Rosthern’s new school building offers both challenges and advantages for the new academic year, according to Rosthern Community School (RCS) Principal Mitch Luiten.
“The school is very big, so we have a lot more space, and we’re able to use different measures to keep everyone safe,” said Luiten during the grand opening ceremony for the school August 24. “The washrooms all have touchless soap and water dispensers, and we have automatic water bottle fillers that don’t require touching.
“And because it’s new, it will be easier to keep clean.”
Classrooms are set up so that students are front-facing and are physically distanced from each other where possible. The school also has plans in place to deal with “transition times” between classes.
Luiten said because students are not used to the building, they will be able to “start fresh” when it comes to routines and guidelines.
But even with those advantages, the new school year will be challenging.
“Our fundamental priority now is safety,” said Luiten. “We expect to have about 400 students when school opens.
“We know that the start of this school year will be different, but being in this one-of-a-kind building makes it less daunting.”
Luiten said a school-specific plan is being distributed to parents of students who will be attending RCS. The plan lays out in detail the day-to-day measures to protect kids.
Luiten said the new school will foster a culture based on “relationships, courage and success.”
“As we started to prepare for the opening of the new school, we wanted to make sure that our school culture was focused first and foremost on our students,” said Luiten. “They are the most important part of our work.
“This is their school and we’re excited for them to explore the new opportunities that await them in all the years to come.”
Luiten said the new school will carry on the proud tradition of both the former Rosthern Elementary and Rosthern High Schools.
“We were very intentional that this is not an elementary school in one half and a high school in the other half,” said Luiten. “It is a pre-K to 12 school.”
He pointed out that the students and teachers are familiar with each other from the former schools.
But, he added, the fact that grade groups will be separated this fall to comply with COVID-19 safety protocols just means the “whole school” culture will develop more gradually.
He said the community of Rosthern is extremely supportive of the new school.
“Rosthern Community School will undoubtedly be the heart of this town, and bring people together for school and community events,” he said.
Provincial Education Minister Gordon Wyant said the provincial Ministry of Education and provincial Public Health authorities are meeting weekly with school division representatives to ensure safety protocols are comprehensive and updated.
“Every school division, and every school, is different,” said Wyant at the RCS grand opening August 24. “We are monitoring the situation and making necessary adjustments as things change.
Wyant said the province is providing masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), while school divisions are also purchasing PPE as needed.
“They want to make sure that they have the supplies on hand to make sure that their students and their teachers particularly are safe,” said Wyant. “This is a bit of an evolving situation, and everyone is learning as we go.”
He added the province has also committed funds to upgrade older school buildings to ensure they have adequate ventilation systems. Money is also earmarked for replacement of several schools.
“These new schools have significant capacity when it comes to air handling,” said Wyant. “We are making sure we provide the capital resources to school divisions to make the upgrades they need.”