December 19th, 2024

Update | Edgemont Repairs from Water Damage

As we prepare for the winter break, I would like to provide an update regarding the repairs in the building due to the water damage from earlier this month.

Contractors will be in the building over the break to continue the investigation of the cause of the damage to try to prevent this from happening again in the future. Remediation work will also continue over the break and into the new year on evenings and weekends to prevent disruption to student learning.

Coming back in January, Miss Rau, Ms. Katzko, Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Hill’s classes will remain in their relocated classes on the first floor. They will move back into their regular spaces together once all of the work is finished. At this time, we do not have a timeline for when this will happen.

We look forward to when we can be back in our usual classrooms but for now we are grateful we can finish the calendar year in our school together.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely.

Lori Holford
Principal

December 6th, 2024

Update | Water Damage at School

Update | Return to In-Person Learning at Edgemont School on Monday

We would like to extend my sincere thanks for your patience and understanding as we faced this unexpected disruption in our school community this week. We are so grateful for the way staff, students and families came together to support each other as we continued learning in different schools this week.

We are pleased to announce that all students and staff will return to in-person learning at Edgemont School on Monday, Dec. 9.

The repairs and clean up in the school have progressed to a point where we can safely re-enter the building. There will be some outstanding cosmetic work that remains unfinished around the building. The school has been thoroughly dried and cleaned, though there may be some lingering odors in the building.

Work on the second floor, where the sprinkler break took place and the majority of the damage occurred, will continue and we will not have access to those classrooms. Thankfully, the damage was caused by clean tap water and remediation efforts started quickly after the line broke. Additional work required in the building will be done outside of school hours to minimize the disruption to learning. An update on the remediation progress will be provided before the winter break.

Impacted Classes

Miss Rau, Ms. Katzko, Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Hill’s classes are impacted and will be relocated to other areas of the school until work is finalized. If your child is in one of these classes, please use the compound door to the right of the music room to enter the school on Monday. We will have staff offering directions.

Some items belonging to students were impacted. These items will be thoroughly dried and professionally cleaned as required. Anything that cannot be salvaged will be itemized and submitted as part of the insurance claim.

Gratitude

We are grateful to all those who helped us in temporarily relocating our staff and students, those who carried out the required repairs, and the support from the different service units within the Calgary Board of Education. We also appreciate the warm welcome extended by our neighbouring schools as they quickly made arrangements to find room for Edgemont students.

We look forward to seeing students back in our school on Monday!

Dec. 4 Afternoon Update

Thank you for your patience this week as we continue to navigate the water damage in our school. 

To best accommodate students, we have worked with other schools in northwest Calgary to prepare a short-term plan to allow in-person learning to resume. Unfortunately, there is not a single school that can accommodate all students and classes will need to be spread over multiple locations. Grades will be kept together to keep students with their teachers and classmates. 

Short-Term Relocation Plan  

Student Transportation to Host Schools 

All students will begin and end the school day at Edgemont School and continue to use their regular means of transportation to get to school – yellow school bus, walking or driving. From there the CBE will transport students together with other classes in their grade to the hosting school. 

In the morning: 

• Kindergarten to Grade 4 students will meet in the Edgemont School gym; and 
• Grade 5 students will meet in the small playground at Edgemont School. 

Please ensure that your child is on time. If your child misses the shuttle bus, you will be responsible for transportation to the host school. 

Note that we anticipate bus delays at the end of the day as students return from the host school to Edgemont School. Despite best efforts we know that not all shuttle buses will arrive exactly at our usual dismissal time. Yellow school buses will be held until all students have returned from their host schools. Delays will be posted in your provider’s app and updated drop-off times communicated to families through email. 

Plan Ahead 

We ask for your patience over the next few days as we navigate these unexpected changes. There will be extra traffic and congestion around the school with buses arriving and departing for pick-up and drop-off. 

Parents and guardians are asked to be alert and follow the rules of the road near the school. Please be considerate of neighbours when parking and do not double park or block crosswalks or intersections. Please use the crosswalks to cross the street. Our children are always watching, and traffic safety is a shared responsibility.  

Attendance 

While we are out of the school our attendance line will not be operational. During this time, we ask you not to call and leave a message. If your child will not be attending school, please email edgemont@cbe.ab.ca to report your child’s absence. 

Other Reminders 

Students will be unable to access any personal items in the school. We encourage you to bring a pair of shoes that can be worn indoors while we are at the temporary schools. 

Next Steps 

We will communicate more information regarding in-person learning for next week on Friday, Dec. 6. 

We are incredibly grateful to our host schools for assisting our school community, and once again, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to restore Edgemont School.  

Dec. 3 Afternoon Update

Thank you for your understanding as we deal with the unexpected water damage that has occurred at the school. We continue to assess the damage and expect there will be some disruption to our regular school schedule for the coming weeks.

There will be no school for students tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. This will give us additional time to make contingency plans for in-person learning to resume.

At this time, we are looking at how to accommodate students at other schools in the northwest. Tomorrow, we will provide details of the short-term plan for a return to in-person learning on Thursday, Dec. 5.

On Thursday, all students will start and end their day in the Edgemont School gym before they are transported by yellow school bus to alternative schools. This should allow child care arrangements for families to remain in place. Specific details will be provided tomorrow afternoon.

Students will be unable to access any personal items in the school. We encourage you to bring a pair of shoes that can be worn indoors while we are at the temporary schools.

On Friday, we will update you on any changes to the contingency plan for the following week.

We thank you for your patience and flexibility as we work though this plan to support student learning until the school is safe to welcome students back.

Please watch for the next update tomorrow afternoon.

Dec. 3 Morning Update

Important Update: Edgemont School Closed Today 

Due to a significant water damage at Edgemont School, we have made the decision to close the school for today, Dec. 3, 2024. The flooding has impacted multiple areas of the building, and the Calgary Fire Department has determined it is not safe for students and staff to be on-site.

As a result, all busing for Edgemont School is also cancelled for today.

While we understand this decision may cause inconvenience, the safety of everyone in our school community remains our top priority.

We will provide an update to families later today regarding the status of the school for tomorrow and going forward.