A. Grade 7 and 8 students in The Pines Intermediate @Clarke will remain in that building throughout their school day. Outdoor recess will be on the Clarke side of the joined property. They will only move across the parking lot in rare circumstances for meetings or shared activities. Any movement between buildings will be supervised and accompanied by staff.
Elementary Family of Schools Clarke HS
Accommodation Planning Update
Thank you to all the families and community members who shared their voice, either in-person or online, about possible approaches to student accommodation pressures in the community. Specifically, we have significant challenges in having enough space for all our students at Newcastle PS and The Pines Senior PS.
As you know, and flowing directly from those consultation meetings, the Board approved adjustments to educational programming at Newcastle Public School and The Pines Senior Public School.
Beginning September 2024, The Pines Senior Public School is changing from its current Grade 6-8 structure to become a Grade 5-8 dual-track French Immersion School. Newcastle Public School will become a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 4 dual-track French Immersion School.
At the January 2024 Resource Committee meeting, school board administration provided an update to the Board on the next steps for these changes in the school community, and to the full Board of Trustees at its January 23 Regular Board Meeting.
Specifically, to best use the available space on-site and keep student cohorts together, incoming Grade 5 and 6 students from Newcastle PS will be housed at The Pines Senior PS while Grade 7 and 8 students from The Pines Senior PS will be housed on the second floor of the Clarke HS building.
We recognize that accommodation issues can be challenging for students and appreciate the input of community and staff throughout the consultation process. We believe this plan aligns with community feedback to keep the Grade 7 and 8 cohorts together.
School and board staff have been working collaboratively to review any necessary facility upgrades required at Clarke HS to welcome and accommodate the incoming Grade 7 and 8 students. We will continue to provide information and support to staff and community as part of this transition plan.
Administration continues to prioritize securing funding to build a new JK-12 school on the Board owned property at Grady Drive/Ruddell Road in Newcastle, Ontario, as part of the Ministry of Education capital priorities application process.
We believe that this plan offers a solution to the accommodation pressures while continuing to prioritize securing funding for a new school, addresses concerns raised by community and provides students who are impacted with appropriate structures and programming opportunities to enhance their learning journey.
Questions and Answers
Plans are underway to have a fence installed around the perimeter of The Pines Senior PS. The fencing will be installed during the summer of 2024 and before students are on site in September. Please see the map below for the proposed fencing.
Q. What will recess look like?
A. Grade 5 and 6 students at The Pines Senior PS will use the newly fenced yard (fencing will go in during this summer) and will continue to have access to activities like soccer, baseball, foursquare, volleyball, and basketball. Grade 7 and 8 students at The Pines Intermediate @Clarke will make use of a pavement area, as well as the grassed space behind the school for the same activities.
A. Grade 7 and 8 students will be in their own hallway at The Pines Intermediate @Clarke, which includes separate washrooms. Secondary students will not have access to this part of the building Both intermediate and secondary students will be monitored so they remain in the parts of the building that have been set up for their use. There are three shared spaces: the gym, the learning commons, and the cafeteria. Students' day schedules mean that there will not be overlap in their use and they will always be supervised during these times.
Q. What if I require before and after school care for my child?
A. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board partners with third party licensed child care providers to offer before and/or after-school programming where there is sufficient interest from families. The YMCA Greater Toronto will begin operating a before and after-school program in September, beginning at 7:00am and ending at 6:00pm. Please contact the YMCA directly to register for a spot. Tameka Solomon 365-688-3300 or tameka.solomon@ymcagta.org
After-school care is also available for students from The Pines through the BGC Durham recreation provider at the Diane Hamre Recreation Complex, located at 1780 Rudell Rd, Newcastle. STSCO provides transportation to the recreation complex or afterschool care. Please use the above link to contact BGC Durham.
Q. Will rotary be happening at The Pines?
A. No, both locations of The Pines will be using homerooms. This means that students from Grades 5-8 will have one homeroom teacher, as well as a French teacher and a planning time teacher.
A. The Pines will be a Grade 5-8 school beginning in 2024/2025. We look forward to having many different events (such as dances, assemblies, and other fun). Some of these events will take place in The Pines Senior PS building while others may take place in the Clarke building. We will share information about the location of these fun activities.
A. We will continue to look for opportunities to have shared events between The Pines Intermediate and Clarke HS students and staff. This year, for example, we have come together for a Halloween parade, Remembrance Day, and Intermediate Track and Field.
A. Mr. Avery (Principal at The Pines) has been visiting the Grade 4 and 5 classes at Newcastle PS and has connected with almost all students; Orono visits with Grade 6 students will be happening in mid-May. In an ongoing way, Mr. Avery and Ms. Cummings (Principal at Clarke HS) connect with students who will be moving over to The Pines @Clarke in September 2024. As we prepare for September, we will continue to create opportunities to connect students and build community.
Q. Will students from all feeder schools meet before the start of the new school year?
A. We are planning for students from Newcastle PS and Orono PS to visit on June 5 from 10:30 am -1:30 pm. Newcastle PS students will have a chance to tour and experience The Pines Senior PS, while Orono PS and The Pines Senior PS students will have a chance to connect and see the Clarke HS spaces that will become The Pines Intermediate @Clarke.
A. On June 5th, all families from the Clarke Family of Schools are invited to join The Pines and Clarke for an evening of celebrating the arts. More information will be shared directly with families.
Q. How will younger children be separated from older children on the bus?
A. Students from K-12 typically share buses across the KPR district. To ensure safety of all students, seating plans are required. In most instances, the older students sit at the back of the bus while the younger students sit closer to the front. There are also routines and structures in place when students enter and exit the buses.
A. If you have additional questions with respect to the transition of students, you are welcome to reach out directly to your school principal who can help.
Background Information
Please see below for additional communications, materials from consultation meetings, previous Q and A documents, and feedback.
June 7-15, 2024 Transition News Page
May 7-10, 2024 Transition News Page
April 22-26, 2024 Transition News Page
April 15-19, 2024 Transition News Page
February 28, 2023 Board Meeting
January 17 Community Presentation
In Person and Online Feedback Received
December 6 PowerPoint Presentation
Collated Community Feedback - December Meeting
November 2022 -Question and Answer Document
Dear Families – Clarke High School Elementary Family of Schools
We continue to experience increased enrolment pressures within the family of elementary schools that connect to Clarke High School. Specifically, we have significant challenges in having enough space for all our current students at Newcastle Public School (PS) and The Pines Senior PS.
As you know, one step in addressing these enrolment pressures began this September with Newcastle PS becoming a JK- Grade 5 dual track (English and French Immersion) school while The Pines Senior PS expanded to become a dual track Grade 6-8 Intermediate School.
As we worked through this transition this past spring with the impacted school communities, we shared that we would begin a broader public consultation this year to help find a longer-term solution to these accommodation pressures.
To that end, we are inviting interested parents to join us at the following public meetings to learn more about the enrolment challenges we are experiencing in the community, and to share feedback on the possible solutions we are considering.
Specifically, we are considering the potential of a number of possible options, including:
- Newcastle PS becoming a JK - Grade 4 dual track (English and French Immersion) school. The Pines Senior PS becomes a dual track Grade 5 – Grade 6 school. A dual track Grade 7-8 Intermediate School would be established at Clarke High School.
- Newcastle PS becoming a JK - Grade 3 dual track (English and French Immersion) school. The Pines Senior PS becomes a dual track Grade 4 – Grade 6 school. A dual track Grade 7-8 Intermediate School would be established at Clarke High School.
- Newcastle PS becoming a JK - Grade 4 dual track (English and French Immersion) school. The Pines Senior PS becomes a dual track Grade 5 – Grade 8 school.
We will be reviewing this information for parents and seeking input on possible solutions at the following meetings:
- December 6, 2022, 6:30 p.m., Clarke High School
- January 17, 2023, 6:30 p.m., Clarke High School
Further information on the consultation process and related information are also captured in the Question and Answer document below. The Background Study with information on enrolment projections and possible options is available on the dedicated Student Accommodation Review: Elementary Family of Schools – Clarke High School web page, accessible from the home page of www.kprschools.ca.
We shared this information with members of the Board last evening, with a final decision tentatively scheduled, after consultation and feedback, for February 2023.
We appreciate your interest in helping us make the best possible choices for the students we serve and appreciate your continued support of our school communities.
Sincerely,
Sonal Gohil
Superintendent of Education
Contact Us
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
1994 Fisher Drive
Peterborough, ON K9J 6X6
Phone: 705-742-9773
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Fax: 705-742-7801
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