Blackie School Overview

“Building Bright Futures Together”

Blackie School is a small rural school located in the village of Blackie just south of Calgary. The school has approximately 120 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade Eight. The teaching staff is comprised of eight teachers who work either full or part-time. Because of the small number of students who attend, it is likely each teacher will have an opportunity to interact at a personal level with each student at least once during the course of a school week. The majority of the older students have been taught by most of the teachers on staff. Combined, these two factors lend themselves to creating an environment where children know they are safe and that their education matters.

At Blackie School, opportunity abounds. Students are able to pursue most, if not all, of their interests. Very few students are ever excluded from extra-curricular activities, and all students are encouraged to apply their skills and abilities in unique and varied ways within each classroom. Within each classroom, teachers are committed to providing differentiated instruction, respecting the varied intelligences within a classroom, inclusion of an inquiry-based approach to teaching, and the use of assistive technologies to enhance student learning. As a result, teachers are able to help students explore their unique gifts and abilities, develop them, and then celebrate them. Students, who have the good fortune to attend Blackie School, develop confidence at an early age, and that confidence provides a strong foundation for lifelong learning and accomplishment. As a result, these students, with the help of their teachers, will have received the training and education they need to contribute positively in society as a result of the time they will have spent in Blackie School.

Vision

Improving learning for all students through intellectual engagement.

Mission

Each learner, entrusted to our care, has unique gifts and abilities.

It is our mission to find out what these are… Explore them… Develop them… and Celebrate them!

School Profile

Blackie School is a strong and vibrant Junior Kindergarten - Grade 8 Learning Community.  Our mission speaks to our reputation and tradition of building bright futures for our community’s youth. We strive for strong academic performance, inclusive quality athletics and excellence in the arts and performing arts.  Blackie School strives to be known as:

• A school where children and families have choice in programs that help develop and celebrate unique gifts and abilities and/or interests.
• A school where children, staff and community feel welcome, valued, happy, and supported.
• A school where children learn to their potential and beyond and experience success.
• A school where daily physical education, art, drama and music are important complements to the academic life.
• A school that has high expectations for success in learning and teaching based on experience, contemporary research, collaboration and student readiness.
• A school that brings to life learning in a relationship of staff, students, curricula, and assessment.
• A school where the staff are learners and continue to expand their knowledge of education and grow as individuals.
• A school where appropriate use of technology is valued as an integral part of the 21st century learners’ experience.
• A school where parents and the greater community are involved with their children and their learning.
• A school were staff and students understand, care about, and act upon ethical values and virtues.

Our Values

The following common values drive our “Essential Agreements” at Blackie.

• Each learner entrusted to our care has unique gifts and abilities.  It is our mission to find out what these are…  Explore them…  Develop them… Celebrate them…
• A culture and community of learners that value:
• respectful, responsible and resourceful global citizens.
• honest, clear, and effective communication.
• Every child knows we are committed to their well-being and learning and their unique differences are accepted and celebrated. 
• We promote global citizenship and ask students to think globally and act locally.
• We are a professional and collaborative culture of sharing and modelling lifelong learning that is focused on growth and well-being of every member of the learning community.
• We create invitations to all students to learn, engage and develop through opportunities that are authentic and meaningful.

Assessment & Reporting

Blackie School values student assessment capable learners and assessment practices that provide students with on-going formative feedback to show growth and guide learning, evaluation practices that clearly reflect student achievement to known curricular outcomes, and reporting procedures that clearly and effectively communicate all aspects of student learning. We value student voice with practices such as self assessment and surveys that ascertain student perceptions regarding teacher assessment practice.

Student Learning

Blackie School values engaged and meaningful student learning. To accomplish this, the staff provides meaningful, authentic and challenging learning opportunities for all students and encourages students to collaborate and appreciate each other’s work in respectful ways. Likewise, peer to peer coaching is valued.

Student Conduct

Blackie School values citizenship in students and staff. By setting clear expectations of student conduct and modeling “Bulldog” Pride, Blackie staff promotes leadership and good citizenship among students. Our Characteristics of a learner are nurtured through values and virtues education that is infused in our curricula and school wide events – all of our assemblies have character education woven in.