Dalhousie gets community school designation, funding

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/11/2019 (2129 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of southwest Winnipeg’s most diverse schools will receive additional funding under a new community school designation.

Dalhousie School, located in Fort Richmond and part of the Pembina Trails School Division, is one of five new schools to be added to the province’s Community Schools Program.

On Nov. 6, the province announced $1.6 million in additional funding for the pre-existing program which currently has 31 schools, serving 8,700 students.

“There are other things that can impact a student’s ability to learn: if they are hungry, if they are challenged with mental health issues, or other things that are disturbing in their life,” said education minister Kelvin Goertzen. “And yet there are resources in the community that can be brought together  with the school, and those resources can be applied in the school, together with the community, to try to alleviate some of those challenges.”  

The Community Schools program provides funding to schools to hire a community support worker, according to the province. The support worker facilitates connections between the school and community services to help students and families access the resources they need to be successful in the classroom.

Schools taking part in the program also offer a number of resources including breakfast and lunch programs; early childhood literacy programs; parenting programs; before-school, evening, weekend and summer programs; mentoring and youth development programs; and more.

An official with Pembina Trails said Dalhousie will receive $80,000 annually for three years and that the additional funding will be used to expand the school’s breakfast program and hire a community connector, who will focus on strengthening relationships between students, families and staff.

At Dalhousie, a school with over 500 students, administrators estimate about 50 different countries are represented in the student population.

Karam Shuker, a parent to two students at Dalhousie, said when she immigrated to Winnipeg from Iraq, the Dalhousie School community was a place for her family to go for help.

“When I have any problem, any difficulties with my financial situation, with my son, with everything, I got a lot of support from this Dalhousie School,” Shuker said. “It’s not even just a school. It’s like a house for us.

“I’m sure lots of parents feel the same thing toward Dalhousie School,” Shuker said.

The addition of five new schools to the program, including Victor Mager School, Ruth Hooker School, George Fitton School, and Scott Bateman Middle School, expands the program’s reach to 1,300 more students, the province estimates.