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Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Wildfire-affected schools exempt from Grade 12 exams: province
Grade 12 provincial tests and other end-of-year exams hang in the balance as displaced teachers and teenagers wait out wildfire threats in northern Manitoba. But smoky skies and school closures did not deter dozens of students from showing up to finish their first round of high-stakes tests in Norway House Cree Nation. Classes at the only high school in Norway House have been cancelled since Wednesday to accommodate an influx of evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and urge students to stay inside due to poor air quality. The disruptions at Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre — a makeshift emergency shelter, between Wednesday and Saturday — were announced part-way through a multi-day 40S English Language Arts exam. Principal Curtis Tootoosis said he was impressed that, despite all the chaos, more than 40 students showed up to complete the exam at improvised classrooms set up off campus Friday. The size of the class of 2025 is anticipated to be in the mid- to high-40s. 'I feel very proud and very proud of the staff — they stepped up and we got compliments from our guests, we'll call them, about the service and that,' the principal of the nursery-to-Grade 12 school said. Teachers worked overtime to put out gym mats, cots and donated mattresses for visitors from Pimicikamak (Cross Lake). The temporary visitors left over the weekend to find more permanent accommodation in Winnipeg and elsewhere. More than 2,000 hot meals — prepared by students in the culinary arts program and staff members — were served to evacuees during their stay. 'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling,' said Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association, a local of the Manitoba Teachers' Society that represents educators in Norway House, Pimicikamak and surrounding communities. The Frontier School Division spans the largest geographic area in Manitoba. Roughly 675 students and 115 school employees were affected by wildfires burning within its borders as of Monday afternoon. Lynn Lake and Cranberry Portage were among a handful of communities under mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday afternoon. Others continued to closely monitor air quality from wildfire-impacted areas. Manitoba Education has informed school divisions that students from communities affected by wildfires are exempt from Grade 12 exams. A spokesperson for the department told the Free Press that any decision to have students rewrite exams will be left to the discretion of their division. 'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion,' said superintendent Tammy Ballantyne, who oversees the education of nearly 900 students in Flin Flon School Division. While Frontier is assessing exams on a case-by-case basis, Flin Flon has a universal exemption 'at this point,' Ballantyne said. 'We continue to be optimistic that we will be able to return home and finish out the school year.' All four area schools have been shuttered until at least June 9; Ballantyne plans to re-evaluate the situation later this week. Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams and her family arrived at a friend's farm in Portage la Prairie at 4 a.m. on Thursday. 'I'm thinking about report cards and I need to write them and my head is in no space to be thinking about writing report cards and all those kinds of things,' she said. Williams and her colleagues at an elementary school in Flin Flon have revived the group chat they started during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there are many parallels to the class cancellations in 2020 but at least then they were all in the same time zone, in the comfort of their own homes and had access to teaching materials. The teachers are currently seeking refuge across four provinces (Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario). In addition to feeling anxious about the future of her hometown, the teacher said she's worried about the students she hasn't been able to connect with online. She does not know where all of them landed. The ones who have been in touch and have loved ones who are firefighters back in Flin Flon are grappling with 'big anxieties,' Williams said. 'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.' Winnipeg school operations were also affected by the wildfires on Monday, albeit by a far lesser extent. Teachers across the city moved recess indoors and cancelled outdoor extracurriculars due to smoky conditions. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire-affected schools exempt from Grade 12 exams: province
Grade 12 provincial tests and other end-of-year exams hang in the balance as displaced teachers and teenagers wait out wildfire threats in northern Manitoba. But smoky skies and school closures did not deter dozens of students from showing up to finish their first round of high-stakes tests in Norway House Cree Nation. Classes at the only high school in Norway House have been cancelled since Wednesday to accommodate an influx of evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and urge students to stay inside due to poor air quality. The disruptions at Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre — a makeshift emergency shelter, between Wednesday and Saturday — were announced part-way through a multi-day 40S English Language Arts exam. Principal Curtis Tootoosis said he was impressed that, despite all the chaos, more than 40 students showed up to complete the exam at improvised classrooms set up off campus Friday. The size of the class of 2025 is anticipated to be in the mid- to high-40s. 'I feel very proud and very proud of the staff — they stepped up and we got compliments from our guests, we'll call them, about the service and that,' the principal of the nursery-to-Grade 12 school said. Teachers worked overtime to put out gym mats, cots and donated mattresses for visitors from Pimicikamak (Cross Lake). The temporary visitors left over the weekend to find more permanent accommodation in Winnipeg and elsewhere. 'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling.'– Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association More than 2,000 hot meals — prepared by students in the culinary arts program and staff members — were served to evacuees during their stay. 'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling,' said Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association, a local of the Manitoba Teachers' Society that represents educators in Norway House, Pimicikamak and surrounding communities. The Frontier School Division spans the largest geographic area in Manitoba. Roughly 675 students and 115 school employees were affected by wildfires burning within its borders as of Monday afternoon. Lynn Lake and Cranberry Portage were among a handful of communities under mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday afternoon. Others continued to closely monitor air quality from wildfire-impacted areas. Manitoba Education has informed school divisions that students from communities affected by wildfires are exempt from Grade 12 exams. A spokesperson for the department told the Free Press that any decision to have students rewrite exams will be left to the discretion of their division. 'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion,' said superintendent Tammy Ballantyne, who oversees the education of nearly 900 students in Flin Flon School Division. While Frontier is assessing exams on a case-by-case basis, Flin Flon has a universal exemption 'at this point,' Ballantyne said. 'We continue to be optimistic that we will be able to return home and finish out the school year.' 'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion.'– Flin Flon School Division superintendent Tammy Ballantyne All four area schools have been shuttered until at least June 9; Ballantyne plans to re-evaluate the situation later this week. Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams and her family arrived at a friend's farm in Portage la Prairie at 4 a.m. on Thursday. 'I'm thinking about report cards and I need to write them and my head is in no space to be thinking about writing report cards and all those kinds of things,' she said. Williams and her colleagues at an elementary school in Flin Flon have revived the group chat they started during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there are many parallels to the class cancellations in 2020 but at least then they were all in the same time zone, in the comfort of their own homes and had access to teaching materials. The teachers are currently seeking refuge across four provinces (Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario). In addition to feeling anxious about the future of her hometown, the teacher said she's worried about the students she hasn't been able to connect with online. She does not know where all of them landed. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. 'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.'– Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams The ones who have been in touch and have loved ones who are firefighters back in Flin Flon are grappling with 'big anxieties,' Williams said. 'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.' Winnipeg school operations were also affected by the wildfires on Monday, albeit by a far lesser extent. Teachers across the city moved recess indoors and cancelled outdoor extracurriculars due to smoky conditions. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Doubled Grade 9 math instruction plus overhauled curriculum will equal better high school results, Manitoba Education officials calculate
Grade 9 students in the province will be getting a mandatory math makeover that education officials expect will add up to better results and an improved learning experience in the core subject. Manitoba Education has overhauled the curriculum for incoming high schoolers to expose all students to budgeting 101 and increase foundational numeracy lessons. And the amount of instruction is being doubled. Starting in September 2027, a new mandatory mathematics course will span the entirety of every student's Grade 9 school year. The rollout is being phased in with a pilot in selected schools scheduled for this fall. The course is slated to replace four existing options — Grade 9 Mathematics, Transitional Mathematics, Transitional Mathematics I and Transitional Mathematics II. 'Math is so critical and foundational to learning for students and we know that the scores here in Manitoba are not reflective of the potential that we know that our students have,' Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said in an interview Friday. Last year, 87 per cent of first-time ninth graders — the Class of 2027 — attained a mathematics credit. That figure dropped to 56 per cent among students in northern Manitoba. Schmidt said high school teachers have long shared challenges related to getting through current curricula because of how dense it is. The replacement Grade 9 course is essentially two credits instead of one, she said. Some high schools offer a year-round introductory math course at present, but many have semestered models. The status-quo means some students take math in the fall of Grade 9 and do not revisit the subject until the winter of Grade 10. The minister indicated her department's statistics show that gaps affect academic results. That's one of the motivating factors for change, she said, noting that students can only benefit from more direct instruction in math. COVID-19 pandemic disruptions to schooling, which resulted in many learners studying math from a distance, took a noticeable toll on Grade 12 provincial exam results. The average scores in both applied and pre-calculus streams — 60 per cent and 62 per cent — dropped by about four per cent and six per cent, respectively, between 2018-2019 and 2023-2024. Schmidt said Grade 9 is a fitting time to address financial literacy and bolster math instruction, in general, because students are introduced to streaming and start to customize their schedules significantly the following year. In Grade 10, students can choose essential mathematics or a combined applied and pre-calculus course. Pre-calculus is a prerequisite to many professional post-secondary programs. High school math teacher Jehu Peters and Anna Stokke, a professor at the University of Winnipeg, both endorsed the decision to extend the Grade 9 course over a full year. Peters described Grade 9 as 'a pivotal year' in a news release on the subject. Stokke said in an email that she was pleased to hear the minister had publicly recognized that students need better preparation for advanced math courses. 'It's important to keep in mind that math is cumulative, so closing math gaps among students needs to start earlier — in kindergarten-to-Grade 8 — where the foundation for success in high school math is built,' she added. Manitoba is earmarking $65,000 for the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education to renew resources for Grade 9 teachers to deliver the new curriculum and help others integrate financial literacy from Grade 4 to 10. Early years data on numeracy is particularly stark in Manitoba. Just over one-third of Grade 3 students in English programs met grade-level expectations for math during 2023-2024. That figure has remained stable over the last decade. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province announces mandatory Holocaust education, partnership with Jewish Heritage Centre
Grades 6, 9 and 11 students will receive explicit instruction about the Holocaust and learn about Jewish cultural traditions and contributions to Manitoba in the fall. The province announced a formal partnership with the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada Thursday — Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. 'We have in our archive a letter that was sent 50 years ago to the provincial government asking for mandated curriculum,' said Belle Jarniewski, executive director of the centre. Jarniewski, a daughter of Holocaust survivors, said she is thrilled about the changes and the centre's role in organizing a May 13 conference to brief teachers on them. Manitoba Education has been reviewing social studies curriculum in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel that have led to more than 18 months of bloodshed in the region. Kelly Hiebert, a high school history teacher from Winnipeg, was tapped to oversee the initiative that will eventually include age-appropriate lessons for students of all ages. While existing curriculum documents acknowledge concepts such as propaganda and antisemitism, they focus generally on the Second World War and Canada's role in it. Hiebert has been tasked with creating more clear and explicit directions for teachers so all Grade 12 graduates are well-versed in the Nazi regime's genocide of Jews between 1941 and 1945. 'It is so important for students to not only learn about the history, but what that means today for our current context and all the complexities of the world that we're living in,' Education Minister Tracy Schmidt, told reporters at the legislature after question period. The Manitoba Legislative Assembly observed a moment of silence earlier in the afternoon to honour the six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. Numerous MLAs and visitors in the gallery — including Hiebert and Jarniewski — donned yellow Star of David lapel pins. Nazis forced Jews to wear similar patches in Germany and other occupied nations during the Second World War to segregate and systematically sort them into ghettos and concentration camps. Jarniewski said it's important the curriculum has extensive resources on the genocide, as well as information about modern-day Judaism and how it is thriving in local communities. That's why her organization chose to organize an upcoming professional-development session for teachers at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, a bustling and state-of-the-art synagogue, she said. Registration is open to teachers who deliver Grade 6-12 instruction to learn more about the imminent curriculum changes. Jarniewski said she wants participants to learn about the history of antisemitism in Canada and how it has continued and 'mutated.' Online radicalization and trauma-informed teaching are among the topics that will be discussed during breakout sessions. Substitute-teacher coverage is being made available to participants. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
