Oki, Tunsai, Danit'ada, Taanishi, Bonjour, and Hello Hidden Valley School Families,  

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! We are thrilled to welcome all families to HVS. This time of year brings excitement and curiosity about what's ahead, as well as some worries and nerves – and that's perfectly normal for everyone, including our staff! 

HVS is an important part of our community. As a community hub we look forward to inviting families to join in school events and activities, fostering a sense of belonging and engagement. As the principal of HVS, I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this exceptional school and the wonderful community it serves. 

We are working diligently to get our school ready to welcome students on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 8:30am and look forward to meeting families and hearing about the wonderful adventures that students had this summer. 

Back to School – Open House  

We are excited to invite you to an Open House on August 28, 2024 from 2:00-2:45pm. This event is a wonderful opportunity for you to take a self-guided tour of our school, meet your child's teacher, and get acquainted with our school. The office will be open throughout the event, allowing you to connect with our office staff and administration at any time.  

We look forward to seeing you and welcoming any of our new families to our school community! 

Pick Up and Drop off Information  

Hidden Valley School is a busy place during student drop off and pick up. With a student population of over 570, we want to ensure everyone’s safety. Whenever possible, please consider parking further away from the school and walking your child onto school grounds. Our school website has important information regarding safe parking and drop off. Please review it here: https://hiddenvalley.cbe.ab.ca/parking 

Entry / Exit Door Map Information 

Teachers will share this information in an email on Tuesday, August 27. 

Back to School Information – 2024-2025 

Our website has additional information regarding Back to School. You can find it here. 

HVS offers Community Programming and French Immersion Programming  

Hidden Valley School provides programming for Kindergarten to Grade 4 students living in Hidden Valley and the larger catchment area. Students transition to Valley Creek School for Grade 5.  

We also provide French Immersion programming, a program of choice, for Kindergarten to Grade 4 students living in the NW portion of the city. Students transition to Valley Creek School for Grade 5.   

While HVS offers both instruction and learning in English (Community Program) and French (French Immersion), we consider ourselves as one school and students in either program will have opportunities to share their learning together. 

Grade/Teacher Placement 

Each family will get an email from their child’s teacher by the end of the day on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, sharing more information about our first few days of school.  

Our plan is to organize in combined, multi-grade, allowing us to prioritize smaller, equitable class sizes and established relationships between students, families, and peers.  

Organizing our school using combined grades is an instructional and pedagogical approach whereby:  

• all students are encouraged to reach for their highest level of understanding possible 
• instruction addresses the general and specific outcomes from each Program of Studies, and feedback, assessment, and reporting are always specific to the enrollment grade. 
• to ensure equitable access to grade-level curricular content.  
• when progressive skill outcomes or common concepts are the focus of instruction, all students in the class work together, but at other times, tasks and/or resources may need to be specific to the topics/outcomes associated with each grade-level group in order to ensure students have access to a fulsome curriculum within a single school year. 

Additionally, we will provide specialist instruction in Music as well as focused and intentional instruction in in Physical Education & Well-Being and Intervention.  

Our Staff  

School Hours  

AM Kindergarten Monday - Thursday 8:40am - 11:31am 

PM Kindergarten Monday - Thursday 12:19pm - 3:10pm  

Grade 1 – 4 - 8:40 am – 3:10pm  

Grade 1 - 4 Lunch - 11:40am - 12:22pm 

Kindergarten, Grade 1 - 4 Early Dismissal – Friday at 12:40pm 

School Office Hours  

Monday – Thursday - 8:10am to 3:40pm  

Friday - 8:10am to 1:10pm 

Student Absences  

If your child is going to be absent or late, please notify the office at 403-777-7236 and press 1 for the Attendance Line.  Please leave a message indicating your child’s name and their teacher’s name.  It is very important to also give the reason for the absence and the length of the absence if known. 

All students who arrive late need to report to the office for a Welcome to School slip, before proceeding to their class. They will then be marked late rather than absent. 

Volunteering at HVS  

Volunteers are valued members of our community in their support of our students, and we are thrilled to have the ongoing support. Volunteers are people who assist schools and/or students in either curricular or extra-curricular activities in accordance with AR 5003 | Volunteers. 

Volunteers are placed in positions of trust with students, staff and CBE property. Therefore, reasonable background checks must be completed prior to utilizing the services of volunteers. In CBE, volunteers require a valid PIC, including a Vulnerable Sector Check. 

This is applicable to: 

• All adults, 18 years & older, no matter their occupation or place of employment 
• All former CBE employees 
• All volunteer drivers, is anyone driving students without payment for that service 

If you require a PIC, please contact the school office to begin the process. 

School Supplies 
Student supplies are provided by the school and are purchased using the instructional supply fee. Your child is not required to bring any additional school supplies from home.  

Families are asked to provide indoor shoes which will be left at school each day, backpacks, lunch, and snacks. You may also choose to send your child with a water bottle.  

Students should bring a litterless snack each day. If they are staying for lunch at school, please see the below information about Lunch Supervision. 

Lunchroom Program 

Students in Grades 1 - 4 are welcome to stay at Hidden Valley School for lunch on the first day at school. While parents/guardians will need to register their child for a lunchroom, this cannot be done until mid-September. There is a monthly fee for this service. Students will need to bring their own lunch and all cutlery they require. We are also not able to warm up lunches.  

More information will be shared in the fall and through the Lunch Supervision section of the Hidden Valley School website - Lunchtime and CBE website – Lunch Supervision. 

Recess/Snacks  

Students in Grades 1 - 4 will have recess, Monday through Thursday, in the afternoon. As well as an opportunity for snack on Fridays. Students should bring a healthy snack to eat while at recess. 

Transportation  

You can find information about busing and transportation using the following link: 

https://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/busing-and-transportation/Pages/default.aspx 

Attendance and supervision are in place for students who take the bus to school, both when they arrive and when they leave at the end of the day.  

Supervision and Soft Entry  

Hidden Valley School will use a soft entry approach for welcoming students into school. Our outside bell will ring at 8:30am, allowing students to enter the school, anytime between 8:30am-8:40am. Instruction will begin promptly at 8:40am. 

Students who arrive at school will be supervised by staff starting at 8:25am. There is NO supervision for students before this time, please ensure your child(ren) are dropped off at school after 8:25am.  

Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up  

All students who arrive after 8:40 am will need to enter through the front door and parents will be required to sign them in at the office before their child can head to their classroom.  

The parking lot is for staff use only.   For the safety of  everyone,  please  do  not  use  the parking  lot  or  entrance  to  the  parking  lot  for dropping off or picking up students.  Guests and visitors of the school are requested to please use street parking. Please be courteous of our neighbours and do not block their driveways. 

The area directly in front of Hidden Valley School is a designated student drop off zone. Please do not park your vehicle in this area. A vehicle may be ticketed by Calgary By-Law officers or CPS if it is left unattended in this zone.  

Subscribe to School Messages 
Most school messages are sent to parents / guardians through SchoolMessenger. It’s a mass communication tool that allows schools to easily and securely send email, phone and text messages to parents / guardians, independent students in a particular grade, class, school or area. Messages are sent to the parent contacts on file at your school.​​ 

To ensure you receive important information from your child’s school and the Calgary Board of Education, subscribe to school messages.​ 

​​Fees and Waivers 
School fees will be charged to families starting in October. Online fee payment is the simplest and most convenient way to pay school fees. Parents can use their online account to pay fees or apply for a waiver. 

You can find more information on the CBE school fees and waivers​ page. 

Technology Support for Students and Parents  

Technology support for myCbe, School Engage, G Suite for Education.  

https://cbe.ab.ca/support/Pages/Home.aspx 

CBE - Community Program – Hidden Valley School  

Elementary school, or education from Kindergarten to Grade 4, is an exciting time of growth, exploration and discovery. Our elementary education programs help students build a strong foundation of learning that will carry them through the rest of their time in school, and beyond. Even though most of our schools offer a regular program, no two are quite the same. All schools teach according to Alberta Education’s mandated curriculum, however a school’s focus, optional courses and school activities are as unique as every school.  

CBE - Program Options – Languages - Hidden Valley School  

The CBE offers Immersion and Bilingual Language programming from Kindergarten to Grade 12 as an alternative program. Bilingual and Immersion Programs support students to become functionally fluent while achieving the learner outcomes of all core and complementary courses. Hidden Valley School is proud to be the home of one of CBE’s French Immersion programs.  

https://www.cbe.ab.ca/programs/program-options/Pages/Languages.aspx 

Yes You Can Help! Information and Inspiration for Parents of French Immersion Students 

https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/3d1b0f16-a812-4952-9212-07f086bb3b2a/resource/d1acc041-f151-4354-a7b2-ae587202e711/download/5425805-2011-yesyoucanhelp.pdf 

Curriculum 
In Alberta, Curriculum or Programs of Study are determined by Alberta Education. It identifies what students are expected to learn and do in all subjects from kindergarten to Grade 12. You can find the new K – 6 Curriculum on the Alberta Education website. 

The Calgary Board of Education does not decide what is taught in our schools. However, our teachers decide how the curriculum is taught in their classrooms. 

Communication: Hidden Valley School   

SchoolMessenger   

We use the email you have provided us to communicate with you through SchoolMessenger.  If you have changed your email address, please update it on the “Demographic Verification” forms on your MyCBE Account.  

Hidden Valley Highlights:   

The Hidden Valley Highlights will be sent out through SchoolMessenger from the office to families weekly. You will find important information about what is happening in the school in this email.  The information is also posted on our website. 

Teacher Email:   

Your child’s teacher will communicate through regular e-mails. They will be providing families with information about what students are learning and about any special events occurring in the classroom. Your child’s teacher is available to speak with you regarding your child. They can be reached by calling Hidden Valley School or through email.   

Dogs 

Please be advised that in accordance with City of Calgary Bylaws dogs (big and small), even those that are leashed or carried, are not permitted on school grounds, playgrounds or sports fields.   Although children enjoy playing with dogs, we cannot risk the chance of a dog biting a child or causing an allergic reaction.  We appreciate your cooperation in this matter, which will help to keep the children safe and our school grounds clean. 

myCBE – PowerSchool  

Do You Have a MyCBE Account? Have You Added Your Child(ren) To the Account? 

Parents / Legal Guardians / Independent Students who have not already done so, must create a MyCBE account and add their child(ren) to the account to: 

• access your child’s program information (e.g., course assessments, daily attendance record, report card) 
• view your child’s learning using Brightspace by D2L 
• pay fees and request waivers 
• register for transportation and lunch ​supervision 
• book parent-teacher conferences 
• submit online school forms (required for 2024-2025 school year) 

You will need your email address on file at the school as well as your child’s CBE ID, which can be found on the: 

• SchoolEngage student profile, for families that registered their child using SchoolEngage.  
  Note | For a visual guide on how to find the CBE ID within SchoolEngage, refer to SchoolEngage CBE Student ID 
• CBE Report Card, beside the child's name 
• CBE ID card 

MyCBE Account 

For parents / legal guardians / independent students without a MyCBE account 

1. Sign in at www.cbe.ab.ca/mycbe 
2. Create the account; refer to MyCBE - Creating an Account 
3. Add child(ren); refer to MyCBE - Adding Additional Students 

For parents / legal guardians / independent students with a MyCBE account 

1. Sign in at www.cbe.ab.ca/mycbe 
2. Add child(ren); refer to MyCBE - Adding Additional Students​ 

Hidden Valley School Website  

Our school website is updated on an ongoing basis. Please bookmark this page and reference it when you have any questions.  

The following sections of our website may be the most helpful:  

• Hidden Valley School Weekly Update – News Article/Main Page – updated weekly  
• Ongoing Calendar – New Article / Main Page and on Calendar page  
• Hidden Valley Instructional Calendar 24-25 
• School Council and Parent Society  
• Fees 
• Lunch Supervision   

Sincerely,  

Mrs. Michelle Chastko 

Principal, Hidden Valley School