By the new year, the Ponoka Elementary School body was set to move from their current location to the former Diamond Willow Middle School; while the move is still going full steam ahead, timelines have shifted slightly.
The delays stem from the finishing touches falling behind on the construction end of the process.
“To ensure that the building meets all of our learning needs and provides an environment that is not disruptive to students and staff, I am advising the school that our transfer to the new site will take place during the spring break at the end of March,” explained Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) Superintendent Larry Jacobs in a press release.
He believes the extra time will allow for a smoother transition for both staff and students during the change.
The delayed timeline is also giving WCPS, its busing transportation staff and the Town of Ponoka a pocket to strategize staff parking and bus drop-off points for the refurbished school.
Pushing the move to March is also a better option regarding the move of the Outreach School, which is set to relocate to the Brick School nearer to the end of the 2014/15 academic year.
“That move depends on our retrofitting some aspects of the Brick building to accommodate their unique learning environment needs and adequately prepare them for utilization of the building in the fall of 2015. The timeframe needed for those modifications exceeds our maintenance staff’s ability if we don’t begin in April,” stated Jacobs.