On the heels of learning that the Fireside K-8 school will not open on time, Friends of Fireside is looking at the two-month delay as an opportunity to come out of the gate with more fundraised dollars for the school’s future playground.
“The spin for me is that it will delay all the excitement,” laughed Laura McDonald, Riversong resident and president of Friends of Fireside.
She said that while parents are disappointed to have learned that the construction delays have pushed the school’s opening date to Nov. 14, most understand that this “was acknowledged as a possibility from the get-go” and that most major construction projects face delays.
The group officially became a society last week and will now begin ramping up fundraising efforts for their future playground, which could cost anywhere between $250,000 to $750,000 including equipment purchase and installation.
The society will be blanketing the town this Saturday with a “good, old-fashioned door-to-door bottle drive.”
The May 6 morning blitz is calling for volunteers to meet at the Riversong Playground at 9 a.m. with coffee and treats to fuel drivers and pick-up crews; there will be a bottle drop off location in Riversong and in Fireside so volunteers don’t need to go to the bottle depot at all.
“Please leave your bottles outside on your step for us on Saturday morning before 9:30 a.m.,” said McDonald, adding that their group could still use “any warm body willing to help.”
While the fundraising for the playground is in its infancy, McDonald said she was amazed by the “tremendous support” the nine-member board and unofficial membership of around 80 parents have received so far – including generous donations at the Riversong Easter Egg Hunt.
Children who will be attending Fireside School will be re-routed to Mitford School/Cochrane Christian Academy where they will attend classes in the portables set up at the northeast end of the site for the first 10 weeks of the 2017-18 school year.
“While disappointed about the construction delay, Rocky View Schools is committed to making the transition for our students a positive experience,” Greg Luterbach, superintendent of school said in a press release.
“Similar to the logistics set-up for the late opening of RancheView, Fireside students also will have access to the core school building, while gym space will be rented in the community.”
Fireside students will not be charged transportation fees until they are in the permanent school and parents wanting to access before and after school care will be able to do so at the temporary location, according to Rocky View Schools.
For more information on Fireside School, officials are hosting a parent information night on May 9 at 7 p.m. at Mitford School.
Those interested in contacting the Friends of Fireside can look up its Facebook page or contact [email protected].
