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Go to child profileFoothills Academy is an independent school for students with diagnosed Learning Disabilities in grades 3 - 12. Small class sizes allow the experienced staff to create a positive learning environment that builds on the strengths and unique learning styles of each student while supporting their social and emotional needs. A wide variety of extra-curricular activities, sports and clubs are offered. With a graduation rate of close to 100%, our students go on to post-secondary education and the workplace.
What learning looks like now: Following guidelines providing by Alberta Health Services and Alberta Education, we are planning for students to return to school on Sept. 1 full-time with protocols in place as laid out in Scenario 1. Students will be supported by Foothills Academy to learn at home if they are required to isolate due to illness or because they are a close contact of a case of COVID-19. Support will be provided for at-home learning is via Classroom Streaming. Every person entering Foothills Academy MUST be wearing a mask, and masks MUST be worn in all common areas of the building, such as hallways, receptions desks and open areas. Masks may be removed in classrooms or offices if the room has a closing door and if the individuals within the room can safely practice physical distancing. All parents must complete the COVID-19 Symptoms screening tool with their child every day before coming to school or getting on the bus. All staff members must complete the screening tool, and will be required to sign-in upon entering the building, to confirm that they have no symptoms of COVID-19. All visitors coming into the school must sign in and declare that they do not have symptoms of COVID19. Foothills Academy will be limiting visitors into the building, and parents wanting to drop off items for their students during the school day will be requested to do so at a designated area just by the front doors, rather than the front desk. A full school re-entry document is available on our website.
Curriculum delivery for 2020/21:
Grades | Living Arrangement | Delivery Model | Frequency |
---|---|---|---|
Day | Gr. 3 - Gr. 12 | In-person | Full-time |
Foothills Academy offers bus transferring. Service options offered are regular rider, regular rider AM only, regular rider PM only, occasional rider.
The regions Foothills Academy offers busing from are:
Additional notes: Busing is provided for students living within the city of Calgary and from Cochrane. Busing fees are included in tuition fees
aerial view
“Everybody is like me here.” That’s what one student said when asked why he liked going to Foothills. Indeed, while the academics are exceptional, as is the staff, it’s that relatability that is a draw for families, and which sits at the very core of the school’s success. We all do better in environments that we can relate to, and which in turn can relate to us. For the students that attend, Foothills is precisely that environment. If you have a chance, by all means, speak to a parent of a student, and remember to bring some tissues. The school rightly prides itself in making a difference in the lives of the children that attend, and they have, and they do, often in very moving ways. The students arrive having struggled in other settings, often lagging behind their peers in significant ways. That changes, often from the first day. It’s telling that at least one of the teachers—there may be more—is a graduate of the school. Not only has she achieved things that, perhaps, she at one point she may not have expected of herself, she also translates that experience to the students that she teaches today. In her, and in the school as a whole, students are encouraged to see the possibility within themselves. And, oftentimes, that makes all the difference.
Focus | Special needs |
---|---|
Academic | Special needs |
DIBELS Testing: This school does not use DIBELS testing to assess reading progress.
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Evolution as consensus theory | |
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories | |
Evolution is not taught |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Biology | |
Chemistry | |
Ecology | |
Geology | |
Meteorology | |
Physics | |
Physiology | |
Zoology |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Acting | |
Dance | |
Drama/Theatre | |
Graphic Design | |
Music | |
Visual Arts |
Expressive | |
Disciplined |
Subject | offered |
---|---|
Computer science | |
Robotics | |
Web design |
Flexible pacing style | offered |
---|---|
Subject-streaming (tracking) | |
Multi-age classrooms as standard | |
Ability-grouping (in-class) as common | |
Frequent use of cyber-learning (at-their-own-pace) | |
Regular guided independent study opportunities | |
Differentiated assessment |
Full-time programming is offered for all students which is exclusively focused on one or more special needs.
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation | |
Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties |
Subject Type | offered |
---|---|
Accommodations | |
Modifications | |
Extra support |
Read our guide to special needs schools and special education
Program | offered |
---|---|
Full-time gifted program (parallel to rest of school) | |
Part-time gifted program (pull-out; parallel to rest of class) |
Curriculum delivery: This information is not currently available.
Program | offered |
---|---|
Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement) | |
Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement) | |
Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others) | |
Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement) | |
Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement) | |
Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement) |
In grade Gr. 12, Foothills Academy students perform an average of 1.5 hours of homework per night.
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Foothills Academy | 30 mins | 45 mins | 45 mins | 45 mins | 60 mins | 60 mins | 60 mins | 90 mins | 90 mins | 90 mins |
Site Average | 24 mins | 30 mins | 35 mins | 41 mins | 53 mins | 57 mins | 69 mins | 81 mins | 97 mins | 106 mins |
Lettered or numbered grades | Gr. 3 to Gr. 12 |
Prose (narrative)-based feedback | Gr. 3 to Gr. 12 |
Academic achievement reporting | Gr. 3 to Gr. 12 |
Habits and behaviour reporting | Gr. 3 to Gr. 12 |
Parent-teacher meetings | Gr. 3 to Gr. 12 |
Competitive sports: 6
Recreational sports: 7
Foothills Academy offers 11 clubs and extracurricular programs.
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
Day | $15,600 |
Discounts
Discount Type | Enrolment Type | Amount |
---|---|---|
2nd child (sibling) | Day | $2,600 |
3rd child (sibling) | Day | $4,700 |
Grade range that need-based aid is offered: | 3 to 12 |
Percentage of grade-eligible students receiving financial aid | 40% |
Average aid package size | $7,500 |
Percentage of total enrolment on financial aid | 40% |
Total aid available | $900,000 |
Parents/guardians must submit a completed Tuition Reduction Application and submit copies of the most recent Canada Revenue Agency “Notice of Assessment” & pay stubs for all adults living in the household
The Foothills Academy Parents Association (FAPA) gives out three awards ($500 each) each year to graduating grade 12 students. Awards categories are:
FAPA Awards are given out at the graduation ceremony.
To apply, a graduating student should submit a project that reflects their personal journey (academic, social, self-development and awareness) that enabled their success at Foothills Academy.
A project may take any of the following forms:
Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | Gr. 3 to Gr. 12 | Coed | Day | 296 |
Total enrolment | 296 |
Average class size | 12 to 14 |
% of international students (total enrolment) | 0% |
Number of different nationalities within student population | N/A |
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Enrollment | 12 | 12 | 26 | 26 | 40 | 27 | 42 | 26 | 42 | 40 |
Class Size | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Assessment | Required | Grades |
---|---|---|
Interview | 3 - 12 | |
SSAT | ||
SSAT (out of province) | ||
Entrance Exam(s) | ||
Entrance Essay |
Day students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry:
No
Application fee: $50
Registration fee: N/A
Deposit:
N/A
Applicants for the school program must complete and submit the Application for Admission form, complete with necessary documentation. A non-refundable processing fee of $50 must accompany the application.
For your ease and convenience, we have created and included a checklist of items that we require. This information must be supplied before we can proceed with your child’s application. Upon receipt of the documentation and completed application form, and after reviewing the information, we will contact you concerning your child’s application to attend Foothills Academy. If there is any further information you require, please do not hesitate to call. We look forward to hearing from you.
Application Check List
Psychological Assessment
Support Documents
Application Form
The completed School Application form and $50.00 non-refundable process fee.
Consent Forms
Separate Consent to Release Forms should be sent by you, with a covering request letter, to the School Board, Doctor, Psychologist, etc. that tested your child so they will release their test information to Foothills Academy.
This is the percentage of applicants typically accepted into the school. So if 50 students are admitted out of 100 applicants, the school has an overall acceptance rate of 50%.
Student Entry Points
This shows approximately how many openings there are likely to be in each grade in a typical year, as well as the estimated acceptance rate for each grade level.
Student Type | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 12 (65%) | 0 - 6 (15%) | 13 (55%) | 0 - 1 (5%) | 14 (55%) | 0 - 4 (5%) | 0 - 5 (15%) | 0 - 5 (15%) | 0 - 2 (55%) | 0 - 2 (55%) |
Average graduating class size | 26 |
Students accepted into post-secondary studies upon graduation | 60% |
Percentage of students who attend post-secondary institutions outside of Canada | N/A |
Students who attended a Ivy+ school Number of students in the past 5 years that that attended one of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, University of Chicago, Oxford or Cambridge (UK) | N/A |
Mount Royal University | 20% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SAIT | 16% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University of Calgary | 8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University of Lethbridge | 5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lakehead University | 2% |
Foothills Academy Graduates’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Aggregate of All Schools’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Career planning | |
Internships | N/A |
Mentorship Program | N/A |
University counseling |
Founded in 1979, Foothills Academy has grown into a leading day school program (grades 3 - 12) for individuals with Learning Disabilities with average to above-average cognitive ability. Despite having faced challenges with learning in the past, we have high expectations of all students. What sets us apart is our focus is upon the whole child. While students strive to reach their academic potential and progress to University, College or the workplace, we ensure their social, emotional, and organizational skills are met too. We provide students with a safe and caring environment and the individualized teaching and supports they need to feel secure and confident to learn and achieve success in Alberta’s demanding curriculum. To round out their education, the demanding academic schedule is complemented by a wide variety of option classes and sporting activities. Every individual at Foothills Academy has great potential, and it is our role to realize this in every student and help them to discover the strengths that lie within them. At Foothills Academy, families will find a supportive, close-knit community working together to ensure everyone’s success.
To further support the whole child, Foothills Academy Society also operates Estelle Siebens Community Services within our centre. Year-round programs and services are available to both the school families and the wider community. They are a crucial resource for families affected by LD/ADHD in Calgary and beyond. These programs and services include Camp Amicus, Amicus Recreation, social skills programs parent and teacher workshops, psychological assessments, counselling, tutoring and research. Foothills Academy Society is a school and so much more!
September 2, 2020
School Re-Entry Protocols Fall 2020
While 2020 - 2021 will be an unusual school year, we have taken may measures to keep our students safe from COVID-19.
Read full article
September 2, 2020
Admissions Status Update
Applications for 2021-2022 School Year Will Be Accepted for Some Grades Starting Sept.. 14th
Read full article
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