Bishop Pinkham School is a triple-track school offering English, Late and Continuing Immersion programs. The school also has the Area IV Bridges class and a system Communication, Sensory and Social Interaction Program (CSSI) class. The school population was 491 at the start of the 2008-09 school year. Students were bussed from several communities to the school. There are 35 staff members at the school.

Students at BP come with a wealth of abilities, talents and experiences which contribute positively to their personal and academic successes. In addition to a strong academic program taught by specialists, students are offered a strong complementary program taught by specialists in Art, Band, Dance, Drama, Construction Design and Communications, Foods, Fashion, Leadership, Multimedia and Outdoor Education. Last year Grade 8 immersion students were offered the opportunity to enhance their learning through a trip to Quebec. Locally, Grade 9 students participated in the PARTY program and the first annual BP Film Festival organized by the English Language Arts teachers.  Staff at BP believe that learning occurs outside the school walls and students are often involved in field trips around the city and beyond.

This is the third year that BP staff and students are working with the tenets of Programme International. Inquiry based learning and focusing on the characteristics of a good citizen and the needs of others occur regularly. Monthly student admin meetings provide students voice and input into the school community.

All teachers are involved in supporting learners who are on Individual Program Plans. Resource and ESL teachers provide expertise and assistance to identified learners throughout the year. Students completing Grade 9 at BP continue their educational journey in various schools and programs. The majority of students attend their designated High School, including Central Memorial, Western Canada, Ernest Manning, Henry Wisewood and Dr. E. P. Scarlett.

About our new report card

If you looked at our new Bishop Pinkham School report card you would notice that it includes more information than previous Junior High report cards.  Please take a moment to read this note to gain an understanding of the nature and reasons for this change.

The planning of the Calgary Board of Education is directly aimed at our ultimate vision:  Each student, in keeping with his or her individual abilities and gifts, will complete high school with a foundation of learning to function effectively in life, work and continued learning (Ends 1:  Mega End).  To maximize our efforts towards reaching this ultimate vision we focus our planning sharply on contributing dimensions:  academic success, citizenship, personal development and character (Ends 2 through 5).

The Ends were drafted, reviewed, approved and distributed by the Board of Trustees and the Chief Superintendent of Schools as guidelines for everything that takes place across our system and throughout our schools. The Ends are the goals, the objectives, and the desired outcomes for our students.  These Ends establish expectations for learners and are designed to be measured. 

An Ends Reporting Committee established a pilot project in 20 schools to explore how to align Ends 3, 4, and 5 with the reporting process for children and their parents/guardians.  For this reason, there are three additional areas on your child’s report card: Citizenship, Personal Development, and Character.  Each of these areas is measured with three descriptors that help to identify specific attributes of each End.  Details of the End Statements are outlined in our Three-Year Planning document, located online at http://www.cbe.ab.ca/AboutUs/3yrplan.asp.  Feedback for this pilot project will be gathered during the 2008-2009 year from school personnel, students and parents/guardians.

To learn more about this new report card, I suggest you refer to the September and October School Newsletters online at news.htm.

Over the weeks leading up to the first report card of the 2008-09 school year students were introduced to a common evaluation tool – a rubric – which they used to assess themselves in the areas of citizenship, personal development and character.  Your child’s self-assessment is the foundation from which their teachers will continue evaluating these areas on the next three report cards.  Please bear in mind that this is a pilot, so we want your feedback about both the evaluation process and the information provided on the report cards.  Your input will help us provide the Ends’ Alignment Reporting Pilot Committee with suggestions as to how to make improvements.  The best way to provide this feedback is by attending School Council meetings or by sending me an email (gmgislason@cbe.ab.ca).