Yellowknife (Apr 23/04) - Yellowknife Catholic Schools were pleasantly surprised by a second increase in funding from the GNWT recently.

Trustees adjusted their budget at a regular meeting April 21 to add a $98,000 surplus to the $185,000 they were already granted due to extraordinary enrollment for September 2003.

The district had close to an eight per cent increase in students attending three schools this year.

They asked the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in the fall for an adjustment.

Assistant superintendent of business Mike Huvenaars said the district wasn't expecting the $283,000 total, but were pleased with the increase in funding.

Also in the report for adjustment was an increase of $14,800 for various French programs across the district.

A public meeting to discuss the budget will be held 7 p.m April 29 at the district office. Huvenaars plans to bring the 2004/2005 budget to the board for approval at the regular May meeting.

Districts share dates

Parents will face easier vacation planning now that all three school districts in Yellowknife share similar calendars for next year, but attempts to completely align the districts isn't a reality yet.

Yellowknife 1, YCS and the Commission Scholaire Francophone Division have been collaborating on a three-year rolling calendar starting 2004/2005.

YCS trustees amended the proposed calendar slightly at their regular April meeting, causing variances in start and finish dates for students, but it is still essentially the same, says Marlene Hnatiw of YCS.

YCS was forced to change some of their dates to accommodate changes to the Alberta Diploma exam schedule made recently by Alberta Learning.

The districts will still share important vacation times like Christmas and March breaks.

Trustees easy target

Ecole St. Joseph students learned that trustee's wallets are easy targets during the April board meeting held at the school.

Grade 7-8 students took time out from their 12 or 30-hour famine Wednesday night to tell trustees about their success fundraising for World Vision.

Debbi Ross prompted the last-minute donations as district staff and board members handed over cash to students Landis Carmichael and Brendan McManaman to boost their $5,255 total.

Other presentations to the board included Grade 8 students who recently returned from a three-day trip to Blatchford Lake Lodge and Grade 4 students talking about a clothing drive that was part of school wide lenten activities.