(File photo/northeastNOW)

By Cam Lee

New school year

North East School Division preparing for upcoming school year

Aug 30, 2024 | 6:00 AM

North East School Division (NESD) teachers and administration are back on the job ahead of the upcoming school year.

Students will return to classrooms across the division on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

“We are excited to get back to school, our staff are back in the buildings, and they’re all getting ready and (are) very excited to welcome our students back in all of our schools,” Director of Education Stacy Lair told northeastNOW.

One major topic in many people’s minds is the use of cellphones in the classroom. The provincial government revealed earlier this month that cellphones will not be permitted during class time across K-12 schools in Saskatchewan.

“Our goal is to limit the use of some of those devices during the day to have opportunity for more engagement and focus on student wellness,” explained Lair. “Our focus will be to prepare our students for a little bit of a difference from pre-K to (Grade) 8 perhaps, and our (Grade) 9 to 12s as well, and so our administration teams are working hard to get those guidelines ready for students.”

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While enrollment numbers are not yet set, Lair said they have a sense that their numbers division-wide will be similar to years past, with just under 5000 students. Lair said they have a significant number of newcomers to the division, mainly from international locations.

“That’s exciting to add to our communities,” said Lair. “Lots of different backgrounds so it’s an exciting addition to our communities and our schools.”

Meanwhile, all students in Carrot River will be attending the new Carrot River Valley K-12 school. Students in Grades 5 through 12 were able to move into the facility earlier this year, but the K-4 students stayed in the former elementary school through the last school year. Lair said it’s nice to see all the students take advantage of the new facility, and she credits the community for their fundraising efforts to help purchase playground equipment and make the grounds a welcoming place. The grand opening for the new facility will be Monday, Sept. 16.

The division will have another provincial government mandate to enforce, as parental consent is now required before a child under 16 can use a different pronoun or name at school.

“I think that our families and our teachers are really good at working together and talking through, so if there’s some situations that they need to work through and our families feel very supported in that communication with teachers, and back and forth, so I think it lands in a good relationship space in the northeast,” said Lair.

The division is short a few bus routes, and Lair said she appreciates the understanding from parents as the division faces challenges with bussing.

“There’s a lot of causes behind that…we do have a lack of casual drivers and in the farming season that can impact our routes, as well as the procurement of new buses and the timing to get those buses,” explained Lair. “This has been, like everyone else waiting for vehicles, a bit of a challenge for us.”

Lair said there are also some challenges with staffing shortages in the transportation department. She acknowledged those challenges can impact student attendance because families are often required to drive students to school.

“We do ask for some understanding with that, and we will keep working hard until we get all of those routes filled and make sure that we’re running all of our routes and getting our students into schools.”

Anyone looking to become a bus driver or a mechanic with NESD can contact the transportation office.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK