Our school is located in the northwest community of Tuscany serving children attending Kindergarten in our English program until Grade 4. Tuscany School is also a dual track school with an Early French Immersion Program in Kindergarten through to Grade 5 that serves the communities of Tuscany, Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak. Tuscany School also hosts an Enhanced Educational Support Program for students Grade 1 through 6. Students in the English program from Tuscany attend Twelve Mile Coulee Middle School for Grades 5 - 9 and Bowness High School for Grades 10 - 12. Students in the Early French Immersion Program attend F.E. Osborne School for Grade 6 - 9.
In order to promote personalized learning and support individual student needs, instruction is organized through a single grade, team-teaching approach to learning in kindergarten and grade one through four. We adopted the Circle of Courage Philosophy to support the positive development of community and school culture; Belonging, Independence, Mastery and Generosity are the four tenets of the Circle of Courage that serve to enhance our sense of community and to facilitate cross grade academic and social activities and opportunities.
Our school priorities are to:
- Create optimal opportunities and conditions for learning that promote improved student achievement.
- Increase our students understanding of themselves as learners.
- Promote and support a collective improvement in learning and teaching of all individuals in the Tuscany school community that will result in improved achievement for our students.
School Motto
Engaging Hearts, Inspiring Minds, Building the Future Together
Stimuler les coeurs • inspirer les esprits • construire l’avenir ensemble
Historical Context | New Beginnings … Our Story
Tuscany School opened its' doors in September of 2006. We were passionate in learning about our roots and how the past would influence the story we were about to create. This is what we found out.
Many, many years ago the land that Tuscany School and the Tuscany Community now sit upon, was inhabited by the Blackfoot and Stoney people. It was used as a buffalo hunting ground and as a winter camp. There is archeological evidence of four separate camps dating back as long as 8,000 years. This area also encompasses Twelve Mile Coulee which is a significant natural environmental area that has a healthy ecosystem, housing Grassland, Parkland and Wetland habitats. Twelve Mile Coulee was named for the distance between Fort Calgary and the mission church in Morley, founded in 1873 by the Methodist minister, George McDougall, who played an important role in the history of the Blackfoot and Stoney nations at that time.
The Blackfoot and Stoney people enjoyed a rich and colorful existence where tradition and strong family values played an important role in their culture. Their very survival relied on everyone working together for the good of all. Songs, stories, dances and ceremonies were the major ways in which knowledge and culture were passed on to new generations. They valued the land and nature and took great care to honor the natural environment.
New beginnings are built upon the traditions and culture of the past. As we move forward in the 21st century in the Community of Tuscany and Tuscany School, it is our hope and intention of continuing our Story together, based on the strengths and experiences of the past combined with the knowledge of the present and our dreams for the future. If we are to learn from the past, this story must include a reverence for the environment and an inclusive perspective that honors the needs and dreams of our children in Tuscany and our ever widening global community.
Na'a's Heartbeat
Tuscany School students and staff worked with Elder Saa'kokoto and Calgary Opera to create Na'a's Heartbeat, an opera that celebrated and honoured Blackfoot stories and culture. A video of the opera is available below:
Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1bb2iiaxu9sl212/Na%27a%27s_Heartbeat_June2019.mp4
Password: TuscanySchool
