Frequently Asked Questions

Question: At what age is a child eligible to attend Kindergarten?
Answer: Visit the CBE Kindergarten page for more information including a Kindergarten Calculator that tells you when your child can begin kindergarten. .

Question: When can my child start in the Spanish Bilingual Program?
Answer: Kindergarten and Grade 1 (to September 30th of that school year) are the entry points for students with no Spanish.

Question: Can my child apply for Grades 2-5 in the Spanish Bilingual Program?
Answer: Students applying for entry into these grades from another CBE Spanish Bilingual school must complete the Expression of Interest Form on MYCBE account and attend an intake meeting with the school they are applying to enter.

Students applying for entry into these grades from a school outside the CBE must attend an intake meeting with the school they are applying to enter. An assessment of the student’s ability in Spanish is part of this intake meeting and must be at the level of the grade the student will enter (i.e. Math and Spanish Language Arts) in order to be accepted into the program.

Question: What do I do to enroll/register my child?
Answer: Complete the registration form online

Question: Is Collingwood School a private or charter school?
Answer: Collingwood School, International Spanish Academy, is a Calgary Board of Education public school.

Question: Do parents need to speak Spanish?
Answer: No. Parents do not need to speak Spanish. If parents want to learn Spanish, Chinook College offers classes to parents. A large majority of our students come from English speaking families!

Question: Is the program Spanish immersion?
Answer: No, the program is Spanish bilingual. Students are taught 50% of their day in Spanish and 50% of their day in English. All of our teaching staff is bilingual and they use cross-curricular projects to build competency in both languages, Spanish is woven throughout the school day in all subject areas.

Spanish is formally taught in Spanish Language Arts/Math/Physical Education and Music

• The Spanish language and culture is developed through music, poetry, art and literature. An emphasis on oral language is developed through modeling, repetition and use of everyday dialogue.
• Literacy is high priority to prepare students for the demands of learning two languages.

Question: Who is eligible to attend the International Spanish Academy at Collingwood School?
Answer: Collingwood School is the designated Spanish Bilingual program for many communities in NW and NE Calgary. To see eligibility visit the Find a School Tool; under View Program Options select Spanish Bilingual.

Question: Are there other Spanish Bilingual schools in North Calgary?
Answer: Yes. Visit the Find a School Tool; under View Program Options select Spanish Bilingual for more information or visit the CBE Spanish Bilingual Program (K-12) page locations. 

Question: If we do not live in the designated areas can our child attend Collingwood School for Kindergarten or Grade 1?
Answer: No. Collingwood School cannot accept out-of-boundary students.

Question: Do you offer full day Kindergarten classes?
Answer: No, we currently offer ½ day Kindergarten classes (AM and PM), five days per week.

Question: What are the hours for the Kindergarten classes?
Answer: Please see our Contact Us page for a listing of kindergarten hours.

Question: May we choose morning or afternoon kindergarten classes?
Answer: The decision on whether your child attends morning or afternoon kindergarten classes is totally dependent on space and resources. Families may request AM or PM designation, however the school may not be able to honor these requests. Historically we have more interest in AM over PM and we do a draw for AM time slots.

Question: Where will my child’s bus stop be?
Answer: The bus maps are designed over the summer months based on the children who have sent in their Transportation Contract prior to June 30. Please be aware this school year’s bus maps may not be same as next school year maps. Bus maps are available on the Busing & Transportation page of the CBE website 

Question: What are the class sizes?
Answer: Unknown at this time. Class sizes will depend on the numbers at registration.

Question: How many Kindergarten classes will there be next year?
Answer: We will have four Kindergarten classes – 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon.

Question: Is there a fee for transportation?
Answer: Yes. These fees are subject to change and are approved in the spring. A form will be available at the school or on the CBE Transportation website (see below) in May or June regarding the transportation fees for the following school year. For more information on transportation please check their website at: http://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/busing-and-transportation/Pages/default.aspx

Question: Is there a fee for noon supervision?
Answer: Collingwood School has a 4/5 day lunch program for Grade 1 – 5 students. If you wish to have your child stay at school for lunch (whether or not they are bused), you must register for Lunchroom Supervision. There is a fee to pay. These fees are subject to change each year, and are also approved in the spring. Visit our Noon Supervision page for more information.

Question: What does it cost for my child to attend Kindergarten?
Answer: Please visit our Fees page for more information. 

Question: May we have a tour of the school and observe the classrooms during a regular school day? Answer: Unfortunately, due to the large number of requests, we cannot fulfill individual requests for observing classrooms in session, due to the large number of requests. We must respect the classroom teaching schedules and offer as few interruptions as possible. There will be a Kindergarten/Grade 1 Information evening in June for registered new students and you may see the classrooms at that time.

Question: If my child did not attend Kindergarten in the bilingual program, will they have problems in Spanish Bilingual Grade 1?
Answer: This has not been a major difficulty for students. New Grade 1 students are mixed into classes with continuing students and they learn the language together. Please note that we cannot guarantee room in the Grade 1 program for new students, as kindergarten students from the previous year are registered in Grade 1 first.

Question: Do students that are currently attending Collingwood School Kindergarten have priority over new students for the Grade 1 classes?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Do siblings have the right to automatically be admitted into the Kindergarten Bilingual Program?
Answer: Yes. As long as they live in the designated communities, siblings have first priority in the registration process to be accepted into the program, but this does not guarantee AM/PM Kindergarten placement. Siblings registering for Kindergarten or Grade 1 who are out of area are required to register at their designated school

Question: What are the benefits of the bilingual program for students?
Answer:

• Improves academic achievement
• Enhances communication skills
• Promotes exploration, understanding and appreciation of the cultures of the Spanish speaking world and contributes to multiculturalism.
• Prepares students for future post-secondary education in an international setting.
• Allows for learning in a second language during childhood, the best time to develop fluency, pronunciation and ease of expression.

Question: Will registrations be accepted on a first-come, first-serve system or will you hold a lottery for the available openings?
Answer: Registrations for all students will be accepted from January through February. If there are more applicants than spaces available, on the Wednesday before Family day long weekend, there will be an official lottery draw with school administrators and members of School Council present. Families that are selected through this process will be advised by letter shortly following the draw. These families must confirm their commitment to the program within 10 business days. Registrations that have not been selected will be entered onto a waiting list in the order of draw and we will contact those families by phone if/when spots become available. Grade 1 registrations will be treated the same, however, we generally do not have information on available Grade 1 spots until May/June.

Question: Can I register my child at more than one CBE school until I decide which program I want for my child? Answer: You may apply to any number of CBE schools when registration opens on January (i.e. your community school, an alternate program school, etc.). Once your child’s application is accepted at a school and your child is formally registered in that school, they cannot be registered in another CBE school. If your application is successful at Collingwood School and we find your child is registered at another school when we try to register him/her, we will contact you at that time to ascertain your preference.