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Full-time kindergarten an option in Okotoks, Black Diamond, High River area

Program may be viable for students, parents
NEWS-GSS Kintergarten BWC 0803 web
Good Shepherd School teacher Christine Killam reads with kindergarten student Natalie McAdam on April 1. Full-time kindergarten will be an option for families in 2021-22.

An Okotoks family will be sending its child to kindergarten five-days a week in the fall.  

“We are excited for him to have more flexibility, versus moving from daycare to school, throughout the week,” said Melissa Edighoffer, who has enrolled her son Ashton into full-time kindergarten at École Good Shepherd School for 2021-22. “This will help normalize routines in the same environment which we feel will be pretty key for him because of his personality.”  

Christ The Redeemer Catholic Schools will offer full-time kindergarten at its four elementary schools in the Okotoks and High River areas for the 2021-2022 school year. CTR Catholic will also continue to offer the half-time kindergarten as an option for parents. 

Foothills School Division had an information session on March 31 to gauge whether there is enough interest in a full-time program. 

Big Rock School principal Scott Carey is optimistic it will have the numbers to go ahead with the program.  

“If it’s the right fit for the child, the benefits are a few more hours of learning a day,” Carey said. “In school we focus so much on the black-and-white of a curriculum outcome, but there is that idea of the culture of school, getting used to being at school for the full day.  

“I love the consistency of it... the idea of going to school every day is only going to help the kid as they move on to Grade 1.”  

The curriculum will not change, the full-time kindergarten students are not going to be loaded with twice the work. However, there may be opportunities to go a bit deeper into the curriculum with the full-year model.  

“It’s the same curriculum,” Carey said. “So, when you are doing letter sounds instead of doing one activity you can do three activities — just that extra time to re-enforce those concepts.”  

Edighoffer presently has her older son, Bennett, in Grade 1 French Immersion at Good Shepherd. He attended French Immersion kindergarten at the school in 2019-20 when students would go on alternating days.  

“It wasn’t the best option because we (Melissa and husband James) are both working, so he was attending daycare the other three days of the week,” Melissa said. “It didn’t have that consistent routine and that normalization of knowing your teacher and classmates.” 

She said she believes Ashton will benefit from having French Immersion five days a week.  

The full-time kindergarten is also more convenient for James and Melissa.

During Bennett’s kindergarten days, the Edighoffer would be driving him to daycare, school and after-school care before students received at-home learning due to COVID-19 in March 20.  

In September, the two boys will be on the same timetable, although a trip to after-school care is still likely in the books, Melissa said.  

Good Shepherd French Immersion teacher Christine Killam sees opportunity for full-time kindergarten students.  

“I think the first opportunity is to grow their oral language skills,” Killam said. “They will have exposure to French language — games, songs, reading — throughout the day. That will increase their ability to retain vocabulary and express themselves in French.” 

It will also allow for more outdoor time as Good Shepherd is emphasizing more nature-based learning in the future. 

She doesn’t believe it will mean more work for either the students or teachers.  

“I don’t think it will increase our workloads at all,” she said. “I think it allows us to go deeper into what we are doing and develop the skills we are already working on.” 

She admitted initially the students may be tired.  

“Certainly, we will accommodate them the first month or so, but after that they will adapt and kids will love going to school every day,” Killam said.  

Good Shepherd principal Wayne Lorenz said the timing is ideal for full-day kindergarten.  

“Our kids are lacking that social connection due to COVID,” Lorenz said. “I think socially it is an awesome opportunity for kids to reconnect.” 

School divisions receive half the funding for a kindergarten student as for Grade 1 to 12 students. As a result, both Foothills School Division and CTR Catholic have a fee of $250 a month per student to cover the cost of a full-time teacher and other costs.  

At present Foothills School Division is targeting a full-time kindergarten at Big Rock School, Dr. Morris Gibson School in Okotoks, CI McLaren School in Black Diamond and Spitzee School in High River.

Families living outside those Foothills schools would be responsible for their child’s transportation to school.  

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