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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 9, 2009 - 3 Education director will discuss recommendation after delegations Continued from page 1 Wayne Joudrie, director of education, at Wednesday night's meeting. This did not happen, however, due to delays on earlier items and a motion to end the meeting at 10 p.m. halfway through the agenda. Joudrie told The Oakville Beaver that he did not want to comment on his rationale for the recommendation until he shared the report publicly with the trustees. "I would prefer to answer your questions after I have had a chance to share the report publicly with the trustees," he said in an e-mail to the Beaver. "So far, they have only read the report as you have and out of respect to the board, I would ask that you wait until the trustees have had the opportunity to hear my comments and ask any questions that they may have." The trustees' decision to end the meeting before getting through the agenda means that Joudrie will not have the opportunity to explain his position until a special board meeting slated for Thursday, Jan. 15 -- the day after the delegation night. However, even without this explanation, groups in the community have already formed opinions on the recommendation in anticipation of delegation night. "None of the concerns for the FI students that had been put forward publicly were taken into consideration when that option was put forward as a recommendation and that is of great concern, so there's no balance in the interests of the students for Ward 4," said Colleen Bailey, spokesperson for Oakville French Immersion Really Matters (FIRM) and an Ecole Forest Trail parent. "We were looking for continuity and stability for the students, because they are getting moved every two years. The wish to keep the program singletrack changes. It changes the programming into dual track and has to convert an existing English-track school, which is a difficult endeavour at best." The recommendation, as it stands, is more palatable for Oakville Parents Encouraging Neighbourhood Schools (OPENS), which is a group of parents from Glen Abbey's three English program public schools -- Heritage Glen, Pilgrim Wood and Abbey Lane. "It (the recommendation) is kind of good because OPENS believes the more dual-track schools for French immersion, the better, because it allows for reduced bussing and it allows for more children to go to their neighbourhood school for their programming," said Lesley Dalgarno, OPENS member, Pilgrim Wood School Home and School Association President, and Pilgrim Wood parent. However, OPENS is not happy with the secondary recommendation that the HDSB implement a boundary study if either of the dual-track schools in Ward 4 Oakville exceed a 60 per cent threshold for French immersion enrollment. "We just want some assurance that if we are dual track, we get to stay dual track and that we don't become a minority and the next single-track (French immersion) school," said Dalgarno. "That is what the pattern is for this board is in Oakville. That is how many of our French immersion centres started. Why are we not starting that boundary study the minute we get to 50-50? And we would like that study to look at the French immersion boundaries." If Joudrie's recommendation is approved, Pilgrim Wood, which is currently an English-track school, would become a dual-track school starting in Sept. 2009. This means that about 240 French immersion students south of Upper Middle Road, currently attending Forest Trail French immersion, would move and attend Pilgrim Wood French immersion in Sept. 2009. The new dual-track school, called Palermo, would be constructed just south of the intersection of Bronte Road and Dundas Street West. The opening date would be Sept. 2010. About 150 English students west of Regional Road 25 currently attending Heritage Glen and Captain R. Wilson will move and attend Palermo English track in Sept. 2010. Approximately 120 students attending Forest Trail French immersion will move and attend Palermo See Recommendation page 5 Hearing aid not doing its job? · Unable to use the phone with hearing aids? · Hollow-sounding or echoing voices? · Not hearing voices well in noise? · Too much whistling? No matter where you purchased your hearing aid, we will test it to see if it is giving you the best sound possible. At Hopedale Hearing Clinic we will maximize the performance of your hearing to suit your listening needs. 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