COVID-19

We continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on the health and safety of our school. Check below regularly for updates from our school Principal on our COVID-19 response.

Help Keep Our School Healthy

Stay Home When Sick

Monitor symptoms and follow provincial guidelines.

Daily Health Check

The daily health check must be completed before school via PowerSchool.

Mandatory Masks Grades 4–12

Masks must be worn at all times indoors.
Strongly recommended K-Grade 3.

Learn from Home Resources

We’ve compiled some helpful resources for parent to help their children succeed in an online learning environment. Please access any of the links below for more information.

Onenote Class Notebook

A personal workspace for every student.

Powerschool Learning

Learn from remotely and stay connected with your teachers.

Powerschool Learning Instructions

Learn everything you need to navigate PowerSchool Learning.

Seesaw

Learn from remotely and stay connected with your teachers.

Seesaw Help Center

The Seesaw Help Center will support you as you learn about and use Seesaw.

Seesaw Instructions

A step-by-step guide on how to access Seesaw at home.

Refunds Update

As a result of the closure of Calgary Academy School due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several programs, such as CASSC, the Prepaid Lunch Program and others, as well as bussing service were cancelled.

Refunds for these cancelled programs and bussing service are currently being analyzed. Calgary Academy is in the process of collecting information on payments made by impacted families. Due to the volume and capacity constraints, refunds will take some time to process. No refunds will be issued for tuition and related fees.

With bus service suspended, Calgary Academy will reimburse families bussing fees paid for each non-attended school day by the end of June 2020, or earlier if Alberta Education announces that the school building will remain closed until the end of the school year.

We will apply all refunds as an offset to any amounts owing prior to issuing refunds. If you receive a confirmation from us, it means that we have processed a refund for a program and/or bus service and the funds will be e-transferred to you or that the funds or portion of the funds, have been applied to outstanding amounts owed. E-transfers will be sent to email addresses in School Admin.

No further action is required by parents/guardians to receive a refund. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we complete this mass refund process, recognizing it is very important that our families receive monies owed as soon as possible.

Last modified on: April 21, 2020

FAQs

Learning and Student Experience

What is the online academic plan to continue learning in the school should the closure continue indefinitely?

Our teaching teams are prepared to deliver classes online for as long as is necessary. Learning will continue until the end of the school year, no matter the length of the closure.

How will student learning outcomes be achieved and measured while learning from home in a digital environment?

Calgary Academy will be continuing to assess student progress and provide feedback to families through a variety of measures. We anticipate that we will be adjusting the mechanisms for how we will assess student achievement and will ensure student progress is our main priority. We will address exams and major assessments in our communication home as we learn of the extent of the closure.

Will be child be penalized in this “learning from home” strategy?

No. Alberta Education has confirmed all students will progress to their next grade, and grade 12 students will graduate. Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) in grades 6 and 9 have been cancelled. A decision regarding Diploma exams for grade 12 students is forthcoming. We are committed to continuing to lead your child through the learning process, however, so that when we do return, or next school year if that is the case, your child has covered their grade level curricular outcomes. As for our grade 12 class, we want to try to ensure as much success for them as possible as they transition to post-secondary or the workforce.

What do I do if the school-provided technology breaks down or programs are malfunctioning?

We ask that all students be reminded of the acceptable use policy at the end of the Family Handbook on our website for the proper use and care of a school-provided device. If your child requires technical support of any kind, please contact itsupport@calgaryacademy.com and our IT department will get back to you as soon as possible with solutions and support.

My child has exams in March. Will they be rescheduled?

All scheduled in-person exams are currently postponed until April. As we learn the extent of the closure, this approach may change. Your child’s teacher or Assistant Principal will communicate any change in expectations clearly and early.

What is the school doing to provide for my student’s wellness – physical health?

We are excited to offer a daily physical education/wellness break on our Instagram channel. As it is the channel most frequented by students, our Physical Education teachers will be sharing how they are staying active during the school closure. Visit Instagram.com/calgaryacademy to find the archives.

What if I or my family contracts COVID-19 or another illness, and my child can’t join online learning? What help is available to them, and will they be penalized academically?

We are committed to ensuring our students are not penalized by a health crisis. Should you or your child contract COVID-19 or any other illness that prevents participation in learning, please contact your child’s teacher to discuss accommodations.

 

What if I don’t think my child will do well with online lectures/exams/group projects? Can I request some kind of accommodation or exception?

Our teachers are working hard to develop online learning that will work for everyone. Our approach will be engaging and drive connection with students. This is meant to be a different experience than what you may have had in the past. If you have concerns about your child, please start by reaching out to your child’s teacher.

What if I find it difficult to support my child in an online environment? What help will be available?

As we build our capacity to manage an altered learning environment we will be continuing to communicate consistently and frequently with families about what is needed. Our desire is to mitigate parents needing to work directly on teaching, however there may be support needed, depending on the age of the student and on the subject material being addressed.

Our teaching staff will be readily available online during regular school hours to assist in any way needed. We have tools that can enable virtual face-to-face communication if that is needed. We will also be posting online resources to our COVID-19 webpage that will support students and parents.

Other

What do I do if I have questions about the length of the closure or other questions regarding COVID-19?

If you have questions related to COVID-19 in particular, please go to our website for the most current information: www.calgaryacademy.com/covid-19/. If you have questions regarding how our school is dealing with this unprecedented event, please email covid19info@calgaryacademy.com.

Will we be notified if a member of our school community is asked to self-isolate?

AHS will take the lead in notifying a community when they believe there is reason to be concerned about exposure to a case of COVID-19. If you or your child is at risk due to close contact with COVID-19, AHS will notify you.

What assistance is available to help my family cope with the emotional impact of the situation?

We understand that this situation is alarming. We are committed to supporting all members in our community. If your child is feeling anxious or concerned, please encourage them to speak with their teacher.

Students can also access Kids Help Phone confidentially 24/7 by calling 1-800-668-6868.

How will I know it is safe to return to school?

We will take the recommendation from the province on when it is safe to return to school. We will share that information with parents as soon as we have it. All staff and students will be asked to complete a self-assessment prior to returning to school, to ensure they are healthy and it is safe for them to do so.

I will still be traveling during Spring Break. What is the protocol for me and my family’s return?

The current advice from Alberta Health is that all travelers returning from outside Canada after March 12 should self-isolate on their return for 14 days, independent of the country they were visiting. If we are still in the remote “work and learn from home” strategy following Spring Break, then your recommended 14-day self-isolation period won’t affect your child’s learning as they can continue to learn at home.

Who do I contact if I have more questions?

Parents with questions or concerns about learning can connect with their teacher directly, or can send general questions to covid19info@calgaryacademy.com.

Questions about tuition, refunds, or payments should be directed to Annette Moline at ar@calgaryacademy.com, or can leave a message at 403-686-6444 ext 321 and Annette will call you back.

School Events

Are we postponing or canceling scheduled school field trips, guest speakers, etc.?

Yes. To prevent unnecessarily exposure to our students and the public all student and staff events for March and April have been canceled, and any later events are currently postponed until further notice. If you have questions about a specific event, please reach out to the organizer.

What will happen with current research projects and studies that are underway?

While some research will be put on hold, we hope to have plans in place to allow core research operations to continue. If your child’s class was a part of any active research study, the Executive Director of Learning and Innovation with be in touch with more details soon.

Are upcoming student social events or off-site events cancelled like recognition nights and grad?

Currently these events are not cancelled as they are planned to be held in May or June and given the fluidity of the situation it is too early to determine. Once we have further information on the duration of the closure, we will follow up with our students and parents.