Programs
Early Learning Program
Inspiring Curiousity
Our educational practices are shaped by a strong focus to create learning environments that honour the unique individuality of each child and nurture their growth in body, mind and spirit. Early Learning Program settings have been designed to include children with assessed developmental delays from 3 to 4 years old and play partners from 3 to 4 years old. Program Unit Funding (PUF) or mild to moderate support is available depending on your child’s assessed level of need. ELP is available in many of our Elementary Schools. We also provide early intervention supports within private preschools and child care centres.
Kindergarten
We are excited for your child to have their first experience in our school. Generally, it takes about six to eight weeks for the children to become familiar with and settle into the classroom routine. They will be learning classroom routines and will need time to adjust to socializing in a large group setting. With patience and understanding they will adapt well and will discover many new exciting concepts as they venture down the path of learning.
Play & Learn Program
George Davison offers a Play & Learn program option for parents that are interested in a fulltime experience. This program will be taught by an Early Childhood Educator in the opposite time to kindergarten. The fee for this program is $275.00 per month. If you are interested, please connect with our office.
Grades 1-6
To Live, To Love, To Laugh, To Learn, To Leave a Legacy
The goal of an inclusive education system is to provide all students with meaningful learning opportunities and supportive learning environments to enable them to be successful. The Medicine Hat Public School Division Student Services team supports schools to ensure that each student belongs and receives a quality education, regardless of their ability, disability, language, cultural background, gender or age.
English Language Learner
ELL
Medicine Hat Public School District offers language and cultural support to English language learners (ELL) registered from Kindergarten to Grade 12. We have students from a rich variety of backgrounds and who speak many different languages at home. After new students register, a language assessment may be completed to determine the needs of the student. This serves as a guide for programming and allows us to make a recommendation regarding type and frequency of support. We offer your child a welcoming environment that honours our students’ heritage, helping to ease the transition into Canadian life and culture. If your child is transferring from a different school or district where they received ELL support, then please indicate this when you register your child at the new school. If your child’s primary language, or the language spoken in the home is not English, then please also indicate this when you register your child for school. Your child may benefit from receiving English language support even if they have been born and raised in Canada.
Physical Education Daily (K-6), with a Specialist for gr. 1-6
Phys-Ed
Family School Liaison Worker
FSLW
Help Us Grow
H.U.G.
Helping Us Grow (HUG) is part of the provincial Mental Health Capacity Building Initiative, that works to promote positive mental health in children, youth, families and individuals in the community who interact with children and youth. The funding for this program comes from Alberta Health Services Provincial Addiction and Mental Health. We have been in operation since 2007 and we provide prevention and promotion services to all schools in the Medicine Hat Public School Division. Our program follows an evidence-based logic model and developmental framework based in an ecological context to guide programming. The MHCB program helps promote resiliency and increase protective factors. Everyone can benefit from efforts to promote mental health and prevent mental illness, where mental health refers to our ability to manage our life, attain goals, cope with life stressors and be able to bounce back from setbacks. The type of programming we offer includes skill development, such as coping, dealing with stress, communication, relationship building, self-care, and empathy building, among other important life competencies. Specific techniques include mindfulness, relaxation, emotional self-regulation and information on how the brain works. All of our work helps to increase awareness, reduce stigma and promote help seeking behavior when or before life or stress hits a tipping point. With one in five Alberta children and youth affected by substance use or mental illness, it’s vital that prevention and access to early mental health intervention or supports are available at an early age. We meet our mandate by: Delivering mental health promotion and prevention programming including presentations to students, staff, parents and/or other community members that increase wellbeing, resilience, protective factors, promote early identification of issues and addressing risk factors; Building capacity in others who work with children, youth and families, to deliver wellness presentations and programming; Organizing and facilitating school and community-wide mental health events and awareness campaigns; Facilitating our community partners to have access to students to promote their services and share their expertise Collaborate with service providers in the community to maximize service efficiencies and to advocate for unmet mental health needs for children and families; Share and exchange knowledge and resources between MHCB Programs through the MHCB Community of Practices established across the province. Together we can begin to help students and families start to identify various ways to manage stress and build resiliency.
First Nations Metis and Inuit Education
FNMI Program
Medicine Hat School Division offer First Nation, Metis and Inuit culture supports to all students to learn more about their cultural background. For more information, please connect with one of the school administrators.
FMNI - Learn moreISSP - Integrated School Support Program
The Integrated School Support Program (ISSP) is an ambitious crime prevention initiative that is intended to provide intensive wraparound services to address a variety of needs in a diverse school and community. The goal is to improve academic performance and the social, emotional, and physical well-being of children. The goal is to enhance and make accessible the supports and resources necessary to fulfill this goal. This program is funded and managed by the Calgary Police Youth Foundation. ISSP serves children and youth aged 4-12 years, their families and the community. The Integrated School Support Program is based on the whole child perspective, which includes nutrition, fitness, mindfulness, academic success, and emotional well-being. EXPECTED OUTCOMES of the Program • Improved school performance among all ISSP students. • Overall school academic scores improved compared to the beginning of or preceding the school year. • Decreased anti-social behaviour in and around the school compared to the beginning of or preceding the school year. • Decreased bullying perpetrated and/or experienced among students. • Improved physical fitness among students. • Improved nutrition among students. • Increased resiliency and strong indicators of mental health and wellness. The universal supports we have received are as follows: MENTAL HEALTH - Full time Family School Liaison Worker, Mrs. Brittany LeBlanc Supporting positive mental health is important while creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment. These resources, such as counseling, peer support, and universal awareness, assist students in managing stress, emotional challenges, and mental health issues, leading to improved well-being and academic success. PHYSICAL WELLNESS - Physical Education instruction by a specialist teacher, Ms Jenna Jelinski Daily physical education is an essential component of a well-rounded education, promoting physical fitness, healthy habits, and overall well-being among students. Collaboration between George Davison School and Mother Theresa School, plus other schools within the Integrated School Support Program Continuation of nutrition, after school programs and positive police presence George Davison School is extremely thankful for the support of this grant. We believe this research based, wraparound approach, will positively impact student success and our community.