School Profile

Location:
Wembley, AB. The attendance area for the school includes the town of Wembley and the surrounding rural area, serving a student population of approximately 185 students.

Grades:
4 to 9

Mission:

Our mission is ‘Bringing out the Best’ – in students and in everything the school does.

Special Features:

The HET canteen offers a breakfast program and twice weekly hot lunch. Students access a fully equipped science lab, sensory room, music room, library and gym. Our entire school uses Chromebooks daily and we are proud to be 1:1 deployment of the devices.

Programs:

Our academic program includes both core and complementary courses.

Core Courses: Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies and French.

Complementary Courses: Physical Education, Wellness, Art, Music, Leadership, Tourism, Drama, Intro to Driving. Depending on student interest and staffing levels, the exact number of options may change from one year to the next.

Instructional Time:
Helen E. Taylor School runs a Compressed School Week (CSW) resulting in an organization base of nine school days per two-week block rather than five school days per one-week block. CSW implementation occurred to support busing high school students to Beaverlodge Regional High School, who need to arrive at school by 9:00 am. Consequently, Helen E. Taylor students in Grades 4 - 9 are delivered to the school by 8:20 am and begin there day at 8:35 am.

Rationale for choosing a Compressed School Week (CSW) over other options included:

If students arrive at school at 8:30 am, and classes do not begin until 9:00 am, many disciplinary problems can occur during this 30-minute wait. Even with supervision, these problems set the tone for the day and necessitate much extra disciplinary action from the teachers and administration. Children’s learning potential is at its peak in the morning; this is valuable time when children should receive instruction

Sports:
Students partake in friendly competitions as members of one of four mixed-grade “courts.” HET Knights enjoy extracurricular activities such as run club, Fall 5K/Terry Fox Run and track & field. Junior high students can join the school's sports teams consisting of badminton, basketball and volleyball.

Health and wellness supports are provided by a Community School Liaison, FNMI Liaison Worker, Mental Health Therapist and School Counselor; and through the school’s breakfast program and twice-daily nutrition breaks. We offer inclusive education and speech pathology services.

Our sensory room is equipped with rebounders, chin-up bar, squeeze press, sensory bins, sound machine and more to help students regulate their bodies and emotions.

HET’s inclusive and supportive learning environment offers all students supplemental programs such as Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), Empower Reading and Learning Strategies. KNIGHT block for Grades 4 - 9 provides personal learning time to access teacher assistance, complete work, attend seminars, or participate in physical activities.

Citizenship activities include “Shining Knights”, an incentive program for positive behavior, along with student-led assemblies and an annual Christmas feast where we get the chance to "break bread" with some community members. Depending on the year, students can participate in a spring community art show & auction, annual Christmas musical, Grade 4 "Night at the School", Grade 6 "Camp Day", Grades 4 - 9 Nitehawk trip and Grade 9 travel club which has toured Quebec, Italy and Japan.

Junior high students can explore robotics, carpentry/construction and cosmetology options through the PWPSD travelling trades program. They also may choose to participate in indoor/outdoor fitness, art, photography, movie-making and more. Grades 8 & 9 students participate in Career and Technology Studies (CTS) at Beaverlodge Regional High School every Wednesday morning. Elementary students enjoy year-round art and music programs.

Grades 4 & 5 take swimming lessons once a year. Some years we participate in Jump Rope for Heart, The Terry Fox Run, Family Literacy Day, Pi Day (Math), and Science Olympics. Students may also participate in the Grande Prairie Music Festival and cultural events.

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Contact us:
(780) 766-9103
View our staff list.

Trustee Contact:
Wendy Kelm, Ward 5: [email protected]