It is official, the Prairie South School Division (PSSD) has approved its new 2013 - 2014 school calendar.
After months of discussions, reviews and gathering community input, the PSSD board approved one of two calendar options presented Tuesday during the boards monthly meeting.
The new calendar is the result of new requirements passed down from the Ministry of Education late in 2012. The Education Act states that divisions across the province must implement a minimum of 950 instructional hours and have a start date no earlier than the day after Labour Day.
Barbara Compton, Superintendent of Operations, said the 25-person committee who put the calendar options together, “did a great job.”
To ensure the entire PSSD community was represented in the decision as to which calendar to use, Darby Briggs, Communication Coordinator for the PSSD, said a survey was sent out to parents to see which calendar option they preferred.
“They are the ones who have to live the calendar, so it was important to give them a voice.”
Briggs said with over 650 responses to the survey, the choice was clear and option B was presented to the board.
The new calendar year gives students a four-day break in February and an extended spring vacation attached to Easter.
