Classes resumed for all schools within the Portage la Prairie School Division earlier this week, and Oakville School's Principal is delighted to have students back.

Mark Sokolowski has been in charge at Oakville School since the start of this school year and says to this point, it has been great.

"We worked really hard to get back to as close to pre-pandemic as we can in terms of, field trips, getting kids into the community and different grades working together" continues Sokolowski. "I think it's been a really good first four months for us here in Oakville, and we have a great group of students here a great community and great teachers."

Oakville lost two days worth of learning around Christmas due to a blizzard, and Sokolowski says they will not be able to make those days up. However, there are many reasons to be excited for the year's second half.

"The buses weren't able to run due to safety concerns. But past that, we've been business as usual, and it's great to see, everybody coming back and working hard as they're learning."

He highlights presenters coming in and field trips, such as junior high students heading to Quebec, as a few examples of things he looks forward to.

Sokolowski adds that reconnecting the community with the school is something that he has focused on bringing back as we enter the light on the other side of Covid.

"Excited to get back to routine and some structure," says the educator. "We just kind of jumped in with both feet and got back up on the bike and kept riding."

Sokolowski notes that if parents have concerns or even positive feedback, reach out.

"Don't ever hesitate to contact your school or child's teacher. A lot of minor concerns or issues can be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Please don't hesitate to come to your child's school, pop in or drop a phone call, and we'll be more than happy to take care of any issues we need to address."