Sherwood Elementary students getting longer spring break ahead of new school opening | CBC News
Students at Sherwood Elementary School in Charlottetown were already expecting an extra three weeks of summer vacation. Now, they’ll have an extra three days of March Break, too.
The longer-than-expected spring break comes as the new elementary school prepares to open its doors in March after more than two years of construction.
Those three extra days off for students — one at the beginning of the break and two at the end — will provide time for staff to move everything from the old building into the new one before students return to school.
While parents were informed in September that the summer break would be extended in order to allow enough time for the demolition of the old building, the news about the extra March closures is new.
That’s because the new school’s opening date was a moving target, said Rob Lantz, P.E.I.’s minister of education and early years.
Students will miss three extra days around March Break as staff move everything from the old school to a brand new one. CBC’s Steve Bruce hears about the moving plans and what it could all mean for parents.
“Building a school is a big undertaking, and things don’t always progress on time,” Lantz said.
He said that the timing of March Break, when many families are already planning for vacations and time off, is “a fairly ideal time for this transition to take place.”
“I think we’ve given them pretty good advance notice, and we’re providing financial supports to offset any costs families might incur.”
Families can apply for funding of up to $30 per day, per child, to support care fees during the extended school closure dates.
‘We’re seeing the scramble’
But even with that financial support, some parents are concerned about child care.
“I’m excited for the new space, but at the same time I’m a little hesitant. I don’t know where my child is going to go to child care,” said Amanda Fortin, the parent of a student at Sherwood Elementary.
“I’ve called a few places and so far I can’t find any one that is running during those days.”
Bethany Robinson, a parent of three students and an executive committee member with the Sherwood Home and School Association, said she’s also trying to prepare for the school closures.
Robinson works part time, so she’s home for her kids after school. But when the closures happen, she’ll need care for her children on the days she’s working.
“I don’t have an existing relationship with a [child-care] centre,” she said.
“That’s where we’re seeing the scramble… We’ve not needed care after school, so where do the relationships lie, and where are the openings going to be?”
The Sherwood Home and School Association is working with the Public Schools Branch to get answers for families in that same position, she said.
“We’re reaching out to centres to see whose got spaces and who is willing to open up — not just in March, but in June in order to provide extra care at those times,” Robinson said.
“These families need to be supported. We can’t just leave them with nothing.”
Even with the additional closures, students are still on track to meet learning outcomes, the Public Schools Branch said in a statement.
For parents like Robinson, the new school’s opening is an opportunity for students to benefit from a new environment.
She said the current school has “accessibility issues and it’s just deteriorating.”
“The new school opens up so many doors and possibilities,” Robinson said. “There are new spaces and new options in the school for students.”
