​​You CAN finish high school!

We recognize that life has complexities that make it challenging for students to complete high school, but we want to assure you that it IS possible. There are many resources and supports available to young people who are struggling with high school. It's your education and you can do it your way, but you are not alone. Choose the option for completing high school that best fits your learning needs, lifestyle, financial situation and future goals.

Check out our Finish School Your Way Guide​ ​Finish School Your Way Guide​for the tools, available supports and information you need to be successful. ​​​​


CMHS High School Success Initiative

At Central Memorial High School we believe that:

  • The importance of high school completion is greater for our current generation of students than it has been for any previous generation.
  • Academic success is the key to high school completion.
  • High attendance in all grade 10 classes increase the likelihood of high school completion within the typical three year timeframe.
  • Success cannot always be achieved on one’s own and that when supported by a team, an individual can achieve much more than when isolating and refusing supports.
  • Many factors impact student success including the need for every student to feel safe and secure in their learning environment, and know that they are an important part of a community where all members belong and are supported.
  • Educating our students is a collaborative endeavor, involving teachers, students, parents/guardians, staff and the greater community as all are invested in the success of our youth.

The CMHS High School Success Initiative is designed to put our beliefs into action by targeting six areas that we know can positively impact student learning and achievement:

  • Supporting Transitions
  • Positive Relationships 
  • Early Interventions 
  • Flexibility 
  • Teacher Practice 
  • Supports for Success

Although our HSS Initiative targets Grade 10s, our commitment to student success extends well beyond their grade 10 year. The principles that are foundational to our HSS Initiative permeate all facets of our work with ALL of our students.

To learn more about the research and principles supported by Alberta Education and used to inform our initiative, follow the links below:

Supporting the Transition to High School

At Central we understand that for many students the transition from junior high to high school leaves them feeling a bit nervous or anxious. For many this is the first time that academic progression is based on achievement, achievement is awarded a numerical value in percentage, and attendance is taken and tracked but not immediately reported home until the end of the day. There is an increased level of independence and autonomy and for some students this can be difficult to manage. These are but a few changes Grade 10's face in coming to high school. We understand the importance of supporting students through this transition. We focus on creating a positive culture that is inclusive, promotes a sense of belonging and is based on trust and mutual respect. We begin this process by supporting students through the following intentional strategies aimed at making the transition as seamless as possible:

1. Personalized Registration Process

  • Our January Open House is an opportunity for students interested in attending Central Memorial to connect with teaching staff, the counselling team, student support team and administration. This evening focuses on the differences that help Central stand out: AP program, our PVA specialty auditioned programs, CTS-trades shops and programs.
  • To facilitate the Open House above, our School Counsellor Team visits each feeder school junior high to go over the registration process with students and teachers, to answer any questions and provide clarity around the process. Of course we highlight all of the opportunities to be engaged and connected like athletics, clubs at lunch or after school.
  • A specific PVA Group Registration Session is held for those students inside and outside of our catchment area. During these sessions our School Counsellor Team, and our administration are present to support students and their families in making informed program and course selections as they register for grade 10 within the scope of their acceptance into their PVA specialty of choice.
  • IRIS, an electronic IPP tool to support the needs and accommodations for improved student learning, is co created with the student during Home Room meetings as an initial starting point to get to know our learners. This tool is shared with teachers who have the student each semester and the document of supports and accommodations changes as the student matures and develops. * it is worth noting here that IRIS is a CBE created tool. If a student is coming from outside CBE a parent needs to provide us with their grade 9 IPP as it won't automatically appear in our system.

3. Grade 10 Orientation Day

  • The first day of the new school year is devoted to our newest Rams and welcomed into "The Herd". Grade 10s are able to learn about their new school, meet all our teachers and staff, and explore their new learning environment without the distraction of the Grade 11s and 12s – the 11s and 12s return the following day.
  • Grade 10s are able to meet their peers and engage in some team-building and activities through homeroom groupings. They are treated to lunch and then proceed through a mini-version of their timetable.

4. September Orientation Night

  • During the second or third week of September parents/guardians are invited into Central Memorial for an evening to learn about the high school process, where they can access support or find information if necessary and to get a true sense of who we are at Central Memorial.
  • A formal presentation covers high school diploma requirements, programs and courses unique to Grade 10s, our communication methods, reporting processes, how to contact us and a chance to meet and hear from administration, learning leaders and guidance counsellors. Parents learn the different ways in which they can become involved in our learning community and ways to support us in working with their child.
  • Parents/guardians have an opportunity to explore the school facility and briefly meet their child’s teachers, inquire around our Student Learning Team and the IPP process, if applicable to their child, and learn about other unique opportunities that our high school offers students.
  • Although geared to grade 10 families, all families new to Central Memorial are encouraged to attend.

Fostering Positive Relationships

Relationships are the foundation of humanity. The people in our lives, not the things, and not even the events, make the greatest impact on us. It is no wonder that when we feel connected and cared for we are able to put forth our best selves. Teaching and learning is no different than any other avenue in life. When we have a relationship with our teachers, when we know them and they know us, when we feel cared for, supported, respected, and valued, we can trust that it is safe to take risks, to try, to grow and in doing so, learn. We can confidently say that every staff member at Central Memorial has the best interest of students at heart and knows how impactful positive student-teacher relationships are on the learning process. We believe it is important for students to feel they have an advocate at school (an adult they trust, that knows them and will support them without question), and we work to build a line of communication with parents/guardians as well to engage them as partners in working with our students. Formalized structures have been created to facilitate this goal in the hope that through one of these, students will find their advocate at school: 

1. School Counsellor-Administration Team

  • Each student is assigned a school counsellor and an administrator who operate as a team. At Central Memorial these are decided by student last name. These adults work with students for the three years of high school. They support them academically and emotionally. They work to support student program selection and to navigate relationships with other students and adults in the school as well.
  • Over the course of the three years of high school, parents/guardians also become familiar with and, in some cases work closely with, their child’s school counsellor and administrator team.

2. HomeRoom Assignments

  • Students will begin to personalize their connection at Central by being assigned a Home Room. This teacher will ideally stay with them their whole time at Central. While intended to provide students with information and a mechanism to gather data, forms and surveys, we hope it is also a meaningful space of no pressure and relationship building. Home room is a mixed grade group of students so they can learn from one another, share their questions and concerns with each other. Home Room meetings every Friday between 1st and 2nd block.

Implementing Early Interventions

Student success is our priority. Highlighting students early on in the school year that may be experiencing challenges increases the student’s likelihood to achieve success. The earlier we do this the better able we are to support students. We have several structures that help monitor student progress but communication home is the key: 

1. Attendance Policy

  • All teachers are expected to follow the steps outlined in our CMHS Attendance Policy. When a teacher notices that a student is absent a call home is necessary. In calling home, teachers are not just following up on their students and alerting parents of absences, but they are offering support if necessary and inviting parents to work in partnership with us around student achievement and success.

2. High School Success Learning Leaders

  • Along with following our Attendance Policy, Grade 10 teachers have one extra step which includes also alerting the High School Success Learning Leaders (HSS LLs) of a potential attendance and/or achievement concern. The HSS LLs are the hub where all information is collected. In this manner the LLs can see patterns and areas of concern emerging for students in all core subject areas.
  • The LLs can then intervene by contacting home as well, contacting admin/guidance if they have not already been alerted, gathering information and seeking out a course of action. Student Learning Team meetings can be arranged to a) deal with attendance as a team and/or b) begin to problem-solve and strategize around learning supports or course sequencing placements.

Providing Flexibility 

We know that regardless of best efforts and planning, there are times when we need to re-adjust and alter our set course. Life evolves and changes and it is important that as educators we understand this and can make room to respond to changes and support students. There are several areas where we work very hard to be flexible and personalize student learning. 

1. De-tracked / Fluid Course Sequencing

  • We believe we teach students, not subject areas and hence we work with students and parents to ensure all grade 10's are successful and receive credit in all areas. Our goal is 100% grade 10 credits earned which ultimately translates into high school graduation within the typical three year time frame.
  • Course sequence fluidity is a philosophy we adhere to at Central; meaning that there is opportunity for movement up and down set tracked courses. A students grade 9 proficiency's inform the academic level they will start in grade 10. If the student shows improved academic habits and resulting grades then they can work with their school counsellor to design a path into the more challenging academic courses. The reverse is also true that if a student is not finding academic success, they will be highlighted by the teachers and meetings set to re-design their high school success path. It does not look the same for any of our students.

2. Deadlines & Assessment

  • Our teachers know that in life, things sometimes occur to derail our plans. Teachers are flexible in relation to deadlines and due dates. When informed in advance, teachers will do whatever within their authority, and within reason, to support students around assignment completion and assessment dates. Important to note, is that there are times when hard deadlines occur (semester end for example) and there are times when it is important to complete a task in a relatively timely fashion. Often times, tasks are designed as stepping stones to a larger project or learning outcome. Teachers use these tasks to provide feedback and support students in the learning process. Completing the task weeks, or even months later does not provide for that and defeats the purpose behind the task. The “coaching” element of the teaching and learning process is not possible. These may be occasions where late assignments may not be accepted.

Targeting Teacher Practice

Recent research has shown us that teaching practices effective in the 20th century (those practices that many parents and current teachers experienced as learners in high school and that worked for us – or that we thought worked for us) are no longer effective given the reality of our current knowledge based society where what we know is far less important than what we are able to do. A paradigm shift is necessary if, as educators, we want to engage our students. Our school development plan has teachers collectively working to design learning tasks that will meet the needs of our current student population using the Teaching Effectiveness Framework and Rubric. 

1. Task Design Fosters Engagement

  • Teachers are challenged to design learning tasks that engage students both academically and intellectually. Tasks are designed to be worthwhile, relevant and show a connection between learning outcomes and the world. Attempts to show connections between the discreet disciplines are made when possible, demonstrating the interdisciplinary way in which most things occur in the world outside of the classroom.
  • Teachers work collaboratively with other teachers and design projects that are interdisciplinary in nature and bring in “experts” from the field to work with, or speak to students around how the skills they are learning in class are used in industry.
  • Teachers know the importance of student voice and choice in the learning process and provide opportunities for students to personalize learning tasks making them more relevant to the leaners.
  • Teachers balance individual learning tasks with collaborative learning ones to ensure students are able to develop their own skills and they are also able to develop skills necessary when working as a group or a team.

2. Assessment Practices

  • We believe that student assessment and feedback is fundamental to increasing student achievement. Teachers follow the assessment guidelines set out by the Calgary Board of Education. As well, teachers use formative assessment strategies and tools regularly to guide their practice and assess for student learning. Re-assessment opportunities are provided for students who, when initially assessed did not meet outcomes, but at a later date, after focused attention and further instruction, are able to meet the outcome.
  • Our goal is to ensure that students are provided every opportunity to demonstrate what they know. Assessment is not a form of punishment. Students who do not manage time well or do not “think ahead” are not punished for this through their course assessments, but this doesn’t mean that these factors may not impact final assessments. Students consistently working behind schedule are always “catching up” and hence cannot focus on the current material. In these cases they often do not do as well as potentially possible – this is a natural consequence. We recognize the importance and value in completing work on time and being responsible and we also recognize that these are important life skills. There are other avenues and natural consequences, apart from “late marks” and “zeros,” that will better target time management and taking responsibility for one’s choices. Ex: Missing the bus for an off-site activity and missing out on the activity; not being considered for a scholarship/experience/job because of a missed deadline; being “benched” because you were late for team practice, or missed practice; or not being included in a team or club photo because you were late. Having said all of this, although students are provided ample opportunity to meet outcomes, ultimately if a student cannot or does not demonstrate competency in an outcome they cannot be assessed. In essence a zero in a mark book or a blank due to lack of evidence results in the same outcome. Students must demonstrate competency in course outcomes to move on to the next level. Some students may need more than one opportunity to do this.

Supporting Student Success

Our primary role is to support students. Our High School Success Initiative acknowledges that everyone needs support of some kind, at some point. Apart from the strategies and structures already mentioned, The Student Success Centre (SSC) is designed as a wraparound centre to support a variety of student needs. The SSC is a one-stop shop for student success. Here students can access:

  • The Central Memorial Student Learning Team: A team of teachers who work with students that a) have some special learning needs and b) could benefit from a quiet place to work with some academic support if needed. This team oversees the IPP process. Students needing assistive technologies or other learning accommodations based on learning codes are supported not only by the classroom teacher, but also the Student Learning Team. Students in need of a snack or lunch know that they are able to come here and food is available through our partnerships with “All In For Youth” and Brown Bagging.
  • Walking Together Space : Home base of our Indigenous Graduation Coach for our indigenous learners, it hosts many lunch time connection events like Rock you Mocs, First Language Day, Grandmothers Tea Ceremony, Drumming, and Elder talks.
  • In the learning commons, our Off Campus Coordinator supports Work Experience/RAP, and Dual Credit Programs.
  • We believe that our community partners can make a significant contribution to student success and work to support these partnerships. Currently students are able to access the following supports in the learning commons (for more information on these programs and accessing them – see Student Services): 

Success Beyond Grade 10

Although our HSS Initiative is design to target grade 10 students, the foundational principles remain consistent throughout the way we work with all of our students in all grades. Teachers continue to foster strong relationships with students beyond Grade 10. We focus on continuous improvement of teacher practice and hold steady to the assessment guidelines put forth by The Calgary Board of Education regardless of the grade level of our students. As a learning community we remain committed to keeping the lines of communication open and knowing that there is very little in life that is black and white and that it is important to remain flexible and collaboratively problem-solve whenever possible. Our support for our students’ achievement does not end in Grade 10.

1. Grade 11 Resiliency Meetings

  • Students entering grade 11 without full credit in all academic courses (math, science, social and English) and their parent/guardian are asked to meet with their school counsellor - admin team. The meeting is designed to work collaboratively to ensure that a pro-active plan is in place for each student in order to ensure graduation requirements. Through this meeting, programming decisions are made and a timetable that will best suit the student’s needs is developed. (Grade 10s finding themselves in this situation in December and June are asked to meet with their school counsellor to determine if educational programming in the summer may be an option.)

2. Grade 12 – Transitions and 4th Year Requests

  • Our Student Services team and Off Campus Coordinator work diligently with students to support their next steps…whatever these steps may be. We provide support around university and college entrance requirements, applications, scholarships and much more.
  • Every fall, the Central's School Counsellor team completes credit checks, ensuring that students are on track to receive a high school diploma. In Grade 12, letters are sent out to students who are not on track and the team works with those students to determine if there is any possibility of high school completion within the 3 year time frame.
  • For those students requiring more time to complete high school graduation requirements, applications for another semester or a full fourth year are submitted though Student Services and reviewed by administration. Most often, students seeking an additional semester for high school completion are granted the time to do so if there is space in the requested courses and programs. In the event that an additional semester is not granted for whatever reason, CMHS administration always provides an alternate plan for the student if they wish to pursue it. All cases are dealt with on an individual basis and decisions around fourth year requests are made considering what is within the best interest of the individual student making the request and what CMHS is able to provide.