With the announcement that residents of Hay River, Fort Smith and K’atl’odeeche First Nation can pre-register for flights home, the South Slave Divisional Education Council has begun the process of preparing for the new school year.
Souhail Soujah, the council’s superintendent, put out information for schools in both Hay River and Fort Smith on Sept. 12 and it appears to be similar for both communities.
In the post to its website, Soujah indicated that Sept. 22 has been set aside as a “soft start” re-opening for Diamond Jenness Secondary School, Harry Camsell School and Princess Alexandra School in Hay River, along with Joseph Burr Tyrrell School and Paul W. Kaeser High School in Fort Smith.
Soujah stated that students and families could “come register, familiarize themselves with the premises, and meet our dedicated team members.”
Sept. 25 is scheduled to be the first full day of classes at all five schools.
Soujah indicated that those dates are based on current re-entry timelines and can be changed depending on the situation in both communities. Should there be any changes, Soujah stated that families would be notified as soon as possible.
As for Ecole Boreale, its opening date was still not known as of Wednesday, according to Yvonne Careen, superintendent of the NWT Francophone School Board.
Other schools in the region are preparing to open its doors in the coming days, including Deninu School in Fort Resolution and Lutsel K’e Dene School.
Soujah stated that both schools would open on Friday for registrations with a meet-and-greet happening that same day. Day one of classes is scheduled for Sept. 18.
He also stated that plans are in place to make up for all lost time because of the delay caused by the evacuation, though he didn’t elaborate on what those plans are.