Staff
The Ministry of Education has approved funding for the renovation of St. Michael’s School here to accommodate the start of full-day junior kindergarten next fall.
“It’s exciting to be involved in the school construction once again,” Chris Howarth, superintendent of business for the Northwest Catholic District School Board, said in a press release.
“The project will provide an excellent learning environment for full-day kindergarten pupils at St. Michael’s School,” he added.
The $622,756 in funding will be used to renovate two existing classrooms, with an addition of 360 square feet on the north wall of the building, increasing the usable square footage of the classrooms to 926 square feet.
Minor renovations also will occur in two other areas of the school to accommodate the Native Second Language, speech, and special education programs.
Because the two classrooms selected for the full-day kindergarten program are directly across the hall from existing washrooms, plumbing expenses for the renovation will be less costly and won’t require a municipal variance—unlike the other renovation options presented to the board earlier this school year.
But the existing portable classroom likely will have to be moved, and a storage building demolished and replaced in order to maintain fire separation.
The board has hired architect H. Bradford Green to oversee the project.
“St. Michael’s School is excited to offer a full-time/full-day kindergarten program,” Education Director Mary-Catherine Kelly said in a press release.
“This enriched learning environment will provide a solid foundation for success in school and in life for our young children,” she added.
“The expanded program will have a certified teacher and a registered Early Childhood Educator working together in the junior kindergarten classroom to help students engage and grow in a first-class learning environment,” echoed Superintendent of Education Al Cesiunas.
“This will complement the school’s outstanding full-time senior kindergarten program currently being offered at the school,” stated board chair Anne-Marie Fitzgerald.
As part of the province-wide roll-out of full-day JK, St. Michael’s will begin offering the program at the start of the 2011-12 school year.
St. Patrick’s in Atikokan began offering the program this school year.
Funding for St. Michael’s and St. Patrick’s come from the ministry while the current full-day JK/SK learning at Our Lady of the Way School in Stratton and at St. Joseph’s School in Dryden are paid through existing school board funding.
“We know that the students and families of our region will benefit from these full-day JK/SK programs,” said Kelly.
