Fort McMurray schools prepare to welcome traumatized students back to class

The last time five-year-old Kathryn Snow was at her Fort McMurray, Alta., school the sky was completely black and flames were creeping toward her home.

Today, her mother Ashley Snow said Katheryn still gets nervous when the sky turns dark before a thunderstorm, and she often hears her daughter re-enacting the family's evacuation from Fort McMurray with her brother Colton.

"They say, 'run away, got to pack all your stuff, gotta drive, gotta get gas,'" Snow said, having overheard the twoplaying outside.

It's just one of the ways Snow said her kids have been affected by the fire, and she's expecting more changes when they go back to school.

She said many Slave Lake, Alta., residents who lived through a devastating fire in 2011have warned people from Fort McMurray that the return to school can be difficult for kids who were evacuated from their schools and homes during the fire.

They say 'Run away, got to pack all your stuff, gotta drive, gotta get gas.'-Ashley Snow

"A lot of them had mentioned that when their kids went back to school things were very different," Snow said. "There was a lot of fear and anxiety, especially for kids who were in the schools when it happened."

Fort McMurray school boards are preparing to mitigate the trauma of returning to class for students who haven't been back since the city was evacuated May 3.

At-risk students being identified early

Monica Mankowski, deputy superintendent for Fort McMurray Catholic Schools, said teachers and school staff will get extra training before school starts to identify trauma and support students and parents.

The schools havealso hired more full-time counsellors.

She said allschool boards in the region are workingwith Alberta Education and Alberta Health Services to ensure every school in the city has the same resources available.

Principals are also working ahead to identify students who have gone through the most changes over the summerand may have a harder time coping.

"We will be working with the school counsellor to put supports in place for that child, depending on how severe the issue might be," Mankowski said.

Mankowskisaid both the public and Catholic boards will hold open houses before the start of termso students can roam the halls with their parents and reacquaint themselves with theschools at their own pace.

She said the school board anticipates some students may have a harder time leaving their parents andbecome upset.They anticipate some maypossibly act out, or even have emotional outbursts without warning.

Snow said she's happy to hear teachers are receiving extra training and there will be counsellors available to her kids.

Until now,she hasn't been sure where to turn to get her kids helpespecially since other children need the supportmore than hers.

Students in Fort McMurray return to school on Sept. 6.