• YRDSB will hold a March 24 meeting to introduce its new French Immersion elementary school on Baker Hill Boulevard.
  • All French Immersion students from Harry Bowes and Glad Park Public Schools will be transferred automatically, with no action required from parents.
  • The school will open for the 2025-26 school year, offering a single-track French Immersion program for Grades 1-8 with an expected enrollment of 450 students.
  • Mme. Rachel Hamou has been appointed as the school’s first principal and is finalizing staffing.
  • The meeting will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Stouffville District Secondary School cafeteria at 801 Hoover Park Drive.

 

York Region District School Board (YRDSB) has scheduled a March 24 information meeting to introduce its new French Immersion elementary school on Baker Hill Boulevard.

The meeting is open to families of local students currently enrolled in the Board’s French Immersion program. It will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Stouffville District Secondary School cafeteria at 801 Hoover Park Drive.

All French Immersion students currently attending Harry Bowes and Glad Park Public Schools will be transferred to the new school. Their information will be automatically updated, meaning no action is required by parents or caregivers to facilitate the change.

French Immersion will no longer be offered at Harry Bowes or Glad Park after the 2024-25 school year.

Planning for the new $22.4 million facility began in 2019. Currently unnamed, the school will offer a single-track French Immersion program for students in Grades 1 through 8. Including new Grade 1 French Immersion registrants, YRDSB expects an enrolment of 450 students for the 2025-26 school year.

“The naming of the school is governed by Board policy and includes opportunities for community feedback,” Licinio Miguelo, YRDSB’s Corporate Communications Executive Officer, said in comments to Bullet Point News. “Once the local Trustee and the Board finalize the process, it will be shared with the community.”

The school has an estimated capacity of 638 students, meaning all students will be accommodated inside the building for the upcoming school year. “In the coming years, should the need arise for the use of portables, we will communicate that to families,” Miguelo noted.

Busing will be available for eligible students as per Board policy. Transportation services will be provided for students in Grades 1-3 who live more than 1.2 km from the school and Grades 4-8 students who live more than 1.6 km away. Student-specific bus stops, along with pick-up and drop-off details, will be shared in August.

YRDSB has named Mme. Rachel Hamou as the school’s first principal. Currently serving as principal at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School in Markham, she is finalizing staffing and will attend the March 24 meeting.

The number of current French Immersion teachers transferring from Harry Bowes and Glad Park has not yet been determined.

“Staffing a new elementary school considers transfers from the holding schools as well as general transfers from the broader system,” Miguelo said. “These are allocated depending on system and school needs, and the exact allocation for this new school has not yet been finalized.”

“This timing is typical for a new school, and the principal will work with the holding schools and central staff members to ensure the school is fully staffed for the opening in September,” he added.

2025 French Immersion registration for Senior Kindergarten students entering Grade 1 has closed. However, late registration requests can be made and will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional information can be found on YRDSB’s French Immersion registration website.

YRDSB is also assessing the feasibility and demand for a before- and after-school care program. A survey has been created to gauge interest and will remain live until March 14.