EAST CENTRAL — School days will be 10 minutes longer for Horizon School Division students in the next school year, but in return, they’ll receive five extra days off.
Division staff will use the five days – called Personal Professional Days – to prepare for lessons and complete other tasks that may have otherwise posed a challenge to accomplish within regular hours.
The need for the extra time was revealed by surveying the division’s staff.
“We heard staff loud and clear, and we are happy to provide the new [Personal Professional Days] to support their work,” said Kevin Garinger, Horizon’s director of education, in an April 20 media release. “Horizon staff have given so much over the last 12 months, and we are proud to support them and our students.”
The Personal Professional Days will be on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, Friday, April 1, 2022 and Friday, May 6, 2022.
The rest of the 2021-22 school calendar has also been approved by the division’s board of education. The first day of school will be Sept. 1. There are 195 operational days, with 178 devoted to instruction.
There will be four Collaborative Learning Days that students will have off: Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 and Monday, March 21, 2022.
Breaks for both staff and students include Labour Day (Sept. 1), Thanksgiving (Oct. 11), Remembrance Day (Nov. 11), Nov. 12, Nov. 15, Dec. 22 to Jan. 4, Feb. 21 to 25, April 15 to 22, May 20 and Victoria Day (May 23).
