November 27, 2012 to January 22, 2013 In order to protect the identity of all individuals who have submitted correspondence with regard to the
New South Guelph Boundary Review and in keeping with the Municipal Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act, all personal information and/or identifiers have been severed from all
recorded communication (i.e. e-mails and letters) prior to distribution. The intent or message has not
been changed.
December 17, 2012
I am a resident in the Zaduk Place neighbourhood and a parent of a John McCrae student currently
in J/K with a second child set to enter J/K in 2016.
Our family recently moved back to Guelph after having lived in Toronto for the past 7 years. Both my
husband and I were raised in Guelph and knew that this was both a safe and wonderful city to raise a
family. We were confident that, regardless of what neighbourhood we lived in, our children would
have access to a safe and wonderful school.
Although we love the John McCrae environment and all of the teachers and staff, we are disappointed
with the fact that I have to "commute" in order to get my 4 yr. old son to school.
One of the reasons for moving back to Guelph was being able to provide my son with the opportunity
to walk to school, and all of the benefits that go along with that.
Instead, I spend a minimum of 15 minutes in the car, each way, driving my son to and from school. If
I chose to send him on the school bus, the ride would be longer.
The residents in the south end of Guelph are in need of a French Immersion option that is closer to
home. The land on Zaduk Place is an ideal location and would be a welcome addition to the
neighbourhood.
I look forward to attending the public information session scheduled for January 16, 2013.
January 11, 2013
I have just read the scenarios and have to say for my family both scenarios effect us the same way.
We are an FI family with two boys, who in Sept 2014, will be in grades 3 and 4. Which by these
scenarios, means we will be dealing with 2 different schools. My boys are currently bussed and this
will not change. My question is this, will they both ride the same bus that will make two stops or will
they be on seperate busses? If they will be on seperate busses I will have some issues. Since they are
only 1 grade apart and John MCrae is a FI 7/8 centre, could an exception be granted for the year to
allow my younger son to move to John Mcrae for grade three in 2014 to keep them on the same
bus? I will be interested to see the outcome of this review.
January 13, 2013
I am unclear from the boundary maps if we are bused to FA Hamilton in the new scenarios for J to 2
as we are now.
Can you let me know please? I object if we aren't.
November 27, 2012 to January 22, 2013 January 14, 2013
I would like to indicate my opposition to Scenario 2. As a resident of the Kortright Hills area, our
children will now be faced with a SECOND re-assignment, and a transition back to MUCH LONGER
bus rides to John McCrae.
Our preference is to remain at the local school (Fred A. Hamilton).
Can a re-assignment of residents west of the Hanlon and North of College Rd to John McCrae
accomodate numbers? I wonder if that scenario was reviewed.
January 14, 2013
Relocating Kortright Hills residents to John McCrae in Scenario 2 is NOT consistent with the "rational
geographic boundaries" objective. We hope that their "home school" of Fred. A Hamilton would be
reconsidered as the best alternative for these residents.
January 15, 2013
I have an 8 year old daughter currently in grade 3, and a 3 year old daughter who will be starting JK
at Paisley Road School this September. The current boundary review, and the impact that it will have
on my family is of great concern to me.
None of the recommendations currently under consideration seem like workable solutions, from my
perspective. The reasons are as follows:
I will no longer be able to walk my older child to and from school (and if she becomes ill at school I
will have no way of getting her home)
I do not feel comfortable allowing my daughter to walk to John McCrae school on her own - on, and
crossing, some very busy streets (and I have not heard any consideration of bussing students)
I will have children in two separate schools - this is a problem for me both logistically (how to get
them both to and from school) and philosophically (I like the idea of my kids being at school together)
I fear that the quality of FI education for the students remaining at PRS will suffer
While I recognize that there are enrolment pressures, and that solutions must be found, I do NOT
believe that taking children out of their communities, separating siblings, and dividing FI programs by
grade, is the right approach. I will be attending the meeting on Wednesday night, but I am taking
this opportunity to state formally, in writing, my vehement opposition to the current recommendations
January 15, 2013
My daughter will start FI JK Sept 2014. The proposed Scenario 2 makes sense as we are part of the
new boundary area that will send my child to John McCrae right from JK all the way up. Since Paisley
Rd school isn't "our neighborhood" anyways, it's just as well. (Victory is part of my neighbourhood,
however the neighbors 3 ft from my back fence are in that boundary, but not us!)
January 15, 2013
Given these scenarios, starting September 2014 we will have a daughter entering grade 5 at John
MacRae and a son entering grade 1 at Paisley. This will be the third school our daughter will have
November 27, 2012 to January 22, 2013 attended in 7 years despite the fact that we have maintained the same address since she began
school.
We are dead set against splitting our children up in this manner and desire the option to send our
younger child to John MacRae at the same time as his sister despite the fact that we live west of the
Hanlon and are thus outside the transition zone.
January 16, 2013
While I have many comments and concerns about this boundary review, my main question is to why
you would reduce Paisley Road to a JK-3 school in the middle of a high-volume French Immersion
area? This makes little sense to me nor does it help to make 'walkable' schools for families in the area
nor provide a continuous K-8 option for FI families local to Paisley or for families in the West end. My
main concern is that, in effect, this particular boundary review puts FI walkable schools ONLY within
SAFE walking distance (or short busing distance) of the upscale university and South end
neighbourhoods while robbing decent middle class neighbourhoods (Paisley corridor and the west
end) of viable, walkable, easily accessible FI options. Asking a Grade 4 student from the Paisley Road
area to cross four busy roads (Paisley, Edinburgh, Waterloo, and Wellington) to walk 'out of area' is
unsafe and impractical. IN effect, your boundary review is discriminatory and unjustly favours the
upper class in Guelph while forcing all other children to walk longer distances, crossing many busy
intersections, in order to get to school. By looking at the review maps, it is obvious that there is a
LACK of focus on the huge FI growth population coming out of the west end. Instead of working to
also satisfy that population and the FI population overall, you continue to focus on satisfying the
needs in certain upper-class 'pockets' while disrupting families in middle class areas (splitting many of
these children between 2 schools - Paisley and John McCrae - how is this reasonable). Your Victory
and King George boudaries also betray this socio-economic bias. You need to realize that French
Immersion is more than simply an 'upper class' issue and the needs of many decent, middle-class
Guelph families must be considered before you push this through.
Kindly,
January 16, 2013
Paisley should become an FI centre.
There should be only 2 7/8 schools for FI in guelph. Anything less is unacceptable compromises
because of arbitrary deadlines.
January 16, 2013
The school should be built farther south (Clairfields) to match where students live maximizing walkers.
The school should be bigger – why build when you know it will be inadequate in size? How is that
planning other than planning to fail?
Do an ARC move the Paisley English kids.
November 27, 2012 to January 22, 2013 January 16, 2013
Please consider the dangers of crossing College Ave W for kids from University housing (McGilvray
St). There is no pedestrian crossing close by, high traffic in the morning and afternoon peak periods!
The walking route also not fully covered with walkways.
Thank you!
January 16, 2013
Question: Why were the projections from 2010 so inaccurate that a mere 2 years later the schools
are all over capacity and it all needs to be reopened? Why could this all not have been done when
JMPS was rebuild to have one shift?
Question: How do you determine walking distance? As the crow flies? Along what routes?
Concern: Many people I’ve spoken to have huge concerns about our kids walking down Edinburgh or
Gordon for the better part of 2-3 kilometers!
January 17, 2013
As a parent of a future student at Fred A Hamilton (Sept.2013), I would like to suggest that
the boundary for JK-6 at the new South End School be extended further south. We live on
Watson Rd S near Wellington 34 and it would seem to me that it would be a better fit for our
son to attend the new school for several reasons including : a) shorter commute, b) closer for
the option of driving my child to and from school, and c) safer commute by avoiding major
traffic roads such as Gordon St and Wellington 34 and Hwy 6. Seeing that Puslinch has a
small population and many of these children attend Aberfoyle PS, it would not open up a
large influx of JK-6 children at the new school and would help families living in this area
tremendously. Again, since there are minimal children in this area, perhaps it could be an
option for residents to send their child to either school.
Thank you for your time,
January 17, 2013
Our son currently attends John McCrae and is presently in Grade 1. I wanted to express my concern
over the Boundary Review as it relates to our family's situation. Our son absolutely adores John
McCrae and has been eager to attend and learn french ever since we joined in SK. We moved him to
John McCrae from Montessori and we are now in the unfortunate position of being one of the families
having to deal with the boundary review for the south end. As it stands right now, it looks like we will
be moving to F.A. Hamilton in 2014 and then on to the new school on Zaduk for 7/8. This is a huge
problem for us. This will be 3 schools he will have to adjust to with within his short years of elementary
November 27, 2012 to January 22, 2013 school life. I am both saddened and worried this will greatly affect his learning and self esteem during
his young years at school. He will have lost all friends made at John McCrae, will not know anyone at
F.A. Hamilton as all his friends are either staying at John McCrae or moving to the new school. He
will then will be plucked from F.A. Hamilton after 4 short years and again re-routed to yet another
school. I do NOT support the preferred scenario #2 as this is going to negatively affect my family.
January 17, 2013
My daughter is currently in FI at FA Hamilton and I have another daughter that will be in JK in 2 years.
My oldest daugher who is now in grade 3 has gone to 3 different schools since starting in the school
system in Guelph and I am hoping she can stay where she is until at least grade 7. My main concern
with the new school to be built off of Kortright is before and after school care. My daughter currently
attends after school care and before school care at the attached YMCA daycare at FA Hamilton. I
would require this no matter what school she attends so I hope the new school that will be built by
Sept. 2014 will have an attached daycare (YMCA or other) so that children can go there for before
and after school care. Thank you.
January 18, 2013
I attended the meeting Jan 16th, 2013 at John McCrae PS. I am still having difficulty understanding
why more consideration has not been given to improving the centrally located schools to
accommodate the growing enrolment issues. It seems to me that our neighborhood schools are being
ripped apart to accommodate the new school's agenda in the south end. Why is this? To suggest we
move 3 FI whole grades out of Paisley, when it was promoted to our family as a FI school in the first
place, sounds crazy to me. If it is a dual track school, have it be one, not a partial French, but full
English. May I also remind you that friendships are also made between the French and English
students that you will also be losing. To have all these student crossing Wellington Road is very
dangerous. Who thought that would be ok? It would be awful if someone gets hurt because of this.
Do you really think it is ok for our kids to be walking across a highway, and along Edinburgh RD, and
Waterloo Ave? If busing is the answer, is it really cheaper to bus these students? Also, I am having a
hard time believing that our neighborhood will be getting lesser enrolment over the next few years.
Our homes are not brand new, but they are perfect for young families to start up in.
January 20, 2013
Having attended the meeting at John MacRae and listening to the two proposals, I must say that
neither one works for our family.
We have 2 children currently attending Paisley, one in JK and the other in grade 3. Either of the
proposals places our eldest in Grade 5 at John MacRae and our youngest in grade 1 at Paisely ensuring they will be separated for 3 years. Not only that, but when they are reunited at John MacRae,
they will be so for only 1 year as our eldest will have at that time completed grade 8 and will be
moving on to another school.
We are very unhappy about the separation and feel it will have a negative effect on our younger
child. He is very shy and timid and looks to his elder sister for reassurance and support both on the
bus and within the school. She, in turn, seeks him out in the play yard at recess and makes every effort
November 27, 2012 to January 22, 2013 to comfort him. She is a sweet, thoughtful and loving girl and is very close to her younger brother, and
the thought of separating them is repellent to us.
We also have great concerns about Paisley being a JK-3 school, with no support from the older
grades both in the classroom and in the hallways. The early grades are populated with the shyest and
most timid. Isolating them from the upper french grades wil hardly enhance a supportive and nurturing
french environment. Can you assure me that the JK-3 FI students will not simply become an island of
those with the smallest, shyest voices, surrounded by older and physically larger kids outside the FI
stream?
We have already endured the transfer of our daughter from Victory to Paisley and though it was
difficult at times, we were at least comforted by the fact that when our youngest started school, he
would be with his older sister. Now we are facing their separation and are very displeased by this turn
of events.
We are also concerned that the two scenarios feel "reactionary" and patch-like in nature and will
lead to yet another boundary review within a few years, with yet more uncertainty and upheaval.
Our prime concern is our children's education and that they have a stable, supportive environment to
learn and grow in these most critical and formative years. We feel that the two proposed scenarios,
and the resultant extended separation of our children, are completely unacceptable.
We are seeking the option to move both of our children to John MacRae in September 2014. We
feel this is a just and reasonable request and trust that great consideration will be given to our
concerns. As parents, we dedicate our lives to our children and we will vigorously pursue what we feel
is best for them.
January 20, 2013
It is our hope that our two children will be able to continue their frech immersion education at John
McCrae PS. It is our belief that it is best for continuity to remain in the same school. Both children
have had an excellent start at John McCrae and we do not wish to interupt their learning by having to
adjust to a new school. We also have safety concerns if the children will be required to walk 2.7
kilmoeters to get to school.
Thank you for your time,