Division Newsletter: Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year

August 30, 2025

August 29, 2025

Hello,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! We at Foothills School Division are excited to partner with you to place students at the centre of a flourishing community.

Before we welcome all students on Tuesday, September 2, we want to draw your attention to a few items to set your year up for success:

An update regarding negotiations between the ATA and TEBA
A reminder regarding student mobile devices
The 2025-2026 Instructional Calendar
How to Connect with FSD

Thank you for taking the time to read this information update. If you have wonders or concerns, please connect with your child’s school.

ATA and TEBA Negotiations Update

We are providing our families with an update regarding the ongoing negotiations between the ATA (Alberta Teachers' Association) and TEBA (Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association). We understand there is a lot of media coverage on this topic, and we recognize that families may have questions about possible outcomes should the two parties not reach an agreement.

While we remain hopeful that an agreement will be made, we want families to be informed and prepared for how ATA labour action or a lockout may impact student learning. Please note that the ATA must provide 72 hours' notice prior to the start of any labour action; FSD will inform you by email, voice message, website update, and social media should this next step take place.

Please know that out of an abundance of caution, the Division is developing contingency plans that we will communicate out in the event labor action does occur. The following are possible labor actions that could occur:

Work-to-Rule

Under a work-to-rule scenario, teachers would continue core instructional duties but may withdraw from non-instructional tasks, such as clubs and extracurriculars, or other voluntary or activities or meetings. This may include:

Athletics
School clubs
Concerts
Meetings that take place after school hours
Graduation and farewell ceremonies
School events such as Meet the Teacher or Welcome Back BBQ’s
Field Trips

The following tasks would be limited if done outside of regular school hours: communications to families, gradebook updates, and learner profiles.

Rotating Strikes

Rotating strikes would be coordinated and communicated by the ATA. This type of job action could impact a group of schools or an entire division and change each day. Impacted schools will be closed for dates as determined by the ATA; there is no expectation for online learning. FSD commits to informing parents by email, voice message, social media, and website news as soon as this information is made available.

Strike or Lockout

If a strike or lockout were to occur, there is a complete work stoppage by all teachers. In these cases, schools would be closed until the work stoppage concludes.

Next Steps

In each of these instances, there is a significant impact to the operations of schools and school boards. The health and safety of all learners is a priority. Foothills School Division is committed to communicate any updates with families as information becomes available. In addition to direct communications, all updates can be found at our Labour Relations | ATA webpage.

We recognize that ATA labour action or a lockout is a concern. We remain optimistic that an agreement will be reached before any labour action is taken, and we will continue to communicate updates as new information becomes available. Families may want to explore potential alternative arrangements to be prepared in the event labor action does occur. For the Foothills School Division, we are focussed on welcoming all students back next week and providing continued quality education across the system.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Chris Fuzessy

Superintendent of Schools
Foothills School Division

Mobile and Smart Device Use in Schools

As part of our continuous effort to foster safe, welcoming, caring, and respectful learning environments, our Student Code of Conduct (AP 350 – Respect for All) includes the protocol regarding the use of mobile and smart devices in schools. This protocol follows the Ministerial Order #014/2024 – Standards for the Use of Personal Mobile Devices and Social Media in Schools, which aims to minimize distractions and enhance learning environments for all students.

The main points of the new procedure are:

Students in grades ECS (Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten) to grade 6 are not allowed to use personal mobile devices during instructional or non-instructional time. This includes recess, lunch, and before and after school. If students have mobile devices with them, they must be powered off and stored out of view.
Students in grades 7 to 12 are not allowed to use personal mobile devices during instructional time, unless the teacher gives explicit permission for their use as part of learning. If students have mobile devices with them, they must be powered off and stored according to the school's protocol for device storage. Students may use mobile devices during non-instructional time, such as school-designated breaks from instructional time and lunch.
Students are not allowed to access social media on school networks or on school devices at any time.
Parents who need to urgently contact their child during instructional time can call the school office. Students who need to contact their parents for an urgent matter during instructional time should talk to their teacher and use a phone designated for student use in the school office.
The policy applies to all mobile and smart devices, such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, or smartwatches, that can be used to communicate with or access the internet. Associated accessories, such as earbuds, headphones, and mics are also to be put away, unless used for educational purposes as directed by a teacher.
The policy applies to all spaces on school premises, as well as when students are representing the school or school division on field trips or other school related activities.
The policy includes a progressive discipline framework for enforcing the use of mobile devices in schools, which may include reminders, warnings, confiscation, loss of privileges, parent contact, or other consequences depending on the frequency and severity of the infraction.

We appreciate your support and cooperation in implementing this policy and ask that you review it with your child(ren) and discuss the expectations and consequences. You can find the full policy and the rationale behind it on our division website. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s school.

Thank you for your partnership in education.

To learn more visit: https://www.foothillsschooldivision.ca/page/20127/mobile-devices-in-schools

2025-2026 Instructional Calendar

Save the dates! Our printable 2025-2026 Instructional Calendar highlights key dates to help you plan the year ahead, including:

Dates when schools are closed, and team members are unavailable.
1. Fall, Winter, and Spring
2. February Break
3. Weekends & Summer holidays
Dates to connect with your child’s teacher at Learner Conferences and receive an update of your child’s learning during Learner Profiles
Non-instructional days where team members will be engaging in professional learning. Note that there are dates where the non-instructional days applies only to Elementary and Junior High schools.

Click here to download the Instructional Calendar

Our Board of Trustees

As trustees, we deeply appreciate your feedback and are dedicated to fostering open communication with parents. We are your elected representatives, ready to respond to your questions and concerns and ensure your voice is heard at the board level.

Your Trustees

Ward 1 – Diamond Valley, Foothills County, Longview -- Jack Molyneux

Ward 2 – Blackie, Cayley, Foothills County -- John Evans

Ward 3 – Foothills County, Millarville -- Theresa Letendre (Chair)

Ward 4 – Okotoks -- Sharon Nichols & Lisa Penzo (Vice Chair)

Ward 5 – High River -- Phil Irwin

Upcoming Board Meeting Dates

All Public Board Meetings are held at Division Office unless otherwise noted. Meetings begin promptly at 1:00 pm.

2025-2026

September 3, 2025
September 17, 2025
October 1, 2025
October 15, 2025
October 29, 2025
November 26, 2025
December 10, 2025

Learn More at: https://www.foothillsschooldivision.ca/page/120/board-of-trustees

How to stay connected

Edsembli Family Portal

Edsembli Family Portal is a web-based platform that is more convenient to view from your mobile device as well as any browser on a personal computer, designed to enhance your involvement in your child's education.

The new portal provides you with convenient access to important information pertaining to your child’s learning, all in one place.

Key Features:

Marks: View your child's grades and academic progress.
Attendance: Keep track of your child's attendance.
Contact Info: Confirm your contact details.
Learner Profiles: Access Learner Profiles of each child promptly.
Pay Fees: Conveniently pay school fees, yearbook fees, or field trip fees.
No App to Download: A single link accessible from all devices that can be bookmarked or added to the home screen of your mobile device for easy access.

Download the FSD App

Be the first to know, before it hits social media. With access to school calendars, contact information, news, and real-time updates, the FSD App is your go-to source to stay connected with your child’s school website.

How to Get Started:

Download the App: Available for free on both iOS and Android platforms. (search for Foothills School Division and look for our logo)
Select Your School(s): Choose the schools your children attend to receive specific information and updates.

We continue our commitment to fostering a connected and informed school community. With the Foothills School Division App (Powered by SchoolBundle), we are bringing our community closer together, one tap at a time.

Be Social

Like us on Facebook: foothills.school.division

School Website

Your child’s school will post regular news on its website. Visit our list of schools to quickly access each school website: https://www.foothillsschooldivision.ca/page/17/our-schools

Division Website

Information and alerts will be posted at our website. Please check our site often to learn how you can be involved, view our vision for the future, and see how we are celebrating learning across the Foothills.

Get Involved with School Council

Comprised of parents, teachers, administration, and community representatives. Meetings provides a connection to the parents and community for information, communication, and above all, the opportunity to participate in school council projects. It is a means for parents and community members to work together with the school to support and enhance student learning.

An important ways you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of Foothills School Division students is by participating on school councils. By connecting students, schools and your community, school councils help nurture and inspire students to achieve their full potential.

Please contact your local school for more information on joining your School Council.

Council of School Councils (COSC)

The Council of School Councils (COSC) is comprised of school council chairs (or an appropriate designate), members of the Board of Trustees and other FSD leaders. Its purpose is for Foothills School Division leaders and parents to have an opportunity to work together, to share information, discuss concerns, and plan for the future.

We value the contribution of parent leadership and have formalized a program to keep the lines of communication open between the FSD as a public education system and parent leadership in individual school communities.

The Education Plan: Our Roadmap for the Year

Each year we build a strategic plan for learning across the division.

We welcome you to explore Year 2 of our 2024–2029 Education Plan. This plan is anchored in our commitment to Policy 1: Foundational Statements and reflects the shared Vision of Engagement, Support, and Success for Each Learner. At its heart is a belief in public education’s power to transform lives and communities—and a commitment to working together to ensure every learner can flourish.

Across the division, students, staff, families, and community members brought this plan to life. Together, we advanced our priorities, adapted to challenges, and built a strong foundation for the years ahead. Early signs of success in student engagement, staff collaboration, and community partnership demonstrate the power of what we can accomplish together.

Our five-year fixed term (2024-2029) education plan sets out what needs to be done, including determining priorities, outcomes, measures and strategies using the most recent best practices and assurance manual from the Ministry of Education.

Explore how FSD is placing students at the centre of a flourishing learning community in the Foothills School Division 2024 - 2025 Education Plan (Year 2)