specialist and Technology Specialist, as we believe in also building student capacity, personal interest and developing a wide variety of intelligences such as musical, technological, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and interpersonal intelligences through these classes.

An integral component of the Mandarin Bilingual Program is learning language through authentic learning experiences.  Cultural celebrations such as Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn festival have been very powerful language learning tools and have been great ways to build a sense of community with all of the students, parents, and community members.

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​​​Our School's Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation

We are committed to acknowledging and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action specific to education. Our school, along with all CBE schools, made a TRC Commitment to Action. On June 21, we renewed our commitment, which can be found under Resources.​​

Acknowledging the Land

We would like to acknowledge the traditional territories and oral practices of the Blackfoot Nations, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani and the Kainai. We also acknowledge the Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda First Nations, the Métis Nation, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.​​

​​​School Development Plan

​Each year, our school prepares a development plan with input from teachers, school staff, students and parents. We review many sources of data, including report cards, provincial achievement test results and school surveys. Based on this information, we create our plan identifying targeted areas for growth. Our school development plan is not meant to represent all of the work that takes place in our school, but rather it focuses on specific areas for improvement.​​​

​​​​School Improvement Results Report

Our school also prepares a results plan, which looks at our previous school year. It shows our students’ achievement and progress in meeting the goals and outcomes as set out by the CBE and Alberta Education, outlines some of the highlights of our school development plan and gives an overview of our school. You can look on the CBE website for system-wide results​.
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