Welcome Back Message from the Superintendent – 2023/2024 School Year

I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable summer with family and friends. We are excited to welcome our students back to school for the 2023/2024 school year!

I would like to remind you that many of our schools have staggered their start dates; the staggered dates look different per individual school. Schools will be communicating with you to ensure you know which days your children will be attending during the week of September 5-8. Staggering entry is a common practice to help with the smooth transition of students into a new school or grade level. Not all schools may use a staggered entry. If you are not contacted with specific instructions, the first day of class is Tuesday, September 5.

The district and schools are committed to the values of professionalism, learning, well-being, and belonging to nurture the best learning and working environments for our students and staff. As such, our teaching staff are already back at work, preparing for a positive and meaningful year ahead. Our administrative, facilities, transportation, and technology teams have also been working hard over the summer to prepare for the smooth operation of our buildings, technology systems, and buses. Our bus routes have been finalized (for the moment) and are available on our website here. Please note that enrolment changes and fluctuations may cause changes to transportation schedules during the school year. Any changes will be communicated to impacted families. We ask for your patience in the first few weeks of school as transportation routes, times, and stops are tweaked as required. Providing transportation for nearly 18,000 students and covering 35,000 kilometres of routes is a complex task.

I would also like to remind you to take some time to browse our website and familiarize yourself with new ways to find information. A helpful feature on the site, located at the top right of the page, is the “SCHOOLS” button, which allows you to move from the district to your child’s school website with just a click.

Throughout the year, we will continue communicating important district updates and information right here on our website and by email, phone, text, and social media. Please ensure your contact information is up to date with your school. I also encourage you to stay connected with your child’s teachers and work together to make learning a positive experience.

Finally, I would like to wish you all the best for the coming year and thank you for everything you do to help keep our schools welcoming, supportive places for our students to learn and grow. I encourage everyone to confidently jump into the new year and make it one of the best years yet!

Sincerely,
David McTimoney, Superintendent, ASD-W