PORT HAWKESBURY: With the announcement of funding from a school restart fund, the Strait regional centre for education (SRCE) and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) are now setting their priorities.
On December 2, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Zach Churchill announced $14. 3 million in new investments from the federal Safe Return to Class Fund.
SRCE coordinator of communications Deanna Gillis said they are “very pleased” with the additional funding to support student learning, well-being and school safety.
“For the SRCE, this announcement means more funding for healthy school food programs, including breakfast programs at all schools. The funding will also be used to complete the installation of touchless water stations in all schools,” Gillis told The Reporter. “The funding will also be used to contract a service provider to provide additional testing and preventative maintenance on the ventilation systems, and will supplement our regular maintenance practices.”
Gillis said the SRCE is also looking forward to accessing on-line math and literacy programs to help students in those key areas, which will be accessible in school or at home.
She noted that the announcement enhances and supports the SRCE’s System Improvement and Educational Business Plans, both of which have identified goals and priorities in student well-being, numeracy and literacy.
The province will invest $500,000 to meet the increased demand for the School Healthy Eating Program and $1 million to support an Emergency Food Response Fund to quickly respond to food needs of students, should at-home learning be needed.
The province will provide $4.1 million to pilot new on-line math and literacy programs. These programs will be accessible to students in class or at home. The new programs include Grades 3 to 10 math; grades Primary to 3 enhanced literacy, including phonemic awareness (ability to hear and manipulate larger units of sound, such as words, rhymes and syllables), phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension; and Grades 4 to 6 writing through practice and additional supports for skill development, including a focus on reading and writing.
Professional learning for teachers will also be part of a phased implementation of these programs, the province noted.
Nova Scotia will install touchless water stations in every school and schools with clean water supplies will move from bottled water to the touchless water filling stations. Remediation of water taps will continue in schools where elevated levels of lead exceeded Health Canada guidelines. About 950 units will be purchased at a cost of $3.8 million.
During the summer, regional centres for education and the CSAP inspected ventilation systems in every school. Funding of $2.7 million will ensure these systems continue to be inspected through the school year and that repairs are made quickly.
Other investments include $1.5 million to purchase additional personal protective equipment like masks, hand sanitizer and other supplies, for students and staff, and $700,000 to support a transition to blended learning, if required, so schools can reorganize and relocate furniture and supplies in a short period of time.