Regular Programs
Regular Programs
Kindergarten
Please note that Crawford Plains School is full in planned classes in Kindergarten in the regular program for families outside of the school's attendance area. If you live in our attendance area and are looking for a space in Kindergarten in the regular program only, please register using the school’s online process.
Crawford Plains offers kindergarten classes, both half-day morning and afternoon classes. Although it is not mandatory for parents to send their children to kindergarten, it is strongly encouraged, as it teaches language, motor, social and other readiness skills important for success in schooling in the early grades. Students are eligible to enroll in kindergarten if they will be 5 years old on or before December 31st of the year they are enrolled. We welcome registrations any time beginning February for the following year.
The kindergarten curriculum provides instruction in seven learning areas: Early Literacy; Early Numeracy; Citizenship and Identity; Environment and Community Awareness; Personal and Social Responsibility; Physical Skills and Well-being; and Creative Expression.
At Crawford Plains, early literacy and math skills are emphasized. We focus on the alphabet (letter names, sounds and formation) and reading both phonetic and sight words. In early fall, we begin our home reading program. The children take home a book to read to an adult each night. Every day is busy and full of learning opportunities which build together to form a strong educational foundation!
Grades 1-6
Crawford Plains School offer English and French Immersion programs to students from Grade one to Grade six. School staff provide instruction that follows the mandated Alberta curriculum. We emphasize academic achievement in the core subject areas: Language Arts, French Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. In addition to these subjects students receive instruction in Music, Physical Education, Health and Art. Computer technology is integrated meaningfully into different subject areas. All students benefit from excellent instruction and quality resources. Adaptations and supports to assist in learning success are carefully monitored to ensure ongoing success. Student strengths are celebrated and extended to bring about further learning.
Our Language Arts program is structured so that each grade level has their Guided Reading program at the same time. We have organized our staffing so that we can provide maximum support during each grade level’s Guided Reading time. This provides us with regular small group instructional time to address critical and creative thinking skills during high quality literacy learning experiences.
The staff at Crawford Plains School believe that quality teaching practices lead to quality learning experiences. Through professional development and collaboration, the staff provide innovative and effective education that allows for greater levels of success for the students. As a professional learning community, staff members collaborate with other professionals within and outside of the school to improve their practice. We are very lucky to have a highly skilled team of teachers and support staff who share their expertise and are always willing to explore leading edge teaching strategies. We expect and encourage the role and responsibility of parents as partners in their child’s education. The support of our parents is essential to helping our students be successful!
At Crawford Plains School, academic achievement is always our top priority. We are proud of our students’ results on Provincial Achievement Tests as Crawford students as a whole consistently exceed provincial and district results. Our results from the Highest Level of Achievement Tests are also stellar with over 85% of our students being able to write at or above Grade Level.
FSL
FSL is a French language arts program in which students learn to speak, read and write in French and become familiar with the French culture. Students in our English program begin their study of FSL in Grade 4. There is an equal emphasis on the development of all four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) when meeting the needs of all language learners.
One of the instructional strategies which enhances the oral acquisition of French is The Accelerated Integrated Method (AIM) of Language Learning. A key component of this method is the Gesture Approach used to teach essential, high frequency vocabulary. The result is the students are speaking more of the time and not just the teacher.
Activities are varied, so the students have the opportunity to work individually, in partners, small groups and as the whole class. Students often work in pairs or small groups to develop dramatic scenes that they share in class and receive feedback in order to gain proficiency. A variety of games are also introduced. Here the students are using the language, learning and having fun.