Sept. 1 was recognized across Saskatchewan as Provincial Students’ Day across the province as a way of reinforcing the importance of education to the growth and prosperity of the province.
Minister of Education Don Morgan officially proclaimed the day.
School divisions around Saskatchewan have come together around a theme of “Be present at school – every day counts.”
One community principal welcoming students back to school, Val Yockey of Holy Family School in North Battleford, said Tuesday it was good to see the province underscoring the message education partners see as an important part of achieving targets in the Education Sector Strategic Plan. The plan, which has been accepted by the government and all the province’s school boards, has a goal of 80 per cent of students being at grade level or above in reading, writing and math by 2020.
The message of “Be present at school – every day counts” displayed on a poster on the front door also includes the motto Presence + Participation = Student Success.
This is an important message not only for students but for parents and caregivers, too, said Yockey.
One of the key messages of Provincial Students’ Day is for families to understand being present in school leads to improved academic outcomes, including graduation, which is also a goal of the Education Sector Strategic Plan (85 per cent graduation rate by 2020).
Participation is also a part of the message, said Yockey. For students, it’s more than just being in the building, she pointed out, and for family, it means participating in the school community and their child’s education at home in ways such as reading with them after school.
Yockey, who has been principal of Holy Family for four years and who has been teaching there since 1997, said the first day of school for principals is an exciting one, seeing all the smiling faces of the children as they come through the doors. It’s also a day spent finding out if everyone they expected has arrived (and, if not, if they’ve moved to another school or another community) and identifying students new to the school.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 341 students in the school, with another 39 pre-K students to start later, said Yockey.
Holy Family School is one of seven schools in the Light of Christ Catholic School Division, with six in North Battleford and one each in Spiritwood and Unity.
Students were back to school Tuesday throughout Living Sky School Division as well.
In its opening day news release, Living Sky School Division stated, “Our dedicated staff has worked hard to get their schools ready for the students’ return today. Throughout our division, schools are celebrating Provincial Students’ Day as well as Welcome Back Week with various activities.”
Some Living Sky schools have been hosting community pancake breakfasts as well as holding back to school assemblies to celebrate a positive start to the 2015-16 school year.
“Students will also be attending volleyball and football practices and signing up for the many school clubs available at all of our schools,” said Living Sky. “We are excited to have our staff and students back in school and look forward to another great year of fun, excitement and learning together.”
Living Sky School Division encompasses a wide geographic area including the Battlefords, First Nation communities and Hutterite colonies. Currently, 29 schools are located in 18 communities. Living Sky schools include PreK-12, elementary, high schools and alternate schools with a student population of approximately 5,700 students.
