The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 23 ,2 02 0 | 2 EVERY EVENT SHOULD BE A SPECIAL EVENT 363 Maple Av. West | Georgetown, ON northhaltongolf.com | 905-877-5236 WEDDINGS RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS BRIDAL & BABY SHOWERS BIRTHDAYS RETIREMENTS CELEBRATIONS OF LIFE Celebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with usCelebrate with us Title sponsor: Presented by: Media sponsors: NOMINATE TODAY Visit canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN! Do you know an inspiring immigrant who has made a positive impact in Canada? Celebrate their achievements by nominating them for this coveted national award by Feb 27, 2020. program from McKenzie- Smith Bennett to Acton Dis- trict High School - a concept that was the subject of a boundary review public in- formation meeting at ADHS Jan. 14. The plan would see MSB and the board's other ele- mentary school in Acton, Robert Little, become kin- dergarten to Grade 6 facili- ties. If ultimately approved, the changes would take ef- fect at ADHS and MSB in September 2021, and at Rob- ert Little this coming Sep- tember. Board officials say the re- view process was kick-start- ed by the fact ADHS has been underutilized for the past decade. The school is currently sitting at 71 per cent capacity with 445 stu- dents - a number that's pro- jected to rise to 658 students by 2021 with the proposed change. Director of Education Stuart Miller told the doz- ens of parents in attendance that two Burlington schools have converted to Grade 7 to 12 facilities with positive re- sults. He noted those schools experienced a far greater re- tention rate of Grade 8 stu- dents who may have previ- ously left for Catholic or pri- vate school in Grade 9. "Let's put it on the table - Acton High School is losing kids to Christ the King. We want to look at how we can retain Grade 8 students in Acton at this school," he said. "There is an issue, and it has to be addressed. How it's addressed is what you (parents) are going to help us do." According to Superin- tendent of Education John Pennyfather, increasing the student population would give ADHS the ability to of- fer more courses. He noted the proposed change would balance en- rolments at the two elemen- tary schools and also mean fewer transitions for Robert Little students, who cur- rently move to MSB for Grades 6 to 8 before attend- ing ADHS. "This is about creating a better learning environ- ment for the students of Ac- ton," he said. Parents in attendance had the chance to share their thoughts with board staff and provided mixed re- views. Some expressed con- cern about their 12- and 13- year-old children joining a school with older teens and asked if they would be kept separate during lunch breaks, etc. Board staff indi- cated the day-to-day logis- tics will be hammered out by an integration commit- tee that will be formed if the proposal is given the go- ahead. While the lack of an im- plementation plan initially concerned Krista Kerr, the local mother of two told the Independent she was reas- sured to find out at the meet- ing that the board will take its time to create an Acton- specific plan. "I'm generally for the change because I think it will offer the Grade 7 and 8 students an opportunity to access resources they may not otherwise have access to at MSB," she said, pointing to technology facilities, guidance counsellors and student success teachers. "As a high school teacher, I also know the stress of the transition between Grade 8 and 9, and I think this will alleviate some of those stressors for kids." A Boundary Review Committee has been estab- lished that consists of par- ents from all three schools, trustees Jeanne Gray and Leah Reynolds, HDSB Plan- ning Department staff and superintendents. The committee will meet again at ADHS on Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. to review the com- mentary submitted by par- ents. The group's findings will be presented to Miller, who will make a final rec- ommendation for the board of trustees to vote on during their March 4 meeting. Local parents can submit their thoughts on the issue until Jan. 24 via a feedback form on hdsb.ca (search 'Ac- ton Schools Boundary Re- view'). The board is also review- ing school boundaries in Burlington, Oakville and Milton. The process stems from the 2018-19 long-term accommodation plan that provided enrolment projec- tions for the next decade across Halton. For more information visit the aforementioned site or email actonbounda- ryreview@hdsb.ca. STORY BEHIND THE STORY We've been following this important issue that will impact many families in Acton since the boundary review launched late last year and will continue to keep our readers apprised as the process continues. NEWS Continued from page 1 BOARD LOOKS AT WAYS TO BALANCE SCHOOL ENROLMENTS Acton parents listen to details of the local school boundary review at a public meeting at ADHS on Jan. 14. Melanie Hennessey/Torstar