Sports and Wellness Academy - PENDING

General Information

The Sports and Wellness Academy at St.Mary’s School is a unique program designed for students in Grades 6 through 9. This Academy offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore a wide range of sports and wellness activities while building valuable skills, resilience, and a lifelong appreciation for health and fitness. The goal of the program is to inspire active, balanced lives while developing well-rounded, confident, and resilient students who thrive in new challenges, embrace the spirit of teamwork, and grow in faith and service to others.

In any given academic year, students will explore a wide range of sports and activities that may include: golf, baseball, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, wall climbing, dance, yoga, swimming, skating, fitness training, snowshoeing, hiking, tennis, track and field, and curling. Furthermore, students will learn sports psychology, nutrition, sports photography, kinesiology taping, careers in sport, and other educational modules. 

This program meets the needs of many students: those students who have a keen interest in sports and being active, and those students who see themselves pursuing a career in the sporting field. Furthermore, students also have additional opportunities to experience Regular-stream option programming such as computers, foods, shop, etc. (see Wellness above). 

To protect the integrity of the program, class sizes are capped and therefore often operate at full capacity. In these situations, students wanting to enter the program are placed on a waiting list and currently enrolled students must meet certain standards. Therefore, to maintain the integrity of the Sports & Wellness program, parents and students must continuously strive to meet the following:

1. All Sports & Wellness Academy fees must be paid in full or be arranged to be paid in instalments. In extenuating circumstances, arrangements may be made to have fees waived but these arrangements need to be made in advance.
   
   
2. Students must maintain regular and punctual attendance at school including all off-site activities.
   
   
3. Students must be an active participant in all Sports & Wellness Academy programming.  Active participation is considered to be the regular and ongoing participation in the activities of the Sports & Wellness Academy both on and off campus. 
   
   
4. Students must maintain an exemplary attitude, effort, work ethic, and interest in Sports & Wellness.
   
   
5. Students will maintain positive behaviour in accordance with the MHCBE Student Code of Conduct. This includes the responsibility of being an ambassador of St. Mary’s School.
   
   
6. Students must maintain a level of good academic standing or show evidence of academic accountability and improvement. 

Student performance in the Sports & Wellness Academy will be reviewed at the end of each reporting period, including the end of the academic year. Students found to be struggling with any of the above criteria may be required to meet with Sports & Wellness faculty, meet with administration, put on a period of probation, and/or be removed from the program. This agreement is subject to the discretion of the Sports & Wellness faculty and administration.  Administrators reserve the right to have the final say in student programming.  

Selection Process

In the event that the number of students enrolling in a particular grade exceeds the capacity of the program, students in good standing (see Sports & Wellness Academy Standards) will be selected in the following order: 

1. Current Grade 6, 7, and 8 St. Mary’s School Sports & Wellness Academy students 
   
   
2. Current Grade 5 students registered at and attending a Medicine Hat Catholic school
   
   
3. Current Grade 6, 7, and 8 St. Mary’s School students in a different program
   
   
4. Current Grade 6, 7, and 8 Notre Dame students
   
   
5. New Catholic students to Medicine Hat Catholic once accepted into the division
   
   
6. All other new students to Medicine Hat Catholic once accepted into the division 

Once a class has reached capacity, all remaining students will be placed on a waiting list. In order to maintain a spot on the waiting list, students must be registered at St. Mary’s as a non-academy student. As spots become available, students will be transferred into the Academy Program. 

Registration opens on February 1. All selection process criteria (see above) remain in force during open registration. On March 1, any further registrations - including those from existing Sports & Wellness Academy students - will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.  Administrators reserve the right to have the final say in student programming. Parents will be notified by email regarding acceptance into the Sports & Wellness Academy program each spring.

Class Load

Core Subjects: Religion/Wellness, Language Arts, Math, Social Students, Science

Wellness: Music, Art, High School Planning, Computers, additional option experiences depending on the student’s grade

Sports & Wellness Academy Programming 

Fee Schedule 

The Sports & Wellness Academy is a program of choice, therefore a fee will be charged to be in the program. All fee payments and arrangements are processed through School Cash Online. Payments can be lump-sum or scheduled for up to 5 installments to be fully paid by January 31 of the program year.  More information regarding payment plans will be provided at the beginning of the school year.  

Should unforeseen circumstances arise and schools experience a temporary closure, scheduled payments will not be stopped. Refunds (if applicable) will be calculated depending on the length of closure, the academy expenses and revenue collected. Refunds would only be issued at the end of the school year after all factors have been taken into account and have been approved by MHCBE Senior Administration.