Dear parents/guardians of Huntsville Public School and Riverside Public School,
I am writing to share an important update about the school catchment review for the French Immersion (FI) grade distribution, which was recently conducted for Huntsville Public School (HPS) and Riverside Public School (RPS).
At the June 13, Trillium Lakelands District School Board Regular Meeting of the Board, trustees approved the reconfiguration of the FI grades at the two Huntsville schools that offer the FI program. Effective September 2024, RPS will include Grade 5, and will extend to include Grades 6 effective September 2025.
A number of questions/concerns were raised at the community consultation meeting that was held on May 3 that have since been reviewed. The first was the concern of the septic system at RPS. A review of this system was conducted and we are confident that it will continue to perform well for the number of individuals at the school, including the increases over the next two years.
We also heard a strong interest in having all FI students in one building. Given that both HPS and RPS each have an English program catchment area, we are not able to have all FI students at the same school, as the total number of students would then exceed either school’s capacity.
Transportation will continue to be provided to and from school for eligible students who reside outside the designated walking zone for each school.
All information, including previous communications, can be found on the HPS/RPS Boundary Reviews page on the Board website.
If you have any questions, contact your child’s school directly.
Sincerely,
Wes Hahn
Director of Education
Trillium Lakelands District School Board
