By Cheryl Jahn

Prepping for school

Aug 27, 2024 | 3:19 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Just under 13,000 kids are heading back to School District 57’s 32 elementary and 8 secondary schools. Prep work for students can be different, depending on the age of the student, starting with elementary.

“Sometimes you know who the students will be,” says Katherine Trepanier, President of the Prince George District Teachers’ Association. “Sometimes you don’t have that list yet until the end of the first week. But people will be looking at the curriculum and making sure that they have their plans in place for the term in the year, thinking about their goals for the year, the types of activities they want to do with their kids.”

She says prep is a little different for teachers in the secondary school system, with rotating classes.

“For secondary classes, they will often teach for four different classes per semester. And the kids move from classroom to classroom. Sometimes teachers have the same classroom for the whole day. Sometimes the teachers themselves also have to move. So it depends on what their situation is.”

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And, much like time change, Transit will switch things up as of September 1st, primarily for secondary school kids.

“There will be a reintroduction of service on the routes 12, 96 and 97,” explains Jamie Weiss with BC Transit. “So there are some changes going into effect and we appreciate people’s patience as we get back up and go with these school routes.

Weiss assures parents there are supports for kids who may be venturing on a bus for the first time.

“If you do have children that are riding the bus for the first time, always remember that your transit operator is there to support you,” he says. “And they’re always there to answer your questions. They know the routes inside and out, and it’s they’re not sure what stop to get on or off of that. They’re ready to do it with a smile, especially for their young customers that are maybe a little nervous about going back to school and maybe a little nervous about riding the bus for the first time.”

Trepanier notes that parents also have an obligation to be prepared as their children at the start of the school year.

“It’s about making sure your kids are prepared emotionally to go to school, doing lots of talking leading up to the start of school, making sure that, if you’re in elementary, that you have the school supply list. Every school has a school supply list that is usually provided to the different retail places.”

Typically, it’s recommended parents meet with their kids’ teachers to see if the transition back to school is going well or if adjustments need to be made.