Hello to our Western families,
As we finish our last few days of scheduled classes for this semester/year, we again want to remind everybody to check both PowerSchool for the most-recent mark updates, and the exam schedule to ensure that students are here and on-time for their final assessments.
We’ve finished a busy spring sports season and need to offer congratulations to:
- Our Girls’ Rugby team for winning the Division 1 City Championship, and for earning a spot in Provincials in Lethbridge this Friday/Saturday;
- Our Jr Boys’ Rugby team for winning the Division 1 City Championship;
- Our Sr Girls’ Field Hockey team for winning the Division 1 City Championship;
- Our Track & Field athletes for their success in Cities, with some also participating in Provincials this Friday/Saturday;
- And, thanks to our Jr Girls’ Field Hockey team, the Sr/Jr Boys’ Soccer teams, and our Sr Boys’ Rugby team who played hard and represented our school so well, once again.
And, finally, congratulations to all students who were recognized for academic achievement and citizenship at the Academic Awards on Tuesday, June 3rd. Your achievements are truly impressive and reflect your incredible talent, hard work, and dedication. If any certificates have any errors on them, please contact Ms. Zwicker at smzwicker@cbe.ab.ca and she will get a corrected version. There were three students who missed being publicly recognized on Tuesday, and we apologize for that. Congratulations to Peyton P for winning the award in Advanced Art 25, Maya K for winning the award in Advanced Art 35, and Kaylee C who was recognized for Grade 11 Citizenship.
Thanks, Redhawks, for making us proud!
Student Spotlight
Congratulations to Alice R, who is a top ten finalist in the nationwide CBC Books First Page Writing Contest! Alice’s writing scored higher than over 1700 Canadian students. Congratulations to Alison W for qualifying for the International Chemistry Olympiad.
Course registration review for the 2025-2026 school year:
We encourage grade 10 and 11 students to review their course selection for the 2025-2026 school year (in PowerSchool under class registrations) to ensure they have the courses they want while there still is space. If they need any changes to their course selection, students should connect with their counsellor in-person (through drop-ins) or by email before June 20th.
Guidance hours update:
From June 11th till June 26th, Guidance will be opened to students for drop-ins (no appointment needed) from 8:30 till 12:00 and 1:15 till 3:30.
Scholarship Updates:
Scholarships available until the end of August through ScholarTree. There are over 1,100 awards totalling over $3,900,000. Summer 2025 Scholarship List
The Loran Award applications will open Thursday September 4th, 2025, and close October 16th, 2025. https://loranscholar.ca/becoming-a-scholar
For more information on scholarships, you can also access our school website: https://westerncanada.cbe.ab.ca/scholarships
Photo ID – June Exams
Students writing 30-level exams in June who do not have photo ID are asked to visit the Main Office to pick up their school ID before the end of May. Having photo identification is required on exam days, and picking it up in advance will help prevent delays and ensure a smooth check-in process.
Youth Employment Centre
A representative from the Youth Employment Centre will be onsite in the school foyer on 3 and 10 of June from 11:50 to 12:30. Check them out and see how they can help you get employed!
The Youth Employment Centre can help with resumes, cover letters and provide interview tips – for free!
IPP Families
PPs will be sent home with your student on Monday, June 9th through their classroom teacher. Please sign the 4th Review section and return either the paper copy of the signature page (please keep the rest of the IPP), or a digital image of the signature page through email to jadixon@cbe.ab.ca.
Free Resource for Parents: ConnectED
This resource is provided from Sarah Winstanley of “The Project to End Domestic Violence”.
We know parenting isn’t always easy — especially when it comes to talking about friendships, dating, and boundaries. That’s why ConnectED Parents has been created as a free, research-backed initiative that helps parents guide children aged 6–20 toward healthy, respectful relationships. It is delivered entirely through text messages, putting hundreds of healthy relationship resources in the hands of parents.
Starting in September 2025, those who sign up will get 2–3 short, practical texts each week — tips, tools, and ideas you can use in real life. Over 6 months, you’ll receive around 70 messages to help you:
✔️ Start open, honest conversations about relationships and dating
✔️ Boost your confidence as a parent in connecting with your child
✔️ Prevent dating violence before it starts
This initiative is led by Shift, a research hub at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Social Work. And there's more — you can also provide your feedback to help us continue to improve the initiative for other families.
Want to learn more or sign up?
👉 https://survey.ucalgary.ca/jfe/form/SV_782Y1lwgpX8lSF8
Have questions? We’re happy to chat — just email Lianne Lee at LiLee@ucalgary.ca, and stay up-to-date with us on social media.
Post Secondary Info
Important Information for Students Attending Post Secondary in the United States
Canadian citizens
- Canadians DO NOT apply for student visas. Canadians are exempt from this step of the process. Please see everything you will need when crossing the border here (I-20, Canadian passport, proof of SEVIS fee payment).
- Nothing has been modified or changed in the Canadian process.
- Non-Canadian citizens (Permanent residents, international students, visa holders, etc)
- If the student already has a visa appointment, they will be able to proceed as normally to their appointment.
- If the student has not yet made an appointment, there may be restricted access to appointments in the short term. Students need to check this website frequently to book their appointment and may consider travel somewhere else within Canadian if there are no appointments at their local Consulate. New appointments are added regularly. It is recommended that they book their appointment as soon as possible.
- Visa wait times can be found at this website. Currently there appears to be appointments available in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax.
EducationUSA Pre-Departure Orientation Webinar
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 6:30-7:30 pm ET / 3:30-4:30 pm PT
In this Pre-Departure webinar, we are going to go over the following:
- Welcome remarks from a U.S. diplomat
- Paperwork you need to prepare and bring with you over the border
- Crossing the border (with a guest speaker from the U.S. Border Patrol)
- Important people and resources at your new university
- Some tips about health care, banking, and cell phones
- Getting settled in your new home
Who should attend?
- Students from Canada who are enrolling in undergraduate or graduate studies in the United States for the 2025-2026 academic year and their family members.
The session will be recorded, and every registered attendee will receive a link to the recording directly after the programming.
High School Upgrading
Grade 12 students who wish to upgrade High School courses in the fall can self-register with Chinook Learning. Registrations open June 19 at 8:00 a.m. Register as soon as you can as courses fill up quickly.
https://www.chinooklearningservices.com/High-School-Upgrading.html
Final/Diploma Exam Reminders
Please review diploma examination rules with your student (on the back page of their exam planner), and make sure their exam planner is filled out, so they are aware of when/where each of their exams are. Students will NOT have access to their lockers to store anything, as they will be cleaned out on the last day of school. There is some storage available in the “locked room” (room 154), but this is for diploma exam writers only. There will be a bank of empty lockers available on the main floor (main office and math hallway) for students to use. They should bring their own lock for this, and ensure they remove it at the end of their exam. Any locks left on will be cut off before the next day.
Choir Open Rehearsal – Friday at 8:15am
After a fantastic and joy-filled year end concert last week, the choral program invites any students who are interested in finding out more about choir for next year to an open rehearsal, this Friday, June 6th at 8:15am in the choir room. Meet new friends, learn a new song, and find out more about joining choir at WCHS in the fall. Questions? Email Ms. Reinhardt at sjreinhardt@cbe.ab.ca
Yearbook
Yearbook is looking for photos from the 2025 Graduation ceremony and banquet. If you have photos that you would like to see in the 2025 yearbook, please send them to us!
Students can submit photos here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-jOVel8ctHoomnMtLjtQnHXHYuMdpmPD2cbD8aLjw4XIgGA/viewform?usp=dialog). They will need to use their CBE gmail accounts to submit.
Parents, if you have photos to submit, please contact Mr. Ellis: rmellis@cbe.ab.ca
Also, graduating students who wish to be notified about yearbook pickup in the fall can sign up for our mailing list. (link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduk3pqxU65nAZa7_ln2SaTBpiN66fIDo8Tw5lquDm7ZKbymA/viewform?usp=dialog)
Calgary BILD Architectural Competition Results
2024/2025
Every year, Western’s Design Intermediate and Advanced students participate in the BILD Calgary (bildcr.citecom/) High School design competition. Students spend about 30 classes developing architectural solutions to meet a client’s needs. The competition allows participants to put into practice principles of architecture, interior and landscaping design. Through this real-world experience, students explore potential post-secondary education options.
This year, 197 design students from across Calgary competed. Twenty-eight Western students submitted designs to the intermediate and advanced levels. We are very proud of the level of creativity, functionality, and professionalism of all our students’ submissions. A special congratulations goes to Leo K. for receiving the top award in the competition. He is also our first Western student to win awards 2 years in a row. The following students were recognized by the BILD judges:
Intermediate level
- Honourable Mention – Tomas Z.
- Honourable Mention – Aubin G.
Advanced level
- 1st place – Leo K.
- Honourable Mention – Demi A.
- Honourable Mention – Faty D.
- Honourable Mention – Jasmine S.
Please congratulate these students on their amazing design work. All the hours they have invested have paid off.
Images from the students’ submissions will be posted to the school website shortly.
WCHS Parent Council
Dear WCHS Families,
As we look ahead to the 2025–26 school year, we invite you to play a more active role in shaping the experience of our students and school community.
WCHS thrives because of dedicated parent volunteers — and we need your support. Whether you’re interested in a leadership position on the School Council executive or would like to help out at school events throughout the year, your involvement makes a meaningful difference.
Many of the programs and activities our students enjoy simply wouldn’t be possible without volunteers like you.
To learn more about the various opportunities available — both on the executive team and within the broader school community — please visit our website (link below). There, you’ll also find a brief survey to let us know how you’d like to contribute.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to get involved and help strengthen our school community.
https://sites.google.com/u/1/d/160whSwv87aUE1Gf6UZML-JrZBjc-AL19/preview
Thank you!
The WCHS School Council Exec Committee