The Algoma District School Board officially approved the receipt of the Alexander Henry Accommodation Review Administrative Recommendations Report on Tuesday night at their regular board meeting.
It will now be another 60 days before an official decision is made by trustees on the fate of the 46-year-old school, which means the decision will come on Feb. 18, 2012.
The review was officially brought to the board last month, allowing for a full review before making a decision on whether to approve receipt of the report.
With the report in hand, the recommendations being made by Senior Administration to the board for their consideration in making the decision include:
- Close Alexander Henry High School, effective September 2012;
- Expand the Locally Developed credit courses for Grade 9 & 10 students effective September 2012 in the three Sault Ste. Marie composite high schools – Korah, Superior Heights, White Pines – with the intent to expand Workplace credit courses for Grade 11 & 12 students in the three composite high schools in the following school year (2013-14);
- Allocate current Grade 8 students who require a LDCC program in Grade 9 to their neighbourhood composite high school (Korah, Superior Heights and White Pines) effective September 2012;
- Effective September 2012, provide the opportunity for the current 69 Grade 10-12 students studying at the LDCC and Workplace course level and who would have attended Alexander Henry High School to enrol at White Pines as a cohort with the understanding that some students may choose to attend their neighbourhood high school;
- Relocate the START program (10 students on-site, 13 students off-site) from Alexander Henry High School to Korah C&VS effective September 2012;
- Relocate the DARE program (19 students on-site, 30 students off-site) from Alexander Henry High School to White Pines C&VS effective September 2012
Many of the concerns brought forward have cited declining enrolment at the Northern Ave. school as a factor in the decision.
The school housed 331 students in 1993 and enrolment has seen a to the current 145 and projections have roughly 141 students attending the school in September 2012.
Director of Education Mario Turco said following the meeting that some of the reaction has shown an understanding that the school has served its purpose.
He did say that there are some that may not understand the whole reasoning behind the possible closure.
“They’re understanding that the school should be closed but there are some that aren’t understanding,” said Turco. “They think that we’re taking Alexander Henry from one building and placing it in another building and that we haven’t really changed anything. The idea is to change the workplace pathway and change it at all three (composite) schools.”
Turco says he understands the fear of change from some of the current students and their parents.
“We have to assure them, wherever they go and if they go as a group, we’re going to support them as a group and if they go individually to neighbourhood schools, we’re going to support them to the best of our abilities in the neighbourhood schools as well,” he said.
As for the current staff of Alexander Henry, they will move based on their current collective bargaining agreement.
Some of the staff will move along with the students.
The specifics on the staff movement will depend on a number of factors as the process moves along.
Alexander Henry High School was officially put on review status on Apr. 19, 2011.
Official releases from last night's Algoma District School Board meeting follow.
*************************
Courses leading to the World of Work to be expanded and available in all Algoma District School Board’s Sault Ste. Marie high schools beginning September 2012 and fully implemented by September 2013
Algoma District School Board (ADSB) Senior Administration presented the Pupil/School Accommodation Review Administrative Recommendations Report for Alexander Henry High School to the Board of Trustees at the December 20 meeting and the Board approved receipt of the report.
Senior Administration prepared the administrative recommendations report after carefully considering the deliberations of the ARC public meetings and the recommendations in the ARC Final Report.
The ARC final report was based on public input received during each of four public meetings.
Senior Administration held discussions with the administration and staff of Alexander Henry High School and the administration of the composite high schools to determine how best to meet the needs of students served by the various programs currently offered at the Alexander Henry High School.
Senior Administration gave careful consideration to whether or not all programs would be best accommodated in one composite secondary school, as was recommended in the Alexander Henry High School Accommodation Review final report.
Once the Pupil/School Accommodation Review Administrative Recommendations Report is made available, trustees and public will have a minimum of 60 calendar days before the Board of Trustees will vote on the recommendations.
It is anticipated that the Board of Trustees will vote on the recommendations of Senior Administration at its Regular Meeting of February 21, 2012.
The reoccurring message the Board has been receiving over the last several years from parents and students is that their preference is to enrol in their neighbourhood schools and be able to access courses also leading to the world of work.
Accordingly, the recommendations being made by Senior Administration to the Board for their consideration will be as follows:
a) Close Alexander Henry High School effective September 2012.
b) Expand the Locally Developed credit courses for Grade 9 & 10 students effective September 2012 in the three Sault Ste. Marie composite high schools – Korah, Superior Heights, White Pines with the intent to expand Workplace credit courses for Grade 11 & 12 students in the these composite high schools in the following school year 2013 – 2014;
c) Allocate current Grade 8 students who require a LDCC program in Grade 9 to their neighbourhood composite high school (Korah, Superior Heights and White Pines) effective September 2012.
d) Effective September 2012 provide the opportunity for the current 69 Grade 10 to 12 students studying at the LDCC and Workplace course level and who would have attended Alexander Henry High School to enrol at White Pines as a cohort with the understanding that some students may choose to attend their neighbourhood high school;
e) Relocate the START program (10 students on site, 13 students offsite) from Alexander Henry High School to Korah C & VS. effective September 2012;
f) Relocate the DARE program (19 students onsite, 30 students offsite) from Alexander Henry High School to White Pines C &VS effective September 2012.
Further to e) above, it is noted that the Senior Administration will review the possibility of expanding the START program to the remaining two composite high schools White Pines and Superior Heights in the subsequent years.
*************************
A number of items were covered at the Algoma District School Board’s (ADSB) final Regular Board meeting prior to the holiday break.
School year calendar 2012 - 2013
Our Board is in the consultation process for the 2012-2013 School Year Calendar. It is our expectation that everyone in our school communities will have an opportunity to provide their input through a 2012/2013 School Year Calendar Feedback survey.
There are two options being considered and are provided on our website www.adsb.on.ca/SchoolCalendar.
The difference between Option #1 and Option #2 are where the PD days are situated. Option #1 has the November PD day on Monday November 18, 2012 and an April PD day on Friday April 26, 2013.
Option #2 has the November PD day on Monday November 5, 2012 and an April PD day on Monday April 29, 2013.
Groups being consulted include: students, parents, School Councils, Teaching and Non-Teaching staff.
Principals will be sharing the calendar with their school communities to ensure a full-response to the consultation before the end of January 2012.
With our large area, the many communities and three other District School Boards with whom we need to coordinate calendars, this is always a complex process and suggestions assist us by providing the data necessary for setting the calendar.
Using the feedback from the consultation we may combine options, ideas, and compromises to create a 2012-2013 school year calendar.
Due to the collaboration with the three other school boards, we may not end up with the first choice of school year calendar. The boards will work to a consensus once the consultation process has been completed.
Information Regarding the Draft Calendars:
There are 194 potential school days between September 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. There must be at least 194 school days in a school year calendar of which no more than six can be professional activity days.
Holidays:
The Ministry of Education has set the Christmas Break from December 24, 2012 to January 4, 2013 with classes resuming on January 7, 2013.
February 18, 2013 is designated as a statutory holiday for Family Day.
March Break has been set by the Ministry for the week of March 11 to 15, 2013.
Professional Activity Days:
In preparing a school calendar, the board shall ensure that two professional activity days satisfy the following criteria:
1. The professional activity days are devoted to the professional development of teachers with respect to,
a. Improving student achievement and student success; and
b. closing the gaps in student achievement
2. Two days (February 1 and June 10) are to be allocated for elementary report card preparation as per the provincial P.D.T. agreement.
*************************
Wireless technology use in schools administrative report
The Board of Trustees received a report on Wireless Technology for approval to move forward with the plan to utilize this technology in our schools as a tool to assist Teaching practice and engage students to improve learning.
There has been increased media attention which has prompted some questions about the use of wireless technology in our schools, specifically as it relates to wireless routers and the use of laptops.
Our decision to implement wireless technology in all our schools was made based on information from Health Canada, Algoma Public Health and the Ministry of Education.
Health Canada and the Algoma Public Health have provided our Board with reassurances that there is no evidence that wireless technology places our students at risk.
As of early November all of our secondary and all of our elementary schools have been utilizing wireless technology.
All of our elementary classrooms and most of our secondary classrooms are equipped with a laptop and a data projector, allowing our teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons and to model effective practices for students, assisting students with technology skills that will be needed in their future education and future workplaces.
Our decision to increase access to wireless technology came from inquiries from parents across our district who wanted their children to be able to bring and use their own laptops at school as well as discussions with our Trustees and a review of practices in other School Boards.
Additionally, staff members indicated that by allowing more technology in the classroom, teachers would be able to provide enhanced learning opportunities for students as well as teach students how to access and evaluate information on the web to ensure they are relying on accurate and reputable sources.
For some students, having access to technology throughout the day is essential to meet their learning needs.
For these reasons, the Board has been investing in laptops and Netbooks to allow for the flexible use of computers throughout the school and in a variety of classroom settings.
We are committed to continuing to monitor all sources of information and are also maintaining open dialogue with the Ministry of Education, our local Public Health agency and other School Boards on this matter as we are not a guiding authority on the research of the safety of this technology.
The PowerPoint presentation made at the Board meeting will be posted on our website (www.adsb.on.ca) following the meeting.
*************************
More local news
Browse local flyers
Weather forecast
Find local deals
View local webcams
Verified Commenter, please