Monday, May 1, 2017

Dear Parents,

We will be working on the planning and organization for next school year over the next several weeks.  The projected enrollment for next year is 719 students.  Our tentative organization at this point is 5 sections of kindergarten, three grade 1’s, one grade 1/2,  three grade 2’s, two grade 2/3’s, three grade 3’s, three grade 4’s, three grade 5’s,  three grade 6’s, three grade 7’s and three grade 8’s.   Everything is extremely tentative at this point and could change given the number of students who move into or out of our community between now and September.  Any class organization will still be subject to change until mid-September when student numbers and the staffing allocation are confirmed by the Board.

In determining the placements of students, many factors are considered by staff such as; recommended/mandated class sizes, age, gender, maturity, academic needs and available resource support services, peer relationships, leadership and group skills, and student learning styles.  Our staff will invest considerable time in this decision making and organization process.  While we seriously consider the needs of the individual child, we have the perspective of the entire school population.

Teaching assignments will also incorporate the strengths and talents of each staff member.  Annually, staff members have the option of seeking other roles and career challenges through our system’s staffing process each spring.  We must work within the current staffing formula allocations, collective agreements, and Ministry program requirements.  Parents and students should never assume that a teacher will continue at the same grade level at the same school each year.

Elementary classes are not streamed along academic lines; the total number of students at each grade level and their unique nature have an impact and can vary each year.   Our goal is to achieve a balanced mixture of students who can function and learn well together.  The range of student abilities can often vary more in a single grade class than a blended class regardless of the dual grade designation.  So much depends on the particular grouping of children in any given year.  Parents sometimes can have a traditional impression that a single grade is consistently preferable.

Our staff will progress through the planning process for next year and make the best choices possible for our organization.  Some parents may wish to share a child’s educational history, any relevant personal information, current medical recommendations or learning needs which may not, for some reason, be highlighted in the child’s Ontario Student Record.

Should you feel it important to provide additional information about your own child, please address your insights, in writing, to Ms. McNabb before May 12th and drop it off in the office.   Late submissions will not be accepted as the class building process will already be in progress.  Such information can be helpful especially when students are new to our school.  Please remember that the purpose of your written communication would be to provide additional information about your child, not to request a specific teacher or class.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ms. Leslie McNabb

Principal