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important announcements for parents and students

Learning together: public school division eager to get back in the classroom

Aug 25, 2022 | 3:53 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It’s that familiar time again when the summer heat begins to cool off and trees slowly begin to shed their leaves. It also means one thing: school is back in session.

School districts in Medicine Hat have been preparing for another year of classes, and will soon see empty school hallways and classrooms flood with students. With COVID-19 restrictions essentially non-existent to begin the school year, a certain excitement of returning to a new normal can be felt within the public school division.

“In a lot of ways, it’s been one of the best summers we’ve had in a long time, because we’re preparing for a school year where our students and staff get to come together, be together, do their work together and in an environment like it has been in the past,” Supt. Mark Davidson says. “It’s kind of refreshing and feels liberating and exciting. I think people are pretty excited to be in a position where they get to be together and learn together in a way that feels normal.”

Davidson says he and his staff have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year and have already begun rolling out important announcements for parents and students alike, so they can be as prepared as possible once that first school bell rings.

For the third year in a row, students in grades three to 12 will be required to bring an internet-reliable device to school, such as a laptop or tablet. In terms of school bus registration, the administration says it is still processing student registration. Students who may have not received confirmation of their bus route should not be alarmed however, as admin says this is quite normal for the beginning of the school year and students should still ride their bus to school without fear of getting turned away.

Davidson is also welcoming about 30 new teachers to the school division, and have been working to get them up to speed for the beginning of the school year.

Students will have one last weekend of summer freedom before returning to the classroom. Both the public school division and Prairie Rose school division kick off their school years on Monday, Aug. 29, while the Catholic school division starts up one day later on Tuesday, Aug. 30.