SHARE ON: |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
Shamattawa First Nation chief and council made the difficult decision to shut down the reserves only school last November after a COVID-19 outbreak devastated the remote northern Manitoba community.
They hoped cancelling classes for about 500 students at Kisemattawa Kiskinwahamakew Kamik School would be temporary. But as weeks brought growing case numbers, they realized the children were safer at home.
Last week, some 10 months later, students returned to the classroom.
I know the kids are so happy, said Chief Eric Redhead. I think they feel normalcy coming back into the community and into their lives.
He said the last COVID-19 infection in the community was about two months ago.
The last time students were in class, the community of 1,100 was dealing with more than 300 cases of the virus, forcing the school to be converted into an alternate isolation centre.
Redhead said the education department eventually held back students from progressing to the next grade.
There was just not enough time in class to pass everyone, Redhead said.
Shamattawa, located about 745 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, deals with overcrowded homes, a water system that is unable to service the entire community and inadequate internet service.
Virtual learning was not an option, Redhead said, because of the unreliable internet connection and lack of computers or tablets in homes.
He said he believes the decision to hold students back was a good one given the circumstances.
I dont think it would have been fair for the kids to expect for them to learn on their own.
Redhead said, for the most part, parents were understanding of the decision.
The school plans to continue with safety measures -- including mandatory masks indoors, social distancing, temperature checks and frequent sanitization efforts. But Redhead said the community will resort to shutting down the school again if theres another COVID-19 outbreak.
He worries about how that will affect the students academic success and hopes the next federal government, following the Sept. 20 election, will make reliable internet for northern and rural communities a priority.
Another northern Manitoba community also held back some of its students after a COVID-19 outbreak. the military was called in to help and three schools were shut down.
Greg Halcrow, director of education for Pimicikamak Cree Nation, or Cross Lake, said teachers attempted to send homework packages but students fell behind without reliable internet or in-class learning.
The education department came up with a dual curriculum plan for the 2021-22 school year.
For the first part of the year, Halcrow said, students will repeat the curriculum for the previous grade then move into the curriculum for the current grade for the latter part of the year.
I think it will be a challenge, but its something we are capable of overcoming and getting these kids back on track to where they should be, Halcrow said.
But it means 55 students who were supposed to graduate will have to repeat Grade 12 until January, he said.
Graduates will then have a chance to enter a transitional period before heading to post-secondary schools in the fall of 2022.
Its not all doom and gloom, said Halcrow. There are opportunities that have presented themselves. That is how were approaching this year.
Garden Hill First Nation, located about 600 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, had said in May it would have to hold students back due to the pandemic.
Ernie McDougall, who was recently hired as the new director of education for the community, wouldnt confirm if thats still the case for the 2021-2022 school year. He said the move was still being discussed within the education department.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
7 am |
| -7 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 18 KM/H
GUSTING TO 32 KM/H |
|
|
|
8 am |
| -7 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 17 KM/H
GUSTING TO 30 KM/H |
|
|
 |
9 am |
| -8 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 19 KM/H
GUSTING TO 35 KM/H |
|
|
|
10 am |
| -8 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 15 KM/H
GUSTING TO 29 KM/H |
|
|
|
11 am |
| -8 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SSE 13 KM/H
GUSTING TO 23 KM/H |
|
|
|
12 pm |
| -7 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SSE 9 KM/H
GUSTING TO 15 KM/H |
|
|
 |
1 pm |
| -6 ℃ |
| FEW CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 9 KM/H
GUSTING TO 10 KM/H |
|
|
|
2 pm |
| -5 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: SSE 8 KM/H
GUSTING TO 10 KM/H |
|
|
|
|
TODAY |
HIGH OF -5 ℃
LOW OF -14 ℃ |
| FEW CLOUDS |
|
|
|
MONDAY |
HIGH OF -12 ℃
LOW OF -18 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
|
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF -6 ℃
LOW OF -19 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF -6 ℃
LOW OF -14 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
|
|
 |
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF -4 ℃
LOW OF -12 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
|
|
|
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF -8 ℃
LOW OF -18 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
|
|
|
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF -10 ℃
LOW OF -22 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 0 ℃
LOW OF -10 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
| Namecheap New Year Sale – Start 2026 Online Strong! |
| |
| Ring in 2026 with Namecheap! Save on domains, hosting, and online tools to kick off the year with a strong digital presence. |
| |
| New Year deals won’t last—shop Namecheap now! |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
TIM MCGRAW
HEY WHISKEY
07:32 AM |
|
 |
LUKE COMBS
TATTOO ON A SUNBURN
07:29 AM |
|
 |
AUTUMN HILL
MIXTAPE
07:25 AM |
|
 |
LILY ROSE
BACK PEW
07:22 AM |
|
 |
KENNY CHESNEY
JUST TO SAY WE DID
07:20 AM |
|
 |
KIP MOORE
DONT GO CHANGING
07:13 AM |
|
 |
THOMAS RHETT
UNFORGETTABLE
07:10 AM |
|
 |
BRANDON LAY
SPEAKERS BLEACHERS AND PREACHERS
07:07 AM |
|
 |
JADE EAGLESON
COULDA FOOLED ME
07:03 AM |
|
 |
RANDY HOUSER
STILL THAT COWBOY
06:59 AM |
|
 
 |
