Pandemic funding to help Holy Trinity address students’ mental health, reading skills

Moose Jaw’s Catholic school division plans to use $300,000 in provincial funding to help some home-based students return to school after being away for nearly 18 months because of the pandemic.

Holy Trinity Catholic School Division also plans to use the money to address students’ reading abilities, mental health and well-being, and ensure that pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students transition easily into school. “This is a really good news story,” said education director Sean Chase.

This money is part of the Ministry of Education’s COVID-19 funding, he explained. Since last March, there have been three phases of pandemic funding; $20 million remained after the latest phase, so the ministry divided it among the 27 divisions based on the number of full-time equivalent students in each organization. Holy Trinity determined that its at-home learners — more than 100 students have learned through the enhanced digital classroom — have experienced academic success but face some anxiety as they prepare to return to a physical classroom in September, Chase continued. That is why Holy Trinity has identified smooth transitions as a focal point for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.

“We are hopeful that the majority of these kids — those who are not significantly immunocompromised — will be able to transition back to the physical classroom by September of 2021, and if not, maybe even a little bit earlier … ,” he said, pointing out some students have not been in a building since March 2020.

Besides these students, the division has identified several incoming pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children whose personal circumstances indicate they would benefit from extra support as they come to school next fall. Using $20,000 of the $300,000, Holy Trinity will give each school a substitute teacher or support staff member so that regular teachers can connect with these students and families and direct transition opportunities. Some opportunities include having telephone or video conference calls with the children, meeting with them at the school or off-site, inviting the students and their families to spend a day at school, or having the students connect with division office staff, teachers from the enhanced digital classroom, or other community support agencies.

The division has given schools a certain number of substitute days so classroom teachers can help children make the transition.

This includes five sub days at Vanier Collegiate, two at Phoenix Academy, seven sub days for the pre-kindergarten program at Sacred Heart, five at St. Michael, three at St. Mary, five at St. Margaret, 10 sub days for the pre-kindergarten program at St. Agnes, two at Christ the King in Shaunavon, and seven sub days for the pre-kindergarten program at All Saints in Swift Current. These substitute funds must be expended by June 25. Holy Trinity plans to align its remaining priorities for this year and next year with those of the ministry’s goals, said Chase. This includes using the remaining funding for Grade 1 to 3 literacy intervention ($15,000), early learning ($20,000), mental health ($80,000), learning response — reading ($35,000), a reading interventionist ($90,000) and distance learning ($40,000).

The division also plans to hire one extra counsellor, who will work at All Saints, Christ the King and all Moose Jaw schools.