Moving to Calgary... about education for kids

[Allos]

Greetings from Hong Kong!

First of all, sorry for the long post.

Our family will be moving from Hong Kong to Calgary by next Summer. We have 2 kids, one is 7 and one is 12. They will be attending grade 3 and grade 7 when we arrive in Canada.

We have not bought a house yet. My wife has done some research. Brentwood/ Charleswood/ Edgemont/ Hampton/ Hawkwood are places that we are interested in. Most likely we will move to one of these communities.

My wife is a little concern on schools they are going to attend.

Reason that I am asking is because in Hong Kong, parents are paranoid and are fighting (literally) to get the kids into the best school possible. Here in Hong Kong people believe that elementary/ high school will determine that chance of getting into universities.

Shall we expect similar learning/ social experience among schools in different neighborhoods?

Will school be a deciding factor when you buy a house?

As parents we understand that we are the ones responsible for their behavior. However, we would also like to make sure that schools they are going to attend will have a good and healthy learning environment.

Some people we talked to said the we worry too much and all schools in Calgary are fine. Do you agree?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Allos

[moon]

No, No, and Yes.

[YYC in LAX]

Good communities. I believe all of those communities will go to the same high school. Elementary and junior high are a bit different but all equal education level in my opinion.

In Calgary there is:

1. Public school system
2. Catholic school system
3. Private school ($$)

[wooohooo]

I know if the kids live in Hamptons and Edgemont their Jr. High school should be Tom Baines - heard good things about that. Elementry for Edgemont is Edgemont school. Spiffin' school might I say... loved that school. Still a great school from what I hear.

But those are all good neighborhoods so you won't have too much to worry.

I should note that high school should be Sir Winston Churchill. It's usually neck and neck with Western for academics. So probably what you want to hear. Shout out to Mr. G for Calculus!

[Ozy_Flame]

Canadian culture is such that, comparatively speaking to Hong Kong, your elementary / junior high / high school is not really reflective of what university your kids will attend. It matters to some, but very little does the K-12 public and catholic system provide a bias for university selection. It's mostly based on marks, extracurricular activities, and attitude.

Private schools, I'm not sure about. Them rich kids seem to do pretty well for post-secondary education. But that's just my observation.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Consider some of the alternate programs and charter schools if you want a particular focus or structure.

The locations are likely less convenient, so there is a trade off.

Forgot to say - Welcome!

[moon]

My answers were simplistic but the point is that if you are a parent that cares about their kids education it likely doesn't matter what school they go to in Calgary as your attention to their schooling will have a much bigger impact on what happens in terms of post-secondary than what school they go to.

[Allos]

Thank you very much CP!! This helps to clear a lot of doubts from our minds! Moving to a new place is always a bit anxious... ;p

[malcolmk14]

The public school system in Calgary is very good. Your children will not have an issue with getting into University, regardless of what school they go to, especially if they are exceptional students.

As far as options go, there is the public school system, a couple of private schools, and then there are also a few publicly-funded charter schools in Calgary. Wait lists are long, but grade 7 is actually the year with the best shot at getting lucky.

Some of the students who attend these charter schools leave after grade 6 to attend a Junior High that is closer to home, so they occasionally do have a couple of openings for grade 7 students.

To get the kids into these charter schools, you basically have to sign them up on the wait list at birth. But it is definitely another option to look in to. Who knows, they might have an opening. Obviously if this is the route you choose, have a reliable plan B because it might not work out.

Some of the schools are:

Calgary Science School
Calgary Girls School (if your kids are girls)
Foundations for the Future Charter School (multiple campuses)
Westmount Charter School (for gifted learners)

[malcolmk14]

As far as Calgary Board of Education high schools go, Sir Winston Churchill tests at or near the top of every subject.

2012 Grade 12 diploma exams:

English Language Arts - 2nd
Social Studies - 1st
Pure Math - 1st
Biology - 1st
Chemistry - 1st
Physics - 6th
Science - 1st

[skudr248]

Okay here is some advice on the schools from someone who didn't graduate 20 years ago like many posters here, but from someone who graduated a few years back,

There is no superiority in Calgary of the schools you attend, it's all about what your marks are, the public system is great here, and there is no need in going into private schools here in all honesty, it will not make a difference into your application into various universities. That being said, environment in many of them is different, I went from a school like Beaverbrook, to Centennial High School and I appreciated school there more, in terms of teachers, the environment, and especially the people. As the poster above me wrote exam's rank order of the school should not really be a deciding factor either, as it is determined by the students and their willingness and desire to learn

Oh and the housing situation, try taking a look into new developments in the SE, yeah it's a little further commute to the inner-city, but a lot more awesome things down here , and the new hospital just went up, that's coming from a guy living in the far SE Calgary since I immigrated here in '97 (mckenzie lake, mckenzie towne, douglasdale/glen, auburn bay, copperfield... etc google maps) I despise the north lol, whole different world up there

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by Allos

Greetings from Hong Kong!

First of all, sorry for the long post.

Our family will be moving from Hong Kong to Calgary by next Summer. We have 2 kids, one is 7 and one is 12. They will be attending grade 3 and grade 7 when we arrive in Canada.

We have not bought a house yet. My wife has done some research. Brentwood/ Charleswood/ Edgemont/ Hampton/ Hawkwood are places that we are interested in. Most likely we will move to one of these communities.

My wife is a little concern on schools they are going to attend.

Reason that I am asking is because in Hong Kong, parents are paranoid and are fighting (literally) to get the kids into the best school possible. Here in Hong Kong people believe that elementary/ high school will determine that chance of getting into universities.

Shall we expect similar learning/ social experience among schools in different neighborhoods?

Will school be a deciding factor when you buy a house?

As parents we understand that we are the ones responsible for their behavior. However, we would also like to make sure that schools they are going to attend will have a good and healthy learning environment.

Some people we talked to said the we worry too much and all schools in Calgary are fine. Do you agree?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Allos

Brentwood, Hamptons and Charleswood would have your child headed to William Aberhart for High School. It's a good school, lots of quality extra curricular activities and an extremely dedicated, quality core of teachers. I've recently returned to the school to help out with the football program and was amazed at how many of the "good" teachers still remain after a decade + since I graduated.

Also, I'm not sure if this influences your decision at all but it's worth noting incase it does, Sir Winston Churchill has historically had an extremely high rate of asian students attending their school. People always joke that it's these students that keep the schools academic rankings so high

Good luck, I hope your move goes smoothly!

[Bunk]

Simply put, Calgary/Alberta has amongst the best, most consistent public school systems on earth. Wherever you live in Calgary, your children will have a very good education. We tend to take it a bit for granted here.

[Allos]

Again, thank you very much!!!! I feel much more comfortable now. You guys are awesome!!

[Hustle]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

I know if the kids live in Hamptons and Edgemont their Jr. High school should be Tom Baines - heard good things about that. Elementry for Edgemont is Edgemont school. Spiffin' school might I say... loved that school. Still a great school from what I hear.

But those are all good neighborhoods so you won't have too much to worry.

I should note that high school should be Sir Winston Churchill. It's usually neck and neck with Western for academics. So probably what you want to hear. Shout out to Mr. G for Calculus!

To this day, Mr. G was the best teacher I've had. Period.

As for the OP, I grew up in Edgemont and went to Baines for Jr. High and Churchill for high school (as the above poster mentioned)... no complaints on that end. I'd agree with everything else mentioned thus far - schools (generally speaking) won't hold kids back from getting to post-secondary here. Comes down to parenting and the kids themselves.

We're actually extremely lucky when it comes to this stuff when you think about it.

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by Allos

Greetings from Hong Kong!

First of all, sorry for the long post.

Our family will be moving from Hong Kong to Calgary by next Summer. We have 2 kids, one is 7 and one is 12. They will be attending grade 3 and grade 7 when we arrive in Canada.

We have not bought a house yet. My wife has done some research. Brentwood/ Charleswood/ Edgemont/ Hampton/ Hawkwood are places that we are interested in. Most likely we will move to one of these communities.

My wife is a little concern on schools they are going to attend.

Reason that I am asking is because in Hong Kong, parents are paranoid and are fighting (literally) to get the kids into the best school possible. Here in Hong Kong people believe that elementary/ high school will determine that chance of getting into universities.

Shall we expect similar learning/ social experience among schools in different neighborhoods?

When I moved to Calgary from HK many years ago, I was in pretty much the same situation as your kids. I was 9 years old, going into grade 5. I had no idea what my parents asked and who my parents asked, but I somewhat understand the educational system in HK.

A majority of the time, people will go to their designated school within their area. Whether it be a Catholic school or a public school (There is the choice of private schools as well). Each school has its pros and cons. I can almost guarantee that there is not going to be any fighting, waiting in line, etc.. when it comes to schools. Universities will look less at what school your kids attended, but on their grade, so ultimately, it is really up to your kids.

As parents we understand that we are the ones responsible for their behavior. However, we would also like to make sure that schools they are going to attend will have a good and healthy learning environment.

Some people we talked to said the we worry too much and all schools in Calgary are fine. Do you agree?

If some people that you talk to in Calgary say you worry too much, in their sense, you probably are, especially if they don't understand how competitive it is in HK to get into certain schools. Those are valid concerns for many parents, whether they're locals or immigrants.

Drawing on personal experience, grades 5 and 6 weren't really good for me, it wasn't until I was into Junior high that things started to look up. Of course, back when I went to grade 5 almost 14 years ago, I was one of 2 Asian people in the class, my English wasn't very good, so I was usually the one that got picked on. Looking at it now, times have changed, classrooms in most schools are very diverse culturally. Your kids will have a good, healthy learning environment.

[JohnnyB]

What type of school do your children currently attend and what type of curriculum do they study in?

I've been working in international education admin for a few years now in Asia, currently in Shanghai. I haven't worked in education in Calgary, but I grew up through it and my mother was in school admin in Calgary and then BC until last year. Understanding the school and curriculum they're coming from makes a big difference in judging where they'll fit when they arrive.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Hustle

To this day, Mr. G was the best teacher I've had. Period.

[Anduril]

A good work ethic plus extra curriculars with a dash of volunteering when they're older will be more likely to be of help down the road rather than picking a specific school over another.

Best of luck.

[Allos]

Kids are attending typical Hong Kong style schools -- lots of homeworks/ lots of tests. They speak fluent english. Academically, we do not think there will be any problems for them to adapt.

Reason that we asked those questions was because even as adults we are very nervous/ anxious about moving to a new environment for them. It will be drastic change for the kids. We are hoping to help them to ease into a new environment as smoothly as possible. As parents, we do what we can do The rest will be up to them.

I used to go to high school at Three Hills. It was a very good experience. Teachers and classmates were super nice. It was 20 years ago but I always cherished the time I spent there. I would certainly hope that my kids will think of their high school days with a big smile when they grow up!

After reading your replies I am confident that we have made a right decision to move to Calgary. Thanks CP!