An estimated 32,000 students in Alberta will be heading back to class in new and modernized spaces this fall, according to the Government of Alberta. And while students attending the new Ashmont School are among those numbers, as of late last week, students had yet to complete the inaugural first day of school.
"Regrettably, despite work continuing, the first day of classes for students attending Ashmont School has been further postponed to Monday, Sept. 10," said St. Paul Education Regional Division (SPERD) superintendent Glen Brodziak, last Wednesday, via email with the Journal.
Prior to the initial Sept. 4 start date of classes, which saw the majority of students across SPERD start the 2018-19 school years, SPERD had announced classes in Ashmont would only begin on Sept. 6, due to delays in the completion of the new school project.
The day before classes were set to begin, SPERD once again reached out to parents notifying them of a second delay.
"Classrooms and teachers are ready, however, access to the school and the playground will require two additional days of work. We apologize for the inconvenience and we trust this will be the final delay," said Brodziak. The superintendent added that "We look forward to welcoming students into our new school."
The K-12 school has been built to fit an estimated 900 students. Ashmont is among the list of 37 new and modernized schools scheduled to open during the 2018-19 school year in Alberta.
“We are undergoing one of the largest infrastructure builds in our province’s history, and are glad that Ashmont is one of the 37 new or modernized school projects due to open this year," said Minister of Education David Eggen, via email with the Journal. "St. Paul Education Regional Division is looking out for the best interests of students and staff by enacting a relatively small operational delay to ensure the school will be ready for students next week. Students will still be getting a full year’s worth of education, above provincial requirements for time in class, and I know the students will benefit from being in a brand new learning facility.”
The new Ashmont School, which had previously been split into an elementary and secondary wing, now has just one phone number, which is (780) 726 3777.
Across the province more than 700,000 students are expected to attend classes in Alberta’s kindergarten to Grade 12 school system this year, according to the Government of Alberta.