Foothills Academy

Welcome to Foothills Academy. It is with great excitement that we begin our 40th year at Foothills Academy! We currently have the greatest potential and capacity to deliver outstanding services to the largest segment of the Learning Disabilities community that we have ever had.

Although our School population remains maximized, we are reaching out to more young people and families through Community Services in Read/Write & Math instruction, Amicus Camp & Recreation, and Psychological Services & Programs. Additionally, our Professional Development & Parent Education department is continually expanding our high quality online educational offerings.

After four decades as a leader in Canada serving individuals with Learning Disabilities, we have reflected on the work we do in the School and through Community Services. In doing so, we have built onto on our strong foundation of Self-Determination Theory with the motto Find Understanding, Build Confidence, Maximize Potential.

It is crucial for us to help individuals understand themselves, and for us to understand their needs (social, emotional, and academic). For us to ensure individuals are motivated and able to succeed, we have to scaffold our work with them to build their confidence, since we know that they are capable, and with our help, they will start to see and believe this too. And, finally, we know that the young people we serve have great, untapped potential, and sometimes we are the only ones who can see this and who can support individuals to reach it.

The mission of Foothills Academy is to facilitate learning in persons, primarily youth and children, identified as having a Learning Disability by providing quality educational programs and a supportive environment for families and staff. We recognize that we are interdependent with our global community – by participating in research, public education, in-service and advocacy, through community service.

Foothills Academy was built around the belief that all students with Learning Disabilities have exceptional potential, and that with the right supports and guidance, they can achieve great success in school, post-secondary, and the workplace. We understand the difficulties and challenges facing students and their families, be it academic, social, emotional/behavioural, or financial. Foothills Academy's community builds upon these foundations with the individuals and families we work with.

There are many definitions of the term “Learning Disability” (LD). Below is the official definition adopted by the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, which recognizes the wide-range of issues that can be associated with an LD.

Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, Learning Disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency.

Learning Disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to: language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g. planning and decision-making).

Learning Disabilities are lifelong. The way in which they are expressed may vary over an individual’s lifetime, depending on the interaction between the demands of the environment and the individual’s strengths and needs. Learning Disabilities are suggested by unexpected academic under-achievement or achievement which is maintained only by unusually high levels of effort and support.

Learning Disabilities are due to genetic and/or neurobiological factors or injury that alters brain functioning in a manner which affects one or more processes related to learning. These disorders are not due primarily to hearing and/or vision problems, socio-economic factors, cultural or linguistic differences, lack of motivation or ineffective teaching, although these factors may further complicate the challenges faced by individuals with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities may co-exist with various conditions including attentional, behavioural and emotional disorders, sensory impairments or other medical conditions.

Foothills Academy offers elementary students in grades 3-6 the opportunity to be the very best learner they can be for the 21st Century. Our specially trained teachers bring expertise to the classroom to focus upon each student’s learning needs. Our grade three and four classes are each taught by one generalist teacher while our grade five and six classes are taught by separate Language Arts/Social Studies and Mathematics/Science teachers. We follow Alberta Education curriculum and bridge gaps to build the foundations for each student to achieve their true potential. We employ a variety of academic interventions to support student learning including literacy programs such as Precision Reading, Levelled Literacy Intervention, and LiPs, as well as mathematical supports with a range of visual and visible learning strategies.

These crucially formative years require significant attention to academics, as well as to essential social and emotional supports in order to help students reach their full potential. With low staff to student ratios, our skilled teachers and educational assistants are able to address each student’s individualized academic, social and emotional needs. Staff work with students to also develop skills for self-regulation and self-awareness. Developing independence and confidence is important, as students may enter these grades with the mindset that they are unable to achieve success without the assistance of others. Students establish new routines and strategies as they begin to manage a larger variety of subjects, teachers, and have an incremental increase in expectations for homework. Staff work with students to establish study routines and provide academic interventions and provides strategies to help mitigate and manage test anxieties.

The senior high school program adheres to the Alberta Education Program of Studies and students write the same diploma exams as every other student in Alberta, often with results much higher than the provincial average. Foothills Academy prepares students to enter a post-secondary program or the workplace and High School builds upon the strategies, programs and expertise of the earlier grades.

Grades 9 and 10 focus on preparing students for the transition to the new expectations of High School and achieving academic credits. Futures Planning begins in grade 9 Health and grade 10 CALM where students explore career interests, consider High School course streaming options and investigate steps into post-secondary considerations. Staff work with students to help them identify areas of strength and discuss, with families, future High School course choices that will best serve the passions of our students. Between grade 9 and 10, specific identification of course streaming takes place through continued communication between school, the student and home. Students begin to understand themselves as learners. And, with support from our staff, students identify which strategies, supports and accommodations work best for them. They also learn how they can be successful lifelong advocates for these supports.