Back to school for more than 1,000 Ottawa French Catholic elementary students

More than a thousand elementary students at two west Ottawa schools under the Conseil des Écoles Catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) are starting the new school year three weeks earlier than most.

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The students, attending Bernard-Grandmaître and Jonathan-Pitre elementary schools, follow a balanced calendar, which shortens the summer break and pushes back the end of the year in favor of more extended breaks.

For many students, like second-grader Adrianna, the first day was filled with excitement.

"Because I want to see my friends," she said, while sporting matching shoes with her peers.

"And my teachers too."

The balanced calendar model offers students a week off in October and May and two-week breaks during Christmas and March. The schedule is popular among parents, who appreciate the flexibility it offers, including cheaper travel opportunities outside of peak holiday seasons and reduced reliance on costly summer camps.

"The school schedule is ideal for having a young family and working and balancing all that at the same time," said parent, Alan Charbonneau.

"It also gives us time during the school year where some of the play places and fun stuff for the kids to do isn't as packed and jammed."

Jean-François Bard, CECCE's superintendent of education, said the balanced calendar concept was launched at Bernard-Grandmaître 17 years ago, adding its extended schedule and repeated breaks provide students with a more consistent learning pace.

"This is a very highly successful school when it comes to EQAO testing," said Bard.

"And research tells us that the fact that the students are staying in school longer and have shorter brakes throughout the year, leads to student achievement and student success."

Bard says new schools within the CECCE, including secondary schools, could one day follow a balanced calendar as well.

For families who do not wish to participate in a balanced calendar, the board provides access and transportation to its schools that follow a traditional schedule.