Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Approves New Name for Bowmanville School

Pete Fisher
6 days ago
• Categories: Local

Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Trustees this evening approved Northglen Orchard Public School as the name for the new elementary school in Bowmanville, among other decisions.

Northglen Orchard Public School
After reviewing a list of names shortlisted for consideration by a joint community-board Ad Hoc School Naming Committee, Trustees tonight approved Northglen Orchard Public School as the name for the new elementary school in the Northglen neighbourhood in Bowmanville. Northglen Orchard Public School was one of three names shortlisted by the committee, which also included Northglen Orchards Public School and Northglen Public School.

“As always, these are difficult decisions not only for the committee but for the Board as well in its deliberations. The variety and worthiness of all the submissions, over 70 in total, is a wonderful testament to the community’s interest in this school and public education,” says Jaine Klassen Jeninga, Chairperson of the Board. “We would like to thank all those who participated in the process. The committee clearly was deliberate and thoughtful in its discussions.

“By incorporating the reference to the historical agricultural usage of the land as an orchard, the committee felt strongly that this name, as per the guiding principles within policy, reflected the area to be served by the school and would be welcomed by the newly established school community.”

As required by board policy, a committee including local Trustees, students, staff, and community representatives from the local schools that will form the Northglen Orchard Public School community was established to coordinate and review suggestions for the naming of the new school before submitting a short list for consideration by the Board for approval.

“We are very excited about the building of Northglen Orchard Public School, a new 21st century learning facility that will benefit the students, staff, families and members of this community for generations to come,” says Klassen Jeninga.

Northglen Orchard Public School will have space for 769 students, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, as well as a four-room childcare centre.

Courtice Secondary School Family of Schools Accommodation Planning
School board administration has been reviewing each region across the district to develop appropriate and responsive accommodation plans for the future. As part of that work, in this evening’s Resource Committee report the Board was presented with a Background Study with student enrolment, school space available, and existing attendance boundaries for all schools in the Courtice Secondary School Family of Schools.

To support high quality learning experiences and opportunities for all students, administration reviewed this data to consider possible changes that could be needed to balance enrolment.

At this time, there are no recommended adjustments for the Courtice Secondary School Family of Schools.

“We have seen continued enrolment growth of approximately 2% over the past five years, and expect that trend to continue,” says Klassen Jeninga. “As we welcome more students and families to our schools, we need to ensure we are looking forward to prepare responsive accommodation plans for the future.”

“We monitor the rate of residential development on a continual basis and will look to secure further potential school sites to meet the needs of our growing communities,” says Klassen Jeninga.

Within the Municipality of Clarington, recent accommodation planning has been completed for the Bowmanville and Newcastle areas, including a boundary review as part of the establishment of the new Northglen Orchard Public School.

School Council, Regional School Council and Volunteer Polices
KPR policies are reviewed every five years to ensure they remain up-to-date, relevant and responsive. As part of the Chairpersons’ Committee Report, it was noted that the Board’s School Councils, Regional School Councils, and Volunteers policies have been reviewed with suggested updates and revisions.

One notable change being proposed to the Volunteers policy to support volunteer participation and reduce barriers (cost and wait time) to volunteering, is the adoption of an initial police record check followed by annual offence declarations (with record checks renewed on a five- year term). This change will support volunteers who wish to contribute to school communities on a continual year-over-year basis.

“We extend our heartfelt thank you to school council members and volunteers at every opportunity to recognize the positive impact they have each day on the lives of KPR students and the broader school community,” says Klassen Jeninga. “School council efforts and volunteer activities are innumerable, from starting off students each day with the nutrition they need to learn and succeed, to recreational programs, and opportunities to develop mentorship and leadership skills. We want to ensure our policies and practices are aligned to support and contribute to this critical work.”

Prior to final approval of these revisions, school council members, volunteers, families and community members are invited to share their feedback online on the three policies and associated administrative regulations by May 26, 2025 at www.kprschools.ca