Kingston Secondary School Snapshot
November 18, 2020
Construction nearing full completion
The construction of the new Kingston Secondary School (KSS) site is now 98-per-cent complete. The board anticipates it will receive an "occupancy permit" in mid-November allowing additional staff on site to facilitate the upcoming move.
The 171,000-square-foot facility, which will house students from Kingston Collegiate & Vocational Institute (KCVI) and Module Vanier, is looking great. Custodial staff have been working to clean spaces as they are completed.
The hardwood flooring has been completed in the smaller gym and work on installing the hardwood floors in the competition gym is under way. Equipment is being installed in culinary spaces and tech shops. All of the office furniture and classroom (student) furniture has now arrived and is being placed.
Exterior landscaping is now complete along with work on the parking lot paving, rubberized track and sports field.
Tentative move set for December 15, 2020
Moving students and staff from KCVI and Module Vanier to the new Kingston Secondary School site is a complex operation. School and board staff continue to work on various plans to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.
As construction is nearing completion, and a projected occupancy date late this week, the board is moving ahead with the first of two options for the move to the new building.
Classes are tentatively scheduled to begin for both Module Vanier and KSS students on December 15, 2020 which is the beginning of Octomester/Block 4. The last day of classes at the current Module Vanier and KCVI would be December 11, 2020. Students at Module Vanier and KCVI would have a scheduled (asynchronous) remote learning/turnaround day at home on December 14, 2020 to allow for the setup of physical classrooms at the new building to welcome students to school the next day.
If unforeseen circumstances prevent the December 15, 2020 move, students and staff would move to the new school in early February 2021 for the beginning of Octomester/Block 5.
Student handbook & tours coming soon!
The majority of students who responded indicated they were excited about the new facilities, resources and equipment such as the gyms, science rooms and technology shops. They were also excited to have a bigger school, equipped with air conditioning and more green space.
Some students raised the following concerns:
- School location: how will they get to the new school; will they have to go by Kingston Transit and learn new routes or transfer buses; will this make them late for school?
- Opportunities for lunch destinations off school property
- Getting lost in the new building
- Timing of the move mid-block
To help address some of these concerns, Grade 11/12 Leadership Development students are creating a student handbook to help students become acquainted with the new school and neighbourhood. Information on transportation, walking/cycling trails and lunch options will be included in the guide. Some of this information is included later on in this newsletter.
Also, student class/cohort tours are being scheduled for the first week of December. Students will walk to and from the new school with their cohort using the city pathway network. They will get an opportunity to see what entrance they will use once the new school opens and get a short tour of common areas of KSS. Access to all areas of the school will be limited due to COVID-19 protocols.
Finally, a drone fly-through of the new school, featuring indoor and outdoor spaces, will also be produced to help familiarize students with the new school.
Watch for more info coming soon.
School bus transportation eligibility
School bus transportation is available to eligible students currently attending KCVI and Module Vanier or those who will attend KSS for special programming.
For information on school bus eligibility to the KSS site, please visit Tri-Board Student Transportation or call 613.354.1981 or 1.866.569.6638.
Families who are eligible need to complete a Tri-Board busing application if they are brand new bus riders. To apply for busing, please visit the Tri-Board website. If you have any questions about busing to the new school, please call Tri-Board.
If you already ride the school bus, no action is required. If you are currently riding a bus but will walk, cycle or take Kingston Transit to the new school, no action is required.
Kingston Transit routes servicing KSS
Both KCVI and Module Vanier students may continue using their free Kingston Transit passes once the new school opens.
Kingston Transit has provided maps on which routes will service KSS. Transit will shift bus resources from the KCVI area to the KSS area to support peak demand at school dismissal time.
The transit passes will be key for students who live within 3.2 km of the new school and are not eligible for school bus transportation. School bus transportation is available to eligible students currently attending KCVI and Module Vanier or those who will attend KSS for special programming.
If your student doesn't have a Kingston Transit pass and needs one, they can obtain one from the Cataraqui Centre or Kingston City Hall. If this poses a barrier for students, please contact the school for assistance.
For information on school bus eligibility to KSS, please see below.
Walking & cycling paths around KSS
There are many options to get to and from the Kingston Secondary School site by bike or by walking using new and expanded city trails and pathways.
The new Leroy Grant Multi-use Pathway is an accessible asphalt pathway that connects Third Ave. to John Counter Blvd. through Champlain Park. The pathway feeds directly into the grounds of KSS through Champlain Park.
The sidewalk network in the area adjacent to the school is quite robust as sidewalks are located on one or both sides of street (with the exception of one or two small pieces within the neighbourhood).
For those who prefer to cycle, there are a couple of ways to get from KCVI area to KSS and back:
- If starting in the inner harbour/downtown area, the K&P trail (beginning in Doug Fluhrer Park) takes you Elliott Avenue, which has cycling lanes that take you to Lyons Street, or further west to a pathway that leads to the grounds of Molly Brant Elementary School.
- If starting in the Queen’s University/Sunnyside/Alwington area, you can take the buffered bike lanes along Brock/Johnson Streets (depending if starting from the east or west) to Macdonnell Street, then head up Macdonnell, which leads right into the Leroy Grant multi-use pathway beginning at Third Avenue and Connaught Street.
Kingston Secondary School Snapshot
Website: bit.ly/KSS_LDSB
Location: Kingston Secondary School, 145 Kirkpatrick Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Phone: 613.544.4811