Central Guelph ARC
Individual School Valuation Exercise - John McCrae School
( 91 surveys returned so far - Oct. 29,2008)
Values of Our School we Should Strive to Maintain( results of Parent Survey)
- many value school culture, community involvement, school yard
- natural environment
- heritage, historic significance
- neighbourhood school, walkability
- location close to Guelph core
- parent involvement
- dedicated French Immersion, French culture
- professional and caring staff, quality of education
- sense of community( bussing does not affect this)
-scale of school( not too large), residential setting
- personalized home-school connection
- new building
- great student friendships
Values in our Existing School we Would Choose to Let Go
- lack of parking
- improved playground (sports fields), needs outdoor classroom, more engagement
with environment
- improved Kindergarten playground
- increase the diversity
- concrete support of volunteers by staff
- make it K-8 right away; don’t waste time and money on delay
- get buses off Water Street
- more of a community base (not feeder for whole south end)
- large support for K-8 school, continuity, students stay with cohort, leadership
opportunities for older students, more diversity, but don’t want to split current
population
- large support for remaining K-6:negative influences, school too large, 7/8 model
offers more resources for students, more extra-curricular activities, increased
independence, different school management style for 7/8 school, does not disrupt
current situation at Mccrae
- portables
- change back to dual track
- concern for same amenities of dedicated 7/8
- better drop off/pick up zones
- more dedicated JK/SK classrooms
- more supervision
- use lottery system to limit F.I. enrolment
- too large a population
- would like gifted F.I. program
- move to dual track
Other- Concerns re: process/ scenarios
- Bd update opaque and difficult ot understand
- need to make process more accessible
- grandfather students north of the river
- too long a time frame to make decisions - decide soon
- what will happen to current grade 6's for next 2 years? They have already moved
once; two more moves extremely detrimental
- disappointment that child will move again just as she gets used to this school
- desire to know the current scenarios as they are proposed to the ARC
- want F.I. not dual track
- do not want to move to a second F.I. location, K’s in second will get a lesser
product, Priory Park has fewer resources and fewer opportunities to raise moneynot fair to parents who have raised money for years
- not enough kids at second location for viable program
- want sustainable long term plan to minimize disruption
- make decisions based on good program not money
- need to separate JK’s from 7's and 8's
General Concerns
- concern that parents had bought home in south end to attend John McCrae
- want neighbourhood school
- a number of parents support French Immersion only program, not dual track
- too many possible moves for older students
- concern about the loss of families with new F.I. program
- concern about division of resources to new program
- still portables at new McCrae
- review process pits families against families ( who stays, who goes?)