Mr.

Jamie Brennan, Chairman of the Board, School District 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) 395 Wakesiah Avenue Nanaimo, British Columbia V9R 3K6 June 12th, 2013

Dear Mr. Brennan and Trustees, The Cedar School and Community Enhancement Society, the Society for the Cedar Community Schools, is in favour and supports the education of preschool to grade 12 students to be completed in Cedar as suggested in the North Oyster Solution, the Fiona Steves Proposal, and the needs of our children. Suggestions recommended are: 1. Change Cedar Secondary to Grades 6 -12, as proposed in Ladysmith, or keep Cedar Secondary at grades 8 - 12 by moving grade 6&7 to North Oyster in order to keep that School close to its capacity of 425 students. 2. Enrol NCI Gr. 6 & 7 students in North Oyster so that enlargement or portables are unnecessary at Cedar Community Secondary School (capacity 425). 3. Move NCI Gr. 4 & 5 to Woodbank, bringing the number up to about 250 students (max capacity 248 students) 4. Do a feasibility survey on putting an Arts Program in Woodbank and/or French Program (AIM Language Program as used in Richmond Schools). 5. Close South Wellington and move the students to North Oyster to maintain full capacity at rural schools. 6. Close North Cedar. This solution, as Mr. Brennan has suggested, is a greater focus on student learning and less conflict in the school system (Vancouver Sun April 10 Tackling The Enrolment Decline). The Society suggests the above changes in the 10 Year Facilities Plan, in agreement with Mr. Brennan on Tackling Enrolment Decline , for the following reasons: 1.As schools get bigger and less personal, as in the 10 Year Facilities Plan, parents are turning to independent schools, and more home schooling, for an individual program for their children which SD # 68 is trying to avoid. 2. The Number of students suggested in each school in the Plan is greater than optimal limits. 1

3. Our young people will miss out on the "after school programs" that we have worked so hard to attain through our Community School organization. 4. There is a different identity and culture for rural children than urban young people. Because children are not culturally connected to the School they lose interest (Child Development, January/February 2011, Volume 82, Number 1, Pages 405432). 5. Personalized learning is easier to achieve, as encouraged by the Minister of Education, in Elementary Schools with a population of approximately 200 students. 6. Any courses that are not available in rural senior schools are now available through video conferencing. Rural children will no longer be disadvantaged. 7. The economy of scale does not warrant enlarging both Cedar Community Secondary School and John Barsby School just because financing for new buses and construction is available. 8. John Barsby School would be over capacity with the addition of Cedar students. If bigger and more courses are an advantage for our students, as portrayed by the "Facilities Plan", graduates from Nanaimo schools would all attend UBC rather than go to a small University like VIU. We do not feel that bigger is always better. 9. Instead of playing outdoors in a rural community, Regional District children will be sitting on a bus to go to an urban destination thus contributing to obesity and boredom. Rural Schools "The less children play outdoors, the less they learn to cope with the risks and challenges they will go on to face as adults... Nothing can replace what children gain from the freedom and independence of thought they have when trying new things out in the open."(Natural Childhood by Stephen Moss) On behalf of the Cedar School and Community Enhancement Society I wish to thank you and all the Trustees for the opportunity to have input into the 10 Year Facilities Plan, and for your work and support in making learning an exciting and rewarding experience for our children. Yours sincerely,

Frank Garnish President, Cedar School and Community Enhancement Society