CSAC & School Events Calendar

Monday, June 27, 2016


PETITION TO KEEP ST. AGNES SCHOOL BUSES - THIS WILL IMPACT ALL OF US!




EVEN IF YOUR KIDS ARE NOT ON THE BUS – PLEASE PRINT, SIGN AND RETURN TO THE SCHOOL BY WEDNESDAY JUNE 29!
**  FORM BELOW  **



Dear Families of St. Agnes,           

The Toronto Catholic School Board Trustees have decided to no longer provide bus service to students that live closer than 1.5km from the school.  The transportation budget has been included in their expenditure savings. 


The board should be making this decision on a school by school basis. Here are the reasons why the families of St. Agnes should be able to keep our school bus routes.


1.      NO sidewalks, CONSTRUCTION, winding streets, speeding vehicles

·        Our kids have to walk down winding streets without sidewalks –Newton, Pamcrest, Pheasant, Drive, Llyodminster Crescent and Caswell Drive to get to Maxome Avenue.

·        There are multiple construction sites that have pedestrians walking around work vehicles, machinery, building material, etc.  Unsupervised children will have to walk by workers.

·        There are speeding cars and overgrown trees that obstruct views at crossing areas.

·        Children will be expected to cross the road at various dangerous and busy intersections.  In most cases there are only 2-way stops.  This is the case at Pamcrest and Newton, Newton and Maxome, Maxome and Llyodminster, Maxome and Otonabee, Newton and Caswell, etc.

·        There is no proper crossing at the school intersection - Maxome Avenue and Otonabee Avenue.  There is only a stop sign that many people drive through.  There was a request to the city to have a crossing here.  They responded that there was going to be changes at Steeles Avenue and Maxome Avenue (not able to go north of Steeles onto Henderson in the am).   This has not helped!

·        The city also said that school signage was not necessary as the school is not right on Maxome.  After other complaints of this from other parents of the school, school signage went up along Maxome.  This has not assisted in making that intersection safer to cross! 



2.      Cul-de-sac – It’s just a matter of time that someone gets seriously hurt!  

Increased congestion at drop-off and pick up.

There were discussions between the city and the board to have the cul-de-sac enlarged.  The city required more land for this project; the board was not willing to give it.  The compromise was that St. Agnes was to have a certain length buses so that the bus can enter the cul-de-sac and turn the radius of the circle without having to go in reverse.

 “Rules of the cul-de-sac” were written by the parent council and are discussed and distributed a few times a year with the school newsletter (copy attached).

Once the buses are removed, the cul-de-sac will not be able to handle the extra congestion.  There are constant complaints about the drop-off and pick up.

 In the winter, the city plows the cul-de-sac either dumping snow on the sidewalk in which case the kids have to walk in the circle, or they plow creating windrows so that kids have to climb over to get onto the sidewalk.  The city has been notified and crews have been sent out to remove the snow.

 Cul-de-sac Environment – Buses honking for cars to clear their drop off areas, parents parked on the side, out of the car trying to drop off their kids and helping with their bags, parents trying to follow the rules and frustrated parents who are late for work and just want to get out of the area. 

 3.       Our Neighbours – The residents on Maxome and Otonabee already have enough congestion and noise in relation to our school.  They have to deal with pick up, drop off, loitering (teenagers in the afternoon – into the late evening) and littering.  The cancellation of buses will increase congestion. These people already have difficulty getting out of their driveways and are frequently blocked in.  

 4.       Brebeuf College – St. Agnes Catholic School backs onto the property of Brebeuf College.  Local boys walk through the yards as a short cut instead of walking west on Steeles and south on Maxome.  There are also families of the boys of Brebeuf that use the cul-de-sac for drop off and pick up.

 5.       Annual bus route evaluation not done.  The transportation department has not evaluated their bus route or bus stops.  For example buses continue to drive down streets and by stops that have no one getting on or off for years!



6.       Our tax dollars – The Willowdale area is going to see an even higher rise in property tax dollars compared to most areas in Toronto.  Although our property tax bills are increasing, we are losing this valuable service.



Mr. DelGrande has been telling parents that they can get on a wait list to get on a bus if there is room.  There is NO wait list.  According to Mr. Kevin Hodgkinson (transportation services) students may be able to get on a bus, if there is room, and if they meet the bus at a 1.5km bus stop! 




Please call …. 

Trustee Michael DelGrande at (416) 512-3214 / mike.delgrande@tcdsb.org


Kevin Hodgkinson (General Manager, Transportation) at 416-229-5313.

John Shain, Superintendent, 416-222-8282 Ext 2267 / john.shain@tcdsb.org


Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education, 416-281-2787 / mhunter.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Mr. David Zimmer MPP 416-733-7878 / dzimmer.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org


Ms. Angela Gauthier, Director of Education, 416-222-8282  Ext 2296




If you have any questions, comments or able to assist with this project- please email Maria Aprile at smaprile@rogers.com or 

Beverly Emer at beverlyemer@bell.net.



Thank you

CSPC – Parent Council

__________________________________________________________________________________________


We need your support!!!  Most students at St.Agnes take the bus!!

Please sign and return to school by this Wednesday June 29th.


                                                            

I disagree with the removal of bus services for students less than 1.5km away from St. Agnes.



Printed Name:  __________________________________________________
Signature:         ____________________________________________       


Address:            ____________________________________________

Comments: ______________________________________________________________________

THANK YOU!