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Post by nmcgill on Apr 26, 2013 21:27:53 GMT -5
I agree with Karina (and Mark, Nicholas, Krista...) The Connaught EFI dual track is a neighborhood friendly solution and should be explored to the fullest in order to determine if it is THE choice.
It's very telling that this thread is labelled "Fisher Park JK - 8" solution and most of the posts are: "Hey, what happened to Connaught?"
I expect we'll talk about it at School Council on Tuesday. In the interim (Board admins/genies) can we have a Connaught EFI thread for us to reflect upon why that would be an awesome solution?
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Post by kmacey on Apr 27, 2013 7:52:50 GMT -5
Hi all, connaught isn't off the table at all (see connaught posting). We be posting a few pros and cons that our fisher park sub grp has put together soon (hopefully today or tomorrow - sorry busy times) about the fisher scenario and we can add the points raised already. there are a few fundamental differences between fisher and connaught as solutions including a single track EFI at fisher vs a dual track EFI/ENG at connaught. Capacity is a bit of an issue at both but both should be workable with the additional class space at Fisher Park (10 extra classes). boundaries are on the table for discussion as well since walkability one of the key criteria for evaluating these solutions.
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Post by darcie on Apr 28, 2013 21:10:41 GMT -5
i would have fewer concerns about fisher if i trusted the board staff when they say it won't be difficult to retrofit. I would like to pick up on what Karina (and a few others) have raised regarding the suitability of FP for young children. My concerns revolve mainly around public access to the school building during school hours. From what I have seen and experienced at FP, the public has full access to the building. There is a City rec office open during the day, and anyone may enter to visit that office. Although most or all classrooms may be on the second floor, there is no barrier between the first and second floors, to my knowledge. This makes security at FP a major concern for me. Perhaps "retrofit" to the school board means adding bathrooms and cubbies to create kindergarten classrooms. To me, it means much more. I would want to see a physical barrier (wall, with or without a one-way door) in place to prevent the general public from accessing the part of the school where young children (JK to Grade 3, at least) are during the school day. It seems basic, but teachers and administrators should have the ability to restrict school access to those people on school business during the school day. At present, I don't believe that staff at FP have this ability. And then there is the playground (or lack thereof)..... While I like the idea of K-8 schools, and also appreciate the location of FP, I cannot support an option that is unsafe. I have read nothing so far that would reassure me on these grounds. |
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Post by lisawhite on Apr 30, 2013 20:19:00 GMT -5
I am a Devonshire parent with children currently in JK and Grade 2. I live south of the Queensway and west of Fairmont, so my children will be changing schools. I haven’t seen a realistic scenario that could have it otherwise.
Perhaps against the majority, I am leaning towards a JK-8 at Fisher Park. I realize there are many less than ideal components to this scenario, and still numerous unknowns. I live pretty much equal distance to Connaught and Fisher Park so distance isn’t a deciding factor for me. The principles that are important to me are:
1) A community school my children can go to (as individuals and together as siblings) for as many years as possible.
2) A single track EFI school. I attended a dual-track school as a child, and I hated the “us and them” culture that duality created. Just my personal experience…
3) Minimizing transitions for my children. If Connaught is chosen, my children will end up going to 3 different schools (Devonshire, Connaught, Fisher Park) for their elementary education, all while living at the same address. Not the end of the world, but not my preference.
I’m aware of, and not thrilled about, the prospects of the large proportion of Grade 7/8 to JK-6 students at a JK-8 Fisher Park. I realize there will be many Grade 7 students feeding in from other schools annually.
Still, I remain very interested in this option and hope the Devonshire sub-committee members, and the Near West Working Group Devonshire reps will promote this option as one of the “finalists” to be taken to the trustees. I hope the reps will continue to press the board staff for specifics and guarantees regarding issues like a primary playground, retrofitting the space for young children, appropriate primary library resources, completion date for Sept. 1, 2014, etc. Details about this (or lack there of) could be deal breakers. I also hope the reps will work on tweaking the Jk-8 Fisher Park option with revisions that might reduce the size of the Grade 7/8 cohort, if at all possible.
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