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Veitch hopeful of bussing resolution

The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

Superintendent of Schools Blaine Veitch hopes a remedy is found for the pending lack of bus service for students who live in cottage subdivisions and attend school in Flin Flon. Frontier School Division recently announced that beginning this September, it will no longer bus students from its catchment area Ð including Schist Lake, Bakers Narrows and Big Island Ð to Flin Flon. "I know that Mr. (Gerard) Jennissen, MLA for Flin Flon, has been discussing this with the Minister of Education," said Veitch at Tuesday's school board meeting. "Hopefully we can come to some resolution that makes sense for Frontier, for our division and residents at our lake areas." Veitch included in his Superintendent's Report a copy of a recent letter to Jennissen in which 16 cottage area families expressed their disappointment with the bussing announcement. "Eliminating the school bus service to Flin Flon is not acceptable," read the letter. "Many families depend heavily on this service, particularly those who work hours outside of school hours (shift work), families where both parents work, single parent families and families who only have one vehicle..." Frontier Chief Superintendent Gordon Shead said previously that the bussing program ran an annual deficit of about $30,000 and was "hard to defend publicly within the Frontier School Division." Frontier has agreed to provide bussing to the cottage students if they attend either of its schools in Cranberry Portage. Cottage students who wish to continue attending school in Flin Flon will have to make an application in accordance with the province's Schools of Choice legislation. Veitch noted at Tuesday's meeting that parents must hand in the proper paperwork to the Flin Flon School Division by May 15. In another matter, the trustees learned of the Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba's efforts to have physical education made mandatory in all grades. A memo outlined the volunteer group's proposal to have the Manitoba government introduce legislation that would make physical education a requirement from kindergarten right up to grade 12. Trustee Jim Wilson voiced concern that such a change could prove challenging for high school students when it comes to juggling their time tables. He said such difficulties have surfaced at Hapnot Collegiate, which has grade 11 physical education as a mandatory course even though it is not a provincial requirement for graduation. "There have been cases where students have trouble doing their course selections now due to the fact that they have that extra phys. ed. credit that's required," said Wilson. Here is a recap of other matters from the meeting: Veitch offered his congratulations to the graduating class of the BUNTEP teacher education program in Cranberry Portage. The graduation ceremony is slated for The Pas later this month. Some Flin Flonners will be among the students donning a cap and gown. Veitch noted that Dave Gunn is now teaching extracurricular Cree lessons to students and staff at Ruth Betts School. It was noted that McIsaac School Ecole McIsaac principal Jacques Labelle will be a key speaker at an upcoming French Immersion conference in Winnipeg. Veitch welcomed the newest youth mentor to the school system. Kirby Davis has replaced Eric Kendrick as the the mentor at Ruth Betts and Parkdale schools.

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