The backpacks are back, the classrooms are buzzing and Niagara-on-the-Lake students are settling into a new school year — with some getting used to a new school, too.
Students returned to school this week as a new boundary change sent some children from St. Davids to Crossroads Public School, part of an effort to ease overcrowding and make room for growth across Niagara.
For students this year, though, the first days of school are about more than enrolment and school boundaries.
On Wednesday morning, the second day of school, Crossroads student Victoria George-Libgers said she was feeling excited, especially for gym class and the chance to see her friends.
At St. Davids, principal Carl Glauser said the feeling of a new school year has not lost its appeal.
“Even after many years as a principal, the excitement of the first day of school never gets old. Seeing students return, reconnect with friends and begin a new year of learning is always special.”
At Crossroads, principal Kate Fish said the school is looking forward to a year of learning, growth and connection, building on the relationships students made before classes began.
A new boundary, a new beginning
The District School Board of Niagara says boundary changes help balance enrolment and make better use of available classroom space.
“The (school board) is experiencing growth across many areas of the Niagara Region,” said Milica Petkovic, the school board’s spokesperson.
The school board did not provide the current enrolment and capacity figures for NOTL schools requested by The Lake Report, so it is not yet clear how much the boundary change has reduced overcrowding.
Petkovic said staff at both schools have worked together for several months to help families prepare. Students and parents were given opportunities to become familiar with their new school community before September.
At Crossroads, Fish said an event called Day in the Life of a Coyote helped incoming students make connections before the first day.
“We were able to start fostering a sense of community before the school year even started,” she said.
Fish said the school is ready to welcome students and help them feel comfortable and connected.
“I’m especially excited to see how the connections made during our Day in the Life of a Coyote event carry forward into September,” she said.
NOTL Coun. Adriana Vizzari, whose children are entering grades 4, 6 and 8 at St. Davids and Grade 9 outside NOTL, said both schools have worked hard to make the transition “as smooth as possible.”
“I know St. Davids families were especially happy to see the five portables gone for the start of the school year,” she said.
“Change is never easy, but I’m hopeful this will help ease the pressure at St. Davids.”
Childcare and the next step
The boundary change has also raised questions about before- and after-school care. As previously reported by The Lake Report, some families moving to Crossroads have had difficulty securing spaces in the YMCA program.
Each year, Niagara Region assesses demand for before- and after-school care and shares its findings with school boards, which decide whether a program will be established at a particular school and select the provider. Once a program is established, the provider decides how many spaces to operate within its licensed capacity.
The region said it was not specifically aware how the the boundary change will impact child-care demand at Crossroads.
“The school board is responsible for determining if a program may be required to support existing demand,” said Satinder Klair, the region’s director of children’s services.
Klair said decisions about operating additional spaces, including staffing and the use of school space, rest with the child-care provider and school board. The region can help explore options within its mandate when either partner identifies a need or requests support.
He said neither the YMCA nor the DSBN has approached the region about expanding the Crossroads program, though they would not generally need regional approval to add children within its existing licensed capacity.
The YMCA did not respond to The Lake Report’s questions by press time about current capacity or whether expansion is being considered.
Petkovic said the board uses enrolment projections and its long-term accommodation plan to guide future space needs.
The board did not answer whether it assessed the boundary change’s impact on child-care demand before approving it, whether child-care capacity is considered when planning boundary changes, or whether it has discussed additional spaces at Crossroads with the YMCA.
Another childcare option in NOTL has yet to open. Niagara Catholic spokesperson Jennifer Pellegrini told The Lake Report that Way to Learn Daycare rented space at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in January and has been renovating it since.
Pellegrini said the board is optimistic before- and after-school care will begin in mid-September, pending Ministry of Education and public health inspections, with full-day care to follow later.
For Vizzari, the start of another school year also highlights a longer-term issue: the lack of a high school in NOTL.
“There’s definitely excitement around back-to-school, but for many families in NOTL, there’s also frustration that students are having to leave our community for high school. With my own child entering Grade 9 outside of NOTL, I know how that feels.”
She said she will continue advocating for a high school in town so future generations can have that opportunity.
