John Fisher Public School Junior Kindergarten

The Toronto District School Board is looking to eliminate junior kindergarten at John Fisher Public School. John Fisher is one of the few single stream french immersion public schools in Toronto. The Junior Kindergarten program is of a very high standard. As parents we see a tremendous amount of benefit in retaining the program and we do not believe the Board has satisfactorily exhausted all alternatives in resolving what is an apparent space issue. We are not satisfied that the TDSB has sufficiently consulted with the community on this matter. Hence we are seeking community input via this petition to demonstrate the will of the people who benefit, have benefited from the program, and who will most notably suffer from its elimination. A couple of other key points on this topic: · Eliminating JK seems like a band aid solution for the space issue in the short term – this problem is a big challenge for the school and the community as we move forward to full time kindergarten. It needs a robust ongoing strategy, run with representation from school, department and community. · Eliminating JK at John Fisher will put pressure on other schools in the catchment area, that are already struggling with space issues. · Suggesting that attending Eglinton Public school for JK is the only alternative is not satisfactory – it is small, on a busy road and its academic rating is not as good as John Fisher. As parents we have worked hard at getting our kids into John Fisher JK. We pay taxes in this area. We deserve better. · To suggest that the John Fisher JK program is optional is ludicrous – all JK is optional. It is not mandatory. What is relevant is that we have gone above and beyond as parents to get our kids into what we believe is the best program in our area. Again, we deserve more!