Woodman School is named after Mr. FL Woodman (1888-1967). He was a teacher with the Calgary Board of Education from 1915- 1935 and the principal of Western Canada High School from 1935-1954. He was awarded the Calgary Sportsman of the Year, which is given to an individual who contributes unselfishly and with great sacrifice to build strong community and love of sport without motive. The Calgary Booster Club described Mr. Woodman as a legend who made amateur sport a reality by his hard work and dedication. 

The school was built in 1959 and for more than 65 years, the values of Mr. Woodman are still alive at Woodman School, which is a place where active living, athletics and a sense of strong community thrive. Our school mascot, the Wolf, reminds us of the balance needed between fierce independence and taking care of the Pack. We strive for that balance at Woodman School. 

This is Our School | We All Make it a Great Place to Learn / Un belle place pour apprendre

The best middle schools offer a variety of ways for students to become involved, and to have a voice in making decisions, planning spaces, and expressing new ideas. Woodman has varied opportunities for involvement in athletic teams; music; clubs; fundraising campaigns; school trips, and student advocacy groups. The adults at Woodman strive to assist students in building a balanced school life – with a healthy mix of play and hard work, relaxation and pressure, fun and thoughtfulness.

These are some of the ways we create a great place to learn:

Respect For All

We live in a diverse society. In accordance with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) Administrative Regulation 6031, Welcoming, Caring, Respectful and Safe Learning and Work Environments, we respect everyone’s unique personality, belief system, gender orientation, social circle, and appearance. Every decision made at Woodman School is weighed against this value. Attitudes and actions that display intolerance, disrespect, harassment or threat of harm to self or others are not acceptable and will be addressed within a supportive circle involving home, school and student. Physical, social, emotional, sexual, and cyber forms of bullying will not be tolerated. This includes: course language, negative body language, swearing and language with derogatory undertones. 

Safe and Secure School Environment

The CBE outlines numerous requirements for safety while at school, which Woodman is in compliance with:

• Supervision ratios are adhered to within the school community and during off-site activities.
• The required number of staff is first-aid trained and certified.
• All parent volunteers have completed the CBE Volunteer Security Clearance process through the Calgary Police Service
• The Emergency Response Plan is reviewed and updated on a regular basis; we are compliant with requirements for fire drills, lock-down practices and evacuation procedures.
• We involve our School Resource Officer through the Calgary Police Service in community events, group and individual problem-solving, and emergency procedure drills.
• Alberta Occupational Health and Safety requirements are adhered to; annual facility inspections are conducted.
• Physical Education equipment is maintained and inspected; students are instructed in safe physical education practices; staff are compliant with the required level of safety and certification for their areas of instruction.
• All accidents and incidents are correctly reported.
• Video surveillance cameras are active around the school property.
• The office staff must ring all visitors into the school and visitors must sign in at the main office.
• Former Woodman students may visit before or after school, and not during the instructional day.
• ·All external doors are locked during instructional time. 

Physical, Emotional and Mental Health

Three key strategies are used to promote health and wellness in our adolescent learners:

• The CBE has disabled access to social media on its internet platforms, promoting a distraction-free environment.
• Health classes are strategically embedded into the school year, in which the curricular outcomes for the Alberta Comprehensive School Health Program are taught.
• Weekly Wolf Pack gatherings occur with the homeroom teacher to reflect on the week, celebrate collective successes, and set goals together.
• Wellness Days are planned throughout the school year with special symposiums, workshops and guest speakers for students to learn from and be inspired by.
• A universal bathroom has been created beside the Construction room for any students who wish to access it. 

Woodman School has a Collaborative Response Team comprised of the administrative team, the Student Services Learning Leader, classroom teachers, and support staff to accommodate students’ personal learning profiles. The Collaborative Response Team meets weekly to discuss student concerns and create personalized strategies for learning. Emotional / social support is available by making an appointment in the main office to speak with Mme. Walker (Student Services Learning Leader), M. MacCarl (Assistant Principal), or Ms. Krickhan (Principal). 

Active Living and Fresh Air

All students are provided with a daily Physical Education class, from a designated Physical Education teacher. We offer a wide selection of after-school athletic team sports (cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, badminton and track and field) that are designed to develop skill, promote school pride and reduce stress. An intramural lunchtime program runs throughout the second half of the lunch hour.

See Physical Education at Woodman School. 

Lunchtime provides a supervised opportunity to eat outdoors and access the spacious school grounds for games and sports. The obstacle style playground for students aged 10-15 will allow students to keep active and socialize with each other. Students in Gr. 5-6 are supervised by noon supervisors indoors for the first half of lunch hour, followed by supervised play outdoors for the second half of lunch, in the upper field. We offer an open campus concept in Grades 7-9, allowing for the opportunity to enjoy the surrounding

Grade level field trips to locations such as Weaselhead, Glenmore Reservoir, and Fish Creek Park, are planned to enjoy the outdoor world and natural elements. Students in complementary courses, such as Environmental and Outdoor Education and Training in Excellence in Sport, are offered optional overnight and off-campus learning. 

Nourishing Food Selections

A priority is placed on the development of healthy lifestyles and practices. Teachers encourage students to come to school having eaten a nourishing breakfast. Snacks and beverages throughout the day should be planned that help sustain student focus. Slushies and energy drinks are not permitted in school, due to unhealthy levels of caffeine/sugar, and because they easily spill, creating damage to books and technology. New for 2025-2026, students in possession of slushies and energy drinks will be asked to place them in a designated storage location at the front of the school and retrieve them at the end of the school day. Consistent reinforcement of this expectation will occur with all staff and students on a regular basis. 

An online ordering system is available to students, called Healthy Hunger. Parents sign up and order meals on Tuesdays/Thursdays. Meals are delivered to the school and distributed by Grade 9 Leadership students and staff. Healthy Hunger lunch options include Boston Pizza, Subway, Edos, Booster Juice and others. Booster Juice and Cobs Bread are available for online ordering and delivered each Friday. 

Additionally, the school has vending machines with healthy foods and snacks. The vending machine may be accessed before or after school, during nutrition break and lunch. Debit cards or cash are accepted. 

Proceeds from Healthy Hunger and the vending machines are all re-directed back into improved learning environments, based on Woodman student input. 

Earth Conscious Practices

We wish to continue to improve on the reduction and sorting of waste, and of bringing garbage-free lunches. Four-way waste sorting stations (Waste, Recycling, Refundables and Organics) are set up in the main corridors of the school for students and staff to learn to use correctly, and to better distribute the responsibility of waste management by all Woodman adults and students. To reduce unnecessary waste, we request a garbage-free lunch as much as possible. We commit to the reduction of photocopying and the consumption of electricity, whenever possible. 

Languages Are Spoken Here!

We are proud of the many multilingual staff and students at Woodman School. We are one of the few schools in which all students learn some French:

• French-as-a-Second Language (English Program students)
• Intensive and immersive French in the Late French program
• Embedded content learning through French in the Continuing French Immersion Program

Students, staff and visitors are encouraged to practice and showcase their French language skills in a friendly and supportive way– whether advanced or basic – in school hallways, written communication and social interactions. Students and teachers of the French Immersion program have clear expectations for full use of French within the classroom. 

Woodman welcomes many students who have recently moved to Canada. Cultivating pride in heritage languages is highly endorsed. Targeted English language support is offered to students in the early stages of acquiring English.

View Our Truth and Reconciliation Commitment | 2025-2026

View Our School Development Plan | 2024-2025

View Our School Improvement Results Report | 2023-2024