Classes at the elementary and high schools in our little town are thinning out again this week. It isn't a flu bug or cold weather keeping students away this time, but the days before the February break.
The days off during Christmas and Easter breaks can be filled with family gatherings and commitments and many families look forward to the freedom of holiday planning in February.
I remember when I was young and the schools in my community introduced the break. We unofficially called it "suicide week." It was a welcome change from the norm in the bleak, coldness, but we usually stayed around home reading and getting into each other's hair or attending events at the local winter festival.
We looked forward to the break and sometimes even had company for a few days as mom did income tax preparation for some of her family members and it was a perfect time to get together.
The break is a welcome respite and the only problem has been the years when different parts of the province took the days off at different times. Since the introduction of the Family Day holiday it seems there is a little more continuity and we have been able to plan events with family in different school divisions.
My teaching relatives used to have convention during the week but even they look forward to a break now. The prices of vacation packages are higher in mid-February but families pay them and the beaches and the slopes are ready to accept their dollars.
Lately I've heard rumours, or perhaps fearful expectations, that when the government moves the start of the school year to after the September long weekend the days off in February may disappear. The days have to come from somewhere in the calendar and I've heard many people expressing concern their holidays will be interrupted in February.
People here love the break and take their children out of school for two or three extra days to extend the holiday. If the calendar does change, I'm sure there will be some who will still take a vacation, pulling their students out of school for even longer.
This year we'll spend the break touring Saskatchewan, visiting relatives and taking in some of the events scheduled for those who stay close to home enjoying what this province has to offer in this mild winter.
