In June of 2015, the Surrey School District released the "SD36 Long Range Facilities and Education Plan": https://www.surreyschools.ca/Publications/SD36%20Long%20Range%20Facilities%20and%20Education%20Plan%20June%202015.pdf

Highlights affecting our area:
  • The Plan states that "in early 2015, the district hosted three community forums (January 22, 29, and February 2, 2015) that were by both invitation and open to the public. Approximately 300 participants in total attended two sessions devoted to programs of choice in general, and one session devoted to Punjabi language programs." Concern/Question: Were you aware of these community forums? We believe the information about these forums were not disseminated to our area which means our voices were not heard. (Page 2)
  • "With a clear desire on behalf of the public for expanding programs of choice, the district needs to consider its priorities, should expansion be possible. As an example, if possible, does the district expand Fine Arts, French Immersion, Montessori, or Traditional Programs of Choice? In the aforementioned areas, there is demand and public support for additional programming, with French Immersion and Fine Arts representing the vast majority of requests." Concern: It is clear from their forum that French Immersion is needed. Our belief is the District didn't ask questions surrounding location or didn't map back the addresses of those participating in the forum to specific locations and therefore just looked at Cougar Creek with the thought that "if we build it, they will come." This was a failure the first try in 2015. (Page 7)
  • "The district is committed to finding appropriate ways to expand its largest program of choice." French Immersion. Concern: Removing a class at Ecole Woodward Hill and creating one at Cougar Creek is not expanding the French Immersion program. Rather we would like to see the current French Immersion stay at Ecole Woodward Hill and then the Cougar Creek location would be part of the expansion they are speaking of. (Page 7)
  • Under Continued examination of Capital Priorities, you will not see our area. Instead they speak to the Grandview and Clayton areas. It's true, they are experiencing similar growing pains, but our area should be considered within this continued examination of Capital Priorities. (Page 12)
  • Under Adjusting Boundaries the District speaks to the long term planning for Sullivan Heights. They are looking at how to best balance the students that will go to either Sullivan Heights or Frank Hurt in the short term while they await funding for an addition to the school. Sullivan Heights is so over capacity that it currently runs on an extended day system. (Page 14)
  • Executive Summary: "Expansion of French Immersion" (Page 18/19) and "Potential Relocation of Existing French Immersion Programs" (Page 19)


In February of 2016, the families of Ecole Woodward Hill received the following letter from the Principal: ​http_s://www.surreyschools.ca/schools/woodwardhill/NewsEvents/Newsletters/Documents/Community%20Invitation.pdf

Highlights:
  • "discuss a proposal to reduce kindergarten entry for our French Immersion program from two classes to one, effective September 2017. This would reduce the number of new kindergarten French Immersion students from 44 to 22 from September 2017 onwards."

Meeting Highlights:
  • The format was that the district presented their proposal, followed by a facilitator hosting a table full of parents to capture their concerns and questions.
  • The district proposed that the FI program be reduced down to one K FI class starting September 2017 however they would honour siblings. 
  • With a projection of 27 siblings and only 22 spots, it was suggested that there would be a K/1 FI split class.
​
What does this mean for the community at large?
  • We have over-populated the area for the current school infrastructures. All of our schools are at or over-capacity, yet the development in the neighbourhood continues.
  • The district believes reducing the French Immersion program is an appropriate fix to the capacity issues.

Our thoughts thus far:
  • The math doesn't work. More than half of the students in the FI program live in the catchments of the remaining South Newton Community of Schools, therefore this proposal does not alleviate the fact that the students, regardless of regular track or French Immersion track, still need a seat in a classroom within our area. 
  • A K/1 FI split class would not be conducive to the learning environment for either the K's as it will be their first French environment, nor the 1's as their learning would be slowed.