The 2014-15 school year at both Sundre High School (SHS) and River Valley School (RVS) begins next week.
Back to school means shopping for new outfits, backpacks, lunch boxes and a variety of school supplies – which can add up fast.
In an effort to alleviate some of the expenses during this time, Greenwood Neighbourhood Place (GNP) is running a program to collect school supplies and financial donations from members of the community.
According to Kim Free, outreach coordinator for GNP, the Tools for School program has been running in Sundre for more than 10 years.
The program collects supplies such as pencil crayons, markers, calculators, binders, paper, backpacks and lunch boxes. All the supplies must be new.
The family wellness workers at the schools – Ryan Sande (SHS) and Chantal Day-Miko (RVS) – determine which students to provide for.
“The family school wellness workers of course get to know those students very well so they know their family situations and whatnot,” said Free.
“As a past teacher I feel really strongly that students should be given all of the tools literally, and figuratively too, that they need to be successful in school,” she said.
“So the Nutrition for Learning program of course provides them with tools for their tummy so that they can have full tummies and be able to concentrate in school. And then the Tools for School program provides them with the actual physical tools that they need to complete their schoolwork.”
Donations are collected from mid-August up to the end of the school year, but the majority of donations are collected in August and September, she said.
There are collection boxes set up at Bargain Browser, Pharmasave and the Sundre Community Drug Mart. Financial donations are accepted at GNP, and supplies can be dropped off there as well.
She said the financial donations are spent on more specific needs for the students.
“If for example the family school wellness worker at the high school had a specific need and they didn't have those supplies donated then we could use those funds to purchase the item for the student,” she said.
She is proud to be a part of the program and believes it benefits the students immensely.
“For those kids that struggle financially with their families, it kind of levels the playing field for them I think, so that they don't feel left behind because they don't have enough markers or pencil crayons or don't have the supplies that other kids have,” she said.
The program not only benefits the students, but their families as well, she noted.
“Back-to-school time can be a burden on families from purchasing, you know, there's the pressure to buy the new school clothes so that the kids and the teenagers feel more comfortable fitting in with their peers,” she explained.
“Plus the school supplies, like the markers and pencils and all those things – it can be stressful on families. So I think giving them a little bit of a break and a little bit of support this way can really help ease the stress of the changes of back to school and the financial stress as well.”
