We've got a School!

[Nan]

Hi Everyone,

Just in  - we have a school! John Dolstra, our Whitby Trustee who has been working on this with us for several years now, just called to give us the news.

The announcement just came out. We will have a school for 2009/2010!!!

You can read it here:

http://ddsb.durham.edu.on.ca/Pdf/about/m...chools.htm


I'm really just too excited to focus to write any more .

Thank you to our School Campaign Supporters, especially Peter Mitres who has kept things going when I couldn't and Liz Roy (former Trustee and current Councillor) and John Dolstra.

This is what hard work and a 1 Billion dollar investment in South Whitby will do !

Soon as the weather is warmer, I'd like to organize a picnic for all of us in our Park - so I will send out info later.

I will continue to email you on the details once I get them.

Nancy Slawski

[sretav]

Awesome news. I can't wait to see the plans for the school and the site. We live directly across the street so we're a little more invested than most. I'm also going to be watching very closely to see what the plans are for the "GREAT" tree that is at the corner of the property at WSG and Topsail. I don't want to have to chain myself to it but I will if I need to ;o)

[vrehorst]

Freakin' sweet!!! This should encourage folks with babies (like yours truly) to stay instead of moving to a different school area.

[Islander]

I would LOVE it if this would be a french immersion school. We're planning on attending F.M. Heard but I just read this morning in the paper that it may be closing!

[Nan]

Yes a dual tract French Immersion school would be ideal and you never know - it's definitely something we'll be raising. My daughter goes to Heard. The paper article was misleading - no decisions have been made regarding closing it but because it's such an old building, I wouldn't be surprised if it does close over the next 5 years. My main concern is not breaking up the school community. I wouldn't want to lose all the great teachers if they closed. I'm all for moving it here. It would be the best of both worlds for us.

[Kellybean]

Nan - I followed the link you posted to the Durham School Board and from what I read the school will be opening September 2010, not for the 2009/2010 school year. Am I reading it incorrectly?

[Nan]

Construction to start 2009.
Anyone involved with the school campaign will tell you that to get a school as quickly as 2 yrs from now is amazing and nothing to be disappointed about but instead something to be thrilled about. We were hopeful for one in 5yrs.

After all our hard work I refuse to see a bad side to this announcement. Do you have any idea of how long our community has been fighting for this and just how big a deal being awarded a school is in Durham region?



.

[cakcam]

I am sooo happy we got a school but 5 years??? my oldest will be high school by then and my second kid will be in grade 7...barely able to appreciate it. I am hapyy though...just wanted to state a fact for some of us parents who have kids in later grades....I have been here sine 2002 and know exactly how long we have been fighting for a school.

Congrats !!!

[Nan]

They do things in 5 year accomodation plans. So we were hoping we'd be somewhere in this new plan but were thrilled to find out it's only 2 yrs away.
I wish for everyone that it had happened a lot earlier.

It's going to be great for us, but there will be several schools that will end up closing so not everyone will be so happy. The announcements have yet to be made, but they will be and some no/low growth areas will have their schools closed. It's just too bad that not everyone can have their own school.

[Kellybean]

Nan - your message seems a little bitter.

I was simply asking you to confirm if I read the article correctly. When you post that we will have a school for 2009/2010 I am assuming it would be a functioning school, not a construction site.

I do realize how long this community has waited for this to happen. It is a great thing.