EMSB to mark first day of school with a return to Ville Émard

Seven years after St. John Bosco Elementary School closed, students from Westmount Park Elementary School will return to that building at 6255 Hamilton Street in Ville Émard for the first day of classes on Tuesday, September 3 (7:50 am).   

The 105-year-old Westmount Park facility, at 15 Park Place, will be closed for at least the next two upcoming academic years (2019-20 and 2020-21) to complete a $12-million project of renovations and repairs. In the interim, the 700 students will be directed to the former St. John Bosco (Westmount Park South Campus) and Marymount Academy International in NDG (Westmount Park North Campus) facilities. CJAD’s Andrew Carter will broadcast his morning show live from Ville Émard. Also on hand will be EMSB Chairman Angela Mancini, local Commissioner Julien Feldman, other members of council,  Director General Ann Marie Matheson and senior management and members of the Borough Council. Jimmy Rennie from Ville Émard Bagel is a sponsor for this historic first day at the new campus.

Media are invited to come to the school and be part of an assembly at 9 am with Ms. Mancini and local Liberal MP and Federal Justice Minister David Lametti.

Here are some other new developments for 2019-20.

Two Recesses

To promote the overall development, health and academic success of elementary students, the EMSB has adopted the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur’s (MEES) plan to implement two full 20-minute recess periods during the school day.  Beginning on September 3, students will have two recess periods: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These periods will be independent of entry, lunch or dismissal.  To accommodate for this extra period, each elementary school has extended their school day by 15 minutes. 

New Pre-Ks

The EMSB will welcome 16 new Pre-Kindergarten classes funded by the Ministry of Education.

Set to receive new Pre-K classes for the 2019-2020 academic year will be : Sinclair Laird in Park Extension (1), Parkdale in St. Laurent (2), Dante in St. Leonard (2), Dalkeith in Anjou (1), Westmount Park (3), Gerald McShane in Montreal North (1), Coronation in Côte des Neiges (1), Mackay Centre/Philip E. Layton in NDG (1), Pierre Elliott Trudeau  (1) and Nesbitt in Rosemount (1),  Bancroft in the Plateau (1) and Michelangelo in RDP (1).  The conditions and criteria considered when making theses selections were the  poverty index, schools with existing half-day Pre-K’s and available space and  teachers.    

At the present time the EMSB has 12 Ministry funded Pre-Ks, including four of the aforementioned schools: Gerald McShane (2), Pierre Elliott Trudeau (2), Bancroft  (2) and  Coronation (1). The list also is composed of Nesbitt in Rosemount (1), John Caboto  (1) and Our Lady of Pompei (1) in Ahuntsic, St. Dorothy (1) in St. Michel and St. Gabriel (1) in Pointe St. Charles. 

Transfer of Schools

The EMSB is respectfully asking media to please provide the General Vanier Elementary School and John Paul I Junior High School communities in St. Léonard some space on Tuesday. Their representatives will not be providing any media access. It has been a difficult few months for their staff, students and parents, as well as those in their new hosting facilities (Pierre de Coubertin and Laurier Macdonald). We appreciate the cooperation.