New Foster Northwest Neighbourhood School

We look forward, along with the community, to building a new Kindergarten – Grade 12 school and child care in the Foster Northwest neighbourhood, which will benefit students and families for many years to come.

September 21, 2026 Update

Dear families/caregivers,

We share everyone’s excitement as planning for the new Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in the Foster Northwest Neighbourhood area continues.

Project milestones since our last update in June 2026 include:

100% completion of design development drawings.
Municipal Site Plan pre approval process is complete.
Overall construction drawing package in preparation for tender: 80% complete.
Cost evaluation is 90% complete.

We extend our thanks to partners at the municipal and provincial levels, as we continue to work diligently with Salter Pilon, our contracted architectural company, to move this project forward. We hope everyone can appreciate this is a very significant and complex capital project with many steps that require feedback and deliberate review with partners to ensure the best results.

While we had initially hoped to have construction begin this fall, as the planning process proceeds our targeted timeline for breaking ground for construction is now spring 2027.

It is estimated that construction will take approximately two years, and we will be able to provide an updated timeline as construction progresses.

Next steps include:

Final site plan and building permit approval later this year.
Tendering of the project early 2027 and selection of a general contractor.
Construction starting in spring 2027.
School-naming process will begin later this fall
School boundaries planning will begin in winter/spring 2027.

Check out the Progress Dashboard below for a visual representation of the project’s progress. We will continue to share regular updates with families as we move forward with this important project.

Sincerely,

Vikki Ernst
Superintendent of Student Achievement

Progress dashboard

The progress dashboard supports communication of this exciting project, by visually representing progress.

We have created definitions to provide more clarification on each of the steps of the land acquisition and build approval processes, here.

Child care partner

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is excited to be the operator of the child care centre and the before and after school program at the new Foster Northwest Newcastle School.

To join the waitlist, please complete the YMCA Child and Family Development Program Waitlist Form

If you are interested in learning more about YMCA Child Care, please visit: Child Care | YMCA of Greater Toronto

The YMCA also offers an EarlyON program in Newcastle - a free parent-child program. For more information, please visit KEyON

School design preview and visioning

On February 26, 2026 we shared a preview of the initial stages of the school design and welcomed the school community’s input on the following aspects of the school design:

Overall Design,
Interior Finishes and School Identity,
Secondary Program and Learning Opportunities,
Outdoor Play and Landscape Design,
Site-specific Needs (Traffic and Pedestrian Flow), and
Environmental and Sustainability Priorities.

The presentation is available here.

Summary of design meeting feedback - June 2026

Previous updates

June 24, 2026

Dear families/caregivers,

We are pleased to share this update on the new Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in the Newcastle area. The project continues to progress through the design stages, with milestones being met in alignment with Ministry of Education timelines.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Design and Visioning Meeting, in February 2026. A
summary of the feedback has been shared with the design architects at Salter Pilon for
consideration and is available on the project web page.

The feedback included appreciation for the modern, open design and community-oriented spaces. In response to the feedback about school spaces, we are excited to share how school community input has directly influenced the design process. Here are a few examples where feedback has been incorporated in the design of interior spaces:

• Trades and Technology: The design will feature modern shop spaces to give students hands-on experience in vital industries, including automotive, manufacturing, construction shops, as well as a culinary space.
• Modern Science: including dedicated biology, chemistry, and physics labs
• Arts: To support our creative students, the school will include a dedicated modern music room and a performing arts and theatre room.

Feedback provided about school logistics, safety and supervision, programming, and operational issues will continue to be considered as part of the ongoing school planning process.

We are excited to begin the school-naming process, in fall 2026, and initial planning for the school boundaries will begin in winter 2027. More information will be shared with families about both of these processes as we move forward.

Project milestones since our last update include:

• Advancement of detailed design, with construction drawings progressing to approximately 75% completion.
• Design development has now reached approximately 90% completion.
• A detailed cost estimate has been prepared.
• Ongoing incorporation of municipal feedback into the Site Plan application

Newcastle K–12 Project – Updated Estimated Schedule

• August 2026: Completion of final design drawings (100%) and tender documents prepared for contractor bidding.
• Fall 2026: Anticipated start of construction.
• Fall 2028: Anticipated substantial completion of construction, with the facility ready for occupancy.

Check out the Progress Dashboard above for a visual representation of the project’s progress.

Sincerely,

Sonal Gohil,
Superintendent of Student Achievement

January 29, 2026

Dear families/caregivers,

We are pleased to share that work continues to move forward on the new Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in the Newcastle area. Recently, board staff and Salter Pilon, KPR’s consultant on the project, met with the Municipality of Clarington for a pre-consultation meeting mid- December 2025. Feedback on the proposed design was positive, and the design team is now updating the plans to incorporate the municipality’s requested changes.

The project continues to progress through the design stages, with key milestones being met in alignment with Ministry of Education timelines.

Project milestones since our last update include:

Submission of the Site Plan pre-consultation application to the Municipality in November 2025
Pre-consultation meeting with the municipality in December 2025, during which design feedback and considerations were provided
Ongoing incorporation of municipal feedback into the Site Plan application
Anticipated submission of the finalized Site Plan application to the municipality in February 2026

Design Preview, Visioning and Project Milestones Meeting – Thursday, February 26, 2026

As this work continues, students, parents, caregivers, staff and community are invited to a Design Preview and Visioning Meeting to share feedback about the proposed design, support visioning for the new school community, and learn more about project milestones.

Thursday, February 26, 2026

6:00 p.m.

Newcastle Public School
50 Glass Court
Newcastle, L1B 1M5

Newcastle K–12 Project – Updated Estimated Schedule

February 2026: Completion of early design drawings (approximately 30%) and preparation of an initial cost estimate. Submission of the site plan application.
March–May 2026: Advancement of detailed design, with construction drawings progressing from approximately 30% to 60% completion.
June 2026: Design development reaches approximately 80% completion. A more detailed cost estimate is prepared, and the building permit application is submitted.
July 2026: Completion of final design drawings (100%) and issuance of tender documents for contractor bidding.
Late August 2026: Anticipated start of construction.
Late July 2028: Anticipated substantial completion of construction, with the facility ready for occupancy.

We know that students and families share in the excitement of this project. We will continue to provide updates through the digital Progress Dashboard established on the KPR website to share more information with families. Check out the Progress Dashboard above.

Sincerely,

Sonal Gohil,
Superintendent of Student Achievement

October 30, 2025

Dear families/caregivers,

We hope everyone has had an enjoyable start to the new year!

As you know, work continues to be moving forward with a new Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in the Newcastle area. School board staff recently provided an update to Trustees at the October Resource Committee and Regular Board meetings about the ongoing work and planning to support the building of the school.

Thanks to a Ministry of Education investment of $75.9M in capital funding, we are building a new Junior Kindergarten (JK) to Grade 12, 1,445- pupil-place school, plus a three-room childcare centre in the Foster Northwest Neighbourhood at Grady Drive and Ruddell Road in Newcastle.

The project continues to progress through early design stages, with key milestones being met in alignment with Ministry of Education timelines.

Project milestones since the last update in late June 2025 include:

The Ministry of Education has reviewed and approved the space template for the new school, confirming that the design will meet provincial standards and provide adequate classrooms, specialized spaces, and common areas, allowing the project to move forward with detailed design and construction planning.

The design team (architects and staff) are advancing the preliminary design development phase to confirm the general layout of the school. This includes refining the building layout, confirming space adjacencies (such as functional needs and student flow), and coordinating with technical consultants to ensure alignment with program requirements and site constraints. This phase of work will form the foundation for the upcoming site plan submission and detailed design development stages.

The site plan pre-consultation application is expected to be submitted to the Municipality of Clarington in November 2025.

Future project milestones:

Anticipated site plan and building permit approval – winter 2026.

Collaboration with students, staff and the community to help inform visioning and establish community needs for the new school – winter 2026.

Construction is anticipated to begin during the summer of 2026.

Anticipated opening of the new school – fall 2028.

We know that students and families share in the excitement of this project, and we are pleased to launch a digital Progress Dashboard on the KPR website to continue to share more information with families. Check out the Progress Dashboard above.

Sincerely,

Sonal Gohil,
Superintendent of Student Achievement

June 24, 2025

New School Build Update

We are excited to be moving forward with a new Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in the Newcastle area. School board staff recently provided an update to the Board of Trustees at the June 19 Board Meeting about the ongoing work and planning to support the building of the school.

As you know, in January, the Ministry of Education announced a $75.9M investment in capital funding to build a new Junior Kindergarten (JK) to Grade 12, 1,445- pupil-place school, plus a three-room childcare centre in the Foster Northwest Neighbourhood at Grady Drive and Ruddell Road in Newcastle.

The project is progressing through early design stages, with key milestones being closely monitored to maintain alignment with Ministry of Education timelines. Once the initial site plan and drawings are complete, the next step in the process will be to collaborate with students, staff and the community to help inform visioning and establish community needs for the new school.

Some updates and anticipated timelines with respect to this project include:

Collaboration with the Ministry of Education to develop and approve the space template.
Pre-consultation meetings with the Municipality of Clarington to provide feedback on the submission of a formal zoning by-law.
Anticipated site plan approval in spring of 2026.
Anticipated construction beginning in summer of 2026.
Scheduled opening of the new school in fall of 2028.

We are committed to providing regular updates to families about this exciting project and will share more information with families later in the fall.

January 29, 2025

New School Funding Announcement

Dear Families,

We are very pleased to share that the Ontario government announced funding yesterday for a new JK-12 school in Newcastle.

The new school will be located on board-owned property in the Foster Northwest Neighbourhood at Grady Drive and Ruddell Road in Newcastle.

The $75.9 million in funding will support the creation of 1,445 pupil spaces and 49 licensed child care spaces, announced as part of the Ministry of Education’s Capital Priorities Program.

We greatly welcome this new capital funding as a positive step towards addressing the enrolment pressures we are experiencing in the Clarington area and concerns for the safety of students attending school on a highway classified provincially as a staged freeway.

We look forward to the building of this new school, which will benefit students and families for many years to come.