Dear Henry Wise Wood Students, Families, and Community members 

We trust you are enjoying a wonderful summer and many opportunities to get outside and connect with the land. This time to rest and rejuvenate is so valuable in preparation for the school year ahead. 

For school start-up, please note the Passport to Success dates.

• Grade 11 & 12- 9am-noon on Monday, August 25
• Grade 10 & all new to HWW- 9am-noon on Tuesday, August 26 

This is a valuable opportunity for our returning Warriors to re-acquaint themselves with the school and to visit our post-secondary Fair, and for our new Warriors to get comfortable with the new school setting via student-led tours. Students will take photos, receive school ID cards, apply for parking passes, and find their classrooms. Parents/guardians are also welcome to attend. 

Student course schedules will be visible in MyCBE Wednesday, August 13.

Please see the information from Student Services in the newsletter below regarding course change requests. Note that complimentary (option) course changes are not available for Grade 10s.

Classes begin for all students on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

• Grade 10s attend all day, beginning at 8:45am.
• Grade 11s and 12s attend afternoon only, beginning at 12 for lunch, classes beginning at 1pm.
• Regular timetable begins Wednesday, September 3, 2025. 

Highlighting 2 additional dates, please mark your calendars:

• Wednesday, September 17, 6-8pm- Meet the Teacher Evening in person
• Wednesday, October 1, 6-7:15pm- Grade 11 &12 IB Information Evening online

We are looking forward to a wonderful year ahead at the Home of Artists, Scholars and Champions. Enjoy the remainder of your summer and see you in the Fall. 

Aileen Smyth

Principal 

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer's lease hath all too short a date." ~William Shakespeare

Passport to Success – August 25 and 26

On Monday, August 25 from 9am-12pm, we invite all Grade 11 and 12 students/parents/guardians to the school.

During Passport to Success, students have the opportunity to have their school photo taken, apply for a student parking pass, verify myPass and email accounts as well as visit with Alberta Post Secondary representatives.  Guidance Counsellors will be available to meet with students who have been designated a “See Counsellor” in their timetable as visible in MyCBE.  This is an excellent opportunity to:

• Review graduation status and plan including credit count and required courses
• Ensure required courses are timetabled or there is a plan for completion. There will not be course changes available at this time, only the addition of necessary grad requirements
• Begin the conversation around plans for next steps after high school including post- secondary, employment or gap year.
• Ensure myPass and CBE email is set up.  This will be very important tor messaging during the school year.
• Return outstanding textbooks to the Library 

Students are welcome and encouraged to attend with parents/guardians during the following times based on their last names: 

In conjunction, we will also be hosting a small Post-Secondary fair with Alberta post- secondary partners. Students and families can talk to representatives to find out more about post-secondary programs, admissions and unique opportunities. 

Participating institutions have included:

• University of Calgary
• University of Alberta
• Alberta University of the Arts
• Ambrose University
• Athabasca University
• University of Lethbridge
• SAIT
• Mount Royal University
• St. Mary’s University
• Bow Valley College
• The King’s University
• Olds College
• Concordia University
• Lethbridge College
• Red Deer Polytechnic 

On Tuesday, August 26 from 9am-12pm we invite all Grade 10 students/ parents/ guardians & anyone new to Henry Wise Wood High School to come to the school. 

Students will have an opportunity to connect with our student LINK Leaders for a school tour, receive timetables and key school information, take their school photo (necessary for school ID), as well as explore the school to find key locations, classes and their Warrior Connect homeroom.

Students are welcome and encouraged to attend with parents/guardians during the following times based on their last names: 

First Day for Students- Tuesday, September 2

Please note September 2 is staggered entry

• Grade 10s all day- 8:45am start time
• Grade 11 and 12s afternoon only- 1pm class start 

Schedule for the Day Tuesday, September 2, 2026

• 8:45 AM- Grade 10s arrive and remain all day
• 9AM- 12PM- Grade 10 Link Activities and Orientation
• 12-12:30- Grade 10 Band Orientation- Music Room
• Lunch Break 12-1PM
• Food Trucks (Bring Money)
• Grade 11s and 12s arrive
• 12:30-1:00- Grade 11/12 Band Orientation- Music Room
• 1:00- All Grades Move to Period 1 Classes

Please visit our Back to School page for the following information:

• Student ID
• Photos
• Lockers
• Fees 
• Parking Passes
• School Supplies
• MyCBE Account
• Timetable Change Requests

Textbooks

Grade 11 and 12 students, if you did not return your textbooks from the 2024-2025 school year, please return these on the Passport to Success day, August 25, 2025. New textbooks will be assigned in class. Please note that textbooks need to be returned to sign out new books. You will need your ID cards for this process. 

Extended Summer Absences

Attendance is very important for student success, and we want our Warriors to have a great start in their courses. If you are delayed in getting back and your student will not be in attendance on September 2, please notify henrywisewood@cbe.ab.ca so we can record the attendance correctly and notify the teachers.  

Graduation | HWW Class of 2026

Please visit our Graduation page for details.

Warrior Athletics

Welcome to Henry Wise Wood! We offer a variety of programs in each season and look forward to having our new and returning warriors get involved. The following teams start right away in the fall: cross country, football, girls’ soccer, golf and volleyball. Please find the athletic try-out form on our athletics page on our website and bring to the first day of practice. For more updates, check out our Instagram page @wisewoodwarriors or email the Athletic Director, Karen Cheney kacheney@cbe.ab.ca, with any further questions. PLEASE NOTE: Football and Volleyball start before the first day of school. GO WARRIORS!  

Please visit our Athletics page for information about Cross Country, Football, Soccer, Golf, Volleyball practices and tryouts.

Math Department

Well, summer is here, and it is time to take a short break from your math studies. Relax, rest and rejuvenate so that you are ready to study hard in September!

If you are a new student coming to Henry Wise Wood…Welcome! You will be taking math courses at a school that has a history of top results in mathematics in the Calgary Board of Education. We offer all levels of mathematics courses and our main goal is for students to develop an appreciation and respect for math. 

All of our math courses require students to own their own calculator. If you are registered in a –3 or –4 course, a regular scientific calculator is required. If you are registered in a –1, –2, 10C, GATE or IB course, a graphing calculator is required. We suggest purchasing a Texas Instruments TI84 CE or a Casio 9750 GIII. If you plan to purchase another model, please hold off until school starts and check with your teacher to make sure the model is appropriate and approved by AB Ed. 

If you enjoy doing challenging and strange but also beautiful Math problems, please plan to participate in the math contests that are available to Henry Wise Wood students. Listen for announcements early in the fall for details on how to get involved. We also offer after school Math help most days after school. All the Henry Wise Wood Math teachers look forward to teaching you in the Fall! 

Science Department

Welcome to all of our new Warriors! We are thrilled to have you join us this fall. Through the sciences program, we aim to inspire a deep appreciation for the natural world, while also helping you build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We hope you'll discover and pursue your Science interests with us. 

For all Grade 10 science courses, students are required to have their own calculator. While both scientific and non-scientific calculators are acceptable, we recommend a scientific calculator for its ease of use, especially in conjunction with your mathematics courses. Additionally, all Grade 10 science students will need to purchase goggles for $9.00, which you will keep and use throughout your labs in Grades 10, 11, and 12. Please take good care of them! 

We offer after-school support through the “Wise Guys” program, available Monday to Thursday in the Science hallway on the 2nd floor from 3:33pm to 5:00pm, starting after the second week of school. This is a wonderful opportunity to get into the habit of completing your homework and studying with friends, with an expert teacher on hand to assist you as needed.

We look forward to seeing you soon! 

Social Studies Department

The HWW Social Studies Department wishes everyone a great summer! We also hope that you are looking forward to continued stimulating discussion of historical, political and economic issues in September. We look forward to seeing everybody in the fall; whether you are taking IB or -1 or -2 or -4, we know you’ll enjoy social studies next year. Relatedly, if you are looking for some Social Studies related extracurricular activities, please don’t hesitate to join one of Wise Wood’s many clubs! 

There is Interact/Agents for Change if you are interested in volunteering and fundraising and general humanitarian causes, or Debate or Model UN if you prefer more political activities. Lots of choices, so get involved! 

English Department

We hope your summer has been filled with sunshine, relaxation, and at least a few good books (yes, graphic novels count!). As September approaches, we’re getting our classrooms—and our coffee—ready to welcome students back with open books and open minds. Until then, enjoy every page of summer!

Language Testing

Welcome to Henry Wise Wood! Our languages department is introducing a new opportunity for incoming Grade 10 students who have a background in Spanish or French. If you feel that your skills in either of these languages are proficient then you are welcome to join us at Henry Wise Wood on August 26 at 10:00 a.m. in room 116 to challenge the 10-level course. If you are successful and receive 65% or higher, you will be placed in the 20-level language course and will receive retro-credits for the 10-level. 

CBE Language Challenge Exam

For any students who studied French or Spanish in an immersion or bilingual program or are first language speakers of either of these two languages, we strongly encourage you to consider writing the Language Challenge exam through the Languages Team with CBE. There will be more information shared around this in our weekly newsletters come fall. If you have any questions, please see Ms. Pinnow in room 116. 

English as an Additional Learner Language Benchmarking

To all English as an Additional Language (EAL) students and families, 

We are looking forward to seeing many familiar faces and getting to know the newest additions to the Warrior family this coming Fall. 

The Language Benchmarking is a government-mandated requirement for all EAL Students with a language code (301, 302 or 303). This will be completed twice this year: once in September 2025 and once in May 2026.

For the first round, students will be completing the assessments in their core classes early on in September. 

Any students who miss the assessments will be pulled from class to complete them at an alternate date. If you have questions about your EAL language code, please feel free to contact the school. 

Fine Arts Department 

The Fine Arts Department had an awesome 2024-2025 school year! We had many music performances, art displays, dance shows and plenty of offsite experiences for our students. Back in February, we took a group of 49 students to New York City for an immersive and exciting experience filled with museums, workshops, Broadway musicals and a visit to Julliard. Our department is looking forward to planning more memorable experiences for students in the 2025-2026 school year. 

Drama and Advanced Acting

The students in Drama this year were very busy! We started a new club, the Henry Wise Wood Theatre Collective, which hosted some fun events including Karaoke, the Drama 30 One Act Festival and more. In March, our Advanced Acting students performed the show Radium Girls, a heartbreaking true story about the women who worked for the U.S. Radium Corporation and their sad fate. In class, the Drama 30 students directed some very creative final scenes! Moving forward, our show for next year will be The Great All-American Musical Disaster by Tim Kelly! Auditions will be in September so keep an eye out for the info!

Band

The past year was an exciting and busy one for band students, incorporating many offsite fieldtrips including to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Calgary Performing Arts Festival, Camp Caroline, the Vic Lewis Band Festival, Edmonton, New York, and more. Various ensembles performed at many school events as well as venues around the city and province. Looking forward to many exciting events in the upcoming year. Stay tuned for more details regarding fall and spring band trips to get in on the fun! 

Musical Theatre

This was our first year of offering Musical Theatre as a course in the timetable and we had so much fun! With 35 students enrolled, two teachers who like to laugh and a ridiculous script – this was a wonderful experience. Our show, The Fourth Musical... in a High School, showcased the broad range of talent and hard work that our students are capable of. We are looking forward to offering the class again next year in the second semester, with the show Mamma Mia!

School Council & Parent & Alumni Association

School Council & Parent & Alumni Association

Your School Council and Parent & Alumni Association executive teams will be changing over in the fall. We need you!

Parents/Guardians are needed to fill the following roles:

Chair

Vice-Chair

Treasurer

Secretary

Elections will be held at our Annual General Meeting on October 27. Roles can be shared and there is lots of opportunity for mentorship.

Come and say hello at our first meetings of the 2025-2026 school year, Monday September 22, beginning at 6:30 pm, or connect with us by email, if you would like to chat.  

Together, the School Council and the Parent & Alumni Association provide financial support for a variety of clubs, replace broken or old equipment, provide great additional learning opportunities and bring guest speakers to the school.

More information is on our School Council page.