Siksika Outreach School is a Junior and Senior High School offering academic programming and a host of learning opportunities for grades 7 through 12 students (including a young parent program) under the direction of Siksika Board of Education and funded by the Federal Government.
We are situated on the Siksika Nation which is about 45 minutes east of Calgary, Alberta. Our school delivers Alberta Education curriculum to approximately 160 registered students.
Daily attendance is expected unless noted in a student’s program plan. Academic work is delivered through the use of Alberta Distance Learning/Alberta Education modules and supported by tutoring and multiple online learning tools. Programs and courses are guided by student graduation plans set at the time of registration. Graduation plans include mapping out courses required by each student and completing ICM profiles for all students.
OUR STATS
Approximately 35% of our students are returning to a school program from an extended absence from school. About 45% of our student population are students who, for a variety of reasons, were not able to be successful in the mainstream schools and were referred to our school from principals, teachers, elders, counselors or family. The remaining 20% of our students are those who, for a several reasons, are not permitted back into mainstream schools. Approximately 98% of our students have been identified as at-risk youth.
Poverty, justice issues, family of origin issues, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, substandard health, violence, parental absenteeism, gang related issues and homelessness are some of the factors our students are dealing with.
30% of our students have set goals to return to mainstream schooling while 60% have decided that an alternative educational program fits them well and would like to complete their schooling at Siksika Outreach School. 10% are undecided whether to stay in their current setting or return to mainstream. A number of criteria are set for those students planning to return to mainstream schooling.
Our most important stat is that we have held a 94% graduation rate (or higher) since our inception!
WHY CHOOSE US
Siksika Outreach School has partnered with over 24 community and area agencies in an effort to offer support and improved programming for our students.
Service learning, Siksika ways of knowing, positive character development, study skills, time management, anger management, conflict resolution, restorative justice, counseling and post secondary planning are all integral parts of our programming.
The philosophies from The Circle of Courage and The Seven Teachings of our Ancestors are what we choose to model and to be accountable to.
We are honoured to serve our community and the needs of many of our youth.
Our school evaluation from an independent provincial assessment team rated our school as a model school for best practices within Alberta and the best Outreach School in Alberta! We are proud of our students, parents, dedicated staff and suport of our elders and the community we serve.
