megk
Junior Member
Posts: 92
|
Post by megk on Feb 12, 2013 9:16:50 GMT -5
Feb. 11 was the first meeting of the Alternative ideas group. We sat down to a kick-off meeting and discussed various scenarios and programming options. Laura has put together a very comprehensive package with 5 scenarios and has crunched the numbers for: Devonshire, Elmdale, Fisher, WE Gowling, Hilson, Connaught and Cambridge.
We came up with some additional scenarios to look into numbers wise: McNabb, and changing scenarios with/without grade 6. Laura will handle the data and report back.
Some ideas mentioned, which require further investigation:
-> JK-Gr 8 schools - who is doing this? What do families think of this?
-> JK-Gr 3 and Gr 4-8 schools - This is being done to some success, should we look into it as an option? (General feeling was no)
-> MFI programming, word is there is a growing need and desire for expanding the MFI program. Hilson is gradually introducing in, would asking for it at Connaught help the current situation? Would parents elect to wait and send their kids to MFI if it was an option in a neighbourhood school - which would lessen the burden on Devonshire's EFI program. More research is needed to better understand the community's interest in MFI.
-> Expanding Fisher Park's program to Gr 6 - 8 for a broader Grade 6 program. This can be an interesting choice. With Grade 6 comes extra money because of EQAO. The school would qualify for the extras that come with having an EQAO level.
-> North/South boundary changes. Starting at Elmdale and moving East, what possible North/South boundaries make sense.
-> How many schools need to be included? Should it reach as far east as Cennential, Glashan and Elgin St? As far west as Churchill Alternative?
It is early stages and Lil and Christopher have not heard yet when the Working Group will meet. Alternative group will meet again in a few weeks to discuss the new scenarios, see what new information we have learned and what new questions we have. Ideally we would like to find 3-4 workable solutions and then investigate them in greater detail.
|
|
|
|
Post by karinaroman on Feb 15, 2013 19:23:23 GMT -5
i don't think mfi at connaught would lessen the pressure at devonshire enough. and if we push for only mfi at connaught i can see the board still wanting efi at w.o. gowling and those of us who become out of bounds for devonshire (they will still likely redraw boundaries) with kids already in efi will have to choose between continuing at gowling or interrupting immersion and doing mfi at connaught. i think efi at connaught would be better with a redrawing of boundaries north-south or more in a circular radius around schools.
i went to a jk-8 school in toronto and it worked because it was CONSTRUCTED as such, so the 7 and 8s were totally separate from the rest of the "elementary school). i worry that fisher can't be like that after the fact.
i think there's real potential for devonshire's solution to be found at connaught and maybe one other area school. having seen what happened with the interim solution, i think we should not hitch on with elmdale too closely because there's a chance our kids won't be bundled with theirs for a final solution. plus, if they have room for that many portables, i can see them making the case for money for actual renos/building on the school property, much like what is happening at mutchmore in the glebe.
|
|
|
|
Post by cwhitehead on Feb 16, 2013 0:31:50 GMT -5
Gowling is NOT going to be part of the long-term solution for Elmdale and Devonshire. The board heard loud and clear from the community that Gowling was not acceptable for an interim solution and the working group (of which I'm a member) will not be recommending Gowling to the trustees as part of the long-term solution. There is enough demand for EFI in the Gowling-Agincourt area to justify an EFI stream at Gowling without bringing in students from north of Carling to build up the numbers.
As for MFI vs. EFI at Connaught, I don't know how to figure that out. MFI is popular at Hilson, would it attract enough students to Connaught to reduce the numbers at Elmdale and Devonshire? I suspect EFI would be a bigger draw, but don't know how to prove or disprove it.
I'm starting to think that a long-term solution may include an addition at Elmdale, EFI at Connaught and MFI at Cambridge.
Vicky's idea of Alternative FI is definitely intriguing...
|
|
|
|
Post by markscrivens on Feb 16, 2013 8:14:49 GMT -5
"Gowling is NOT going to be part of the long-term solution for Elmdale and Devonshire. The board heard loud and clear from the community that Gowling was not acceptable for an interim solution and the working group (of which I'm a member) will not be recommending Gowling to the trustees as part of the long-term solution."
Awesome.
Like Karina, I worry that anything other than an EFI program at Connaught will be too complicated for the Board to sort through and as Karina has suggested, will split parents.
|
|
|
|
Post by karinaroman on Feb 16, 2013 10:44:31 GMT -5
I think an addition at Elmdale is totally doable if the board would spend the money...if they have room for that many portables, they have room to build a real structure/addition instead. and if they are building at mutchmor for that reason (and then switching the efi to there, from first avenue), there is a precedent for it. then it just becomes a focus for what to do for devonshire and perhaps if the solutions are split (i.e. build for elmdale, redraw/add efi for devonshire), they will listen to us and our recommendations more closely than if it's a combined solution (or maybe i am dreaming). i think you can prove efi is a bigger draw if we can get our hands on numbers. mfi has increased the numbers at hilson but it is still a small school and undercapacity, no? i have a friend who's son was in a grade 1 class that had 14 kids in it. are there any efi schools that are that undercapacity? i doubt it.
|
|
|
|
Post by smehra on Feb 16, 2013 18:58:32 GMT -5
Here's a point to help you in your idea that mfi would not alleviate Elmdale/Devonshires capacity issues.
My French school is Devonshire but my English school is Elmdale. So there is a big group of us that even if we decide to send our kids to mfi at Connought, they will still be at Elmdale until grade 4 when mfi starts.
|
|
|
|
Post by cwhitehead on Feb 17, 2013 22:52:54 GMT -5
I agree with Karina that Elmdale has the space for an addition and the precedent of Mutchmor. It's just a bit tricky to accommodate the students that are coming in until an addition can be built. I'll let the Elmdale reps work that through....
Hilson (I have the numbers in front of me) has a capacity of around 400, currently they have 133 English, 113 MFI and 49 Gifted EFI (Gr. 5&6 only) for a total of 295. Staff projections show them with 160, 132 and 50 by 2016, so 85% of capacity with the status quo. Interestingly, the catchment for MFI at Hilson is very large - includes all of Devonshire's area west of the tracks/Preston, all of Elmdale, Gowling and Hilson and even further west. Staff projections seem to show that 1/3 to 1/2 of the MFI is coming from Hilson's English stream - Grade 3 classes of 11, 15, 20, 22 in 2013-2016 go down to 3, 3, 7 and 12 in 'Grade 4. The size of the catchment needed to get 113 students makes me think MFI wouldn't be the best program to add to Connaught. There is definitely a market for EFI already in the neighbourhood. Now I'm curious, I'll have to dig up MFI numbers for Centennial. I guess two questions would be, how big does an FI program need to be to be viable, and does it make sense to offer MFI at Hilson, Connaught and Centennial and EFI at only Elmdale and Devonshire?
We were talking last Monday about redirecting Elmdale's English students to Connaught and Hilson, using Holland as the border. It doesn't make any sense to have kids on Champagne going past Connaught to go to school at Elmdale.
|
|
megk
Junior Member
Posts: 92
|
Post by megk on Feb 20, 2013 20:23:59 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by kmacey on Mar 7, 2013 19:04:46 GMT -5
Hi all -is the meeting on March 20th for the alternatives subgroup or the Devonshire parents WG? We are just sorting out our next steps for the Fisher Park WG and trying to figure out when to meet. The next Near West WG meeting is March 27th correct?
|
|
|
|
Post by cwhitehead on Mar 7, 2013 22:00:26 GMT -5
The meeting on the 20th is for the alternatives subgroup. We don't have a meeting planned yet for the full Devonshire WG.
We've invited Elmdale to send some parents to the meeting on the 20th. It might make sense for the Fisher Park WG to do the same, since Elmdale will definitely be taking a serious look at the space available at FP. I can send email addresses of contacts there if you like.
The FIRST (!) meeting of the Near West WG is March 27th. We will have absolutely no difficulty finding consensus for a long term plan before Christmas.
|
|
megk
Junior Member
Posts: 92
|
Post by megk on Mar 7, 2013 22:06:49 GMT -5
Christopher is right. The 20th is alternative solutions but Elmdale will be there and so far they are mostly focused on Fisher. Might be good to join forces with our Fisher group. I think they already have some thoughts but it is early stages and I don't know if they've considered Devonshire as part of that yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by vickysmallman on Mar 11, 2013 13:45:18 GMT -5
We'll schedule another meeting of the full WG after the first meeting of the Near West Working group, so we can hear Chris and Lil's report and then have a clearer idea of next steps.
The subgroups are all meeting, I think, and should be encouraged to use this space to organize and share ideas. It would be great if the Fisher Park WG could meet before the end of the month, and then we can hear reports from all of the groups when we bring us all together.
It might be a good idea for the Fisher Park WG to hook up with the Elmdale folks - but I wouldn't recommend bringing everyone to the Alternative Solutions meeting on the 20th, as that meeting really should focus on solutions other than Fisher Park and Gowling.
|
|
lindy
New Member
Posts: 1
|
Post by lindy on Mar 25, 2013 21:34:04 GMT -5
While not ideal, I wonder about the possibility of making Connaught the kinder school - all of the JK will already be there - I know that's meant to be temporary but the infrastructure would already be in place in the school - if SK was added and Devonshire made a Gr1-6 school, there would be a hub of support for the kinder kids and teachers and might alleviate enough pressure at Devonshire (especially since then Devonshire wouldn't move to a full day kinder program at all?) Could create other challenges or may have been discussed before but thought I'd throw it out there since I hadn't heard it bounced around. Thanks everyone who is putting so much time into this for all of the families!
|
|
megk
Junior Member
Posts: 92
|
Post by megk on Mar 26, 2013 11:09:47 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestion Lindy! We'll add it to our list for further discussion. Love hearing more ideas.
|
|
