Manitoba's school boards have one purpose: to provide our students with the best schools possible.
School boards provide students with increased access to learning resources such as computers, and ensure that students and teachers have the training they need to unleash the potential of these resources.
When kids drop out, it’s usually when they reach high school. That’s not surprising—after all, provincial law in Manitoba requires school attendance until the age of 16. However, just because a student is sitting in class is no reason for complacency, and delaying drop-out prevention strategies until the high school years is an almost sure recipe for failure. That’s why the Mentorship—Student Support Facilitator Program of The Rolling River School Division targets students as early as grade 7.
The program began in 1992 at a single high school. Since 1994-95, it has operated at all four divisional high schools. The program identifies students who do not see the importance of school, or who do not feel good about the way they are progressing, and provides them with the supports they need to experience success, to stay in school, and to become better prepared for life after school.
Thanks to this program, schools have increased their awareness of students’ strengths and needs, especially those students at risk of dropping out. Because the program accentuates the positive, it has helped contributed to the development of positive attitudes throughout the school, such as support for the modifications or enhancements that are required to enable the participation of some students in school activities. The classroom performance of students who may have been at risk has been enhanced, and they are more involved with their peers outside the classroom.
For further information about the Mentorship—Student Support Facilitator Program in The Rolling River School Division, contact Assistant Superintendent Marg Janssen at 204.867.2754, or via e-mail at mjanssen@rrsd.mb.ca.