This message was sent to families in the Charles P. Allen Family of Schools.

Families,

You shared, we listened!

We are excited to let you know that based on your input and the updated enrolment information we received for the Charles P. Allen Family of Schools (CPA FOS), we have finalized our plan for the new schools on Broad Street.

What we heard

After reviewing all ideas and feedback we received from the two-month consultation, the following three key themes emerged:

1. Where at all possible, families and students want to attend their neighbourhood school.
    
2. Families want consistency; grade reconfigurations should only be used if they put an end to the changes and moves experienced in the CPA FOS in recent years.
    
3. Families need more information about the idea of choice for high school.

These community-driven themes, the goal of maximizing HRCE facilities usage, and the updated enrolment projections received late in December were our guiding principles.

The plan, in summary

• Based on community input, we have revised our boundary for the new PP-Grade 8 school. Where possible, students will go to schools in their neighbourhood.
   
• We reworked grade reconfigurations in the CPA FOS to ease enrolment pressures and ensure consistency for the most students for the greatest amount of time. We originally thought it would take a few years to transition to final grade configurations. Recognizing that families value consistency, all changes will be in effect for September 2023. Our intention is that these grade configurations should be in effect for the next three years. This is great news in a rapidly changing community!
   
• We will provide more information about choice for high school in the coming weeks so that students and families are able to make an informed decision about which school they will attend. Soon the new high school principal will visit Grades 9 and 10 students to introduce exciting new programming options for high school at Broad Street.

You can find a detailed report, final boundary maps and grade configurations, plus additional information on our website.

Next steps

Registration for families in the Broad Street FOS and CPA FOS begins on March 20. Our systems are now being updated to reflect the new boundaries. We will share a reminder with all families when it opens.

Thank you

Much has changed since the day the new schools on Broad Street were first announced. From a global pandemic to disruptions in building material supply chains to tremendous population growth in the CPA FOS, we’ve worked through many complex challenges. We sincerely appreciate your understanding, your support and most importantly, your contributions to this process. Your thoughts, ideas and feedback during our consultation were invaluable. Thank you for helping to shape our final decisions.

We’ve still got lots of work to do before the schools open their doors to welcome children, students and staff. We look forward to your continued involvement as we begin building a new school identity and planning for the transition. We know that every child’s success depends on a strong and thoughtful transition plan. Your participation in the next part phase of the journey will be just as important!

You can expect another update mid-February. In the meantime, please reach out if you have any questions at connect@hrce.ca. We will continue to update our website with answers to your questions as new information becomes available. 

With thanks,

Steve Gallagher
Regional Executive Director (Acting)