Bessie Nichols School - Opening September 2012

Survey

Please complete the Bessie Nichols Vision and Programming Survey.

Welcome to Bessie Nichols School!

We are very excited to be opening Bessie Nichols School in The Hamptons for September 2012. It will serve The Hamptons, Granville and Glastonbury neighborhoods in West Edmonton.

Opening a new school is an incredible opportunity for staff, parents and the community to work in partnership to establish a world class education for the children we serve. Together, we will develop our vision for Bessie Nichols School and begin to build our legacy around excellence in education. As the first female elected to public office in the province of Alberta, Miss Bessie Nichols set an example of forward thinking and uniqueness. As the school named in her honour, we are committed to exemplifying and celebrating these same qualities.

Bessie Nichols is a state of the art learning space. Students and staff will have access to a vast digital world and global network where they can access, understand, create and share knowledge and expertise to enhance and support their learning. Through a ubiquitous approach to mobile technologies, teachers are able to find innovative and creative ways to engage students in learning and support the development of competencies necessary for success in this century. Bessie Nichols will also be part of our Edmonton Public Schools Portal Project, meaning that students will have anytime, anywhere and from any device access to their learning. To support this work, there will be an FM system, SMART Board and document camera in every classroom, and mobile laptop labs throughout. This is very exciting work!

Bessie Nichols will also be equipped with the Bessie Nichols Network or BNN, a broadcasting studio to televise our announcements live to each classroom SMART Board each morning. BNN will be run by students and will serve as an incredible leadership opportunity for them to develop skills in communication and broadcasting.

Providing students with the support and opportunities necessary to develop essential leadership skills will be an important aspect of their education at Bessie Nichols School. Through a wide variety of leadership opportunities at all grade levels, students will develop skills in communication, creative problem-solving, responsibility, adaptability, initiative and self-direction and teamwork, just to name a few. It is our goal to promote a culture of student confidence and empowerment to influence their world in positive ways, unleashing their potential in learning and life.

Parents play a vital role in their child's education, whether it is supporting them in learning at home, serving as a volunteer in the school or sitting on our Parent Council. It is our goal to build a strong partnership between home and school to ensure the success of every child that we serve. We look forward to parents becoming involved in supporting the critical work of teaching and learning at Bessie Nichols.

It is my hope that our new web site serves you well in keeping up-to-date on our progress with the opening of Bessie Nichols School. Please check back regularly for important updates.

I am really looking forward to September 4th, 2012, our first day of school! See you then!

Yours in Learning,

Ms. Pat Davidson

• ASAP refers to the Alberta Schools Alternative Procurement project
• The P3 Initiative is a provincial Public Private Partnership
• Six Edmonton Public Schools ASAP schools opened in September 2010
• Three more ASAP schools will be opening in September 2012. Bessie Nichols School will accommodate Kindergarten to Grade 9 regular programming.
• Consolidated schools into single package: design, construction and maintenance (30 years)
• Owned and operated by school boards
• Contractor does all maintenance for 30 years
• Available for Joint Use Agreement (community use) after hours