Rocky View Schools students who are destined for the new Northcott Prairie School now under construction in Airdrie's Hillcrest community will be temporarily housed at other schools in the city through a plan put together by RVS with help from the four other schools that are part of the plan.  

In April of 2018, the province announced funding for the school and construction commenced in July 2018.  The start of construction was delayed due to unanticipated earthwork that was required, including the removal of some huge sandstone rocks.  Late changes by the City of Airdrie's Engineering Department related to the site's stormwater management.  The heavy snow in September didn't help either.

But thanks to some excellent management, strong communication by RVS and more favourable weather, construction of the school is back on schedule and the school will be ready for January 2020.

To finalize their new accommodation strategy RVS had been waiting on news from Alberta Education about the provincial modular program.  The board was considering placing 6 classroom modulars and one washroom unit to allow the students to start this fall.   RVS Superintendent Greg Luterbach says they did eventually hear back from the province, and the new wasn't what they were hoping for.

"The board had asked back in October 2018 for 39 new modular classrooms.  For a school division that's growing 800 to 1,000 students per year, we basically need in the range of 40 new classroom space every year, just to house our students.  So we asked for 30 and we've just recently found out that we're receiving seven.  So that is significantly challenging.  We asked for seven of those 39 to go on Northcott Prairie School."'

Those seven units that were requested were to be used to accommodate the youngest students at the Northcott Prairie School site starting in September while the rest of the school was being completed.  Luterbach says the fact their request was denied by the province is why the four schools are needed for temporary accommodation.

Luterbach explains that the object of the temporary accommodation plan is to minimize the impact on all students and families and keep peer groups together where possible.

"We're going to create the classes so that our Northcott Prairie students will have the same teacher for the whole year.  The Kindergarten and grade one students who ultimately will be moving over to Northcott Prairie in the middle of next year, they will start the school year with their teachers, with their classmates, but they're going to physically be at Cooper's Crossing School until January, then they'll move over."

The same arrangement will apply to grade2, 3 and 4 students, except they'll be at Herons Crossing School.  Grade 5 and 6 students will be housed at Muriel Clayton School.  All classes will move into the permanent facility at Northcott Prairie in January.

Luterbach says it certainly isn't an ideal situation, but it's not the first time RVS has had to do something similar.  "We've learned from those experiences and we know that, most importantly, to get those students with their teacher and we'll group those classrooms at the other locations so that they become connected, and then they'll stay with their same teacher, stay with their same classmates and just do the move over mid-year."

Another move which the board approved is adjusting the grade configuration of Northcott Prairie School from a planned K through grade 8 school, instead of starting it as a K through grade 6 facility.

"We looked at this new temporary accommodation that we're needing to do, we looked at it and said, 'you know what, let's just leave the grade 7's where they are so Northcott Prairie School is going to open next year as a K to grade 6 school, then the following year it will grow to K to 7 and finally, the year after that, it will grow to it's mature K to grade 8 status.  The grades 7's and 8's will stay at Windsong Heights where most of them attend now, they'll stay there for the rest of their elementary schooling and then we won't make them make another transition."

A letter has gone out to the parents and guardians of children who'll attend Northcott Prairie School advising them of the plan.  A meeting will be held on April 17th at Windsong Heights School, starting at 7:00 pm where RVS will walk people through all their questions surrounding the temporary accommodation plan.    

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