EAST CENTRAL — The final draft of the North East School Division (NESD) 2021-22 school calendar has been submitted to the ministry of education and is pending approval.
Marla Walton, the NESD’s board chair, said the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t influence the calendar, and the division is “very optimistic” about the year ahead.
“We plan on starting at the start of the school year, we hope that we’re all in class, we have bums in seats, we’re hoping for the best,” she said.
For all NESD schools, excluding White Fox, classes will begin after the summer on Tuesday, Sept. 2, and end Tuesday, June 28.
Highlights include 194 teacher days (9 non-instruction), 185 student days, 310 minute instructional days, 955.8 instructional hours, 10 hours of student led conferences in evenings, 4.5 school improvement planning (SIP) days, and 3.5 school administrative planning days.
February includes a full week break in conjunction with Family Day and spring break is aligned with Easter.
“There are a number of factors considered when designing it,” Walton said. “We have to take into account when the first day of school will be, when report cards go out, Easter break, Christmas break, when there are going to be SIP days, future conventions, staff holidays – there are a number of things to take into consideration.”
As per usual, an alternative calendar was passed by the board for White Fox, which has classes beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 2 and end for the summer on Friday, June 17.
The White Fox calendar highlights include 183 teacher days (9 non-instruction), 174 student days, 330 minute instructional days, and 957.2 instructional hours.
According to a report reviewed at the NESD board meeting on March 16, the school committee council at Gronlid Central School was provided the option of surveying parents and staff on the alternate calendar but chose to remain with the NESD calendar.
