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February 3, 2012
On January 30, 2012, the North Vancouver School District Community Advisory Working Group (CAWG) held their first meeting.
The meeting objectives were to:
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To provide an overview of the background, context and scope of work for the Community Advisory Working Group
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To confirm Community Advisory Working Group mandate, roles, responsibilities, expected outcomes and process timeline
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To solicit working group member perspectives regarding operational considerations, needs and concerns associated with the North Vancouver School District Learning Centre at Balmoral
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To clarify next steps including additional information needs, homework and subsequent meetings.
The following documents provide a brief summary of discussions held during the meeting.
Community Advisory Working Group Meeting #1 Summary Notes - January 30, 2012
Community Advisory Working Group Meeting #1 Presentation
Summary of input and feedback from the Public Information Meeting on January 10, 2012
For resources and information links, please click here.
January 17, 2012
January 10 Public Information Meeting Summary
As a follow up to the January 10 Public Information Meeting at Balmoral, this summary is provided to highlight the key points presented and discussed and the process for further input and consideration, but does not include all of the information or concerns expressed at the meeting. Further details and clarification will be provided as the Community Advisory Working Group proceeds with its series of meetings.
Community Learning Program (CLP) and Choices Program
The School District is proceeding with the development of a new district-based Alternate Program, referred to as the Community Learning Program (CLP). The starting date of the new CLP is September 2012. This program will be located at Balmoral Secondary School and will provide educational services and supports to a student population of approximately 175 students.
The School District is expanding a school-based Choices program to each secondary school to provide additional supports to struggling and vulnerable students. The Choices program will help maintain more students in their home schools. As more students will be maintained in their home schools, the number of students enrolled in the Community Learning Program will decrease.
The hours of operation for the Community Learning Program will be similar to other schools in the school district and similar to the current operating hours in effect at Balmoral. The schedule can be adjusted to help reduce traffic congestion related to a common start or end time, at nearby schools. Concerns were expressed regarding operating hours and the supervision of students, before and after school, and during the noon hour.
Support services and supervision will be provided within the Learning Centre for students and youth during the standard school day (8:00 a.m. to 5:30 pm). This will help ensure the availability of support staff for students before and after regular operating hours. Concerns were expressed related to the supervision of students adjacent to the school, in the neighbourhood, and in proximity to other schools.
Community Agencies and support services will have offices within Balmoral. The specific agencies and support services are still to be determined. “Wrap-around” (e.g. academic, health, social and emotional counseling) supports would be provided to our students. These services could also be available to respond to community needs, if desired. This will be referred to the Working Group for consideration.
North Vancouver School District Learning Centre (NVSDLC)
District services being considered for integration within the CLP include the Distributed Learning (DL) Centre. The DL Centre currently provides instructional support to students from across the School District enrolled in Distributed Learning classes. The number of district students attending the DL Centre during the day is up to 10 at any time, with a total of 40 to 50 student visits over the course of a day. DL would be provided on-site to students enrolled in the CLP and may also be offered to students from other schools.
District support services presently located at the Leo Marshall Curriculum Centre and Lucas Centre related to storage and processing of instructional supplies (e.g. library books, media) will be relocated to Balmoral. This enables the consolidation of district services into fewer locations.
The inclusion of Continuing Education (Adult Education) at Balmoral is being considered and will be referred to the Advisory Working Group for further discussion. Presently, there are up to 200 adult students attending classes each morning at the Lucas Centre. Concerns were raised regarding the number of students attending Balmoral, particularly adults, traffic volume and inadequate parking.
Options are available for the delivery of Adult Education in the School District. Traffic and parking concerns can be mitigated by limiting Adult Education program offerings.
The Maintenance / Works Yard presently located at the Lucas Centre is not being considered for relocation to the Balmoral site and will remain at the Lucas Centre until a ‘purpose-built’ maintenance facility can be established elsewhere. The Lucas Centre will be considered for redevelopment over the longer-term, while Balmoral will be retained for continued use for the delivery of educational services. Balmoral will also be retained for longer-term use within the school district.
Community Use of Facilities / Community Impacts / Traffic
Minor renovations to Balmoral, presently in the conceptual design development stage, would provide for improved program delivery, access to specialty classrooms for electives, community service offices, and a ‘new’ environment to support students.
Designs provide for a ‘community recreation wing’ that could be operated during the weekend to support increased access to gymnasiums and joint use for the community. The renovation plans being considered would increase the opportunities for Joint Use and weekend access to recreational facilities. Interest in establishing a Joint Use Agreement to increase weekend access to the gymnasium and other recreational facilities will need to be determined in consultation with the Advisory Working Group, the Recreation Commission, and the District of North Vancouver.
Traffic, parking and mitigation strategies: concerns were expressed regarding the traffic volumes, pedestrian safety, and insufficient on-site parking (impact on parking in the streets) to support identified programs. This is particularly the case for the adult programs that are presently offered at the Lucas Centre.
The School District is supporting the District of North Vancouver in a School Safety Review (traffic study) being conducted as a part of the ‘safe routes to schools’ initiative. The proximity of Balmoral to the Braemar study area and the potential impact of traffic will be examined in cooperation with the District of North Vancouver and the study now in process. Concerns related to traffic, pedestrian safety and parking will also be discussed with the Advisory Working Group and provided to the School Safety Review now in process.
Further opportunities for input
A Community Advisory Working Group will meet to consider the input provided at the Public Information Meeting and received by e-mail to clp@nvsd44.bc.ca. The Working Group will be meeting January 30, February 27 and March 26. Concerns were expressed that the ‘broader community’ was not wellrepresented on the Community Advisory Working Group.
The membership for the Community Advisory Working Group is not complete. Individual community members may indicate their interest in serving as a representative to the Working Group by e-mail to clp@nvsd44.bc.ca.
The Working Group will provide advice on the operations of the North Vancouver School District Learning Centre at Balmoral, identify potential impacts in the immediate community, and suggest ways to mediate the identified concerns.
Follow up communication
Updates will be posted to our website (www.nvsd44.bc.ca) and circulated via e-mail to those who attended the January 10 Public Information Meeting at Balmoral. Highlights from each of the Community Advisory Working Group Meetings will be posted and circulated via e-mail. If you wish to be added to the mailing list, please send your e-mail address to psampson@nvsd44.bc.ca
Community Advisory Working Group
Terms of Reference: to provide advice on the operations of the North Vancouver School District Learning Centre at Balmoral, to identify potential impacts on the immediate community, and to suggest ways to mediate identified concerns.
Membership: representatives of school and community groups to serve as liaison representatives to the Community Advisory Working Group.
Chair: Chaired by Mark Jefferson, Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Meeting Dates and time: the last Monday of each month; January 30, February 27 and March 26. A further meeting, if necessary, will be held Monday, April 30. Meeting time will be 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Community Advisory Working Group Members |
| Student reps |
Cooper Heibloem |
aquaticgirl_94@hotmail.com |
| Anna Simmons |
annasimmons94@hotmail.com |
| PAC reps |
Krista Tulloch, Braemar PAC |
ktulloch@shaw.ca |
| Myles Aikenhead, Carson Graham North Campus, PAC Chair |
myles.aikenhead@gmail.com |
| Laura Mack, Keith Lynn PAC |
lauramack@telus.net |
| Kelly Skuse, Youth Learning Centre PAC |
kskuse@telus.net |
| School Admin |
| Heather McTaggart, Principal, Braemar Elementary School |
hmctaggart@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| Jeremy Church, District Administrator |
jchurch@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| Maureen Stanger, District Administrator |
mstanger@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| Community reps |
Carolyn Berg |
CBerg@sunprovince.com |
| Brian Wilson |
brianrwilson@shaw.ca |
| Kevin Macauley |
kfmacauley@gmail.com |
| Troy Vassos |
tvassos@novatec.ca |
| Lynne Charbonneau |
Lynne_Charbonneau@hsbc.ca |
| Keith Collyer, Alternate Representative |
atlantic@shaw.ca |
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| Rec Commission rep |
Bernie Blake |
blakeb@northvanrec.com |
| NVSD District Staff |
Mark Jefferson, Assistant Superintendent |
mjefferson@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| Monty Bell, Director of Instruction, Learning Services |
mbell@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| Ian Abercrombie, Director of Facilities and Planning |
iabercrombie@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| Irene Young, Secretary Treasurer |
iyoung@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| School Trustees |
Trustee Cyndi Gerlach |
cgerlach@nvsd44.bc.ca |
| Trustee Susan Skinner |
sskinner@nvsd44.bc.ca |
January 12, 2012
Over 100 parents, students, and community members participated in the Public Information Meeting at Balmoral School on January 10, 2012. The following documents were presented at the meeting:
Presentation Materials - Public Information Meeting on January 10, 2012
Community Learning Program and Choices Program - Summary Information
Public Information Meeting January 10 at Balmoral
North Vancouver School District Learning Centre
& Community Learning Program
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
7:00 p.m.
Balmoral Campus
3365 Mahon Avenue
North Vancouver BC V7N 3T7
Map
The Board of Education is holding a Public Information Meeting at Balmoral Secondary on January 10, 2012 at 7:00 pm. This meeting will provide an opportunity for the presentation of information related to the Community Learning Program and the Choices Program, the North Vancouver School District Learning Centre, and opportunities for Community Use of the facility, especially for recreational purposes.
Table groups will be arranged to provide for discussion, questions, and answers with participants. School District staff and trustees will be in attendance and will also join in the discussions. Participants will also be given opportunities to provide written input that will be collated and advanced to the Community Advisory Working Group for further discussion and consideration. The role and function of this Working Group will be further explained in the presentation.
Invited participants include parents of students currently attending Keith Lynn, the Youth Learning Centre, the Lucas Centre, École André Piolat and Braemar Elementary, as well as representatives of the District of North Vancouver and members of the community.
All are welcome to attend.
December 20, 2011
To provide more information to parents and the community, the North Vancouver School District has prepared an updated summary of Questions and Answers (Q & A). Please consult this document for more information on the background of the new program, how it was developed, and implementation phases and procedures.
Questions and Answers - North Vancouver School District Learning Centre and Community Learning Program at Balmoral School
At the Public Board Meeting on November 15, 2011, the Board of Education approved Balmoral School as the future site for the Community Learning Program. The primary focus of the Community Learning Program is to best address the needs of students and support student achievement. The process leading to the initiation and development of the Community Learning Program commenced early in the 2009/10 school year, with a continued focus and commitment during the subsequent two school years. The program will incorporate district-based Distributed Learning, Continuing Education, and other services within the North Vancouver School District Learning Centre at Balmoral. Based on the principles of the Ministry of Education's 21st Century Learning, the Centre will provide flexible and improved programming and scheduling options to improve student completion and achievement.
Community Learning Program Presentation - November 15, 2011
The decision for the program’s location was determined by the Board of Education following research and consultation with key educational stakeholder representatives. The Board has maintained its focus on student success and achievement throughout this process. We will keep community members informed of progress and will involve representatives of the Community Learning Program and local Parent Advisory Councils as we proceed with implementation plans. We will also be inviting a representative of the District of North Vancouver to participate in this process. The Board is aware of traffic management concerns that exist in the proximity of Balmoral School, located on Mahon Avenue, and in connection with the students attending Braemar Elementary School, also on Mahon Avenue, and École André-Piolat (Conseil scolaire francophone) on Kings Road. The North Vancouver School District is supporting the work being undertaken by the District of North Vancouver to examine the traffic issues along Mahon Drive and neighbouring streets. This process will create community input opportunities facilitated by the District of North Vancouver.
With the anticipated completion of Carson Graham Secondary School in the fall of 2012, the number of students attending the Balmoral site will be significantly reduced from 650 students to approximately 225 students. This will result in a reduction in the traffic volume along Mahon Avenue. Still, the number of parents driving their children to Braemar Elementary School, École André-Piolat,and the Balmoral site will remain a challenge and focus of the District of North Vancouver’s current traffic study.
For more information about the Community Learning Program, please see the following links:
Community Learning Program Update
Public Board Meeting - January 24, 2012
Community Learning Program Summary and Location Recommendation
Public Board Meeting - November 15, 2011
Community Learning Program and North Vancouver Learning Centre Update
Public Board Meeting - October 25, 2011
Community Learning Program Update
Public Board Meeting - June 21, 2011
Community Learning Program Report to the Superintendent
Public Board Meeting - February 22, 2011
Community Learning Program Interim Report to the Superintendent
Public Board Meeting - January 25, 2011
Report on the Restructuring 2010 Consultation Process
Public Board Meeting - April 20, 2010
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