Plenty of interest in Grade 7-8 transition at TISS
By STEVE PETTIBONE THE RECORDER AND TIMES
Scheduling, student safety and the availability of classes in the arts and technology were some of the key issues discussed at a Grade 7 and 8 transition meeting that drew a crowd of approximately 100 parents, guardians and students to Thousand Islands Secondary School (TISS) on Tuesday night.
Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) superintendent of school effectiveness David Coombs, who is leading the board's transition team, chaired the meeting, one of several that will be held at area high schools set to take on intermediate students for the start of the 2012- 2013 school year.
Coombs reminded the room at the outset what the board's purpose for holding the meetings is.
"It's an opportunity to see where the Grade 7 and 8 students are going to be next year," he said. "These meetings are not an opportunity to revisit the decision to move Grade 7 and 8s to TISS and BCI (Brockville Collegiate Institute)."
That particular decision, made in 2008, as part of the contentious Boundary 2020 process, was the culmination of several years of public meetings concerning declining enrolment at many of the board's small, rural elementary schools. With Boundary 2020, the board made the decision to close 13 elementary schools -- including Maitland Public, Central Public in Prescott and Algonquin Public School in Augusta Township -- and transition students in Grades 7 and 8 from various elementary schools to high schools within its territory.
Dubbed Building 2020, this transition has already seen the implementation of a Grade 7-12 format at several area high schools, including South Grenville District High School (SGDHS) in Prescott and Seaway District High School in Iroquois.
The next step is set to take place next fall, when Grade 7 and 8 students from several schools will make the move to five area high schools. Locally, the shift will bring intermediate students to TISS, BCI and Athens District High School (ADHS).
Tuesday's meeting was the first for TISS individually, and drew a crowd of parents and students eager to discuss the benefits and potential issues that could arise once the transition takes place.
As he led a group of attendees on a guided tour of the school's arts and technology wing, principal Don Lewis discussed the current layout plan for housing the approximately 280 intermediate students.
"One of our advantages is we have a lot of space," he said.
The plan at the moment, Lewis said, is to house the Grade 7 and 8 group in the hallway directly above the arts and tech hall. Students will be bused into the school's north parking lot and dropped off near the northwest door, he explained.
As he talked about some of the arts and tech rooms the Grade 7 and 8 students will have access to, Lewis said use of the facilities is one of the major benefits of the move for the young learners.
But a concerned woman wondered aloud how much interaction the intermediate students using the arts and tech rooms might have with the school's Grade 12 students, who currently have lockers in that hallway.
However, Lewis said there will be considerable shifting of the current high school locker configuration.
"Grades 9 through 12 will all be looking at some adjustment," he said.
In response to a question from a man about supervision issues, Lewis said the matter won't be a problem.
"There's still going to be the same amount of supervision as they have in the elementary schools," Lewis said, adding that when scheduling is done certain requirements will be taken into consideration, such as not scheduling Grade 7 and 8 recess times in the midst of the high school students' lunch times.
Following the tour, attendees sat down in the school's cafeteria, where Coombs led them through a "north-south- east-west" exercise in which they wrote down things they need more information on, what they think the next steps should be, what they are excited about and what their worries are.
At one table, Lyn Public School student Anders Crouse, who will enter into Grade 7 at TISS next fall, said he is pleased that he will have a choice over his new scholastic home.
"I'm excited about the choice of school," he told The Recorder and Times. "I live in the BCI region, so I'm glad I'm going to have a choice, because I really want to come here."
Seated at a nearby table, fellow Lyn student Gillian Gilchrist, who is looking at attending TISS as a Grade 8 student next fall, expressed her concerns about the availability of music instruction.
"I'm concerned about the availability of instrumental music instruction, because there won't be anyone to teach it," she said, noting she doesn't want to shift between TISS and BCI to get this instruction, but is encouraged by the possibility of a partnership being formed between the two schools for these types of courses.
Coombs told attendees the suggestions, concerns and comments made at the meetings will be transcribed and made available on the UCDSB website in time for the next meeting at the school, which is scheduled for November 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. A similar meeting at BCI is slated for November 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the school library.
Brockville and Augusta trustee Jeff McMillan was present, travelling around the room talking to parents, guardians and students. He told The Recorder and Times the strong turnout was a promising sign as the board grapples with the issues that come along with the transition.
"It's great to see this turnout," he said. "There will be a lot of good ideas that come out of this."
steve.pettibone@recorder.ca
(posted November 17, 2011)