It’s different, but the same. That’s what students are saying about heading back to school on a new calendar.
Ninety-one students went back to Chinook Center School on September 1 after two months of summer, something most of the students had never experienced before.
“I liked the long summer,” smiled Ally Thompson, Grade 4, while friends Meghan Roberts, Jensen Hensfchel and Jake McKill nodded.
The group, in grades 3 and 4, said their whole school life they’ve gone to school all year with breaks in the summer, again in October, December and once in the spring. Having the summer off was great, but being back at school was exciting.
“I love project time,” said Hensfchel of the Friday afternoon fine arts session that brings together students of all grades in the K-4 school to work on various group activities.
Leslie Ramsell, Grade 3 teacher at the school, said there’s been some bumps in the first week, but otherwise things are going along as scheduled.
“There’s been a different start-up this year. They usually start up just after three weeks off in the summer and they’re ready to get right down to it. This time, the students had to settle in, we had to review the rules and the curriculum,” she said.
Chinook’s Edge School Division board members made the decision in March to discontinue the year-round calendar. Twenty-three students were also enrolled year-round at Innisfail Middle School and accounted for only three per cent of the student population. Staff at the middle school recommended ending the program because of dwindling class sizes and conflicting break schedules that had some teachers unable to teach complementary courses at the middle school when they were on break during the year-round vacation time.
Families at Chinook Center were polled last February with a number of parents saying they wouldn’t have been able to operate on two simultaneous calendar years.
Ramsell said the decision made sense, and while she’ll still miss the old schedule, there’s more to the school worth appreciating then just the calendar.
“It’s an open area school with some multi-aged activities,” she said of project time on Friday as one example. She said parent volunteers are a huge part of what allows the multi-age projects to run, a big plus to the small school atmosphere.
“I’ve worked at the typical school and you don’t get to know all the students and parents — at least not right away.”
Katia Brousseau, current president of the parent council agrees with Ramsall. She said she understands the decision but still thinks there should be some changes to the traditional calendar year.
“I have to admit, I have enjoyed the two months of summer,” she said, with the time off allowing her family to travel.
“I still think it’s too long going from now until Christmas. I really think the traditional calendar should be adjusted to take a week off in the summer and add a week in the fall, just to give the kids a break. There’s so many studies to show year- round school is better for the kids,” she said, explaining it gives kids time to rest and recover throughout the year.
“…That’s the benefit of year round. You split it up through the year instead of this long stretch of school and break. It’s the same for me — if I don’t play my piano for two months, I’m starting from scratch almost.”
“Parents didn’t choose Chinook Center because of the calendar,” said Brosseau. She’s stepping down from her position before elections next week. While disappointed the year-round calendar was changed, she said there’s more to the school that attracts parents and students.
The school employs an open classroom concept that incorporates multi-age programming, which is one of the distinguishing factors besides the previous year-round calendar. Instead of administrators, staff members work together as an admin team.
