Catholic School Division applies for relocatable classrooms for École St. Mary High School

Daily Herald File Photo A group of 21 Japanese students will be visiting Ecole St. Mary High School in March and host families are needed.

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division says École St. Mary High School’s status as a dual track school is behind the request to add two relocatable classrooms.

School division trustees voted to submit an application for two new classrooms to the Ministry of Education at their last regular meeting on Nov. 7.

Catholic School Division education director Lorel Trumier said they’ve been requesting relocatable classrooms for St. Mary over the last several years.

“We are operating a dual track school and when it’s dual track the formula for the number of classrooms for students actually shifts,” Trumier explained. “You can’t have a classroom with English track of students and French in the same classroom when they are both in Grade 9. You need two classrooms, and so we want recognition for that kind of work that we are doing.”

Trumier said there are several reasons for the request, but the biggest is the increasing demand for French Immersion classes at St. Mary. That demand is unlikely to go away. Without the new classrooms, reads a board memo, the school may struggle to address future student population levels.

“We are seeing an increase in our French Immersion over the years and it is continuing to increase in those numbers overall,” Trumier said. “We want to have the space that’s required.”

Trumier added that it is not a particular style of classroom but more for management of student space.

“It’s just management of our students in the classrooms because they will move from class to class depending what the schedule is,” she said.

Dual track schools require spaces for both English and French Immersion students at each level.

“We need the same thing at the 10 to 20 and 30 level courses that are offered,” Trumier said. “We need space to operate those classrooms.”

Date set for annual SCC engagement session

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division board has set dates for their annual meeting with School Community Councils (SCCs) for in the new year.

At their regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 7 the board set the date for the annual Networking and Professional Development session with SCCs for Jan. 19, 2023 at 7 p.m. with a location to be determined.

“We are bringing in our SCCs together, we have obviously set a date…so we will be communicating that out to our SCCs about our plans to make this move forward,” director of education Lorel Trumier said.

The session will be based around reviewing the Provincial Education Plan and school division strategic plan.

“We want the parents voice in our strategic planning for the next three years in our school division and also have their input on how it aligns with what the province is hoping and wanting for education in the process,” Trumier said.

Last school year the division hosted a virtual SCC Networking and Professional Development session with Kevin Cameron.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

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