As of today, Sept. 3, the kids are back in school. Many high school students register today with classes tomorrow, but, officially they are back. Living Sky School Division and Light of Christ Catholic School Division students will go to school for 185 days this school year. At 312 minutes per day, that exceeds by 12 the minimum 950 hours mandated by provincial legislation. While students have 185 days in school, teachers have 197 school days, so students will be having some days off. The first one this year will be this month, on Monday the 23rd. Teachers will be in school, but students won't. The calendar allows for three school breaks, one at Christmas, one in February and one in April, the week following Easter. These are days when both teachers and students are out of the school.
As discussed in last week's Bright Spots, things are heating up. Clubs and groups for adults, children and seniors are getting into the seasonal swing. Unfortunately, we missed mentioning the Knights of Columbus. There are five Third-Degree councils in this district, doing good work near and far. They are North Battleford K of C Council No. 2094 known as "the mother council" of the area, Pope John XXIII Council No. 5694, St. Joseph Calasanctius Council No. 7336, Father Bigonesse Council No. 5626 and the Dr. Hamelin Council No. 5878. There is also one Assembly of Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus in the Battlefords area.
An annual event is coming up this weekend that serves to remind us the importance of community. The North Battleford Good Neighbour Network presents the fifth annual Neighbourhood Wellness Block Party on Saturday, Sept. 7 from noon until 6 p.m. on the 1200 block of 107th Street. All people in the Battlefords are welcome. There will be live entertainment, fun for the kids and free hot dogs and refreshments. Organizers say, "Neighbours need to watch out for each other and we need to send a message to those who don't care about safe, comfortable neighbourhoods. This is where neighbourhood wellness begins." In a recent letter to the editor, organizer Steven Cormons wrote, "The idea of this event is to connect people and let each other know we are watching out for others and hopefully send a message to those who are causing the problems. This will be a good opportunity for community organizations that have a stake in safe and comfortable neighbourhoods to showcase their agenda and network with the citizens."
