A school for the ages
New Charlottetown facility will be built to meet the needs of today’s students
The province confirmed its plan to build a replacement for Sherwood Elementary School in the 2018-19 capital budget, handed down Friday.
Government has earmarked $19.1 million for the project, which was first announced in the fall of 2017.
School principal Jean Boudreau says it’s hard to know what to expect until a planning meeting set for later this month.
Among the school’s needs are more breakout spaces, gym space, music space and proper washroom facilities for kindergarten students, Boudreau said.
“Education didn’t look the same (when the school was built.) So, we’re expecting (that) the way the space is going to be laid out will be quite different and more in keeping with current practices.”
The inclusive model in education requires extra spaces beyond classrooms, something that wasn’t factored into the build of the current school, he said.
“We have children with special needs who are in the classroom now and, by times, during the day need to come out.
“We’re testing for diabetes. We’re providing therapy for students who have any number of different conditions. We’re toileting. We’re diapering. We’re catheterizing. You don’t do that in a classroom.”
There also needs to be space for the speech pathologist and occupational therapist, he said.
The principal said he wrote a letter to Premier Wade MacLauchlan last year, suggesting the new school could be used as an emergency shelter because it’s 500 feet above sea level. He hasn’t heard anything back.
The upcoming planning meeting will have representatives from the school, parents and the province, Boudreau said.
“All I know is I’ll be asking for as much as I can get.”