Renovations and repairs have been carried out at many of the city's schools over the summer in preparation for the new school year's opening on Thursday, Aug. 26, for teachers and Monday, Aug. 30 for students.

Construction projects will become a familiar site throughout the fall as well for students at St. Dominic Savio and the Weyburn Comprehensive School, but regular classes should feel no disruption from this activity, say school board officials.

For the public board's elementary schools, Weyburn Junior High and the Comp, staff orientation and professional development will take place over the two days of Aug. 26-27. Staff orientation will be held for grades 7-12 while a professional development session on peer coaching for K-6 staff will take place on Aug. 26 at Assiniboia Park School. Orientation will take place for K-6 staff on the 27th, while grades 7-12 will have the peer coaching inservice at the Comp.

On Monday, Aug. 30, registration of K-6 students will take place from 8:30-9:30 a.m., and K-6 staff will have a planning day. Registration will also be held for Weyburn Junior High students, along with commencement of classes, while students will register at the Comp on Monday. The first full day of classes for the Comp and K-6 will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

In the separate school system, staff will have a professional development day on Aug. 26 and orientation on Aug. 27.

Registration of students at both St. Dominic Savio and St. Michael Junior High will take place on Aug. 30, along with the first full day of classes.

During the summer, repairs and renovations have taken place at many of the schools for the public school division, and all staff is in place. The board is in the process of hiring two part-time library aides, along with a speech-language pathologist for the Region One West Shared Services group of school boards.

The biggest project will be at the Comp, as construction on the various parts of the school for the integration project with Southeast Regional College will take place over the course of the year, said Jan Chell, the new director of education for the Comp and public school boards.

The original time-line first had the college moving in this fall, then it was moved to January of 2000; now the construction will take place with completion slated for the end of this school year, and the integrated facility will open in the fall of 2000, said Chell.

Comp students won't notice the construction for the most part, she added, as their classes will be in areas away from the areas under renovation. A number of areas are being renovated for the Comp, with the main construction taking place in the old part of the school to accommodate the regional college.

Construction will also be seen this fall at St. Dominic Savio, where an addition is being built to house a special education room and special education offices. Renovations have been completed for the staff and administrative offices.

The tenders for the addition close on Aug. 27, and the construction start date will be determined once a contractor is chosen.

A boiler is also being replaced at St. Dominic, and the board hopes to have this work completed by the start of the school year.

Renovations at St. Michael School included work for a new special education room as well as renovations to the staff room, principal's office and secretary's office.