Yellowknife (Aug 30/06) - Parents from two Yellowknife public schools, forced to share space with Catholic students following a devastating blaze earlier this month, have questions about how students from the two will be spliced together.

Some parents from N.J. Macpherson school, which will be home to grades 1-6 French immersion students displaced from Ecole St. Joseph Catholic school following the Aug. 3 fire, are worried that differing schedules will damage friendships and distract students from their school work. The St. Joe's students are slated to have separate lunch and recess times than their N.J. counterparts.

Catholic students returned to classes Tuesday, while public students go back to school tomorrow.

"It's too separate," said Rachael Gray, the parent of an N.J. student. "I understand them having separate classrooms, but recess and lunchtime is a social time - it's completely different.

"My daughter has friends who go to St. Joe's. She asked me why they didn't want her to be friends with them."

Her comments came last week during a meeting for parents whose kids attend St. N.J. and William McDonald, the other school which will house the displaced students.

Parents were also concerned that playground noise would distract students still in class.

Yellowknife District Education #1 superintendent Metro Huculak said the concerns were valid and school officials would monitor the situation.

YK #1 district officials reassured parents that programs - including gym - would not be affected by the new arrangement.

St. Joe's students are scheduled to be in N.J. for the entire school year, while the students in four classrooms at William McDonald should be able to return to St. Joe's by Nov. 1.

"The situation will be assessed as we go along," said Huculak. "If we discover that there is anything that is inhibiting our student's learning, then we will deal with that situation as it comes."

Parents at William McDonald said that they were fine with the arrangement because the transplanted students will only be there for two months.

Both William McDonald and N.J. Macpherson were both ready to accommodate their guests as of last week. "We've worked with St. Joe's staff to put everything in place that they require for their upcoming time at our school," Huculak said.

The two school boards - YK #1 and the Yellowknife Catholic Schools - will share the costs to renovate and provide desks and other essentials, Huculak said.

The agreement is covered in a contract between the boards, which will remain confidential until it's approved in September.

At that time it will become a public document, according to officials.