Managing numbers and anxiety: Charlottetown school prepares for transition

Charlottetown's Spring Park School is facing huge changes in the fall, with more than 100 French immersion students moving out, and almost as many English students moving in.

Terry MacIsaac briefed parents at the final Home and School meeting for the year Monday night, and said while final numbers aren't in, but said he's pleased with the preliminary numbers.

"We're still curious as to what it's going to look like," said MacIsaac.

"I still want to count the bums in seats when September comes, to make sure our numbers are accurate."

MacIsaac said every year there are shifts that could happen up until the last minute, but this year is especially tricky with the transition after the school review.

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So far fall enrolment at Spring Park sits at 520, with 180 students leavingand 160 new students coming in, mostly due to rezoning.

The school will also see an increase in English language students next year, said MacIsaac. This year the school was about 75 per cent French. Next year it's looking to be 55 per cent English.

MacIsaac said he still plans to have 27 home rooms, but some French teachers will have to be moved out of the school, and some English teachers added. The first step in that process, explained MacIsaac, is to ask for voluntary transfers.

"Some times change is good too for staff, not just for students," he said.

"Some of them will step forward, hopefully, and say that, 'Yeah, we're interested in a change,' and therefore we should be able to make the changes as smoothly as possible."

Managing anxiety

Part of what schools are working on in the transition, said MacIsaac, is making sure everyone has the information they need about the students who are moving.

"All the schools that are in the transition process, we've met a couple of times," he said.

"We've made a transition form and on there is a basic checklist of items that we feel that other schools need to know about our students and we need to know about other students."

That form is being handed in to resource staff on June 1and passed on to the new school for each student. Other than academics, the school has been dealing with some anxious students and parents. For students, staff hasbeen meeting with them if necessary and even taking a trip to their new school. As for parents, MacIsaac had some advice.

"Don't cry, right, whenever they bring new kids into the school. Because school should be a happy place, a safe place for kids to come," he said

"If they see mommy or daddy upset they might think there is some reason for them to be upset, and that's not true. This is a great place, we have a great school, but they're all great schools and we want to make sure we sell that point to our students."

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