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Attendance areas proposed for new school and French Immersion in Rockwood

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release
November 11, 2013

GUELPH, Ontario — The second report of the New Rockwood Elementary School Boundary Review has been posted to the Upper Grand District School Board website at www.ugdsb.ca/rbr. The document will be presented to the Business Operations Committee on November 12, and at a Public Information Session on November 21.

A key goal of the review is to establish an attendance area boundary for a new 308-pupil place elementary school to be built on MacLennan Street in Rockwood. Construction crews were setting up on the property last week, and will be working towards a target opening date of September 2014.

A second goal of the boundary review is to establish the boundaries for a French Immersion (FI) program in Rockwood. A feasibility study in the spring of 2012 concluded there was sufficient interest to start a program. This was confirmed through early FI registration on October 1-2. At the Program Committee meeting on November 5 trustees heard that there are 54 JK-1 FI students in the Rockwood area – 39 newly registered FI pupils, plus 15 who are currently attending Brisbane PS or King George. Based on these numbers, trustees gave a green light to start a JK, SK and Grade 1 FI program in September 2014. The location of the FI program will be determined by the boundary review, which wraps up in late January.

The review’s Report #2 outlines three scenarios, two of them shortlisted, and the other provided for information.

Scenario 2 is presented as “staff’s preferred scenario”. In this scenario the new school would be JK-5 dual track, which means it would have both regular track (RT) and FI students up to Grade 5. Rockwood Centennial PS would have a JK-8 RT program, and Grades 6-8 FI. At the new school, students from the RT and FI programs would graduate together to attend Grades 6-8 at Rockwood Centennial. 

Scenario 3, the other shortlisted scenario, proposes that the new school would accommodate JK-6 RT and JK-3 FI. Students at the new school would graduate to Rockwood Centennial for Grades 7-8 RT and Grades 4-8 FI.

A set of 11 maps appended to the report show the proposed attendance area boundaries. In Scenarios 2 and 3, the FI boundary is the same. It roughly follows (clockwise) Jones Baseline, Wellington Road 22, Wellington Road 26, and Highway 7 continuing along the Eramosa-Milton Townline to include Eden Mills. 

The RT attendance area for the new school would be the residential streets in the south end of the village of Rockwood, south of Harris Street. This boundary is the same in Scenarios 2 and 3. With the exception of the new school’s attendance area, Rockwood Centennial PS would retain its existing RT boundaries north of and including Harris Street, and rural areas of Eramosa generally south of Wellington Road 50 and Highway 7 (including Eden Mills).

Implementation timelines for Scenarios 2 and 3 are included in the report. To avoid the move of RT students into the new school for one year, only to be sent back to Rockwood Centennial PS the next year, it is proposed in both scenarios that students in this situation be grandparented at Rockwood Centennial. 

The final report will also address the issue of where Rockwood area FI students will attend secondary school. FI students currently in Grades 7-12 feed from King George to John F. Ross. Current Board motions direct Rockwood JK-6 FI students to Erin DHS for secondary, effective September 2014. 

The final report of the boundary review, Report #3, will be distributed online on January 10, 2014, in advance of a presentation to trustees on January 14, with a final decision coming January 28. 

The board is welcoming public input as the boundary review committee works towards making final recommendations in January. The web page at www.ugdsb.ca/rbr includes an online feedback form that will be available until December 18. 

Parents and community members are also invited to attend a Public Information Session on November 21, 2013 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Rockwood Centennial PS. There will be a staff presentation, a question and answer session, displays of data and maps, and an opportunity to provide feedback.

For more information: 

Maggie McFadzen, Communications Officer
519-822-4420 ext. 725
[email protected]

Mark Weidmark, Administrative Officer – Communications
519-822-4420 ext. 544
[email protected]

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