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Highlights of the April 2012 board meeting

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release
April 25, 2012

GUELPH, Ontario – The April monthly meeting of the Upper Grand District School Board was held on Tuesday April 24, 2012. The following are highlights from the meeting.

Extended Day Program

As of September 2012 before and after school programs will be offered at 14 elementary schools in the Upper Grand District School Board. All of the schools already have, or will have, Full Day Kindergarten (FDK). Trustees heard that new 3-year contracts have been signed with a number of third-party providers. Five of the schools (Brisbane PS, Erin PS, F.A. Hamilton PS, Hyland Heights ES and Taylor Evans PS) already have before and after school programs. The nine schools offering new programs this September are:

This September FDK will have been implemented in 31 elementary schools. The board surveyed all parents at these schools regarding their interest in an Extended Day Program, and also sent out a Request-for-Proposal (RFP) to nearly 100 child care agencies. Program fees and decisions about whether to run programs on non-instructional days will be determined by the providers, and may differ from school-to-school. Next year a new round of surveys and RFPs will go out for the 10 additional schools which will offer FDK in September 2013, and to all schools who have already have FDK but do not have an Extended Day Program.

Student Trustees

The board confirmed the election by the Upper Grand Student Senate of two student trustees for the 2012-2013 school year. Emileigh Sampson, a student at Guelph CVI, will be returning to the board for her second year as the representative for urban schools. Caitlyn Brown, a student at Wellington Heights Secondary School, will be the student trustee representing rural schools.

North West Orangeville DA reassigned 

Trustees approved a recommendation from the Business Operations Committee to reassign regular track students living in the North West Orangeville Development Area (DA) from Laurelwoods ES and Westside SS to Credit Meadows ES and Orangeville DSS effective September 2012. There is no change for French Immersion students as all Dufferin area students attend Princess Elizabeth PS (JK-grade 3), Mono-Amaranth PS (grades 4-8) and Erin DHS. The North West Orangeville DA, known locally as “Meadowlands By Devonleigh Homes,” is a subdivision where homes are currently under construction.

Feasibility study for International Baccalaureate program considered

The board confirmed an earlier motion to the Program Committee that directs staff to explore the possibility of conducting a feasibility study into offering an International Baccalaureate (IB) within the Upper Grand District School Board. The Program Committee had received a delegation by Bruce Dadley and Jason Offer, a local representative of the Association for Bright Children of Ontario. The IB program is offered in neighbouring boards, with about a dozen students from Guelph commuting daily to Cameron Heights CI in Kitchener. While trustees expressed support for IB there are costs in the form of annual fees and staff training, and so they requested a preliminary report prior to making a decision on an in-depth feasibility study.

The next monthly meeting of the Board will be held on Tuesday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Guelph board office, 500 Victoria Road North. Everyone is welcome to attend.

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