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2 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 7, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Buses may be coming to Catholic F.I. students By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Catholic French immersion students may soon have the right to ride a school bus to class, thanks to a plan to harmonize the transportation policies of the Halton public and Catholic school boards. In exchange, however, some students who are currently bused to school may lose that privilege. Since September, the two school boards, along with the region's Catholic and public French language school boards, have been operating a shared transportation service that sees students bused based on geographic area rather than specific school board. To maximize the efficiency of the service, staff is suggesting the boards harmonize their policies around busing, including considering the introduction of French immersion busing for Catholic students. The public board currently buses French immersion students to their schools, if they meet distance criteria. Changes would also be made to the various transportation policies to provide transportation to secondary students facing a walking distance of more than four kilometres to their school. Standard bus stop distances of 0.8 km for elementary students and 1.6 km for secondary students would be established under the harmonized plan. The plan also calls for both boards to eliminate the special transportation exemption for about 1,200 students in the Georgetown South area who receive busing if they have to walk over the Hungry Hollow bridge to get to school. The changes, which would take effect for next September, are expected to cost the Catholic board about $170,000, but save the public board about $107,000. Harmonization of the transportation policies is one of three changes being recommended in preparation for an Effectiveness and Efficiency Review expected to be conducted by the Ministry of Education this spring. The review, which will look at how successfully the boards are co-operat- ing in the area of transportation, could result in additional funding from the province. In addition to harmonizing policies, a plan is underway to formalize the shared transportation services as a separate legal entity, as well as to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the provision of transportation services. Changes to the Catholic board's transportation policies will need approval from trustees, although a date has not been set for that discussion. HOPEDALE MALL R and R BOOKS Join Youth Bowling Canada (YBC) Learn to bowl. Make new friends. Ages 4 - 10 every Saturday morning at 9:15am Ages 11 - 18 every Saturday morning at 11:00am Call (905) 827-4281 for more information. Come visit us on Family Day... open for public bowling from 10am to 6pm Thanks Oakville for Choosing us the #1 Winner in Bowling New, Almost New & Other Fine Books Saturday, February 7th Sidewalk Bag Sale $ 7 A BAG Chinese Cuisine Treat eyaoruron Sweethuaryt14 Febr pecial s OPEN SINCE 1995 BRONTE Sunday, February 8 Mystery Value Bag for a nner Valentines Di HOPEDALE MALL www.hopedalebowl.ca · hopedalebowl@bowlontario.ca 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville (905) 827-4281 (Rebecca at Third Line) 905-847-2828 Join us Saturday evening PRIME ROAST BEEF WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDING served with soup or salad, p potatoes, vegetable e Road Bronte Roa 905-827-7073 · www.brontechinesecuisine.com Lakeshore Rd. El Spero GR All Day Breakfast! OVER 36 YEARS! OPEN SUNDA YS Special Kids' Menu Thank You Oakville for Voting Us "Best Breakfast" & "Seniors Favourite" Restaurant Breakfast . Lunch . Dinner $ 15.99 More than you would believe... for less than you would expect! We Accept s r r TM Located in the HOPEDALE MALL 1515 Rebecca St. Oakville 905.827.4851 Mon.- Fri. 8am- 9pm, Sat. 8am-8pm, Sunday 8:30am-3pm Hopedale Mall 1515 Rebecca St. 905.827.6837 Upper Oakville Shopping Centre 1011 Upper Middle Rd. East 905.842.1011 Monday-Friday 9:30 am - 9 pm Saturday 9:30 am - 6 pm Sunday noon - 5pm I N T H E N E I G H B O U R H O O D . Fourth Line h d Third Line Near new mall entrance by Zellers · Own entrance at the front of the restaurant Restaurant is open even after the mall is closed 1515 REBECCA ST., OAKVILLE To Hamilton QEW Rebecca