Upper Canada District School Board to Proceed with
Grades 7 – 12 at Rockland DHS in September 2012

(Brockville) – The Upper Canada District School Board will move ahead with plans to introduce Grades 7-12 at Rockland District High School in September 2012.

The decision to proceed follows a tour of the school this week by Director David K. Thomas, Planning and Research Officer Phil Dawes, Superintendent of Human Resources Charlotte Patterson, and Chief Information and Facilities Officer Jeremy Hobbs. The team has confirmed that Rockland has appropriate space for Grades 7 and 8 students starting in the 2012-13 school year.

“There will be some changes required, but we have conclusively determined that this site will be able to handle the transition to a Grades 7-12 school,” said Thomas.

Chair Greg Pietersma added that the Board’s Building 2020 process, which has overseen the transition to Grades 7-12 schools, continues to be a success.

Grades 7-12 structures have already been created at Char-Lan District High School, Glengarry District High School, Seaway District High School, South Grenville District High School and Tagwi Secondary School.

This September, Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School, Gananoque Secondary School, North Dundas District High School, Rideau District High School and St. Lawrence Intermediate/Secondary School will begin their change to a Grades 7-12 structure.

“We look forward to this change and firmly believe the new format will be just as successful and have just as positive an impact on our students at Rockland as it has in our other schools,” said Pietersma.

Trustee Caroll Carkner is also excited about bringing the successful format to Rockland.

"I think it will be a real advantage to the Grades 7 and 8 students because they will get into a setting where there is more being offered for them than just a regular classroom,” said Carkner. 

The high school will offer intermediate students access to a bigger gym, better sports fields, larger computer labs, and a bigger library.

Staff members at RDHS are also pleased with the decision.

“I think it is a really positive move for the Grades 7 and 8 students,” said RDHS Principal Olga Grigoriev. “There are so many more possibilities we can offer them in terms of doing cross-grade programming and integrated learning.”

Grigoriev said there will also be opportunities for staff from the intermediate and secondary levels to cooperatively plan lessons and collaborate to ensure a smooth transition for the students from the intermediate to the secondary grades.

With the confirmation to proceed, public (transition team) meetings will be organized and scheduled for the Rockland family of schools throughout the fall of 2011 to share information with parents, students and school staff in preparation for September 2012.

For more information, please click on the Building 2020 link of the UCDSB Web site at www.ucdsb.on.ca or call:

Greg Pietersma
Chair
Upper Canada District School Board
613-290-0698  

David Thomas
Director of Education
Upper Canada District School Board
613-342-0371 ext. 1234

Phil Dawes
Planning and Research Officer
Upper Canada District School Board
613-342-0371 ext. 1328
 

Posted July 1, 2011