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 through a conversation, please feel free to come on by, email somerset@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 Somerset. We know how important school selection is when you are looking to buy.
Somerset School is a regular program, K - 4 school serving the southwest Calgary community of Somerset. 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, 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, numeracy and well-being 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.
A key element which flows throughout the work at Somerset school is a “welcoming, caring, respectful and safe” learning environment which “respects diversity and nurtures a sense of belonging and positive sense of self” is the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be well in every sense of the word. We need to be well emotionally, intellectually, physically, socially and spiritually.
Leaning into the Medicine Wheel as a key visual for well-being, not only provides a visual framework to build our conceptual understanding of wellness, it also supports the application of First Nations, Metis and Inuit knowledge systems. The wisdom from other cultures and diverse life experiences provides us with an alternative way to think about how we can raise strong resilient students. Building resilient students is a balance between educating not only the Mind, but the Spirit, Heart and Body. Teaching the Mind can come from books, conversations, and other forms of communications, but we can only build the heart or student wellness from providing students with certain experiences.
At Somerset School we are nurturing the heart, mind and spirit of our students by providing students with experiences to expand their abilities to:
1) show kindness and generosity by teaching and modelling the act of assuming good intent and forgiving the mistakes of others. Generosity involves showing respect for self, others, and the environment(s) we live in. These actions demonstrate the how we know we are good.
2) show belonging by teaching and modelling how to be friendly and cooperative with others. These actions demonstrate how important each of us are.
3) show perseverance in times which challenge us both academically and socially. This requires the development of an emotional vocabulary to support the ability to be self-aware and demonstrate self-control, patience, and independence. Independence is the action of being responsible for ourselves and our actions.
4) show curiosity and mastery which demonstrates what we are capable of.
This work is fuelled by the common goal of progressing students along the continuum of becoming "problem solvers, who think critically and are actively engaged in leading healthy lives of meaning." A goal which is achieved when student readiness to learn factors are met and they can actively engage in lesson explicitly focused on furthering their individual literacy, numeracy and well-being competencies.
