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 School
News
by Marlene
Fairhurst-Vaughan and Julie Dugie
Grade
Configuration
Carole Olsen,
the Superintendent of the Halifax Regional School Board, sent a
letter dated November 26, 2003, to parents in Hammonds Plains via
students through the schools. In this letter, Ms. Olsen reported that
at the Board meeting held on November 25, 2003, the grade
configuration change of the new school from a P-9 to a P-6 was
approved. This change was also approved by the provincial government
in January 2004. Ms. Olsen continued to explain that upon thorough
examination of current numbers and projected growth, the Board agreed
that a P-6 is the best solution in the short and long term for the
total Hammonds Plains area. She explained that unlike a P-6 in the
Kingswood area, a P-9 would be problematic in regard to boundaries
and French Immersion programs and would result in a significant
classroom surplus at Hammonds Plains Consolidated (HPCS) and Madeline
Symonds Middle School (MSMS).
School
Site
The property
located behind Needs Convenience Store, which is situated between
Kingswood Drive, Brenda Drive, and Uplands Park, is the site for our
new Hammonds Plains South Elementary School. Access routes to the
school site are currently proposed to be off Brenda Drive, Vrege
Court, and Uplands Park.
Transportation
and Public Works (TPW) and HRM staff are examining which one(s) will
be designated vehicle access and which one(s) will be designated
pedestrian access in regard to traffic flow and safety considerations.
To date, the
P-6 school has been approved for 27 classrooms and a standard
junior-high-size gymnasium (approximately 6,500 square feet). The
larger gym will be a well-utilized and welcome addition to the
Hammonds Plains community.
School
Steering Team
The School
Steering Team (SST) – comprised of a facilitator,
representatives from the Department of Transportation and Public
Works, a representative from the Department of Education, architects
from WHW, the new school principal (Carmelita Rowe), two School
Advisory Council (SAC) representatives (Lesley Whynot, HPCS; and
Marlene Fairhurst-Vaughan, ERS), and 11 Kingswood Community parents
– began meeting in February. The SAC members and parents sit on
the committee as the voice of the community. If you have ideas or
suggestions that you would like to offer, please ensure that one of
the parents on the committee is aware.
Timeframe
If all goes
well with reaching agreement on the design, a timeframe with
completion date should be available by the end of April. Currently,
although a tight schedule, we are still on track for a September 2005
opening. Communication from the school board concerning the new
school construction and minutes from the SST meetings are available
on a newly developed website, http://newschools.hrsb.ns.ca. |
