NOTICE OF MEETING School Board Secretary-Treasurer's Office Committee II: February 13, 2015 Stacy Robertson Mike Lombardi Patti Bacchus Penny Noble

Steve Cardwell, Superintendent of Schools

Dear Sir or Madam:

Notice of Meeting

A Meeting of the Planning and Facilities Committee (Committee II) will be held in Room 120 of the Education Centre, 1580 West Broadway, Vancouver, , on

Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 5:00 pm Yours truly,

Rick Krowchuk Secretary-Treasurer Trustees: Joy Alexander Christopher Richardson Fraser Ballantyne Allan Wong Janet Fraser

Student Trustee: Jing Wang

Senior Maureen Ciarniello David Nelson Staff: Catherine Jamieson Scott Robinson Denise Johnson Rob Schindel Brian Kuhn Janet Stewart Lisa Landry Ian Wind Jim Meschino

Reps: Rory Brown, VSTA Alt: John Silver, VSTA Chloe McKnight, VESTA Heather Allison, VESTA Jason Lauzon, VASSA Brent Schieman, VASSA Richard Zerbe, VEPVPA Jonathan Weresch, VEPVPA Tim Chester, IUOE Tim De Vivo, IUOE Leana Birk, PASA Joey Lau, CUPE Loc 15 Lois Holmlund, CUPE 15 Alex Dow, DPAC Iraj Khabazian, DPAC John Pesa, Trades Ken Chohanik, Trades Brent Boyd, CUPE 407 Sirada Pittayakornpisuth, VDSC

Others: Sec-Treasurer's Office Bill Ostrom District Parents Ernest Fanthorpe Kurt Heinrich Kelly Isford-Saxon Chris Allen Doug McClary Lynda Bonvillain Ron Macdonald Ed. Centre Engineers Lois Schack Rentals Cafeteria ✓ se COMMITTEE MEETING

COMMITTEE II — PLANNING AND FACILITIES Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 5:00 pm Room 120, VSB Education Centre

AGENDA

Delegations Presenters

1. L'Ecole Bilingue PAC Jennifer Uegama (Timed item 5:00 pm — 5:10 pm)

2. Maple Grove out of Catchment Montessori Parents Patrick Roberge (Timed item 5:15 pm — 5:25 pm) Tim Luu

Items Requiring Board Actions / Motions

Reports for Trustees' Information

3. Maple Grove Out of Catchment S. Robinson (report to be provided)

4. 0-4 Childcare - Nelson and Fleming Elementary J. Meschino K. Isford-Saxon

New Business / Enquiries

Date and Time of Next Meeting

Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 5:00 pm in Room 120 ITEM 1

L'Ecole Bilingue Seismic Committee Committee II, February 18, 2015

Presenter: Jennifer Uegama, Chair - L'Ecole Bilingue Seismic Committee

1. Give very brief history of L'Ecole Bilingue seismic upgrade project for new school board members. 2. Express our appreciation to the VSB for the temporary "swing-site" school. The move has been successful and the children and staff are happy in their new location. 3. Express our optimism that the Seismic Advisory Committee that is in the process of being formed will be a successful forum for communication between the parents, staff, administration and VSB during the construction of the new school. 4. Encourage the communication process to be as transparent as possible. In particular, making efforts to provide a full and achievable schedule for the new school, including the planned completion date. We ask that the use of target dates be avoided and replaced with verifiable milestones. February 18, 2015

L'Ecole Bilingue Elementary School:

Seismic Upgrade Committee Presentation to Committee II

OUR MESSAGE

1. We wish to thank the VSB for moving our children, teachers and school staff out of the high-risk school and into a safe, temporary site. We would like to acknowledge the hard work, energy and dedication of the administration, teachers and other staff of L'Ecole Bilingue during the move. They worked many hours to make the transition to the new site as smooth as possible for the children. 2. Throughout the project to date, the L'Ecole Bilingue PAC Seismic Committee has fully participated when invited to do so. We have knowledgeable parents in our community who want only to help VSB to complete this project as quickly and safely as possible. 3. Our Committee has kept parents, the VSB and other stakeholders fully informed throughout the process. Even though our school is now at its temporary site, we realize there is still much work ahead for all of us. 4. The swing site construction was not timely. Our school community repeatedly received last-minute updates about delays, leaving parents scrambling to adapt and react. As a result of our Seismic Committee's advocacy, the VSB created a Working Group that has proved to be extremely valuable. Since its creation, parents have been treated as the stakeholders they are, and the Working Group has been able to give parents more reliable, up-front information. 5. Our parent community has long fostered and promoted a collaborative, trust-based approach with VSB. Parents had lost faith in the VSB's ability to deliver this project in an effective way, and thus the Working Group was formed in an attempt to rebuild that trust. The group's recent work has improved this situation. We thank all who were involved in the Working Group for their time and engagement. 6. The last time the L'Ecole Bilingue Seismic Committee presented at Committee II, in November 2014, we asked for the Working Group to continue throughout the construction phase of the new school. Several Trustees supported that request. As a result, a Seismic Advisory Committee has been formed and will be meeting after the tender is awarded for the new school. We are optimistic that this new group, made up of representatives from the VSB, designers and architects, school administration, teachers and parents, will build on the success of the previous group. 7. We continue to be concerned that the multiple delays to date will delay L'Ecole Bilingue's new school project still further. VSB has continued to commit to a completion date of September 2016, however, our view is that this date is wholly unrealistic. 8. The tender package for the new school went out this week and will close on March 3rd. At the first meeting of the Seismic Advisory Committee, we would like to see a full, achievable and updated schedule for the new school, including the planned completion date. We strongly favour a schedule that includes verifiable milestones rather than "target dates," which in the past have led to disappointment and frustration among the parent community. (Some trustees voiced support for this idea at our last presentation here in November.) 9. The swing site L'Ecole Bilingue now occupies was created to host a series of schools that will cycle through during their respective seismic projects. We all have an interest in ensuring that the site is available, as soon as possible, to the next school that needs it. ITEM 2 Attention: Vancouver Board of Education School Trustees — Committee II Agenda Item

Maple Grove Montessori Parent Delegation RE: Cross Boundary Policy

We are writing on behalf of parents with children who attend the Montessori program at Maple Grove Elementary, one of two feeder schools to Magee. The Montessori program at Maple Grove was established in 2004; students from all over the city are enrolled in this district program. Over the ten years that the Montessori program has been in place at Maple Grove, the families, many of whom are cross boundary, have become an integral part of the neighborhood and its community of schools. From the day they step into Maple Grove, these families make the commitment to this larger school community network and they look forward to the day when their children will transition to Magee.

The first graduating class from Maple Grove's Montessori program was admitted to Magee in 2010. In subsequent years, it has been the practice that Maple Grove Montessori students have also been admitted to Magee as part of the feeder school system. However, it wasn't until mid-January 2015, when some parents attended Magee's Open House, that our parent group was informed of the news that a lottery system will now be the only method that will be used to determine admittance of cross boundary applicants in the district. We would like to communicate our concerns to you about how this cross boundary policy guideline is being applied and enforced.

We understand and are supportive of the V.B.E.'s school admissions policy that gives first priority to in catchment students and siblings of concurrent students. A lottery system will then be applied for all other cross boundary students. At this time, however, we would like you to consider why Maple Grove Montessori cross boundary students should have consideration for admittance before other out-of- catchment students to Magee.

■ Currently, there are many families with siblings in both Magee and Maple Grove. From this point on, however, if a family's oldest child in grade 7 in the Montessori program at Maple Grove is not successfully admitted to Magee through the lottery, the ramifications for our families could be tremendous. Those families with multiple children would consider uprooting either the younger elementary children (who have already established peer relationships at Maple Grove) or dealing with the hardship of having their children attend schools in two different parts of the city. The Montessori program could be adversely affected. ■ Unlike many schools with transient populations, one of the most unique features about the Montessori programs in the school district is the long term commitment from families — the students start in kindergarten and many will make the educational journey together all the way to graduation day in grade 7. The transition from elementary to high school is already one of the most challenging times in a child's life; to compound it with the notion that they are likely going to enter a new high school not knowing any of their peers has caused even our most confident students to feel nervous and uneasy. Quite a number of parents feel that their children will be extremely vulnerable at high school if they must enter a new community where there are no familiar faces to turn to. • Magee and Maple Grove have a close and unique relationship. Due to proximity (the two schools are situated on the same site), Magee students are often found volunteering and working through the community schools' program at Maple Grove. Many of the high school students form special "buddy" relationships with the elementary students. These bonds especially hold true for many of the Montessori children because they are Maple Grove students for all of their elementary school years.

We hope that the Board of Trustees, Ms. Denise Johnson, and senior management heed our concerns. The education of our children is not an issue we take lightly. This issue is time sensitive as the deadline, for cross boundary high school applications looms near, and our parent group looks forward to hearing from you about this matter. Thank you for your continued support and service to our school community.

Sincerely, Maple Grove Montessori parents Not only does Maple Grove share the same site as Magee, they were the same school originally. Their interconnectedness goes back almost 100 years. The Montessori kids of Maple Grove have been instrumental in maintaining and extending this community. Is the School Board ready to break this apart?

agee Secondary's Early History

Magee Secondary had its beginnings in Eburne (now ), two years before the original building on 49th Avenue was completed in 1914. In August 1912, Eburne Superior School was chartered for eight Point Grey students who had passed their high school entrance examinations. The students were taught that year by Principal Angus M. McDonald in an upstairs classroom of a four room wooden building at 67th and Cartier.

In April l 913 the Point Grey Board of School Trustees approved "the erection of the Magee School on Block 10 at An upstairs room in this four room building at 67th and Magee Station." In August the school trustees renamed the Cartier was used by the first class of Point Grey High school as Point Grey High School and appointed Mr. Allan School students in 1912.1he photograph was taken Bowles as principal at a salary of $190 per month. In during the construction of David Lloyd George School in 1920. (CVA- A22986) September, the original high school class was joined by twenty three new students entering their first year of high school. The class moved onto the Magee Road (49th Ave. & Maple) school site, while construction of the new building was underway. They occupied one of two completed rooms. The other room was used by Magee Public School elementary students. In April 1914, eight classrooms had been completed on the east side of the new building. It was located where the parking is now in front of the new Magee Secondary. The high school moved into the upper floor and lower floor was used by Magee Public elementary school students.

World War I began in early August 1914. Patriotism was at a high level and many thought of themselves as British first, Canadians second. When the new school building was officially opened on August 29, 1914, it was named after King George V in a rousing patriotic address by the Minister of Education. The City of Vancouver also named a new High School after King George V earlier in the same week. The new school at Magee served all of Point Grey, including Eburne (Marpole), Shaughnessy, and Dunbar.

During the world wide Influenza Epidemic, in the last three months of 1918, Magee was closed for several weeks and converted into a temporary hospital to accommodate the sick. At the end of the epidemic, the school's student population grew to 183. In February 1920, four additional rooms in the west wing of the Magee school building were opened. A new gym was erected in 1921 and that fall the student population had increased to 237. The east wing of the school was completed in 1922. In 1924 there were 400 high school students attending Magee. King George V (Magee) High School, 'about 1921, before the east wing was added. (VPL-9368)

The school's first annual, The Annual Review: King George V. (Magee) High School, was printed in 1924 for the lOth Anniversary of the school building on Magee Road. The sharing of the building with elementary students continued until January 9, 1925, when Magee Public (Maple Grove) School was opened. Although the high school building completed on the Magee site in 1914 had officially been named King George V, parents, students, staff, and school trustees continued to call it "Magee" after Hugh Magee, an early pioneer farmer who had lived in the area and built Magee Road (49th Avenue). The name "Magee High School" was finally made official by the School Board in May 1926, as part of its policy to use distinctive Canadian names for new schools.

By 1931 enrollment had increased to 888 and there were twenty-nine staff members. The average class sized was thirty seven students with the largest class having forty-six students. In September 1932, Magee Public School was renamed "Maple Grove" as part of recommendations to avoid confusion with school names. At the start of the 1963 school year, the high school's name changed from Magee High School to Magee Secondary School. A new addition consisting of three new classrooms, a new gym, and various remodeled classrooms was officially opened in 1960. In the audience were three former Magee principals including Mr. Allan Bowles, the first principal of Magee. The 1998-99 school year was the last time students occupied the old Magee school building before it was demolished to allow for the completion of the present school building finished in 2000.

Photo Credits: CVA (City of Vancouver Archives), VPL (Vancouver Public Library) Maple Grove Montessori Students Priority to Magee --[

Current Programs between Magee & Maple Grove

• Grade 12 and Grade 1 reading buddies • Leaders programs - come to teach drama and provide playground buddies • Grade 8s help with Sports Day ifj • Environment Club visits our Gardening Club • Student councils visit each other. • Student mentors from Magee help students at Maple Grove • Maple Grove band performs Magee at least twice per year • Magee band and choir perform Maple Grove

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Home Programs , K-7 Students > Nootka Fine Arts

Nootka Fine Arts MORE PROGRAM iSJAL rIC INFORMATION .:ROLP I - Community School Teams This program is offered for Vancouver students, K-7, and takes > District Fine Arts new students in at each grade level each year according to > DRPC and ELL students space available. Please remember to register at your > Engaged Immigrant neighbourhood school first then apply to this program. Youth > iMentorship > Multicultural Liaison Related Links: Workers Kindergarten Registration SACY Grade 1-7 Application Form > Settlement Workers in Nootka Elementary Schools > Supporting Aboriginal students The District Fine Arts Program is located at Nootka Elementary School. The program emphasizes the arts to develop > Special Education students' skills in collaboration, problem solving, and communication. This prepares our students for whatever programs academic, artistic, profession or vocational endeavors they choose to pursue.

This program is ideally suited for students who enjoy collaborating and creating with others, are open to new ideas and experiences, are naturally curious and self-motivated, while responding positively to expectations for dedicated hard work and comfortable with change.

The standard curriculum available in all schools is augmented by specialized instruction in the visual arts, dance, music, and process drama. This arts instruction, taught by teachers with training in the specific disciplines, accounts for about a third of the students' week.

Through learning the fundamental concepts underlying these four creative disciplines, students will establish a broad foundation in the arts, which could continue to the Athena Arts Program at Windermere Secondary School. 4<= Fine Arts Application - Kindergarten

Please register at your English catchment school for Kindergarten then apply for the program online starting January 12 and ending February 4_

The Vancouver School Board has revised the Kindergarten application and registration procedures_ For more information, visit: http:!;www.vsb.bc.caikindergarten

To apply, you will need your child's Personal Education Number (PEN) which you will receive in early January IF you have registered for kindergarten at your neighbourhood catchment school. A random computer draw will determine the successful applicants. Applicants will be notified as to placement in early February.

This program is offered for Vancouver students, K-7, and takes new students in at each grade level each year according to space available.

For students in Grade 1-7, please download Grade 1-7 Choice Program Application Form. 0 SHARE Li To view some photos of the Nootka Fine Arts Program of Choice, click here.

Date: February 16, 2015 ITEM 3 To: Committee II – Planning and Facilities

From: Scott Robinson, Associate Superintendent

Re: Maple Grove Montessori Cross-Boundary Request

INTRODUCTION: This report is provided for the information of committee members. No action on the part of the Board is required at this time.

BACKGROUND:

The district currently operates three elementary Montessori programs. Tyee Elementary is a single- track Montessori school offering programming for students in Kindergarten through grade seven. Renfrew Elementary is a dual-track school currently offering Montessori for students in Kindergarten through grade three. Maple Grove Elementary is a dual-track school offering Montessori for students in Kindergarten through grade seven. These are all considered District programs for the purposes of registration and enrolment, similar to French Immersion. There are no secondary Montessori programs in the District.

The majority of students exiting the Maple Grove Montessori program at the end of grade seven have tended to express a preference for attending Magee Secondary, which is the school the ‘regular’ program at Maple Grove ‘feeds’ into. In order to attend Magee, students who do not live in the Magee catchment, including those in the District Montessori program, are required by policy to be approved for cross-boundary status. This is consistent with all students leaving a District program to enter a regular program across the school district.

Parents of cross-boundary students in the Montessori program at Maple Grove have requested that their children be granted priority status over other cross-boundary applicants who wish to attend Magee Secondary School. This report is intended to provide information to the Board with respect to this request.

As indicated above, parents of Maple Grove students in both the Montessori program and the regular program who do not live in the Magee Secondary catchment have been required to obtain approval for cross boundary status in order for their children to attend Magee. Because there has usually been some space available at Magee after all in-catchment students are placed, most, if not all cross boundary applications have been approved each year. Based on the historical average number of cross boundary applications to Magee and projected enrolment for the 2015/16 school year, it is likely, although not guaranteed, that the majority of cross boundary applications will again be approved for the 2015/16 school year. That pattern is anticipated to continue for the next several years based on enrolment projections for Magee.

P:\COMMITTEE II\Reports\2015 Reports\2015-02 Feb. 18\Item 3 - Maple Grove Montessori Cross-Boundary Request.docx 1 RELEVANT BOARD POLICY:

Board Policy JECC – Student Admission and School Choice indicates that students who leave District programs such as French Immersion and Montessori are assigned to the regular program school associated with their home address. Every address within the boundaries of the Vancouver School District is assigned to both an elementary and a secondary regular program school. Parents who wish to have their child attend a school other than the one associated with their home address have the option of applying for a cross boundary transfer:

5.10 Non-Continuing Status for District Program Students

When a non-catchment student withdraws from or completes a district program at the school they are currently attending they do not have continuing status in the regular program. If they wish to continue at this non-catchment school for the next school year then they must apply to enroll through the cross boundary and/or cross boundary late transfer application process.

6.6 Non-Catchment Students Attending Elementary Schools

Elementary and middle school students must apply through the cross boundary application process to attend a non-catchment secondary school.

Cross-boundary applications are approved based on the following priorities:

6.0 Priorities for enrollment of cross boundary applicants are set out (as follows):

1. Sibling of Continuing Non-Catchment Student 2. Non-catchment Student - Daycare (applies to K-7 only) 3. Non-catchment Student 4. Non-District Student

The recently revised cross boundary policy indicates that applications are to be approved based on a ‘draw’ when there are more applications than spaces. The previous policy indicated that cross- boundary approvals were to be made in the order in which they were approved (date and time stamp method). This change was made in order to address perceptions of inequity and unfairness with the old system of ‘first come, first served’. Otherwise, there has been no change to policy. Siblings of continuing non-catchment students will continue to be given priority over other out of catchment applicants.

Currently, Board policy does not provide special priority status to students leaving a District program as is being requested.

IMPLICATIONS:

In order for the Board to grant special consideration for admittance to the cross-boundary students leaving the Maple Grove Montessori program, the Board would need to either direct staff to override policy, or revise the policy to provide permanent priority status to this particular group of students on an ongoing basis. In either case, there would be implications for students in parallel or similar circumstances across the District. Consideration would need to be given to:

• Cross-boundary students in the regular program at Maple Grove

P:\COMMITTEE II\Reports\2015 Reports\2015-02 Feb. 18\Item 3 - Maple Grove Montessori Cross-Boundary Request.docx 2 • Students leaving other District programs such as French Immersion and Mandarin Bilingual, as well as students in the other Montessori programs who are exiting the program to enter the regular program, either at elementary or secondary • Students leaving Secondary Choice programs – either mid-way through a program or from a program that has a definitive end before grade twelve such as the TREK program who are entering the regular program • Students in District Special Education programs either mid-way through a program or in a program that has a definitive end who are leaving the program to enter the regular program

In each of these cases, parents could argue that their children should be given the same priority status as that being requested by the parents of Maple Grove cross-boundary Montessori students given the similar or parallel nature of their children’s status.

In addition, it should be noted that in cases where one group of students has been given priority cross-boundary status over another, parents of the students given reduced priority have tended to argue that they also have special circumstances that warrant priority consideration as well.

CONCLUSION:

It is understandable that parents of cross boundary Montessori students at Maple Grove wish to have as much assurance as possible that their children will be able to attend Magee Secondary should they so choose. It should be noted, however, that to provide priority cross boundary status to one group in particular could have significant enrolment implications across the District. Policy is typically developed and applied with a district-wide perspective and when special consideration is given to one individual group, it is important to recognize and consider the implications of that decision on a District wide basis.

Staff are confident that, as has been the case for a number of years, the majority of cross-boundary applicants from Maple Grove Montessori will continue to be accepted into Magee Secondary under the current policy and process.

This report is for information only

P:\COMMITTEE II\Reports\2015 Reports\2015-02 Feb. 18\Item 3 - Maple Grove Montessori Cross-Boundary Request.docx 3 I n t e r Memorandum V‘i67 0 ooae e vancouver school board

Date: February 13, 2015 To: Committee II - Planning & Facilities ITEM 4

From: Jim Meschino, Director of Facilities

Re: Nelson and Fleming Seismic Projects and City of Vancouver 0 to 4 Childcare Addition

BACKGROUND

In 2004 Vancouver City Council created the Joint Childcare Council, bringing together the City, Park Board, Vancouver School Board and the childcare community to coordinate planning efforts and partnerships to enable new childcare spaces. In 2014 the City dedicated $25M toward creating 1,000 new childcare spaces (for 0-12 year olds) in the 2015- 2018 Capital Plan.

The Nelson Elementary seismic replacement school was endorsed in November 2014 by the Vancouver Project Office and a Project Agreement (PA) was signed by the Board on December 1, 2014. The proposed student enrolment for the new school is 60K/400 with a targeted completion date of fall 2016.

On May 5, 2014 the VSB endorsed the Project Definition Report (PDR), subject to Ministry Project Agreement approval, for a replacement school for Fleming Elementary. We anticipate that a PA will be executed in the next couple of months. The proposed student enrolment for the new school is 40K/400 with a targeted completion date in the spring of 2017.

DISCUSSION

The VSB has been in discussion with the City of Vancouver to review the feasibility of adding a sixty-nine seat childcare facility to the construction of Nelson and either a forty-nine or sixty-nine seat childcare facility at Fleming Elementary. The initial phase of this work is a feasibility study to be funded by the City to determine the viability of the project. The cost of both feasibility studies are to be funded by the City of Vancouver.

A preliminary estimate of approximately $11 - 14M has been provided by the City for the total cost of the two childcares, including hard and soft costs. The City has identified that they have funds available to proceed with both projects. To help fund the childcares, the City of Vancouver will be applying for a grant of $500,000 per project from the Provincial Child Care Major Capital Funding Program.

It is anticipated that there will need to be some public consultation prior to moving forward on the addition of the childcare to the schools. The City has been provided a timeframe for approvals to ensure that the addition of the childcare will not affect school project delivery.

There has been some initial planning for the 800m2. Nelson childcare with associated playground space to be located as a separate floor above the proposed two-story school. All costs associated with the completion of the childcare, if approved to proceed following feasibility study, are to be borne by the City of Vancouver.

NEXT STEPS

The current proposal being discussed is that the City will operate the childcare based on a long term lease arrangement with the VBE. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be brought back to Committee II, identifying terms of agreement and funding for the two new childcares.

This report is provided for information.

File: P:\COMMITTEE II \Reports \2015 Reports \2015-02 Feb. intern 4 - Nelson and Fleming 0 to 4 Childcare.docx 1