'Seems like the summer's been too short': Edmonton students report for first day of school
Tuesday was the first day of the school year for thousands of students in Edmonton.
"The key to being not scared or nervous is being well prepared and we certainly are," noted Kim Boisvert, principal of Velma E. Baker School in southeast Edmonton.
"We're definitely ready to go because we've been getting ready to go since last year."
She and her staff were outside that morning to greet students and help families with what can be a chaotic return to routine, although that's what many look forward to.
"They've been out since the start of COVID," mom Sonya Auger said of her elementary and junior high-aged kids, "so they're really excited and I'm really excited to get them back to routine and being normal."
"They want to be near their friends and have fun and get back to learning. Our kids absolutely love school so it's always exciting when it's the first day," added Amanda Johnson, another parent of two school-aged children.
"Everybody's excited, but it seems like the summer's been too short."
School divisions this year can opt into the next phase of Alberta's new curriculum rollout: new science and French programming for Kindergarten to Grade 3 and English, math and physical education programming for Kindergarten to Grade 6.
"[I'm] of course always looking for ways to continue to improve and make tweaks to the curriculum. [It] should be an ongoing process of development," Alberta's education minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, said Tuesday of the material hitting classrooms.
As for the unfinished social studies and fine arts curricula, Nicolaides said his ministry would be soon announcing a "revised approach to engaging with our partners" on it, as he was directed to by the premier earlier this year.
Edmonton Police Service and Alberta Motor Association joined school staff for the return to classes on Tuesday, focused on reminding drivers of the laws in school and playground zones.
During the 2022-23 school year, EPS handed out 3,526 tickets in playground zones, according to AMA.
"The vast majority of drivers are doing what they're supposed to," Sgt. Kerry Bates told CTV News Edmonton. "There are those that don't care or don't pay attention or think they're above it, so hopefully we'll encounter those people and get them straightened out."
AMA runs a program which teaches Grade 5 and 6 students how to help patrol the streets during pick up and drop off.
Eleven-year-olds Alex Wispinski and Tasdeek Sohal trained last year so that they could take on the job, outfitted with high-visibility vests and stop signs.
"We have to help other people get across the road safely," Sohal said. "It can be dangerous sometimes to cross a street if there's a lot of traffic. So we help solve that, as well."
Wispinski added, "We've seen some cars go past without even looking [at] the road. Last year I saw a person on their phone and they just went by when I had the stop sign out."
She said, "It kind of made me feel like they don't care about safety [while] driving and don't care about people who need to cross the street."
There will be increased police presence in playground zones throughout the week.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti, Evan Klippenstein and Nav Sangha
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police find bag carried by gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, say he likely fled NYC on bus
Investigators found a backpack in Central Park that was carried by the shooter, police said Friday, following a massive sweep to find it in a vast area with lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds and a densely wooded section called 'The Ramble.'
A police photographer recounts the harrowing day of the Polytechnique massacre
Montreal crime scene photographer Harold Rosenberg witnessed a lot of horror over his 30 years on the job, though nothing of the magnitude of what he captured with his lens at the Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989. He described the day of the Montreal massacre to CTV Quebec Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin.
Quebec premier wants to ban praying in public
Premier François Legault took advantage of the last day of the parliamentary session on Friday to announce to 'Islamists' that he will 'fight' for Quebec values and possibly use the notwithstanding clause to ban prayer in public places such as parks.
Northern Ontario man sentenced for killing his dog
WARNING: This article contains graphic details of animal abuse which may be upsetting to some readers. A 40-year-old northern Ontario man is avoiding prison after pleading guilty to killing his dog earlier this year.
'Home Alone' house up for sale for US$3.8 million in Chicago suburb – but not the one you're thinking of
Social media sleuths noticed that the house next door to the iconic 'Home Alone' house in Winnetka is now up for sale.
Purolator, UPS pause shipments from couriers amid Canada Post strike
Purolator and UPS have paused shipments from some courier companies as they try to work through a deluge of deliveries brought on by the Canada Post strike.
NDP's Singh forces debate on $250 cheques for more Canadians; Conservatives cut it short
With the fate of the federal government's promised $250 cheques for 18.7 million workers hanging in the balance, the NDP forced a debate Friday on a motion pushing for the prime minister to expand eligibility. The conversation was cut short, though, by Conservative MPs' interventions.
Sask. father who kept daughter from mom to prevent COVID-19 vaccine free from additional prison time
Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan father who withheld his then seven-year-old daughter from her mom for nearly 100 days to prevent the girl from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and 200 days probation on Friday, but credited with time served.
Did daily cannabis use go up after Canada legalized it?
Health Canada says daily cannabis use has remained stable since it was legalized in 2018.