As Yukon students wrap up the final weeks of the 2020-2021 school year, Yukon government officials have released a new, updated schedule for the 2021-2022 school year.
The schedule shows classes starting on Aug. 23, 2021 for all Whitehorse schools and in some communities, rather than a week earlier as previously planned.
Two professional development days for Whitehorse schools will happen Aug. 19 and 20 ahead of classes starting the following Monday.
Christmas break for all public schools in the territory will take place from Dec. 20 to Jan. 3, 2022. March break will be scheduled for all Whitehorse schools and many community schools from March 7 to 18, though some rural schools have different dates set out for their spring break.
The final day of classes in the 2021/2022 year for Whitehorse schools will be June 15, 2022 with rural schools ending classes between June 2 and June 15 depending on the schools.
As officials explained in a statement, Whitehorse schools share the same calendar while schools in the community may have a different schedule specific to the needs of the community.
Under the territory’s Education Act, there must be 950 hours of instruction time throughout the school year and school days must include between 300 and 330 instructional minutes (five to 5.5 hours).
The changes to the calendar for the next school year, officials noted, came out of feedback from school administrators and school councils.
“We are pleased to share dates for the 2021–22 school year,” Nicole Morgan, the territory’s deputy minister of Education, said in a statement. “Thank you to all school administrators and school councils for ensuring the school calendar reflects the unique needs of our school communities and supports effective learning for students.”
Along with the overall calendar for the school year, individual schools may have their own days set aside for staff training.
The territory has also published key dates for the 2022-2023 school year.
It shows the school year starting in Whitehorse on Aug. 22, 2022 and ending June 16. Christmas break for nearly all public schools in the territory would be from Dec. 19, 2022 to Jan. 2, 2023, while March break for Whitehorse schools would run from March 13 to March 24, 2023.
In rural Yukon depending on the communities, the school year would start anywhere between Aug. 16 and Aug. 26, 2022 with the last day being anywhere between May 29 and June 12, 2023. March breaks for rural schools would happen anywhere between March 10 and March 25, depending on the school.
(Stephanie Waddell)
