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Boundary review launches for new South Guelph elementary school

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release
September 12, 2012

NOTE: The date of the public information session has been changed to Wednesday, January 16, 2013 due to a conflict with another board event. This media release has been modified to reflect the change.  

GUELPH, Ontario — The first report of the New South Guelph JK-8 FI Centre Boundary Review was presented to trustees at the Business Operations Committee meeting held on September 11.

In August the board revealed plans to construct a new 449-pupil elementary school on Zaduk Place, with a target opening of September 2014. The boundary review will establish the school’s attendance area as a JK-8 French Immersion (FI) centre.

Goals of the review include the creation of a viable and sustainable JK-8 FI program in South Guelph, and to relieve projected overcrowding at Paisley Road PS, John McCrae PS and Fred A. Hamilton PS. Enrolment projections for the three schools combined is approximately 447 students over capacity by 2014.

Much of the growth is coming in the FI program.

“French Immersion is a popular choice for parents,” said Board chair Bob Borden. “In the last three years we’ve seen FI enrolment in junior kindergarten go up 66%. That’s like a wave that will inflate enrolment numbers as these children graduate into higher grades.”

As of September 5, 2012 there were 2,186 JK-8 French Immersion students in Guelph, double the figures of a decade ago.

Construction of a new JK-8 school in South Guelph was anticipated in the Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) Capital Plan. It was also a recommendation made by the Centre Guelph FI Accommodation Review in 2010.

The phasing-in of Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) over a five-year period (2010 to 2014) is one of the factors driving up enrolment. With provincial support, the Board has embarked on an ambitious $90-million in capital projects to build and renovate schools to accommodate the needs of junior and senior kindergarten students.

John McCrae PS and Paisley Road PS will introduce FDK in September 2014, the last year for implementation of the provincially mandated program.

The boundary review for the new school on Zaduk Place follows closely on the heels of the King George JK-8 FI Boundary Review, which launched last June. The boundary review for King George PS boundary review will establish the attendance area for that school as a JK-8 FI Centre starting in September 2014.

These are the next steps for the South Guelph boundary review:

For more information about the South Guelph boundary review, visit www.ugdsb.ca/sgbr.
 

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]

Categories: Media Releases