The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division board has approved the school calendar for 2023-2024.
The division is awaiting final approval from the Ministry of Education so they can begin distribution.
“We will share it out with our parents and community as soon as we can,” Bratvold said. “That timeline is a little bit difficult to judge because sometimes the Ministry takes some extra time to review that, so we will see how that works. It is good to have the calendar approved by the board and ready to go and ready to be distributed once the Ministry gives the word.”
In the draft, students will return on Tuesday, Sept. 5 to begin the next school year, with teachers having assigned teacher time on Aug. 30, 31 and Sept. 1.
The teacher convention is scheduled for March 15, 2024. Christmas break is from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4, 2023. The February break is from Feb. 19 to 23 and there is an April break from March 29 until April 8, with Easter Monday landing on April 1. The last day of classes will be on June 28 of 2024.
The Ministry of Education has to confirm compliance before the calendar is official.
“(With the) calendar, we cannot distribute yet because the ministry has to confirm legislative compliance,” Bratvold said.
The division historically approved the calendar in February.
“There are a couple of divisions that do that,” Bratvold explained. “Some wait longer to do that, but we have had lots of positive feedback from our families getting it out early and they can plan the year coming up.”
Saskatchewan Rivers has a calendar committee with representatives from teachers, CUPE, SCC and Saskatchewan Rivers Students for change.
The calendar remains relatively consistent year-over-year.
“Part of that consistency is required because of legislative obligations,” Bratvold explained. “We have to fulfil our calendar, which makes (for) not a lot of flexibility within in it, but it is nice to have some consistent, predictable nature for the most part.”
The calendar includes 315 minutes per day of instruction per day and 960.75 hours of instruction per school year which is slightly higher than the Education Act regulation of 950 hours of instruction.
The Ministry approved school beginning after Labour Day.
According to the Education Act, any year when the statutory holiday occurs on September 5 or later, the education minister can choose to start school during the previous week before the holiday. Labour Day is Sept. 4 this year so classes begin on Sept. 5.
“Labour Day is on Monday the 4 so that way the Minister decrees that classes will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 5,” Bratvold said.
The legislation to start school after Labour Day was introduced in 2011.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
