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

HDSB to vote on English, French issue June 15 by Tim Whitnell Metroland West Media 25 | Thursday, June 9, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com It's taken more than a year, but Halton District School Board senior staff has come up with what it describes as a compromise to deal with the widening French and English programming dichotomy in some of its schools. A Program Viability Committee, consisting of several senior board administrators, elected trustees, principals, vice-principals and board research and planning staff, took more than a year, including conducting several rounds of public consultation, to whittle 14 possible options down to four for public feedback. The committee settled on one recommendation (Option 6), which was presented by Associate Director David Boag at last week's board meeting. That option is expected to be voted on at the June 15 board meeting. Option 6 would see Grade 2 as the entry point for 100 per cent French Immersion (FI) instruction in existing single-track (FI or English programming only) and dual-track (FI and English students together) schools. In a report to the board, co-authored by Education Director Stuart Miller, Option 6 is described as providing parents with an extra year, beyond the current Grade 1 FI entry model, "to understand their child as a learner prior to making a decision to enter French HDSB Education Director Stuart Miller Immersion..." The recommended option also presents few, if any, additional school program boundary reviews and would keep the current single- and dual-track school configurations intact, meaning less change for students, according to Boag and Miller's report. "We're not looking for an ideal solution but what's going to work best in our Halton context for French and English learners. It's a compromise on early-ish (FI) entry," Boag told trustees. "We know we'll hear some differences of opinion on both sides." Miller chimed in saying the proposed oneyear delay to FI could be valuable. "In that Grade 1 year teachers will talk to parents about the appropriateness of (FI) placement because they know the child as well." He said the board is struggling with the "twin peaks of challenges" -- high FI student numbers and low English numbers in some schools along with difficulty in hiring the required number of high-quality French teachers. "If this (new model) is unable to control the uptake (of FI pupils), we'll have to do it by other means, (just) like around the province. Trustees know what I mean," said Miller ".... I'm not at all supporting we go to capping (FI enrolment), but if this (option) does not work, we have to consider all means." Miller added that he would like to see the resurrection of a French advisory committee. The new model, if approved by trustees, would begin in Grade 2 for the 2018-19 school year. FI entry in Grade 1 would stop after the 2016-17 year with all new 2017-18 Grade 1s being in the English program only. However, pupils enrolled under the current French Immersion model would be grandfathered and allowed to finish elementary school under the current FI model. The board says a steady and large influx of young students into FI in recent years has created an imbalance at many dual-track schools where English programming is also offered. FI numbers are soaring but English pupil numbers dwindling at some schools, sometimes resulting in combined (two grades) and the possibility of triple-split English classes, which the board says are not cost effective and also cause concerns about limited social interaction for those students over the course of their elementary careers. Compounding the situation, says board staff, are continuing difficulties, provincewide, in finding and hiring qualified French teachers. It has resulted in some cases of re-posting French teacher vacancies at the Halton board, which means extended periods that some classes have a non-French speaking supply teacher. There were three other options considered by the Program Viability Committee. Option 2 would retain a Grade 1 entry point with 50 per cent French instruction in single-track schools. The Boag/Miller report states this would result in significant staff time needed for boundary reviews, the need for Full Day Kindergarten classrooms to be converted to Grade 1 rooms and a probable increase in student transportation costs. Option 3 recommended a mid-entry point for French Immersion (Grade 4) with 80 per cent French instruction at dual-track schools. This choice, says the report, would trigger boundary reviews, classroom modifications, see Delegations on p.35 · · · · · · Monday Night Poker Night Wednesday Night Trivia Friday Evenings Karaoke Family Pub Open for Lunch Sports Teams Welcome Proud supporter of the Oakville Rangers · Trip Advisor's highest rated Oakville pub Saturday Nights Live Entertainment Taunton Rd. 231 Oak Park Blvd, Oakville The Pipes & Taps 289-863-1155 Oak Park Blv vd. Hays Blvd Oak Park Blvd Trafalgar Rd This week featuring: The Bar Band Dundas St. DIAMOND DIAMOND Voted Best Accountant by Oakville Beaver Readers for 9 Consecutive Years CPA, CA, MBA, B. Eng Ricky Wong W For more information please check our website www.rickywong.ca · Accounting · Auditing · Taxation BUY 2 SACS SAVE $20! 1200 Speers Rd., Unit 32, Oakville, Ont. L6L 2X4 (905) 845 - 1408 | Fax (905) 845 - 5931 ·DIRT 905·333 supersac.ca Order online: AMERICAN EXPRESS ® (3478) + $5 refundable deposit on sac