School enrolment numbers holding steady, increasing
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- Published on Thursday, September 8, 2016
By Tony Eu
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
With school having just started up again on Wednesday, now is a perfect time to take a look at what’s new with our school divisions.
In the Beautiful Plains School Division (BPSD), expected enrolment is up from last year’s division wide total of 1,793. According to BPSD superintendent Jason Young, they expected to start the year with an enrolment number of about 1,820, though as with the other divisions, the numbers are being confirmed over the first few days of school. Young also commented that they expect enrolment to increase throughout the year.
“The majority of growth is occurring in Neepawa, with some growth in our colony schools as well. Enrolment in Carberry schools and small schools is fairly stable,” Young said.
As far as physical changes go, BPSD is adding three portable classrooms to the Neepawa schools. “Two are being added at HMK in order to maintain current grade configurations and work towards the 20K3 (provincial requirement that kindergarten to grade 3 classes have 20 students or less) class size initiative. One is being added to NACI to house the additional middle years classroom,” Young elaborated.
He added that HMK has also had an upgraded grooming room constructed. “The grooming room is a room for students with exceptional needs that is utilized for hygiene and specialized programming needs, such as physiotherapy,” he explained.
Young added that, “We have purchased approximately 175 additional iPads in the past couple months as we continue to work towards a more portable learning environment for our students.” He elaborated, stating, “We have now completed phase one of the rollout, which has all middle years classrooms in BPSD with portable technologies at a ratio of one device for every two students.”
The programs offered by BPSD have remained “fairly similar to last year,” Young said. He explained that most of their additions have been in creating the slots and classrooms they need to house the growing student population.
Krista Reynolds has joined BPSD as the new assistant superintendent. Other staff changes to the division include a new secretary treasurer, Shannon Bayes, as well as 12 new teachers. Some of the new teachers have joined to replace retiring staff, while others have joined to support the growth of the division.
According to Mary-Ann Ploshynsky, the superintendent for the Rolling River School Division (RRSD), enrolment in the division was expected to be about 1,710 students. For RRSD, this enrolment number is consistent with the numbers from previous years. However, at Tanner’s Crossing, Minnedosa’s elementary school, increased enrolment has led to the addition of an extra grade 3/4 class split.
Renovations for the new RRSD administration office are near completion, with the move anticipated to happen in mid-October.
“Literacy and numeracy are provincial priorities,” Ploshynsky said. “We have a literacy coach and this year, added a numeracy coach to provide job-embedded professional development to support teachers,” she continued.
As for staff changes, Ploshynsky said that, “eight new teachers have been hired for the 2016-2017 school year, to replace teachers who have retired or moved on to pursue other duties and interests.”
One of the staff changes taking place is Krista Reynolds’ departure from the position of principal at Rivers Elementary School. Reynolds is leaving the position to take on the role of assistant superintendent of the Beautiful Plains School Division, taking her place at Rivers Elementary is Garnet Kinney.
In Pine Creek School Division, the decline in enrolment numbers over the past couple years has started to level out. Brian Gouriluk, superintendent for the division, said that their expected enrolment this year is just over 1,000. He predicts that enrolment numbers will stay “fairly level over the next few years.”
Gouriluk also talked about a number of additions and improvements to the school facilities over the summer. Among the changes is a new food lab in MacGregor Collegiate Institute (MCI), a renovated middle year’s classroom in Austin Elementary, parking lot improvements at William Morton Collegiate (Gladstone) and computer lab upgrades at MCI and William Morton.
While Gouriluk didn’t mention any new programs, he did say that this year, the division is placing a focus on indigenous viewpoints.
As far as staff changes, Gouriluk talked about two big shifts. Kyle McKinstry, formerly the principal at Austin Elementary, is taking over as the principal at MCI. Filling his spot at Austin Elementary is Kim Young, who has been a member of staff at the school for many years.
Last but not least, we have Turtle River School Division (TRSD). According to division superintendent Bev Szymesko, enrolment numbers are expected to “remain status quo,” which is approximately 730-740 students.
When asked about any staff changes in the division, Szymesko said, “There’s been very little turnover in staff in our division.”
As far as changes to facilities and programs, École Laurier is having its designation changed from French school to a French immersion school and is also piloting a junior kindergarten program. The junior kindergarten program runs three days a week and is also French immersion.
At Ste. Rose, work continues on their new building for vocational training, which they received a grant for in the spring of 2015. Szymesko said that they’re hoping to “break ground” this spring.
