“We were elated, over the moon. I spent the first hour of the morning crying happy tears and calling everybody I could think of that had been part of the process of saving the program to, to thank them and to bask in the joy of the moment. It was, it was truly amazing.”
“The board was very clear that should they choose to keep the program going it wasn’t going to be moving to Easthill. We didn’t know where it would be moving to but we are thrilled with the choice. It’s a very centrally located school. We are looking forward to being really immersed in that community and working with everybody there.”
Easthill is the new school being built at the site of Queen Elizabeth School on MacDonald Avenue and will consolidate Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.
Mayer says the Adventure Class involves a multi-grade structure combining grades 1-3 in one class and grades 4-6 in the other.
Experiential learning involves bringing experts into the classroom as well as learning through the outdoors and by giving back to the community.
Mayer says there are approximately 40 students currently in the program.
Adventure Class families have two weeks to decide if their children will attend the program at Prince Charles while a meeting to discuss the program refinements will be held later this spring.
Read the letter from Hastings Prince Edward District School Board below:
Dear Adventure Class Families:
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board engaged in a program review of the Adventure
Class Program at Queen Victoria School. This program review was based on the evaluation
framework developed in partnership with Queen’s University.
The program review sought to answer the following five questions:
1. Equity: To what extent is the program equitable?
2. Student Achievement: What level of impact does this program have on student achievement?
3. Student Wellness: How effective is the program in fostering student well-being?
4. Sustainability: To what extent is the program viable and sustainable for the school board?
5. Uniqueness: In what ways does this program differ from a typical classroom experience?
A variety of data collection methods (e.g., interviews, surveys, document review, arts-informed student
activity, focus group meetings) was used to collect evidence to answer the above questions.
There were three possible outcomes of the program review:
1. continue the program;
2. refine the program; or
3. discontinue the program.
Senior Administration reviewed the summary of evidence from the program review and has made the
decision that the Adventure Class program will continue with refinements.
The Adventure Class program will be relocated to Prince Charles School (Belleville) for the 2023-2024
school year and beyond. Prince Charles School (Belleville) was selected because there is space at the
school and its location will support experiential learning.
Current Adventure Class families are asked to complete this Google Form by Tuesday, April 11, 2023
to indicate if they would like their child(ren) to attend the Adventure Class program at Prince Charles
School (Belleville) for the 2023-2024 school year. This short timeline is required to meet HPEDSB
staffing timelines.
I will schedule a meeting with interested Adventure Class families and staff in the spring to discuss
program refinements.
Yours in Education,
Kristen Niemi
Superintendent of Education
