May 16, 2023 – School closures due to wildfires
Attention Parents and Guardians:
We have some updated information to share on how wildfires are impacting Northland schools.
School closures due to wildfires
Gift Lake School: Gift Lake School will be closed on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
The community is under an evacuation alert. Kindergarten to grade 9 homework packages are being delivered to families by Gift Lake School staff.
Hillview School: The school will remain closed. The community is still under a mandatory evacuation order. Paper homework packages and chromebooks are available for pickup at the Peavine Inn, Days Inn and the Lion’s RV park by Tim Hortons. Online learning started Tuesday May 16, 2023. If families have any questions, please email Principal Rosalind Best at rosalind.best@nsd61.ca.
Bishop Routhier School: Bishop Routhier School will remain closed. The community is still under a mandatory evacuation order.
Chipewyan Lake School: Chipewyan Lake School will remain closed. The community is still under a mandatory evacuation order.
For wildfire updates, please visit the NSD website to access information https://www.nsd61.ca/…/division-news/post/wildfire-update.
Enrolling Displaced Students
Some displaced students may need to finish the school year with a different school authority. Northland School Division extends an open invitation to students who are displaced by the wildfire. They are welcome to attend any Northland school to continue learning. Families can reach us at 780-624-2060.
Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs)
Northland School Division submitted a formal request to Alberta Education on rescheduling upcoming Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) for Bishop Routhier School, Gift Lake School and Hillview School due to wildfires. The request has been approved which means grade 6 and 9 students from Bishop Routhier School, Gift Lake School, Hillview School and Chipewyan Lake School will write the ELA Part A PAT on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. We will continue to monitor the situation in regards to administering the ELA PATs for these schools.
The other Northland schools will follow Alberta Education’s original schedule for PATs. Grade 9 students will write ELA Part A on Monday, May 15, 2023 and grade 6 students will write ELA Part A on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
Diploma Exams
Diploma exams are to be fully administered in June 2023. We will provide an update if anything changes.
To those impacted by the wildfires, our thoughts are with you.
