New school year begins for majority of Manitoba school divisions

More than 220,000 kids are heading back to class in Manitoba public schools.

Wednesday marked the start of the new school year for most school divisions in the province, according to a list compiled by the provincial government.

“There’s so much excitement in the air,” said Ara Morris, principal of Sargent Park School in Winnipeg School Division, which is among 22 school divisions in Manitoba that welcomed back students on Wednesday.

“The teachers have been in already for a couple of weeks, some even longer, getting ready in their classrooms and in the office. We’ve been around for a couple weeks as well. It’s so fun at the beginning of the year,” Morris said.

Classes are scheduled to begin on Thursday or Friday for 14 other school divisions, while classes at Swan Valley School Division are slated to begin on Monday.

Anna Manila, a Grade 1 and 2 teacher at Sargent Park School, said she greets students at her classroom door by getting them to select a preferred greeting from an array of options posted on the wall.

“They choose what they want to do, so they can give me a morning hug, a high-five, a fist bump, a wave and a smile,” she said. “It helps build community. It helps make them feel safe and seen and welcome, and we do this every morning when they come in.”

Shane, a student at Sargent Park School who also assists as a school crossing guard, said he’s looking forward to returning to school but said he will also miss summer break.

“I’m most excited about the opportunity that I can get to make more friends, and also to see my friends that I didn’t really get to see during summer break,” he said.

-With files from CTV’s Ainsley McPhail