Help Me Tell My Story (HMTMS) is a holistic and interactive tool that helps teachers assess a Kindergartner or Pre-K student in social, emotional, physical, cognitive and language development, and Sacred Heart Elementary School recently helped to relaunch this program.

HMTMS first launched in Saskatchewan schools in 2011 and uses a turtle puppet named Askî.

Teachers believe using the puppet helps them relate to the students better, as some kids may feel more comfortable talking to a puppet than talking to an adult.

HMTMS even uses First Nations and Indigenous themes to better educate the kids on the culture and on truth and reconciliation.

The program went on a short hiatus last year though.

"They had an outside organization that was working on using Askî with children, how that assessment was attached to a program that was digitally developed. That got removed," explained Geri Hall, Holy Trinity Catholic School Division's Education Director. "So we looked internally at the Ministry of Education and developed our own way we can track our students, so now it belongs entirely to Saskatchewan."

Parents are also happy with the program, as kids are allowed to take Askî home and take care of the puppet.

"They're very positive," said Sacred Heart Principal Elain Oak. "They realize when the child is assessed with Askî it's a snapshot in time and every child develops at their own individual pace and if they're showing that they're a little bit behind in one area they will catch up."

Even Moose Jaw Wakamow MLA Greg Lawrence came down on behalf of Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre to celebrate the return of the program and read one of the HMTMS books to the kids.

"Especially with the Metis and First Nations side of this, knowing my background, working with our elders in our school division to reach out to all the kids to do this assessment is absolutely awesome," said MLA Lawrence. "You guys [the school board] do a great job."