Sask Rivers School Division introduces additional supports for students

Aug 31, 2026 | 5:00 PM

As a new school year begins this week, urban students in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, who may be requiring additional supports, are being offered some assistance through the introduction of three new student engagement centers.

Student Engagement Centers (SEC) provide targeted support for groups of students and in turn provides support for teachers. Superintendant Kelly Gerhardt explained students filter in and out of the learning space and receive intentional and targeted instruction for regulation, executive functioning and social emotional learning.

“Students participate in hands-on activities such as games, crafts, storytelling, land-based activities, and experiential learning to build these skills in a supportive environment,” she said.

The Ministry of Educations provides funding for a Student Support Model but schools have the autonomy to use those supports how they seen fit. Gerhardt said the staff at Queen Mary school, with support from the Division Team, created a model and paved the way.

“The schools who implemented an SEC in the following years, took lessons from Queen Mary but made it their own to fit the needs/students they had in their buildings. The programs continue to evolve.”

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Prior to this year, the school division received funding for two SECs. Gerhardt explained they were able to stretch that funding to have three SECs and for this school year, they received funding for three additional. So in total, there are now six SECs running in six of the Urban Elementary Schools (Queen Mary, Arthur Pechey, John Diefenbaker, Vincent Massey, Riverside and WJ Berezowksi).

Gerhardt explained regulation, social emotional learning, and executive functioning are needs that all students need to learn and while teacher do their best to teach these to all students, some students need additional, more targeted supported just as some students need additional support in reading or math.

“These strategies are then shared with classroom teachers to continue the same teaching, strategies, and language within the context of the classroom. SECs also share this information with caregivers and invite caregivers to participate and learn alongside their child so that the same strategies and language can be used at home,” she said.

“This creates consistency and common expectations for students which are key pieces to a feeling of trust, attachment, safety, and overall mental health.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

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by Nigel Maxwell

Sask Rivers School Division introduces additional supports for students

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