Five Nunavut schools kick off all-day kindergarten pilot project
GN hopes to roll out program to all hamlets over next few years
Education Minister Pamela Gross says a new full-day kindergarten pilot project rolling out in five communities this month will hopefully lead to a full-day kindergarten program being offered in all hamlets across Nunavut in the coming years. (File photo by David Venn)
Kindergarten students in five hamlets across Nunavut are about to attend school full-time.
The Government of Nunavut announced in May that it would roll out full-day kindergarten for the first time as a pilot project at Nanook School in Iqaluit, Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet, Qaqqalik School in Kimmirut, Jimmy Hikok Ilihakvik School in Kugluktuk and Inuglak School in Whale Cove.
Kindergarten students at those five schools will attend class from Monday to Friday with hours varying slightly depending on the regular hours set by each local district education authority, according to Education Minister Pamela Gross.
“It’s an exciting time for the students, parents and teachers to know that full-day kindergarten is being offered,” she said.
Schools across Nunavut have staggered start times, with some already welcoming students back and others set to reopen over the next few weeks.
The pilot project will allow the Department of Education to see what resources would be needed to support a full-day program and to see how it stands up to real-life scenarios, Gross said.
The ultimate goal is to expand full-day kindergarten over the next several years to all communities in Nunavut.
“It will take time to get to that goal because our schools are at all different levels. Some of our schools can meet the needs and have extra classroom space,” Gross said.
Some schools will only need one classroom to host a full-day kindergarten program, but others may need more space depending on enrolment. Other schools require renovations or an expansion, she said, which will take more time to set up.
Gross said the GN will gather feedback from teachers, parents and communities to see how the program can branch out further.
“I see the importance of full-day kindergarten and look forward to hearing more about how it’s going from each of our schools that are participating in that pilot project,” Gross said.
Can anyone from Cambridge tell me what Ms Gross has done this term?
Have we had any public meetings or updates? Has she updated Hamlet Council at all?
You never see her but when you do, nothing about work.
West Embassy Elders Home is deplorable and would have been great seeing an Elders Facility in Cambridge but that was lost.
As far as I know she has done nothing for Cambridge Bay since she has been in her current MLA position. It appears she is focused on Iqaluit/eastern Arctic concerns. Basically you would never know that she is supposed to represent Cambridge Bay and be useful for this community.
Elected officials of the legislative when accepted to a ministerial position basically lose their voice to act on behalf of the community, boundaries they were ordinally elected for.
she had done cam bay good. he say quona
The real question is will they find the teachers to fill these new positions? Qualified ones in both
Qallunatitut and Inuktitut. Time will tell I guess.
Poor kids, hope they stay awake in class both mornings and afternoons.