Mission students will be heading back to the classroom next week as another school year begins. And for the first time in the past two years, it looks like it will be a “normal” school year.
“The most exciting thing about this year, in my view, is its a return to almost what things were like in the old days, almost normal,” said Angus Wilson, Mission’s superintendent of schools.
With Covid-19 safety measures reduced, many students and teachers will be able to return to a more familiar routine.
“There’s very few restrictions or anything anymore. Obviously if you are sick you still have to stay home, but beyond that, school looks like it did in 2019 in many regards.”
Wilson said extra curricular activities, sports, field trips and more should be returning to the way they were pre-Covid. And masks will not be required.
He is also excited about this week’s announcement that B.C. school districts will receive a last-minute injection of funds.
The province announced a one-time $60-million fund calling it a response to the rising costs of living.
The Mission school district will receive $ 689,814.
While the district has the choice of how to spend the money, Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside suggested the money should be used to bolster existing initiatives, such as meal programs. The money could also be used to finance school supplies or cover the expenses of students in need for activities like field trips.
“There are some constraints with what you can do with the money,” said Wilson, adding the district has talked to the individual schools, contacted DPAC (District Parent Advisory Council) and the Indigenous communities for feedback on what things would work best.
As for the number of students who will attend public schools in Mission, the official numbers will not be available until the end of September. Wilson said he expects the school population to increase this year, as Mission continues to grow. He estimates there could be up to about 150 more kids than year.