Sherwood Elementary students getting a longer summer break along with their new school

Summer break will start early for students at Sherwood Elementary School in the spring of 2025, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will lose instructional time.

A new school is being built next to the existing one on Maple Avenue in Charlottetown. Once that's open and the students have moved over, the old building will have to be demolished and new playground space cleared after school ends in June.

To allow enough time for the work to happen next summer, the last day of school for Sherwood students will be June 6 — about three weeks earlier than for other schools on P.E.I. 

"Our school year is going to be a little bit different this year," said Sherwood principal Parker Grimmer. "We have to take measures to try to bank some time — learning time — with students so that we can cover for any time that we may not have in June."

Grimmer said they can make up some of the lost days by making adjustments to school announcements, rejigging recess and lunch times, and cutting back on some extracurricular activities. 

"We don't change the start or stop times because we partner our transportation with Stonepark and Charlottetown Rural. But inside the school day, we've become a lot leaner for this one year," he said.

Some parents with kids at Sherwood Elementary said they are concerned about finding extra child-care for those weeks in early June, but otherwise they are looking forward to getting the new school.

"A lot of summer camps don't open till the school year ends, so just a bit more consideration and planning [are needed]. But it will be fun for the kids to have an extra three weeks," said Roman Embelton, who has a daughter in Grade 2.

"We will need to get creative — either, you know, try to find a camp or make arrangements with grandparents and get them outside [to] play."

Construction on the new school began in the summer of 2022. Staff are hoping it will be ready for students by the Christmas break.

It will be P.E.I.'s first fully electric, net-zero-ready school.

"There's a lot of anticipation from the kids to have a new school, new playground, a locker. So they're very, very excited," Embelton said.