I hope the new principal can fix the staff turnover problem - they've lost something like a quarter of their teachers every year for last few years. People just have not wanted to work there.
The first few years DSA was open they lost more than half their staff, year over year, subs refused to work at the school too. I'm kinda impressed it was only a quarter of staff turn over the last few years. I have a few guess as to why.
I’ve heard the school for a lovely building has already outgrown itself. What will happen when the new buildings behind Sobeys are full, where will all those kids go?
The school was close to capacity when it opened in January 2018. It was supposed to be a P-9, but when the Prince Arthur was torn down Southdale North Woodside didn't have enough room, so the grade 9's went to Dartmouth High. When DSA opened, the grade 9's stayed at DHS, as there was no room for them there.
It's not just the subdivision behind Penhorn either, Eisner Cove also falls in that catchment, which could end up with just over 1800 units when all is complete.
Oh I'm well aware. I went to Southdale and PA. My now 17 year old started at Southdale North Woodside and went to Dartmouth South we t it opened, she was in grade 2.
Not only is the catchment huge, they also have the French Immersion from Shannon Park for grades 7 & 8.
So my son’s elementary is a feeder school into Dartmouth South for Junior High. I also know a teacher at South Academy.
The teacher was disillusioned with Dartmouth South. The teaching methods are a bit stuck in the past and there is a definite resistance to making any change at all in anyway. Parents are completely disengaged. Maybe the new principal is helping — I’ll ask the teacher next time I see her.
From my perspective as a parent at a Dartmouth South feeder school, I can understand why parents aren’t at all engaged at Dartmouth South. I’ve written about this before, but one of the feeder schools is so resistant to involving parents at all in the school unless you’d like to be a lunch monitor. Getting any insight, any response is difficult, even about mundane things. The school has a culture of righteous isolation. Seems like the feeder school is training parents not to engage. Then they go to Dartmouth South where parents don’t engage.
I hope the principals can come together for the community and try to create trust.
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u/echiker 15h ago
I hope the new principal can fix the staff turnover problem - they've lost something like a quarter of their teachers every year for last few years. People just have not wanted to work there.