Senator Patrick Burns School was built in 1961, in honour of the humble rancher-come-businessman and senator, who was also instrumental in funding Calgary's first Stampede in 1912. Patrick Burns’ example teaches us that a dream does not become reality through magic, but through commitment to hard work. His legacy is still felt through the school's promotion of values such as citizenship, innovation and hard work for relevant endeavours.
Spanish is Spoken Here!
SPB is home to one of the largest International Spanish Academies in Canada. Students of the Spanish Bilingual program have been learning in two languages for all of their school lives. Students of the English Community Program are offered an introductory Spanish-as-a-Second-Language class. All students, staff and visitors are encouraged to practice and showcase their Spanish language skills – whether advanced or basic – whenever possible. Students and teachers of the Spanish Bilingual program have clear expectations for full use of Spanish within the classroom.
Our School Program is Uniquely Organized
- International Spanish Academy (Grade 7-9) that serves NW and NE communities
- English Community School (Grade 7-9)
- Paced Learning Program (PLP) (Grade 7-9)
- Teachers within the core program are organized into teams that work together to plan activities and integrate curriculum. They discuss strategies to work more successfully with their students.
- Outstanding Complementary Program (options) - organized in semesters (exemption: Band is a full year of courses). Students are offered a wide variety of option courses in Spanish and English which extend and enhance the Program of Studies
- Staff are creative, concerned, competent and caring, bringing a wide range of language and cultural experiences to their students.
We All Belong
At Senator Patrick Burns School, we honour our diversity as a middle school of choice in the CBE. Students from Grades 6-9 come from 58 different neighborhoods in Calgary, representing varying family backgrounds, learning styles, interests and aspirations.& Teachers, support staff, coaches and mentors represent varying cultures, languages and life / professional experiences. Everyone has a rightful place at our school.
We consider this place to be our home away from home, our school family.
We Value Choice
We are proud to be the National Sport Academy (Grades 9), the English Community Program (Grades 7-9), and the International Spanish Academy (Grades 6-9). We uphold the mission of the CBE: Each student in keeping with their individual abilities and gifts, will complete high school with a foundation of learning necessary to thrive in life, work and continued learning.
Each program of choice is accompanied by a unique framework and allows for creative resourcing in order to open up as many avenues to learning as possible. We commit to making each program of choice a sustainable one, thereby providing long-term gratification for students, families, and staff.
Relevancy in Learning Matters
At our school we influence, mentor and educate young people at a critical time in their lives. Assimilating the changes of the middle school learner can be fostered through creating a safe and stimulating environment for learning. This environment must allow students and their teachers to grapple with issues and ideas that really matter to them, in their own lives and communities, and in the wider societal context.
We design curriculum together as a joint endeavor between students, adults and the factors in our environment. The Theory of Action in our School Development Plan states: “If teachers will design strong, relevant learning tasks that will challenge student growth, then students will demonstrate an increased level of excellence in creating and communicating complex perspectives in Spanish and English”. We engage students in learning through two languages in ways that can be applied to real world situations and encourage them to press through challenges in language learning through authentic experiences. Read more about our School Development Plan.
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 2025 2026 TRC Commitment SPB
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 SPB SDP 2025 26
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.