On Monday, December 18, the Hazel Trembath community gathered with district administrators and staff to discuss the current status of Hazel Trembath and raise concerns about the short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans for Trembath.
Topics raised:
Buses/Transportation
The new bus schedule should begin the week of February 5th (but perhaps sooner). There will be one bus schedule. We will look into working with the City of Port Coquitlam with respect to shelter options.
For now, E.A.'s will continue to ride the bus, but there is no requirement for this.
Daycare/StrongStart
Before and after school care will remain at Citadel Middle for the foreseeable future. It is likely that plans for a replacement Hazel Trembath would include dedicated space for daycare(s), depending on Ministry approval.
We are piloting models of successful programming of before/after care across the District and as such should have valuable information to draw upon if the district is permitted to move forward to the design stage for a new school. We will continue to help in finding a solution to the lack of infant/toddler daycare solutions.
School Programming
A number of questions and concerns were related to current school programming:
- Increased instructional time should improve access to music, library, steam lab etc.
- The school will communicate plans regarding schedule and lunch breaks.
- IEP's updates/meetings will occur imminently.
- School continuing to explore options for outings, cultural enrichment, in and out of the community.
- Please reach out to the school for any academic/emotional support.
Playground
We are looking at all options related to improving the playground situation at Como Lake Middle for Hazel Trembath students. Possible considerations have included moving structures from elsewhere, and utilizing temporary but stable structures that can be relocated once a permanent solution is approved by the Ministry. This context is surprisingly complex due to safety requirements and associated costs and timelines that go with them.
Grade 5 Transition
- Transition planning will begin as usual (in the next few weeks)
- This is a typical process which should not depart too much from previous years.
Building Options
At this time, (and subject to change pending information from the Ministry of Education and Childcare) possible permanent solutions include a new school built onsite using traditional construction methods, a new school built onsite using a combination of modular and traditional construction to potentially speed up the process, or classroom additions added to nearby school sites to accommodate Trembath students.
A temporary option to house Trembath students on or offsite in the community is not feasible for logistical reasons, limited availability of resources, and a lack of the necessary approvals.
We hope to come to the community with more detail and to solicit input regarding potential options in the near future as more information from the Ministry is provided.
Updates related to possible construction and the school site itself may be found under Capital Projects, on the SD43 website Here .
Advocacy/Timeline
There is an absolute willingness by all parties to address the needs of the Hazel Trembath school community in finding a them a permanent home as quickly as possible.
A more detailed timeline for completion will evolve and will be dependent upon the options selected/awarded by the Ministry of Education and Child Care. We hope to submit a very detailed business case to the Ministry by the late Spring, and ideally come to the community with information about the same time.
There is a significant amount of planning and work required to prepare a submission for the Ministry. The community may want to highlight the importance of this project to the government, but the bulk of the time that is needed is directly related to the necessary reports the Ministry requires. Advocacy itself may not affect timelines.
Parent advocacy should be directed to the local MLA and the Province. The City of Port Coquitlam has already indicated that their own internal processes will be expedited for this project.
Design Input
The design process should a new building be announced by the Ministry of Education and Child Care, typically involves many partners including students and the community. As we are a district that has one of the largest capital programs in the province, we have a well-established comprehensive design team that includes expertise from all areas of education and building science.
Part of the planning and design process includes working with police to determine appropriate safety measures and considerations to reduce vandalism and delinquent behaviour on school grounds.
Insurance/Funds
At this time, we are working to account for, reconcile, and replace items lost in the fire. This is a massive endeavor. PAC items are covered by insurance. The Ministry typically funds all new builds.β