Patrick Airlie School is located in the southeast community of Forest Lawn and offers regular programming for Kindergarten to Grade 6. Currently, students from Patrick Airlie School move on to Ernest Morrow School for Grades 7 to 9 and then to Forest Lawn High School for Grades 10 to 12.
The school was built in 1957 and is situated on 2.8696 acres. The school is a two-story structure. There are 11 classrooms as well as a learning commons, gym, staff room, and an office area. The stage area off the gym has been converted to a conference room and fine arts classroom space. There is a creative playground area, designated areas for soccer, baseball, basketball, as well as paved compound areas for such activities as skipping, hopscotch, and four square.
Patrick Airlie School is supported by the Integrated School Support Program (ISSP). This is fully funded by Calgary Police Youth Foundation and is an instrumental support for our learning community. With the support of ISSP we are able to provide breakfast and lunch programs for all students. Health and emotional well-being are also supported by a full-time Physical Education teacher and Psychologist. ISSP provides a variety of additional supports throughout the school year which positively impact the well-being and learning of all our students and staff.
Who Was Patrick Airlie?
The school was named after Patrick Airlie. He was born in Longford, Ireland, in 1889 and came to the Albert Park district in 1911. Mr. Airlie, with others, was instrumental in organizing the first community association and the first library in the Forest Lawn district. He served on the Bow River School District Board for 37 years and was chairman of that board for many years. Patrick Airlie School was built on the old site of the Bow River School and was named to honor the many years Mr. Airlie devoted to education in the district. The Airlie family continues to be involved in the school to this day.
School Mission
To develop and empower responsible lifelong learning through encounters that sponsor deep and meaningful learning in a child-centered, supportive school community.
School Philosophy
- Meaningful experiences. Patrick Airlie is a community of learners where parents, teachers and students are given opportunities for authentic experiences which will invite them to a life world beyond the classroom walls. With students always the forefront of our work, learners will be given opportunities to practice life skills that will enable them to creatively engage with the academic disciplines, build positive relationships with peers, teachers and new content material, assume responsibility and ownership for their actions; have respect for individual differences; and work with others in a meaningful way.
- Lifelong learners. Patrick Airlie is a cooperative community dedicated to fostering a sense of importance in each of our members. Our community will instill a desire for building knowledge through a commitment to programs that focus on self-motivation, individuality, and diversity. The learner will develop integrity by realizing their voice is an important one.
- Supportive community. The supportive community of Patrick Airlie School includes students, parents, teachers, and businesses bound together by common purpose, beliefs, and expectations. Our supportive community is committed to collegiality, cooperation, and collaboration as we prepare learners for global citizenship.
- Learner centered. In a learner-centered school, we recognize the importance of the parents and teachers working together with the students to address their personal interests and learning needs and to prepare them to make a contribution to society.
- Responsibility. At Patrick Airlie School, responsibility is seen as a shared endeavour amongst all stakeholders: the school staff, the students, the parents, and the greater community. It will be an environment where teachers who are informed and current in curriculum create opportunities in which parents and students can begin to accept increased leadership and responsibility for learning. Students will demonstrate increasing growth in self-discipline and become more responsible for their own learning. We will continue to encourage our parents and our community to accept ownership for having students ready to learn and provide authentic experiences for our learners.
Patrick Airlie School at at Glance
Our school places focus on student well-being and learning. While attending to all curricular areas, our staff strives to positively impact growth in literacy, math and well-being. Building a collaborative school community is important to us, at Patrick Airlie. Our school offers:
- Breakfast program (available for all students)
- Supervised Lunchtime program
- Daily Physical Education
- EAL support
- Extracurricular opportunities
- Full-day Kindergarten program (note, this program is a year-to-year decision by CBE)
- ISSP (Integrated School Support Program)
- Student leadership opportunities
Our School's Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation
We are committed to acknowledging and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action specific to education. Our school, along with all CBE schools, made a Truth and Reconciliation Commitment to Action, on June 21, we renewed our commitment.
View Our Truth and Reconciliation Commitment | 2025-2026
School Development Plan
Each year, our school prepares a development plan with input from teachers, school staff, students and parents. We review many sources of data, including report cards, provincial achievement test results and school surveys. Based on this information, we create our plan identifying targeted areas for growth. Our school development plan is not meant to represent all of the work that takes place in our school, but rather it focuses on specific areas for improvement.
View Our School Development Plan | 2024-2025
School Improvement Results Report
Our school also prepares a results plan, which looks at our previous school year. It shows our students’ achievement and progress in meeting the goals and outcomes as set out by the CBE and Alberta Education, outlines some of the highlights of our school development plan and gives an overview of our school. You can look on the CBE website for system-wide results.