2012 marks last year for grade 7 students in Plantagenet and Rockland

This marks the last year for grade 7 students at English speaking elementary schools in Plantagenet and Rockland.

As of next September, grade 7 students, along with their grade 8 counterparts, will become students at Rockland District High School.

The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) is moving forward with its Building 2020 Plan to revamp schools within its boundaries.

According to director of education David Thomas, Building 2020 is a four-year process being undertaken by the board to implement all of the changes approved by trustees in accordance with the 2007-08 system-wide boundary 2020 review.

Part of the plan, he said, involves transforming all of the UCDSB's elementary schools to kindergarten to grade 6 (K-6) schools and all of its high schools to grade 7 to 12 (7-12) schools.

In its first year, Building 2020 helped the system prepare for the majority of elementary school closures, school boundary alignments, and re-organization of French language instruction programs that were approved by the board through the Boundary 2020 Review.

K-6 and 7-12 structures for the Seaway, Glengarry, Char-Lan, Tagwi, and South Grenville Families of schools were also implemented effective September 2009 through Building 2020.

From this success, the board continued its implementation of school changes. In September 2011, schools in the Cornwall, Gananoque, North Dundas and Rideau Families of Schools began as K-6 and 7-12 grade structures.

This year, schools in Almonte, Athens, Brockville, Carleton Place , North Grenville and Rockland are slated to adopt the K-6 and 7-12 grade structures for September 2012.

School visits from the board's senior team and facilities' engineering staff were undertaken to confirm effective adolescent programming could be delivered within the space available at each school.

Transition teams, lead by each superintendent of school effectiveness, are currently being held to provide opportunities for students, parents and school staff to dialogue and prepare for September 2012.

"Every year we add more 7-12 schools to keep in line with the plan," said Dave Coombs, a superintendent for school effectiveness. "The reconfiguration means students would have more choices and options."

The change would mean the total student population at Rockland District High High School would jump to more than 440, which would put the school at about 80 per cent capacity.

"The population could drop to about 75 per cent over the next few years if the trend in declining enrolment continues," Coombs explained.

Enrolment at Plantagenet and Rockland elementary schools will drop, but the decrease will be offset somewhat when the ministry of education's full-time kindergarten program phases in over the next two years. Rockland Public School will have full-time kindergarten in 2012, while Plantagenet Public School will see the program in 2013.

All three schools will see their subsidy for student enrolment from the province change this year as well. The subsidy is given on a per-student basis and it's likely all three schools will see an increase as a result of the K-6 and 7-12 changes.

Coombs said one of the critical components of the change will involve adjusting bus route schedules for all three schools.

He said parents in Plantagenet "want certainty on bus routes and that's a really key issue that parents are concerned about."

Coombs admitted the reaction from parents about the change has been "wide and varied" with concerns ranging from class sizes to how the change will affect staffing to what kind of recreational opportunities will be available for younger students.

He noted older students are pledging to ensure younger students feel welcome at the high school.

He said overall, the transition process has been "very encouraging."