For public school students on the North Shore, the endless summer ends Monday.
Kids are scheduled to be back in school next week after teachers voted 86 per
cent in favour of a six-year deal with the province Thursday.
North Shore schools are slated to swing their doors open to returning students for a brief orientation Monday followed by a full day of classes Tuesday.
Monday's session will mainly serve as an opportunity for schools to confirm enrolment, which is a key challenge in North Vancouver, explained superintendent of schools John Lewis.
The district is attempting to register 250 students from private schools and other school districts who are still awaiting release from their
former school district.
"In order for us to register a student, they need to be withdrawn from the database in the former school district," Lewis stated in an email.
Kindergarteners will start school Tuesday. However, the gradual entry process - which is intended to ensure a smooth transition to the classroom - will be
slightly abbreviated in West Vancouver.
"The things that we normally do will still happen, it'll just be a bit shorter," said West Vancouver School District spokeswoman Bev Pausche.
Gradual entry normally stretches into the second week of the school year, but this crop of kindergarteners will
have two days of short sessions with small groups followed by a full day of kindergarten Thursday.
Despite the wishes of some parents, the school year will not be extended, according to Education Minister Peter Fassbender, who spoke to CFAX radio in Victoria on Friday.
"We're not going to
make up the lost time," he said.
The deal struck between the B.C. Teachers' Federation and the province left many teachers conflicted, said West Vancouver Teachers' Association president Rob Millard.
"I heard one teacher saying they voted with their head and said yes, but in their heart they wanted to vote no."
Asked about any sacrifices made by the teachers, Millard replied: "Just about everything."
But while teachers didn't get all they wanted, Millard said improvements to the education fund should allow for help with
class size and composition.
Mediator Vince Ready was integral in facilitating the deal, said Millard.
"Without (Ready) it would've been impossible because there was absolutely no trust there."
Looking ahead, Millard said the school system must pay attention to the backlog of students who clearly need support but aren't getting it because they haven't been assessed.
While many parents are relieved at the prospect of getting the kids out of the house and back into the classroom, they should also be mindful of deficits faced by school districts, according to North Vancouver teacher and parent Jennifer Slack.
"School boards are not
allowed to run at a deficit, so that means cuts are coming," she stated in a letter to the editor.
Citizens still need to hold the government responsible for funding education, according to Slack.
"Without your support, in five years' time we will be right back where we started."
North Vancouver school district has an operating surplus, according to John Lewis.
Drivers are reminded that when kids are back in school, speed limits are in effect in school zones. North Vancouver RCMP will be out "in full force" patrolling school zones, according to a release from the detachment.
